Adding a Prepaid Visa card to sign & sail account?

[Bibble]

I have some prepaid visa cards i've received as gifts.

I've tried to use them online to purchase cruise cash to just be put on my account, but neither of the cards are working online (they need zip codes for billing purposes online, but these particular cards no longer have a way to assign a billing zip code to them. I've been instructed to just use them in stores)

 

My question is - has anyone used a prepaid card in the port to, in essence, purchase cruise cash added to your sign & sail?  

I'm not saying to use the prepaid card as the payment card for sign & sail, but to basically make this a credit on my account right in the beginning? like adding cash to my account?

 

Thank you for anyone who knows!!!  (two calls to carnival and neither answer was anything close to "definite".)

 

[mz-s]

I would probably use the prepaid visa to buy Carnival gift cards tbh.

[starstruck05]

It's going to use just like a credit/debit card. The problem you will run into is Carnival's hold process. If they put a $200 hold, you have to have MORE than the $200 because sometimes they can hit the card for a random single purchase and it will decline. TBH the person who told you to use the cards in store is telling the truth.  That's the best place. You can use them in store to buy Carnival gift cards if the store allows that.

[pe4all]

I can tell you my experience.  We have always put pre-paid Visa cards on our account as soon as we walk on the ship at guest services.    2 cruises ago they had trouble putting the pre-paid Visa card we had ($200) on our account.  They told me to keep the receipt "just in case."  All was fine.  

However - on our last cruise they said they will not accept them anymore.  We ended up using it in port.

Edited Monday at 06:20 PM by pe4all

[firefly333]

Maybe its changed but there used to be some language in the faq about how you can't use prepaid cards unless they have your name stamped on them. Cant be the kind you buy in a store that are generic.

[Bibble]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

I would probably use the prepaid visa to buy Carnival gift cards tbh.

I've tried to do that online, but because of no billing zip code they won't accept the prepaid card.

 

Can you buys a carnival gift card at the port, or on the ship?

[Bibble]

35 minutes ago, pe4all said:

I can tell you my experience.  We have always put pre-paid Visa cards on our account as soon as we walk on the ship at guest services.    2 cruises ago they had trouble putting the pre-paid Visa card we had ($200) on our account.  They told me to keep the receipt "just in case."  All was fine.  

However - on our last cruise they said they will not accept them anymore.  We ended up using it in port.

 

That helps - thank you!

[rdtpm64]

I looked online at Walmart, and they sell Carnival gift cards.  Can you go to a Walmart store and see if they have any on-site to purchase?  Pay with your pre-paid gift cards, then buy Cruise Cash with the Carnival gift cards.

[PayneAS]

You can get Carnival gift cards from the Newegg website as well. That's where I get mine from. Delivery to my email within 30 mins usually. 

[mz-s]

21 minutes ago, Bibble said:

I've tried to do that online, but because of no billing zip code they won't accept the prepaid card.

 

Can you buys a carnival gift card at the port, or on the ship?

 

Lowe's sells them...

[Bibble]

1 hour ago, rdtpm64 said:

I looked online at Walmart, and they sell Carnival gift cards.  Can you go to a Walmart store and see if they have any on-site to purchase?  Pay with your pre-paid gift cards, then buy Cruise Cash with the Carnival gift cards.

 

I"ve tried walgreens and CVS so far and can't use a prepaid giftcard to buy a gift card.  But I'll try walmart too 🙂

 

57 minutes ago, PayneAS said:

You can get Carnival gift cards from the Newegg website as well. That's where I get mine from. Delivery to my email within 30 mins usually. 

I tried Newegg actually - can't use the prepaid card becuase of the stupid billing zipcode not being able to be attached to this giftcard.

[rdtpm64]

Next time you go to the grocery store or something, use your pre-paid gift cards.  Then use the money you would have spent at the store on some Carnival gift cards.

[Bibble]

13 minutes ago, rdtpm64 said:

Next time you go to the grocery store or something, use your pre-paid gift cards.  Then use the money you would have spent at the store on some Carnival gift cards.

 

I pretty much JUST came up with that - LOL!  Somes the forest blocks my view of the trees... 😉

[pe4all]

Our local (Long Island) Target also just started carrying Carnival gift cards.  I used to have to wait to get to our condo in FLL and go to Publix to buy some.

Edited Tuesday at 09:57 AM by pe4all

[dbrucern]

17 hours ago, Bibble said:

 

That helps - thank you!

 

17 hours ago, Bibble said:

I've tried to do that online, but because of no billing zip code they won't accept the prepaid card.

 

Can you buys a carnival gift card at the port, or on the ship?

Yes at Cherry on Top if they will take it, my problem was also that Carnival would not use on our cruise. When I got home I bought Carnival gift cards with them for our next cruise

[simplelife]

Use the vVsa gift cards to buy Carnival cards and apply those. AARP has $100 cards for $90.

[papajak]

1 hour ago, simplelife said:

Use the vVsa gift cards to buy Carnival cards and apply those. AARP has $100 cards for $90.

I have done this twice recently and it worked fine. If it asks for my zip code, I just put my zip code. No problems.