Creating an on board credit - benefits

[BarbieGee]

My cousin, her hubby and adult son and myself will be cruising in February on the Paradise out of Tampa.

I have been debating as to whether to put money into an on board account which I will be setting up to use the On Board Credit I received through the travel service I used. My cousin says it really isn't necessary cause at check-in we will each use our credit card and settle at the end of the cruise. Using the HUB app we can keep track of our expenses.

Is there really any specific benefit to adding money 'up front' or waiting til the end of the cruise? Discounts or any other money saving advantages?

[Schoifmom]

To replay your question, just to make sure we are on the same page.  You want to know if there is any advantage to putting cash on your S&S account at the beginning of the cruise instead of using a credit card.

 

• Carnival will place an initial hold on your credit card of $100 or $100 (depending on the length of your cruise).  There will be additional holds placed throughout the cruise, as you spend.  
• At the end of the cruise, Carnival will put through the charge for the total amount of your spend to your credit card.  This will effectively tie up twice the amount of your spend for a while, until the holds fall off.
• If you use cash, there is nothing for Carnival to tie up with a hold.  Your spending will deduct from your cash balance until you have nothing left.  At that point, you will need to add more cash or provide a credit card (subject to the holds listed above).  This is a great tool for someone on a budget and doesn't want to spend more than a specific amount or does not have a credit card.
• With both methods you can view your spending in the HUB app or using the kiosks.
• There are no discounts or money saving advantages to either method, other than using cash does not tie up your credit.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

It's been awhile, but if I remember correctly, each adult guest can have a separate account, and can each choose to use credit or fund it with cash.  You don't all have to choose the same method. 

 

OBC from the travel agent would be split between the first two guests listed on the stateroom. 

 

Purchased OBC from the fun shops (cruise cash)  is non- refundable (use it or lose it).

 

If you add cash to your account when you arrive at the port, or while on the ship, that is refundable if there is anything left. 

 

As long as your credit accounts can handle the extra temporary holds, this is by far the easiest and most convenient funding to use, and is set up during the on line check in. Chances are you'll never have to go to guest services regarding your account. 

 

[klfrodo]

Since this is on the Carnival board, we can talk about what they call Cruise Cash.

 

I buy Cruise Cash, but in a limited amount.

Why? Just my little way of minimizing the end of cruise hit to my credit card bill.

If I anticipate my end of cruise bill to be about $1000, then I'll purchase maybe $750 Cruise Cash.

 

The problem with Cruise Cash is that it is non-refundable. In other words, if my on board spending is only $650, I can lose the $100 left over on my Cruise Cash account. (There are ways to get around that but I don't count on that method because Carnival will someday figure a way to stop that method. Of course they will figure it out just before MY cruise and now I'm screwed)

[mz-s]

A lot of people will buy Carnival gift cards to fund their onboard account. If you shop around you can buy these gift cards at a reasonable discount vs. face value. That is an option.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

7 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Since this is on the Carnival board, we can talk about what they call Cruise Cash.

 

I buy Cruise Cash, but in a limited amount.

Why? Just my little way of minimizing the end of cruise hit to my credit card bill.

If I anticipate my end of cruise bill to be about $1000, then I'll purchase maybe $750 Cruise Cash.

 

The problem with Cruise Cash is that it is non-refundable. In other words, if my on board spending is only $650, I can lose the $100 left over on my Cruise Cash account. (There are ways to get around that but I don't count on that method because Carnival will someday figure a way to stop that method. Of course they will figure it out just before MY cruise and now I'm screwed)

Just to add to this... if you have carnival gift cards that you know you'll use while on board,  it's simpler to use them to buy cruise Cash than to add them to your account while on board. But, if used to buy crude Cash, it's non refundable.  If added to your account, it'll be refunded if not used (as a gift card, not cash) 

[ray98]

None of that is no more beneficial than just bringing the money with you.  No middlemen or turing real cash into company credits beforehand.

[mz-s]

3 minutes ago, ray98 said:

None of that is no more beneficial than just bringing the money with you.  No middlemen or turing real cash into company credits beforehand.

 

Agreed. As always and in everything - cash is king

[ZoeyVictoria]

On our September 14 cruise on the Freedom, I had some cash to use in the casino.  I deposited it, then purchased Carnival gift cards for 10% off from AARP.  I also received 2% cash back from the credit card I used to purchase the gift cards.  Once on board, I downloaded that amount of money into my casino account and applied the gift cards at my convenience, a few days later.  

[csm5986142]

The only time we put money on our account in advance is when we use a Carnival gift card.  If I buy the card ahead of time (through a specific vendor) we get double the air miles - it's just a way to maximize our rewards.  It's similar to what was mentioned earlier (buying a gift card at a discount) - just depends on what type of incentive/reward you prefer.

