Onboard account charges

[kruzseeka]

14 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

We only got a credit card for cruising as many moons ago some lines didn't accept debit cards.

Useful too if you have the right cards which do not charge for transactions abroad e.g. using an ATM. (Halifax and Nationwide were examples at one time - but worth checking.)  Some cards have a flat fee e.g £2.50 for a cash withdrawal which is quite expensive if you only want say, £20 for coffees and cake. Or there may be a % charge when used. 

We always had a Halifax CC just for holiday purposes often avoiding having to get small amounts of currency for different countries or to access cash at an ATM if needed. 

Although it's on a CC interest accrues for cash withdrawals from the date of withdrawal so worth bearing in mind - but we'd just pay it off asap. With a near perfect exchange rate we found it was also the cheapest way of 'buying' foreign currency.  

Having read this thread though we'll make sure our 'holiday' CC for use abroad is now the one we register with P&O too for onboard expenditure! 

Thanks for the thread and heads up.  

Edited April 15, 2023 by kruzseeka

[HAMCEL]

35 minutes ago, kruzseeka said:

Useful too if you have the right cards which do not charge for transactions abroad e.g. using an ATM. (Halifax and Nationwide were examples at one time - but worth checking.)  Some cards have a flat fee e.g £2.50 for a cash withdrawal which is quite expensive if you only want say, £20 for coffees and cake. Or there may be a % charge when used. 

We always had a Halifax CC just for holiday purposes often avoiding having to get small amounts of currency for different countries or to access cash at an ATM if needed. 

Although it's on a CC interest accrues for cash withdrawals from the date of withdrawal so worth bearing in mind - but we'd just pay it off asap. With a near perfect exchange rate we found it was also the cheapest way of 'buying' foreign currency.  

Having read this thread though we'll make sure our 'holiday' CC for use abroad is now the one we register with P&O too for onboard expenditure! 

Thanks for the thread and heads up.  

The beauty, as we saw it (and on Mr Lewis’s recommendation), of the CHASE card, was the fantastic foreign exchange rates and cash back features of the account. We therefore decided to use it for all our spends on this trip - despite P&O already charging in GBP.

Because it’s an APP based account you are instantly made aware of spending (assuming you have access to Wi-Fi!!) and when you check your ‘balance’ the daily sums on your onboard account show as actual ‘spends’ - with no reference to ‘pending’  or or other classification. Further spending ashore accrues in exactly the same way. As such the remaining ‘balance’ left in the CHASE account reduces during the course of the cruise. The bombshell came at the end, when the full amount of our onboard spending was debited from the account for a second time taking the account into overdraft and, into which, I immediately had to transfer funds to bring it back into credit. Statements on the account are only made available a month In arrears so the daily ‘balance’ is all you’ve got to go on.

I have now learnt from all the above useful posts that one or other of the amounts charged to the account should drop off in the next few days/weeks and that, as in the past if I had used a credit card, the ‘problem’ wouldn’t have been manifest. It seems to me that there’s an element of responsibility with both P&O and CHASE in this. Firstly, P&O should make more of an effort to remove the pending charges as soon as they have received the full amount of your onboard spending, and CHASE should clarify within the APP that the’pending’ amounts are exactly that.

From the number of posts the thread has received I hope, like me, it has been a useful learning experience. Thanks again.

[jeanlyon]

For those that don't do credit cards - why not get one just for cruising.  You simply pay it once you get home.  My card gives me other benefits as well.

[Adawn47]

16 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

 

 

I can understand why many people do not like using a credit card, however if you can afford to set up a direct debit to pay off the credit card every month, then it is, IMO, the easiest and safest way of managing your finances.

I can't say I agree with you John. I was put in charge of our finances when we were married and for 58 years have worked to the old maxim, if you can't afford it then you don't buy it. Apart from a mortgage I have paid cash for everything. We are comfortable, a healthy bank balance and apart from the usual household bills, owe no-one a penny. I'm content.

