Setting up Onboard Account

[kmch]

Can we set up our onboard account with a cash deposit (we would do $100/day) and then pay the remaining balance with a credit card if we go over that (hopefully we wont!)?

[ohioNCLcruiser]

It might be best to put a credit card on file, then the last night of the cruise take your cash and settle the account and anything left will go on the card. If you do the cash way you suggested then if you go over your card will be declined when you try to buy something. You can do both but the first way would mean less interruption. You can go to the front desk and ask for your statement at any time to see where you stand.

 

James

[WinterSky]

Can we set up our onboard account with a cash deposit (we would do $100/day) and then pay the remaining balance with a credit card if we go over that (hopefully we wont!)?

 

We used a credit card to pay for our cruise and our bar setup but we decided to use cash for our on board account. At the terminal in New York (for the Gem) we advised the check in representative that we wanted to secure our on board account with cash when he asked for our credit card. He told us that we could do so on the ship at the Reception Desk within 24 hours of boarding.

 

When we boarded we went directly to the Reception Desk and set up the account - it is a good idea not to delay as any excursion tickets etc. that are being charged to your on board account will not be delivered until you set up the account. We were told that we could put any amount on the account that we wished. We deposited $600 and made a second deposit a few days later. No problem at all. On the last morning, we returned and received a refund of the unused portion.

 

The Reception Desk staff are very helpful and I am sure that you will find them flexible if you wish to pay some cash and then further secure the account with a credit card.

 

Happy cruising!

WinterSky

[cassrebecca]

My husband and I used cash we put down 100 per day plus the 140 auto tip and it worked out just fine.....they gave us cash back at the end of the cruise...

[falken]

I have an honest question... Why do people want to settle the account in cash?

 

You have to carry maybe thousands of dollars of cash with you (which never seems like a good idea to me), worry about going down to the desk at least two times, etc.

 

Why not just have everything put on a card, earn rewards points, cash back, or whatever the credit card you use has as an "extra"? You get a 30 day interest free loan (most credit cards), and can just send in the payment when you get home.

[WinterSky]

I have an honest question... Why do people want to settle the account in cash?

 

You have to carry maybe thousands of dollars of cash with you (which never seems like a good idea to me), worry about going down to the desk at least two times, etc.

 

Why not just have everything put on a card, earn rewards points, cash back, or whatever the credit card you use has as an "extra"? You get a 30 day interest free loan (most credit cards), and can just send in the payment when you get home.

 

One reason that we settled our on board account with cash is that we NEVER use our credit cards in situations where the actual cost is not predetermined and finite. I would no more entrust a person or a business with access to applying charges to my credit card than I would entrust that person or business with access to my wallet.

 

On our last cruise, I carried $2,000 cash on me and secured our on board account with approximately half over two deposits during that week, leaving me half of that amount for shopping ashore while my credit cards were locked in the cabin safe. For me, that is a controlled and minimized 'risk' and I am not going to have to deal with delays and all the follow-up that frequently follows adjustments made for charges inadvertently or wrongly charged to a credit card. If I lose the whole $2,000 I still have my credit cards which are more valuable for backup.

 

I guess that it may be unusual but I also keep pretty tight track of when and where my credit card numbers have been used and recorded. This policy actually allowed my husband and I to assist authorities in tracking and taking action against a business who placed several hundreds of dollars of illegal charges on one of our credit cards twice in a three month period. Because our records were specific and we were able to provide details of exactly where, when and what our credit card was used for, our affidavit carried the weight necessary to take legal action against the company and we were successful in getting all of the money credited back to us.

 

There you go! Sometimes people have reasons for using cash but I think everyone needs to do what works best for them - there is no right or wrong way, just different ways.

 

WinterSky