Casino 3% Service Fee??

[Mike45LC]

I have not been on a Carnival cruise this century, but I was given a free cruise voucher from one of my local casinos.  So I am doing some research.  From the Carnival website (https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1146):

“any transactions done at a table game or the Casino Cashier’s Desk will incur a nominal service fee of 3% each transaction.”

 

Does this mean what it says?  If I buy in at the BJ table for $1,000, they give me only $970 in chips?  And then when I cash out, they charge me another 3%?  If this is true, it is outrageous!!   I have gambled in Las Vegas, Biloxi, on river boats, in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Europe (including Monte Carlo), Macao, and elsewhere, and I have never encountered this.

[jennas_mum]

3 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

I have not been on a Carnival cruise this century, but I was given a free cruise voucher from one of my local casinos.  So I am doing some research.  From the Carnival website (https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1146):

“any transactions done at a table game or the Casino Cashier’s Desk will incur a nominal service fee of 3% each transaction.”

 

Does this mean what it says?  If I buy in at the BJ table for $1,000, they give me only $970 in chips?  And then when I cash out, they charge me another 3%?  If this is true, it is outrageous!!   I have gambled in Las Vegas, Biloxi, on river boats, in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Europe (including Monte Carlo), Macao, and elsewhere, and I have never encountered this.

 

Close. You will receive $1000 in chips but be charged $1030. You can download money at a slot machine and then go to the table and ask for money from your players bank. There is no charge for that. 

[lizord]

Also no charge for cashing in chips or your players bank at the cashiers desk.

[scottasp]

Also no charge for buying in with cash.

[Stick93]

And no charge for not playing😜

[Mike45LC]

2 hours ago, scottasp said:

Also no charge for buying in with cash.

Really?  That is NOT what the FAQ I quoted says.  If the 3% fee does not apply to cash buy-ins, whoever wrote that should be fired for incompetence!!! 
 

Thanks for the correction.

[Alegeeter]

It specifies 3% service charge for a transaction, which is using your card to essentially buy cash which you’ll then trade in for chips. Buying in with your own cash is not a “transaction”. It’s just semantics.

[Stick93]

Maybe the misunderstanding here is what is not written - the casino never takes a hit directly if they pay a fee you pay the fee. But indirectly like adding money to your card on a slot they just haven’t figured out how to get you. 

[SunsetCruizen]

If you bring $1000 in cash to the table game you will received $1000 in chips with no fee.  If you sit down at the table and tell them you want $1000 in chips and want to charge it to your Sign & Sail account then you will be charged the 3% fee ($1030 for $1000 in chips). There is no charge for cashing in your chips at the Casino Cashier window regardless of how you purchased them.

[jsglow]

And so just to clarify, money loaded via one's Sign & Sail card into a slot machine (or video poker machine) IS NOT similarly charged a fee if I am understanding the policy correctly.  The Video Poker payoff table is already bad enough.

 

And queue the discussion about 'free cruises' again!  Trust me, you gamblers absolutely 'pay' for your cruises over the long run.  Promise.

[mz-s]

If you sail on a Casino branded cruise (premier, ultra, etc) they typically waive the service fees FYI.

[dallasdan]

You can avoid the fee if you download the money at a slot machine to your players bank.  At the tables tell them you want chips off of your player bank account.  Just remember to play a couple of spins on the slot machine first otherwise after 2 times they will lock your card.  The casino manager will have to unlock it and he/she will tell you to play the slot a couple of times first.

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

If you sail on a Casino branded cruise (premier, ultra, etc) they typically waive the service fees FYI.

Only if you are sailing on those offers, non offer players pay the 3%

[Mike45LC]

19 hours ago, Alegeeter said:

It specifies 3% service charge for a transaction, which is using your card to essentially buy cash which you’ll then trade in for chips. Buying in with your own cash is not a “transaction”. It’s just semantics.

"It's just semantics"?  Giving the cashier cash and getting chips in exchange is a "transaction."  Pure and simple.

 

[Mike45LC]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.  I now understand that there is no 3% service charge unless you are taking a cash advance.  I gamble with cash, so I can save my outrage for a more deserving topic!!!  

[StephPS79]

12 hours ago, jsglow said:

And queue the discussion about 'free cruises' again!  Trust me, you gamblers absolutely 'pay' for your cruises over the long run.  Promise.

Nah, man.  I pay for my fun.  😉

[sc4125]

On 3/17/2023 at 11:04 AM, jsglow said:

And so just to clarify, money loaded via one's Sign & Sail card into a slot machine (or video poker machine) IS NOT similarly charged a fee if I am understanding the policy correctly.  The Video Poker payoff table is already bad enough.

 

And queue the discussion about 'free cruises' again!  Trust me, you gamblers absolutely 'pay' for your cruises over the long run.  Promise.

Those free cruises work for me - I was gambling the same way when I wasn't getting the free cruises.  Now I admit that with the great deals I'm now getting I may cruise more often (lol).  That and the fact that I retired a few years ago.

[StephPS79]

4 hours ago, sc4125 said:

Those free cruises work for me - I was gambling the same way when I wasn't getting the free cruises.  Now I admit that with the great deals I'm now getting I may cruise more often (lol).  That and the fact that I retired a few years ago.

Haha, same.  We used to cruise once a year.  Now with the offers they keep sending, we're booking 3 a year, which is about the most we can squeeze in with vacation time.  Otherwise we'd probably be booking more lol.

[NutsAboutGolf]

On 3/17/2023 at 2:49 AM, jennas_mum said:

 

Close. You will receive $1000 in chips but be charged $1030. You can download money at a slot machine and then go to the table and ask for money from your players bank. There is no charge for that. 

 

On 3/17/2023 at 5:52 PM, dallasdan said:

You can avoid the fee if you download the money at a slot machine to your players bank.  At the tables tell them you want chips off of your player bank account.  Just remember to play a couple of spins on the slot machine first otherwise after 2 times they will lock your card.  The casino manager will have to unlock it and he/she will tell you to play the slot a couple of times first.

Do you happen to know what the max is, I vaguely recall $1000 per transaction?  If you wanted $5000 to use on the tables and don’t want to bring cash, is there a strategy with utilizing the slots to avoid the 3%?  Worst case my credit card gives 3% back on travel

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

7 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Do you happen to know what the max is, I vaguely recall $1000 per transaction?  If you wanted $5000 to use on the tables and don’t want to bring cash, is there a strategy with utilizing the slots to avoid the 3%?  Worst case my credit card gives 3% back on travel

 

I intentionally charged up a good $10k on our last Celebrity sailing (no fees in the casino for us that trip) with my 3% (cash back) card on account. That was an easy $300. I would have charged $1M, if only my CC had that limit !  😉 

 

 

Oh - and I managed to take most (all?) of the purchased $ home with me too, after putting it into play.
 

Tom