Avril

[Adawn47]

16 hours ago, Beckett said:

Nor me Avril. I'm worried now about all these potential charges - it feels like a bit of a penalty against those using their own money!  Jane xxx

In 12 cruises with P&O we have never had a problem Jane. We register one debit card on board and at the end of the cruise the money is taken from the bank about 3 or 4 days later. Maybe different banks work different ways. This was pre-covid of course.

Avril

[Angel57]

Just now, Adawn47 said:

I can't say I agree with you John. I was put in charge of our finances when we were married and for 58 years have worked to the old maxim, if you can't afford it then you don't buy it. Apart from a mortgage I have paid cash for everything. We are comfortable, a healthy bank balance and apart from the usual household bills, owe no-one a penny. I'm content.

Avril

I never put anything on the card unless the money is in the bank to pay for it the next month.

However a credit card will give you a certain level of protection (section 75) if a purchase over £100 goes wrong.

But, we all have to opt for the most efficient way to manage our pennies that gives us peace of mind.

[yorkshirephil]

1 minute ago, Adawn47 said:

In 12 cruises with P&O we have never had a problem Jane. We register one debit card on board and at the end of the cruise the money is taken from the bank about 3 or 4 days later. Maybe different banks work different ways. This was pre-covid of course.

Avril

I think you have hit the nail on the head with banks working differently. I had been with Yorkshire bank since I started work and always had a debit card until starting cruising. For convenience a credit card was obtained with the full amount taken off each month. A few years ago YB was taken over by Virgin, I wasn't expecting great things but have to say I am pleasantly surprised. When a hold is placed as has been for the original poster the amount drops off the same day, I get cash back and the exchange rate when using abroad is competitive plus Virgin have some market leading interest rates. The other thing about using the credit card is the extra insurance cover. However when you are happy with your lot then don't mend it if it isn't broke.

[Teddy123]

In the past, aware of this problem, I've used my Chase debit card (on Cunard so with the advantage of no extra charge for dollar transactions) after first making sure the account was in credit for twice what I expected the onboard account to be.  At 3% interest pa, this cost (2 x N) * 3% / 12 in lost interest, where N is the onboard account amount, allowing for the money to be tied up for a month. So 0.5% * N in lost interest, but 1% * N in cashback - ie twice as much and still a net gain. Admittedly, though, on my recent P&O cruise (in sterling) I just used my American Express card and got 0.5% back that way instead - much easier!

[Adawn47]

30 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

I think you have hit the nail on the head with banks working differently. I had been with Yorkshire bank since I started work and always had a debit card until starting cruising. For convenience a credit card was obtained with the full amount taken off each month. A few years ago YB was taken over by Virgin, I wasn't expecting great things but have to say I am pleasantly surprised. When a hold is placed as has been for the original poster the amount drops off the same day, I get cash back and the exchange rate when using abroad is competitive plus Virgin have some market leading interest rates. The other thing about using the credit card is the extra insurance cover. However when you are happy with your lot then don't mend it if it isn't broke.

Same here Phil. First bank account with Yorkshire Bank and now more than happy with Virgin.

Avril

[happy v]

I use a credit card so I don't have to carry loads of cash around. I pay it off in full every month. It also gives added protection when making large purchases that cash doesn't.

[Jennizor]

I have an M&S credit card and pay it off every month. I use it for the majority of all purchases and accumulate M&S points which I spend on either M & S food or clothes. I get vouchers quarterly and my last lot were worth £57. My recent bill was £5200 which included paying the balance for our Iona cruise in July. 

[kalos]

1 hour ago, yorkshirephil said:

I started work and always had a debit card until starting cruising. For convenience a credit card was obtained with the full amount taken off each month.

 

Same here Phil and if I'm paying bills or buying over tinter-net then I use the credit card.

I hardly use my debit card these days .

When on holiday I use my fair FX Mastercard account which is set for over 15 countries and when back home 

shop with it as that gives cash back anyway .

I like to keep my main bank account well away from the big wide web .

