Canadian Credit Card on Princess

[Travel3]

This is part of the Boarding pass that you sign off before embarking. We have a Canadian credit card disembarking out of Ft. Lauderdale. Does anyone know what the difference between option #1 and #2 are? Is one option better than the other?

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ESTABLISH YOUR SHIPBOARD ACCOUNT

This cash free signature card enables Express Checkout at the end of your cruise vacation.

I authorize Princess Cruises to charge all goods and/or services I receive to the credit card below. I also authorize those listed below to charge shipboard purchases to my credit card.

 

CURRENCY CONVERSION DETAILS

For non US issued MasterCard or Visa Card Holders – If you use a MasterCard or Visa Card issued outside of the US which is billed in any of the following currencies: AUD, CAD, CHF, DKK, EUR, HKD, JPY, KRW, MXP, NOK, NZD, SEK, GBP, Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. offers a service where the full amount of your charges are converted, at your election, to the currency of your card by our conversion agent, Global Card Services, Inc., using the exchange rate in effect at the time the amounts are charged to your card.

 

Option #1: Authorize Payment – I choose to pay my charges in the currency in which my card is billed to me (if my card is billed in any of the currencies listed above). I understand that this currency conversion transaction is based on wholesale exchange rates collected from Bloomberg plus a 3 percent international currency conversion fee. I understand further that my choice to have my charges billed in the currency of my card is final. I accept that the exchange rate used will not be determined until a later date and without further consultation with me. I choose to pay in the currency of my card (please check here) ___.

 

Option #2: If you opt for your charges not to be converted, or if your card is not billed in one of the billing currencies listed, your charges will be processed in the onboard currency (see your itinerary) and the issuer of your card may still charge you a service fee for currency conversion. I choose to pay in the onboard currency, please check here ___.

[c-to-sea]

Option 1 lets Princess convert your charges to CAD at THEIR exchange rate,

which may not be close to the current bank rate.

 

Option 2 tells Princess to put your charges through to your credit card

company in USD. Your credit card company then converts to CAD at

the rate for that day, plus a surcharge, usually about 2%.

 

Option 2 is almost always the best option for a Canadian credit card.

 

When completing the boarding pass, circle and highlight your initials

choosing Option 2, make sure the check-in agent sees this and then

double check with the pursers desk after departure to make sure it

has been noted.

[LuvTheGoodLife]

option 1 - Princess does the currency conversion at their chosen rate (PLUS a conversion fee of 3% I believe). The charge goes through on your credit card as Cdn dollars.

 

Option 2 - Princess is supposed to charge your card in US dollars (currency used on board ship) and let your credit card company use the daily bank exchange rate (plus conversion fee of typically 3%) to charge your card in Cdn $.

 

We always choose Option 2 since we noticed Princess chosen exchange rate was far worse than the bank rate on a previous cruise.

 

However, even if you choose Option 2, Princess has been known to ignore this and do the conversion on their end anyways. We choose to get around this by going to Purser's desk before last day and paying down on shipboard account using cash or Travellers Checks. In this way, even if Princess ignores our instruction to leave the conversion to our credit card company, it does not cost us very much for their mistake. Others Canadians have posted here that they go down to Pursers desk before last day and have desk staff manually run through their credit card which seems to prevent Princess from converting charges on last day but I have never tried this.

 

Hope this helps, enjoy your cruise.

[cdnguy]

I keep repeating this to Canadians here.

Get yourself a US dollar credit card which is available through just about any Canadian bank. With this card we use it only for US $ purchases. Your billed in US $'s and you pay your balance in US $'s. It's by far the best option.

However, even if you choose Option 2, Princess has been known to ignore this and do the conversion on their end anyways. We choose to get around this by going to Purser's desk before last day and paying down on shipboard account using cash or Travellers Checks.

We always choose Option 2 and have never had a problem in 13 Princess cruises...using our US $ credit card.

[A Sixth?]

I keep repeating this to Canadians here.

Get yourself a US dollar credit card which is available through just about any Canadian bank. With this card we use it only for US $ purchases. Your billed in US $'s and you pay your balance in US $'s. It's by far the best option.

We always choose Option 2 and have never had a problem in 13 Princess cruises...using our US $ credit card.

 

On my last Princess Cruise, they ignored my #2 option, which was on my US currency credit card through my Canadian Bank. Not only did I get screwed by Princess on their exchange, the Royal Bank had to switch the Princess Canadian$$$ back to US. I was out about $ 80.00 on my ship board account and after an hour or two on the phone gave u p trying to get Princess to reemburse me.

 

I still cruise them, but some of their practices are criminal

[Ontario Traveller]

I believe that if you say you will use an Amex card to pay your shipboard account then you don't have the "option" of having them convert the currency. Try that.