IF you show up at the peir without a credit card... then what?

[fredpurdue]

My parents spent a few days traveling to Boston where they board tommorrow bound for Bermuda and then south. Enroute their credit card was declined at a store and they called the issurer only to find out that the card had been cancelled due to suspicious activity. Thankfully they have a $1000 or so with them in cash. (they learned there lesson, they are getting a second one as a back up as soon as they get home).

 

I told them I am sure they are not the first person to show up at the dock without a credit card. They think if they deposit $500 cash they will be ok. I offered to call from the dock and I will give my card if required.

 

Anyone have any idea what they should expect tommorrow?

 

Fred

[kenf333]

My parents spent a few days traveling to Boston where they board tommorrow bound for Bermuda and then south. Enroute their credit card was declined at a store and they called the issurer only to find out that the card had been cancelled due to suspicious activity. Thankfully they have a $1000 or so with them in cash. (they learned there lesson, they are getting a second one as a back up as soon as they get home).

 

I told them I am sure they are not the first person to show up at the dock without a credit card. They think if they deposit $500 cash they will be ok. I offered to call from the dock and I will give my card if required.

 

Anyone have any idea what they should expect tommorrow?

 

Fred

 

You can prepay your sea pass with cash, hope they have a great trip.

[shrimp0]

I have just dealt with credit card fraud and identy theft. If their card was declined due to suspicious activity... and it was their own spending then they should be able to clear it up over the phone. The credit card companies will start to decline purchases over a certain amount that is not normal activity for a card until they speak with the card holder. If the card was actually stolen and used with out their permission... they are in a bit of a different situation. Could it also be that they are over their limit?

 

In the end.... yes, they can put down cash for their sea pass card. I dont think they could use your credit card... as they would not be able to swipe it into the system. ( but it doesnt hurt to try).

 

I hope they get their credit situation worked out... it sure is a pain.

[Maddle]

Please let us know how this works out. How did the cruise line handle it?

 

What was the suspicious activity? Was it their own unusual spending, or had someone used their number?

 

Maddle

[StefanieTX]

Here's what the RCCL web site says:

 

What is an Onboard Expense Account? How does it work?

 

An Onboard Expense Account is the cashless system used for all onboard purchases and services.

 

The account may be set-up with either a credt card or as a cash account. You may establish a master account and add guests from your stateroom or another stateroom as authorized purchasers on your account.

 

For each purchase made onboard the ship you will receive a receipt at the point of sale. A final statement will be delivered to your stateroom on the last nght of your cruise vacation for your review.

 

Guests that set up an account with a credit card should verify the statement. If all purchases are correct, they will automatically be billed to the credit card.

 

Guests on a cash account will need to settle their statement onboard prior to disembarking. The ship will provide you with specific details.

[AFT_LOVER]

since I had folks, with my name, using my cards to book RCCL & Celebrity cruises. The cards were closed & new ones for my new account were sent Fed Ex first delivery of the morning. I have never heard of a creditor closing a card without closing the account & issuing new cards for a new account.

 

 

My parents spent a few days traveling to Boston where they board tommorrow bound for Bermuda and then south. Enroute their credit card was declined at a store and they called the issurer only to find out that the card had been cancelled due to suspicious activity. Thankfully they have a $1000 or so with them in cash. (they learned there lesson, they are getting a second one as a back up as soon as they get home).

 

I told them I am sure they are not the first person to show up at the dock without a credit card. They think if they deposit $500 cash they will be ok. I offered to call from the dock and I will give my card if required.

 

Anyone have any idea what they should expect tommorrow?

 

Fred

[fredpurdue]

Update, they called after they boarded, got on ok without a credit card. Said they were to see the purser about prepaying their account and got on board without paying any cash.

 

Should have been clearer on post. They were traveling to Boston and tried to buy gas and it was declined. They were about 20K away from maxing out their limit... old time frugal generation with just one card to their name...

They were told that there had been suspicious activity on their card and it was cancelled by the credit card company. The CC would not give them further explanation on the phone, but had mailed a letter to their home.