As you say if it works and your happy 🙂

 

[waddle]

45 minutes ago, happy v said:

I use a credit card so I don't have to carry loads of cash around. I pay it off in full every month. It also gives added protection when making large purchases that cash doesn't.

I’m the same. Always use it for any significant purchases and have successfully claimed under Section 75 of the CCA in the past

 

Added benefit I get rewards on my current one so paying the cruise balance on it means a nice little kick back at the end of the year. As long as you never leave a balance and have to pay interest they are a very useful payment tool

[majortom10]

Always remember advice given to me by an official in my bank when I was worried about scam charges. His advice was never buy anything off the internet with a debit car always use a credit card. He said get a credit card if you dont have one just for this purpose because of the protection wioth credit card and are safer.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

I can't say I agree with you John. I was put in charge of our finances when we were married and for 58 years have worked to the old maxim, if you can't afford it then you don't buy it. Apart from a mortgage I have paid cash for everything. We are comfortable, a healthy bank balance and apart from the usual household bills, owe no-one a penny. I'm content.

 

 We generally use our credit card instead of cash for normal monthly expenditure, which we know will fall within our budget. So we know we will have sufficient funds to pay the entire amount each month.

However we do also use it for major items as well like holidays, mainly because it allows us to make maximum use of the extended payment period, but only when we know we have sufficient funds in our savings account to clear the credit card charge.

That way I only need to balance the books once a month, instead of constantly needing to keep an eye on the bank account, it also ensures that we have enough funds in the bank account to meet the regular direct debits.

[Beckett]

2 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

In 12 cruises with P&O we have never had a problem Jane. We register one debit card on board and at the end of the cruise the money is taken from the bank about 3 or 4 days later. Maybe different banks work different ways. This was pre-covid of course.

Avril

Thanks Avril - that's good to know. Jane xx

[CarlaMarie]

4 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

For those that don't do credit cards - why not get one just for cruising.  You simply pay it once you get home.  My card gives me other benefits as well.

 

That's exactly what we do. It is solely used for the onboard account, and then cleared upon returning home. Doing it this way ensures that your main account which you use day to day is not affected by any pending charges/holds. 

[Teddy123]

5 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

In 12 cruises with P&O we have never had a problem Jane. We register one debit card on board and at the end of the cruise the money is taken from the bank about 3 or 4 days later. Maybe different banks work different ways. This was pre-covid of course.

Avril

Nothing to do with the way banks work - it's P&O (and Cunard). As was said at the beginning of this thread, any card (debit or credit) will be "charged" - albeit with pending transactions but these still eat up available balance - on a daily basis and then again with the full amount at the end, essentially "double charging" until the pending daily amounts "time out".  As Molecrochip says, P&O could release the holds when they take the full amount, but they don't (and erroneously blame the banks).

[Josy1953]

8 hours ago, Jennizor said:

I have an M&S credit card and pay it off every month. I use it for the majority of all purchases and accumulate M&S points which I spend on either M & S food or clothes. I get vouchers quarterly and my last lot were worth £57. My recent bill was £5200 which included paying the balance for our Iona cruise in July. 

I do exactly the same with a Sainsburys Bank credit card.  I only use it for cruises and find that the Nectar points accumulated over a year pay for a good Christmas.

[snailo67]

I have had exactly the same problem on returning home from a cruise on P&O's Azura.I went to do grocery shopping and had to leave the whole lot as my my account was overdrawn having had nearly £2000 double charged on my account. It appears that this only happens when using a debit card as it is a point of sale transaction that the banks have no authority to stop; despite what P&O told my travel agent. I was completely unable to speak to real person at P&O and am still waiting for a reply to my email. I had no funds available to me to pay bills and normal everyday expenses as this money is still showing as pending on my account, and this is 5 days since i settled the account.The only thing i could do was to agree an overdraft with my bank , which i do not want. I have a credit card but i deliberately keep the limit low as i want to avoid credit where possible. I know mistakes happen, but how many people have 2 grand sitting doing nothing in their current account? Gone from happy and relaxed to stressed out of my box. Thanks P&O!