Charges on CC but not on final invoice

[Topper49]

We have just (March 2024) returned from a cruise on the Norwegian Star to Antarctica. Our final invoice had a few queries, which I have sought resolution for from NCL. An additional AUS $1,993.45 appeared on the same Credit Card logged with NCL with no logical way to determine what the charges were for. Each one of the 20 entries only had "NORWEGIAN STAR MIAMI" (The amounts ranged from AUS $5.5 to AUS $547.55) - Obviously, I have also taken this up with NCL formally and advised the travel agent I used to book the cruise.

 

Has anyone any idea what these charges are for and why they were not included in the original invoice?

Transactions-NCL-Miami.xlsm

[zqvol]

They were holds -laced as you were on board. Give them a couple of weeks and they will fall off.

[dbrown84]

Cruise critic should consider banning macro files.  Not saying that the file above is not legit, but I cringe seeing it.  

[vince_g]

Those all appear to be authorizations, not actual charges. These authorizations will drop off when the actual charge goes through, which will be the amount from the final invoice.

[ontheweb]

On 3/7/2024 at 5:11 PM, Topper49 said:

We have just (March 2024) returned from a cruise on the Norwegian Star to Antarctica. Our final invoice had a few queries, which I have sought resolution for from NCL. An additional AUS $1,993.45 appeared on the same Credit Card logged with NCL with no logical way to determine what the charges were for. Each one of the 20 entries only had "NORWEGIAN STAR MIAMI" (The amounts ranged from AUS $5.5 to AUS $547.55) - Obviously, I have also taken this up with NCL formally and advised the travel agent I used to book the cruise.

 

Has anyone any idea what these charges are for and why they were not included in the original invoice?

Transactions-NCL-Miami.xlsm 11.05 kB · 28 downloads

Are they listed as actual charges or as holds? If holds, I would not worry as others have posted they should just drop off.

[NorthernJoey]

Check your bank / CC statement. I guess those are holds, not charges

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 3/7/2024 at 5:11 PM, Topper49 said:

We have just (March 2024) returned from a cruise on the Norwegian Star to Antarctica. Our final invoice had a few queries, which I have sought resolution for from NCL. An additional AUS $1,993.45 appeared on the same Credit Card logged with NCL with no logical way to determine what the charges were for. Each one of the 20 entries only had "NORWEGIAN STAR MIAMI" (The amounts ranged from AUS $5.5 to AUS $547.55) - Obviously, I have also taken this up with NCL formally and advised the travel agent I used to book the cruise.

 

Has anyone any idea what these charges are for and why they were not included in the original invoice?

Transactions-NCL-Miami.xlsm 11.05 kB · 34 downloads

As the others have stated...they are *likely* pending authorizations.  Yes, it is always a bit concerning to see those but if this is what they are...they will drop off within a few days.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[Topper49]

I have never in my 75 years come across "Pending Authorisations" BS on any of my cards.

 

I just rechecked my bank statement, and they are still there one week after the final invoice was issued and fully paid. Also, there is no explanation from NCL

[vince_g]

51 minutes ago, Topper49 said:

I have never in my 75 years come across "Pending Authorisations" BS on any of my cards.

 

I just rechecked my bank statement, and they are still there one week after the final invoice was issued and fully paid. Also, there is no explanation from NCL

Just because you don't understand it doesn't make it BS.  If you are going to come here with that attitude then there is no one here that is going to bother with trying to explain it further.

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, Topper49 said:

I just rechecked my bank statement, and they are still there one week after the final invoice was issued and fully paid.

 

respectfully, you probably didn't check your statement; you checked your online account, which shows all pending charges.

 

"pending" charges, more commonly called "holds" or less commonly, "pre-authorizations," work exactly the same way in australia, as they do in the USA and throughout the world.

 

the merchant wants to make sure your card is good for the amount you are likely to spend. if you're buying a $1000 widget, that's easy. the "authorization" will be for $1000 and after a very short time, the charge will no longer be pending, but appear as an actual charge on your account.

 

for hospitality companies, it's a little different. they don't know how much you're ultimately going to spend.  so they do an initial pre-authorization against your account upon check-in, and as you accrue charges on your folio, they do additional pre-authorizations to ensure you still have spending capacity on your card.