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Since this is on the Carnival board, we can talk about what they call Cruise Cash.

 

I buy Cruise Cash, but in a limited amount.

Why? Just my little way of minimizing the end of cruise hit to my credit card bill.

If I anticipate my end of cruise bill to be about $1000, then I'll purchase maybe $750 Cruise Cash.

 

The problem with Cruise Cash is that it is non-refundable. In other words, if my on board spending is only $650, I can lose the $100 left over on my Cruise Cash account. (There are ways to get around that but I don't count on that method because Carnival will someday figure a way to stop that method. Of course they will figure it out just before MY cruise and now I'm screwed)

 

I'm a little confused with your reasoning for using cruise cash.   But that is because I assume you purchase it using a credit card?  Additionally, I really don't know what cruise cash is.   Maybe it is discounted or something, IDK.  

[BarbieGee]

Thanks to all. I learned so much! On my past cruises, I used only my credit card because I didn't know about these options and what they meant.
I like the idea of purchasing a gift card and adding to my S&S account. There are certainly benefits to that.

Thanks again cruisers! 😍

[iriecruising]

12 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Since this is on the Carnival board, we can talk about what they call Cruise Cash.

 

I buy Cruise Cash, but in a limited amount.

Why? Just my little way of minimizing the end of cruise hit to my credit card bill.

If I anticipate my end of cruise bill to be about $1000, then I'll purchase maybe $750 Cruise Cash.

 

The problem with Cruise Cash is that it is non-refundable. In other words, if my on board spending is only $650, I can lose the $100 left over on my Cruise Cash account. (There are ways to get around that but I don't count on that method because Carnival will someday figure a way to stop that method. Of course they will figure it out just before MY cruise and now I'm screwed)

As Mz-S posted I use gift cards. Anything left at the end I creatively cash out. Worst case scenario it would get credited back to another gift card. It is not cash in hand but I also plan to cruise more in the future or can give it to someone else. Discounted Cards are available through AARP Rewards site and I believe there are a few others! Buying the cards in advance lets me know my cruise and my spending are paid in advance of me leaving.

 

[Schoifmom]

14 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I'm a little confused with your reasoning for using cruise cash.   But that is because I assume you purchase it using a credit card?  Additionally, I really don't know what cruise cash is.   Maybe it is discounted or something, IDK.  

So, Cruise Cash is simply loading a specific amount of money to your S&S account ahead of time.  It can be purchased in $25 increments.  There are no discounts and it is non-refundable (use it or lose it).

 

I also use Cruise Cash in some amount for every cruise.  That is because I use gift cards to fund my S&S account.  If I purchase an amount of Cruise Cash prior to embarkation, then I don't need to be in a hurry to load any additional gift cards to my onboard account.  I can simply wait for a time when there is no line at the kiosk or GS.

[BarbieGee]

Using Cruise Cash to fund an S&S account before the cruise allows one to purchase drinks at one of the bars as the ship leaves port and sounds like a practical plan. But just to be clear, if I use a gift card to transfer a portion of the funds on that card to the S&S account,  THAT IS refundable? What happens? Guest Services transfers unused funds back to the gift card?

[pacruise804]

I've only used a gift card once (2018), but my experience was similar to what I read others had too.

 

I purchased a physical card from a local store that gave gas points for gift card purchases (many on Cruise Critic purchase on-line and get a discount on the purchase). I went to guest services at the start of the cruise to load the card to my account.  If you have some onboard credit with you booking this should be used first (order of operations is non-refundable OBC, refundable OBC, cash/gift card up to amount, credit card - if any - on file ).  So if you have OBC, you can wait until a slow time to apply your card.

 

We did not spend all of our gift card (I think there was over 200 left over), so another gift card was sent to us via FedEx 2 days after our cruise.  It might have even required a signature, but I'm fuzzy on that part.  We were then able to use the balance from the replacement card toward the fare for the next cruise we booked.  We knew we would book another cruise, but that is a risk with left over funds is that they are still in the form of a Carnival Gift Card.

 

If you have less than $10 balance on your card, it will be donated to St. Jude's rather than returned as a gift card.

[BarbieGee]

Would only Carnival gift cards work? Has anyone ever tired a Visa gift card?

[ldubs]

14 hours ago, Schoifmom said:

So, Cruise Cash is simply loading a specific amount of money to your S&S account ahead of time.  It can be purchased in $25 increments.  There are no discounts and it is non-refundable (use it or lose it).

