Sea Pass account - can you settle up with credit card & cash combo?

[njreindeer]

Hi everyone,

 

A first-timer question: Can you settle up your Sea Pass account with a combination of credit card and cash? We're going to try and limit how much we put on our card, and are thinking of paying some during the week in cash so that the amount at the end on the card is less. Can we do this? They'll accept cash payments during the week, right?

 

Thanks for your help! :)

[lovingmom]

Helen,

 

I'm not sure, but I don't see why not. Why would they care how it got paid, as long as it did?? But, then again, I seem to recall reading that if you put cash on the card, then you can only spend that much. So, I'm not much help, am I???

But, I would like to know the answer to this too!

[njreindeer]

Thanks for trying to help Dolores! I knew one of my late-night friends would be here too!

 

Someone will know for sure. We want to go ahead and give them our credit card info but pay off some here and there in cash as the week goes on so that there's not a huge new charge on the card when the cruise is over. It'll help make the post-cruise depression - AND post-cruise bills! - a little easier to handle!

[Darspurs]

As long as you give them a credit card you can pay off whatever amounts in cash at any time during the cruise up to about 10 or 11 pm on the last evening and if there is any balance left they will charge the card.

[Happy ks]

We do this on every cruise. We open the seapass account with a credit card because it is just easier to do that. On the last full day of the cruise, we settle the account with cash (travellers checks). Any incidentals from the last evening will be billed to our credit card. This way, we stay more on budget and don't get a huge bill the next month, plus we don't have to go to the pursers desk and stand in line the last morning.

[isujim]

I have done this as well..........about the third or 4th day I go down and pay $300 or $400 on the account...........keeps that final bill manageable.

 

Jim

[CaptData]

I do this. I go to Pursers desk first night, deposit $500.00. Watch my account on the screen each morning. The last night if I have too, I go and deposit what it says on the screen. If after that I have a farewell drink with new friends that goes on my credit card. Usually, I have less then $30.00 on the card when I get back. Once I even got money back.

[pmvogelalex]

Have you ever been to a restaurant with a few friends and split the bill? Some paid cash, some paid credit? You treat the cruise sea pass card like a VERY LONG restaurant meal, you can pay any which way, as long as they get the money.

[flamingosun]

njreindeer -

I do a sort of a backwards version of the same thing:

A few days to a week before leaving on a cruise, I send an extra payment to my credit card... even if the current balance is 0. That way, when I secure my sea pass account with my credit card, I am charging against the credit I sent to my account just before the cruise.

[njreindeer]

Thanks everyone for the the speedy replies! I knew my CruiseCritic friends would help us out. I'm so glad to know that we can do this, we definitely don't want a huge hit on our credit card. Thanks again! :)

[pd9845]

NJ - You're a girl after my own heart. I planned on doing the same thing :)

 

Thanks for asking the question!

[Driftwoodgal]

An extra tip...... I used our credit card to secure our seapass...but did not want to charge any thing to the actual credit card. I gave the credit card number to the cruise line in case I had any disputes on charges. When presented with the final bill the night before our disembarkment I reviewed the bill and had some questions about two of the charges on our bill. After contacting the Pursers desk in person I was told that the charges would be reviewed and I would be contacted. The ship did adjust one of the charges and the other charge was for a T shirt that I bought near the pool while going through the Panama Canal. I was totally satisfied with the accounting that RCI did, on that last day I paid our account with Travelers checks and charged our last few things on to our credit card. If I had a dispute with the charges that RCI had on our account I would have waited until we got home and disputed the charges through our credit card. There are some advantages to putting things on a credit card.

[TBRay]

Yes it really pays to review your account. I had one of those "mystery" charges on my last bill until we realized it was for one of the RCI cookbooks my DW requested.

 

Count me as one of the "Traveler's Checks" people. I monitor our account during the week and then settle early on Saturday before the "lineup" at the Pursor's desk (final cruise day). It's nice only having a minimal charge (or none) on my account when leaving the ship.

 

And I avoid the ATM on board unless absolutely necessary. A $5.75 surcharge per transaction is bull-feathers IMHO!!! :mad: . Homey ain't playing that game.

[pmvogelalex]

please everyody, do take the time to review the bill before you leave the ship.

We had an extra 79$ shore excursion charged to it. they had transposed the numbers when they entered it on the card. I thought the computer did it when they swiped the card, but they have to manually enter the charges when you drop off a reservation at the shore ex. office. they do this in the middle of the night.

[berd0625]

I take a slightly different approach. The Credit card I currently use earns points, so I charge everything to it. I do review all my charges before leaving too. Then when I get the Credit Card bill 30 or so days after the cruise I use the money I had previously saved to pay it off. That way I get points, protection, and hold on to my cash a little longer.

Next cruise I will be using my new Royal Caribbean card and will get double points for final payment, sea pass etc. I just wish I had it in time for my deposit.