On board payment method

[Korimako]

How soon before boarding does one have to give details of payment method? I'm somewhat hesitant to hand over my credit card details months before I need to.

Would a bank debit card or EFTPOS be acceptable? This will be a Princess cruise out of Australia with all onboard charges in AUD. I've never cruised before, so all of this is quite daunting!

[Aus Traveller]

You can register your debit or credit card at check in.

[cruiser3775]

It is daunting the first cruise. I sympathise.  I did find it reassuring that you can easily track all your on board expenses, using the smart TV in your cabin, so you don't get any nasty surprises at the end. But remember that they are going to automatically add the crew gratuities amounts each day.

[Korimako]

Crew gratuities????

Have I got this totally wrong, but I understood that on Australian-based cruises, crew gratuities were factored into the price of the cruise, and no further gratuities were payable?

[cruiser3775]

Sorry, I missed the part about it being a cruise out of Australia in AUD. Yes, the gratuities are already paid for in your fare.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Korimako said:

How soon before boarding does one have to give details of payment method? I'm somewhat hesitant to hand over my credit card details months before I need to.

Would a bank debit card or EFTPOS be acceptable? This will be a Princess cruise out of Australia with all onboard charges in AUD. I've never cruised before, so all of this is quite daunting!

Be wary of using a debit card onboard. Princess puts daily holds on your funds in your bank, in the same manner that hotels etc do. Those holds aren't released by Princess until the final account is debited but it can take days, if not a few weeks, for your bank to release the holds. If you do want to use a debit card make sure you have funds that are 2-3 times what you expect to spend.

 

I would rather put a credit card on the booking than a debit card as a) I think the credit card companies handle fraud better and b) any charges go onto the credit card account not straight out of your bank. 

 

 

[SinbadThePorter]

1 hour ago, cruiser3775 said:

Sorry, I missed the part about it being a cruise out of Australia in AUD. Yes, the gratuities are already paid for in your fare.

 

Only if the cruise is purchased in Oz/NZ I think.

[Korimako]

24 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Only if the cruise is purchased in Oz/NZ I think.

 

Which it is!

[lyndarra]

55 minutes ago, Korimako said:

 

Which it is!

Not strictly correct.

It depends on which cruise line you sail with. It has not been mentioned by OP.

[boeckli]

1 minute ago, lyndarra said:

Not strictly correct.

It depends on which cruise line you sail with. It has not been mentioned by OP.

 

Post #1:  This will be a Princess cruise out of Australia with all onboard charges in AUD

[lyndarra]

Just now, boeckli said:

 

Post #1:  This will be a Princess cruise out of Australia with all onboard charges in AUD

Oops. Missed that.🙄

[ceeceeDee]

When we sail with P&O, I generally put the credit card details on Cruise Control a couple of days before sailing and then watch my credit card account on line like a hawk. Never had anything 'dodgy' happen. Same goes for the onboard account. Check it daily, so far have never had a problem. I agree, banks seem to be more vigilant with credit card fraud and it can sometimes take days after the completion of the cruise for the hold on debit cards to be released. If you keep your wits about you, the credit card option is fairly safe. Don't forget to inform your bank where you will be going so they don't freeze your account because the card is being used overseas. Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[Broncofan941]

11 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

It is daunting the first cruise. I sympathise.  I did find it reassuring that you can easily track all your on board expenses, using the smart TV in your cabin, so you don't get any nasty surprises at the end. But remember that they are going to automatically add the crew gratuities amounts each day.

The charges displayed on the TV is a great service but remember they run separate accounts for each passenger so to get a true picture of all expenses you need to check both accounts. There are also kiosks that print out statements if you like. 

[Belmont Babe]

If you want to book shore excursions pre-boarding with Princess, they will first take the money from any OBC you might have, then they want the balance paid to secure your booking. If you want to do this you need to register a credit card beforehand. Ditto wi-fi, specialty dining, they want payment straight away, and OBC is no good for that pre-boarding. Just FYI.