When to make final payment?

[NoShoes2]

Is there any advantage to holding off on making the final payment? 

[firefly333]

None whatsoever. Especially if you think the price might drop below what you paid.

[Mum2Mercury]

I don't like to wait until the last-last-last minute.  I'm not bad about forgetting to pay bills, but we all know that sometimes life gets busy -- and it would be awful to miss the final date and have your cruise cancelled!  

[reallyitsmema]

17 minutes ago, NoShoes2 said:

Is there any advantage to holding off on making the final payment? 

 

Some say they don't like to give the cruise line their money too early.  We pay the full balance a few weeks in advance of the final due date.

[molly361]

I have always paid them off early.  Have had my November December and January  cruises paid off for a while now.  Not sure why but that's what I do.  

Edited August 21, 2023 by molly361

[Biker19]

46 minutes ago, NoShoes2 said:

Is there any advantage to holding off on making the final payment?

Yes, if/when the price drops it's a lot easier to just modify the balance due vs. trying to get a refund.

[George C]

I will make full payment today a week before it’s due .

[Tatka]

Yes. We make it 2 weeks before due date.

 

Not sooner than two weeks because:

 

1.    Not to keep money tied.
2.   To have time to make adjustments if needed without waiting for refunds

 

Not later than two weeks because:

 

To have make sure sure payment goes through.

[Joseph2017China]

If I book a cruise or any vacation, it means that I have the money and can afford it.  If I have the money, I pay for it.  No reason to wait, and forget about it, or spend the money on something else.

[Miloomar]

1 hour ago, NoShoes2 said:

Is there any advantage to holding off on making the Final Payment?

yes.... bc the value of money goes down over time. A dollar today is worth less than a dollar tomorrow with inflation. If your cruise is in a year, you can either give them your money today and they can play with it for a year, or you can buy something today and use money you earn months from now on the cruise. If you have the money today but feel like you won't have the money later... then you probably can't afford the cruise in the first place and should reevaluate your financial situation before making a big purchase

[Tatka]

32 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

If I book a cruise or any vacation, it means that I have the money and can afford it.  If I have the money, I pay for it.  No reason to wait, and forget about it, or spend the money on something else.

 

If you book 10 cruises for next several years do you still want to tie them all?

 

It is not a matter of not having money for us. It is just money can be working for us differently. Google have pretty good scheduler as some other apps.

Edited August 21, 2023 by Tatka

[jeanneful]

I always pay mine in full the day I book the cruise. Im funny that way!

Then I got pay of my credit card the same day!

[nferr]

Why pay early? I pay through my credit card anyway (get the points), and always pay it off at the end of the month. Keep my money until I have to pay. Just make sure I have a reminder when it's due and I usually do it a few days early just to make sure it goes through without a hitch.

[PigsCanFly]

47 minutes ago, jeanneful said:

I always pay mine in full the day I book the cruise. Im funny that way!

Then I got pay of my credit card the same day!

We usually book with club Royale offers and they require full payment (taxes and fees) at booking (24 hours).  

[FionaMG]

2 hours ago, Tatka said:

Yes. We make it 2 weeks before due date.

 

Not sooner than two weeks because:

 

1.    Not to keep money tied.
2.   To have time to make adjustments if needed without waiting for refunds

 

Not later than two weeks because:

 

To have make sure sure payment goes through.

 

This is exactly my strategy too.

[loman]

Good advice to pay the balance a week prior to due date , just in case it doesnt go through .

Its good to have a buffer so you can recover should a payment go sideways .

Thats what i do .

[smokeybandit]

There's zero benefit in paying it off early (by early I mean more than a couple weeks prior to final payment), unless having that money set aside is burning a hole in your pockets.

[island lady]

4 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Yes, if/when the price drops it's a lot easier to just modify the balance due vs. trying to get a refund.

 

What he said.  ^.   

 

Indeed.  Way easier to lower the balance due...than having to beg for a refund....way easier.  

[deliver42]

I usually pay one week before FP date

[steveru621]

Why do you pay them early?

[BirdTravels]

There is no benefit of giving the cruise line your money early. We pay a few days before the Final Payment date. Never any earlier. And sometimes on the day final payment is due. 

[fairywren]

When I book and pay the deposit I put the rest of the total amount into a special account where it earns a bit of interest. That goes towards obc for a few drinks etc.

Why give it to RCI to play with.

[reallyitsmema]

7 minutes ago, fairywren said:

When I book and pay the deposit I put the rest of the total amount into a special account where it earns a bit of interest. That goes towards obc for a few drinks etc.

Why give it to RCI to play with.

 

It's very simple.  If you are paying off the balance with a credit card, it makes no difference if you pay in full two weeks before final payment or final payment day if the charge hits the card in the same billing period.

[fairywren]

1 hour ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

It's very simple.  If you are paying off the balance with a credit card, it makes no difference if you pay in full two weeks before final payment or final payment day if the charge hits the card in the same billing period.

Agreed, I was actually referring to the period between booking and final payment date which can be over 12 months for some people. They're not getting my money for that long.

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

It's very simple.  If you are paying off the balance with a credit card, it makes no difference if you pay in full two weeks before final payment or final payment day if the charge hits the card in the same billing period.

Not necessarily. It could be on the current cycle or, if final payment date is the next billing cycle, you could get a 30 day ride.