 

the merchant generally has 45 days to submit the charge to the credit card company for payment, although - in most cases - it only takes three or four days. in the case of a hotel or a cruise line, that's three or four days after the cruise has ended. in the case of charges from another country (NCL charges will come from miami, florida, USA), the interbank communication may take longer.

 

[vince_g]

48 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

respectfully, you probably didn't check your statement; you checked your online account, which shows all pending charges.

 

"pending" charges, more commonly called "holds" or less commonly, "pre-authorizations," work exactly the same way in australia, as they do in the USA and throughout the world.

 

the merchant wants to make sure your card is good for the amount you are likely to spend. if you're buying a $1000 widget, that's easy. the "authorization" will be for $1000 and after a very short time, the charge will no longer be pending, but appear as an actual charge on your account.

 

for hospitality companies, it's a little different. they don't know how much you're ultimately going to spend.  so they do an initial pre-authorization against your account upon check-in, and as you accrue charges on your folio, they do additional pre-authorizations to ensure you still have spending capacity on your card.

 

the merchant generally has 45 days to submit the charge to the credit card company for payment, although - in most cases - it only takes three or four days. in the case of a hotel or a cruise line, that's three or four days after the cruise has ended. in the case of charges from another country (NCL charges will come from miami, florida, USA), the interbank communication may take longer.

 

Hope this explains it to their satisfaction, but I wouldn't count on that. 😜

[itsnotjustme]

Those all appear to have minus signs before them.  I just had a batch post to my credit card that were refunds of overcharges for excursions.

[erisajd]

If the charges remain - contact your credit card issuer and dispute them . . . . 

[Rick&Jeannie]

@Topper49...any updates on your situation?

[Topper49]

Rick, the pending charges have been removed. My other queries on several other matters have not yet been answered. I still find the fact that these charges appeared in the first place with no explanation from NCL very disappointing.

[UKstages]

it's sad that you've placed little confidence in the advice you've received here.

 

many folks assured you that the pending charges were, well, temporary and would soon disappear into the ether.

 

were the charges "removed" in consultation with your financial institution or did they simply fall off, as most here predicted they would?

[ChiefMateJRK]

49 minutes ago, Topper49 said:

I still find the fact that these charges appeared in the first place with no explanation from NCL very disappointing.

Most folks who travel with credit cards understand how it works.  Now you do too. 😎

[gizfish]

4 hours ago, Topper49 said:

Rick, the pending charges have been removed. My other queries on several other matters have not yet been answered. I still find the fact that these charges appeared in the first place with no explanation from NCL very disappointing.

They were not charges.  They were pre-authorizations or holds.  And, NCL cleary explains this here:  https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/spending

 

 

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, Topper49 said:

Rick, the pending charges have been removed. My other queries on several other matters have not yet been answered. I still find the fact that these charges appeared in the first place with no explanation from NCL very disappointing.

Do you realize the same thing happens when you use your credit card at a gas pump. There is an authorized pending charge that will drop off and be replaced by what you actually charge.

 

Also, hotels ask for credit cards even when the reservation has been paid off in advance. They too will have authorized pending charges in case you do make charges, And they too will drop off.

 

There is a good reason that every poster told you this was normal and you had nothing to worry about.

[Rick&Jeannie]

18 hours ago, Topper49 said:

Rick, the pending charges have been removed. My other queries on several other matters have not yet been answered. I still find the fact that these charges appeared in the first place with no explanation from NCL very disappointing.

Glad to hear that the charges you were concerned about were handled. It's pretty much the norm....with *all* businesses, not just NCL.

[G-DawgMN]

21 hours ago, Topper49 said:

Rick, the pending charges have been removed. My other queries on several other matters have not yet been answered. I still find the fact that these charges appeared in the first place with no explanation from NCL very disappointing.

 

 That's how it works for things that have varying charges, they don't want to be on the hook if your CC doesn't have enough credit. As others have said it's standard in the hospitality industry and usually gas stations (mine authorizes $200 even though I spend $30).

  This is one reason people don't recommend using a debit card...

 

 

 

   NCL didn't actually charge you those funds so you really have zero reason to be upset or bothered.

 

 

Edited March 13 by G-DawgMN