 

I also use Cruise Cash in some amount for every cruise.  That is because I use gift cards to fund my S&S account.  If I purchase an amount of Cruise Cash prior to embarkation, then I don't need to be in a hurry to load any additional gift cards to my onboard account.  I can simply wait for a time when there is no line at the kiosk or GS.

 

Thanks.   That makes sense and I learned something new (again).  

[ldubs]

13 minutes ago, BarbieGee said:

Would only Carnival gift cards work? Has anyone ever tired a Visa gift card?

 

Are those discounted?  I thought visa gift cards carried a service fee over the card value.   I am learning a lot about different ways to handle on board charges in this thread.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 9/21/2022 at 10:12 AM, BarbieGee said:

My cousin, her hubby and adult son and myself will be cruising in February on the Paradise out of Tampa.

I have been debating as to whether to put money into an on board account which I will be setting up to use the On Board Credit I received through the travel service I used. My cousin says it really isn't necessary cause at check-in we will each use our credit card and settle at the end of the cruise. Using the HUB app we can keep track of our expenses.

Is there really any specific benefit to adding money 'up front' or waiting til the end of the cruise? Discounts or any other money saving advantages?

Usint a credit card to book and use it for you onboard account brings you extra money from the points you receive on it. Usinng cash has no advantages. They will put a hold of usually $100.00 just incase you top out. They emove it in a day or two after the cruise.

[pacruise804]

9 hours ago, BarbieGee said:

Would only Carnival gift cards work? Has anyone ever tired a Visa gift card?

 

You would need to check the terms/conditions of the gift card.  As mentioned, Visa gift cards usually have a fee at purchase so it isn't a better option to use if you are buying one.  If you received one as a gift you might be able to use it, but I thought they couldn't be used for variable expenses with holds like restaurants (tips) and gas stations (initial hold).

 

8 hours ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Usint a credit card to book and use it for you onboard account brings you extra money from the points you receive on it. Usinng cash has no advantages. They will put a hold of usually $100.00 just incase you top out. They emove it in a day or two after the cruise.

 

Where have you seen this? My experience is each day's charges are a hold, then one final charge at the end. This is why so many caution against using Visa debit vs Visa credit due to the holds. I agree with the hold being removed in a day or two, but that varies by issuing bank/financial institution (people warn it can be weeks).

 

Extremely rare example, but using cash would have saved the couple who was charged over 90K on their American Express at specialty dining (folio number entered instead of extra tip amount).  The charge was corrected right away but the hold remained and they were unable to use their card at ports since there was no available balance.

[Schoifmom]

9 hours ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Usint a credit card to book and use it for you onboard account brings you extra money from the points you receive on it. Usinng cash has no advantages. They will put a hold of usually $100.00 just incase you top out. They emove it in a day or two after the cruise.

@pacruise804 is correct above. Carnival states on their website that they place and initial hold of $100-$200 based on the length of the cruise and then additional holds throughout the cruise as money is spent.  So, at the end, the hold could roughly equal or exceed spending.  The length of time that a hold remains on the card is dependent upon the bank, not Carnival.

 

Additionally, I use my cash-back credit card to purchase discounted gift cards, so in effect I am getting $100 for $90 and  my cash back on the $90.  Win/win.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Schoifmom

[BarbieGee]

1 hour ago, Schoifmom said:

 

Additionally, I use my cash-back credit card to purchase discounted gift cards, so in effect I am getting $100 for $90 and  my cash back on the $90.  Win/win.

I checked on this, going to the AARP rewards link on their website and one can purchase either a $500 or a $100 Carnival gift card for a discounted 10%. Using ones credit card which gives a 2% cash back gives additional savings. As Schoifmom said, "win/win"! I would purchase the lower amounts of the 2 if I felt I was not going to spend $500 and add incrementally as needed however that would be an interruption of my fun time, yes? 😉🥳

I've got time so I will do some pre-planning and make a budget.
I've learned so much here. 😁

[csm5986142]

17 hours ago, BarbieGee said:

Would only Carnival gift cards work? Has anyone ever tired a Visa gift card?

 

I have used a visa gift card to reserve a cruise, so I'm assuming it would work the same way on my onboard account.  Very easy and I had no fees associated with the gift card, but maybe the purchaser did?  I don't know - it was a gift.

[Colorado Cruzer]

I either buy carnival gift cards at 10% off through Allstate Rewards or by them at a Kroger grocery store when they have 4X fuel points for gift card purchases. I use my SW card to get the points for these purchases too.  I've been on several cruises so I know how much we typically spend onboard and just buy cruise cash with them to not have to load it while on the ship. I also utilize these savings methods for all payments to carnival for the cruise, drink package, excursions, etc.  

Edited September 24, 2022 by Colorado Cruzer