 

the CC said new cards were issued and they were mailing them... except that my parents were on the road. The nice CC guy got the address of their Bostonhotel and said they would be FED EX or DHL overnighted. My parents were at the hotel 3 days and on day 2 called the CC and another person said they were just snail mailed! So my parents said, well, we did not get them, we are leaving, so cancel these replacement cards and mail us a 3rd set to our home address.

 

So that is the long boring story. Main lesson learned is that they need a 2nd or 3 rd cc for a back up. I carry 6 cards with zero going forward balances, 3 personal, 3 for the company I own. I use 1 card primarily for personal, 1 for business... the others for back ups mostly.

[My2Kitties]

Don't forget a RCCL CC for RC points. Double points on all RC items. We got the RC CC before our last cruise and racked up a ton of points.

[Happy ks]

It's too late for your parents trip this time, but in the future, tell them to call their credit card company before leaving home. They can let them know where they will be going and for how long they will be travelling. When you think about it, it really is great protection for the consumer.

 

I've done this on every vacation for years, since most of the time we are either out of the country or very far from home. While we always take a second card along, just in case, even the second card would have been denied if there was no record of them travelling out of their "normal" area.

[FunCruiser56]

We too always call our bank and tell them we will be out of the country for a certian time period. Also for our debit card, make sure what your max spending limit is for each day. If it is a low amount and your total onboard purchases are all put in it may be declined if your limit is too low.

 

Bev

[Frick_&_Frack]

While onboard, they may be able to apply for the RCCL credit card. I know that, if approved, your Sign & Sail can get transferred right onto it (I did it last year that way!).

[vmom]

Just another point of info. If you are traveling with your spouse, its a good idea to each carry a different charge card. A good friend of mine had her wallet stolen at the airport with all the credit cards. She canceled all the card accounts. Well her husband had the same cards so they ended up with all their cards being cancelled. The credit card companies sent out new cards, but in the meantime they were without credit cards to charge their hotel, meals etc. Forgot what they ended up doing. They worked something out.

 

After that, when my husband and I travel together, we each carry a different credit card and leave at home the extras. If one gets stolen, we have the other to use.

[Maddle]

That is what we do too - we each carry one (from different accounts) for that reason: if one has to be cancelled, the other can still be used while on vacation.

 

Back to the OP, how did they prepay their account on board if they didn't use cash and had no other card?

 

Maddle

[suziehmkr]

OP - you could also call RCCL and place some cash in their onboard account for them with your credit card.

 

I am surprised they cancelled the card instead of just placing a hold on it. The merchant would have been told to have your parents call and verify who they are. This has happened to me. I am grateful that cc companies look for things that are out of pattern... but I am really surprised it was cancelled instead of placing a hold on it.

 

I hope they have a GREAT time!

[init4fun]

My bank cancelled my card not long ago without my knowledge. They said information on some accounts was compromised online(which had to mean on their own site)and they cancelled my card and sent me a new one with a new number, had a lot of deferred payments on my old one so it ended up a big mess as the companies that had my old number for deferred payments was getting refused payment and I didnt even know about it until my new card with a letter showed up.

[ElvisandTracey]

There is so much credit card fraud these days, the companies are being forced to be really watchful, sometimes they will suspend or cancel a card if they think something fishy is going on.

 

Over the summer I was in Vegas for a week (I live in LA, it's only a few hundred miles away), and when I went to a Vons store to buy groceries, they decliend my Am Ex Platinum card over a $300 purchase.

 

When I got back to the hotel to call them they said that they declined it because they knew I lived in Ca., but the market in question was in Nevada-duh, it's called a vacation. :eek: :p

 

The lady also told me that the Vons I was in was in a so-so part of town, but has one of the highest rates of fraud in the country...that's why they declined.

 

She gave me a tip on how to aviod this-when leaving the state, call the credit card company of the cards you plan to use, just so they know that the out-of-state activity is legit. They can flag your account with your dates of travel, just to be sure that you won't be declined.

 

Luckily in my case, Mastercard isn't as cautious as Am Ex, so in Vons I just used my other card. But if that had been my only card, as in the case of the OP's parents, I would have been up a creek!!:eek: