Sign N Sail Card

[xxangelxx]

I know there are many questions about this here..But some of my friends told me i wont be able to do this. Please if you know for sure let me know. Ok here is my question. I want to use my visa card which is also a debit card for my on board purchases. However i was told that then i wouldnt be able to use the same card to make purchases while in the different ports (canada), to purchase other things. Is this true does anyone know? Should i bring separate money? I dont have any other credit cards to use as i am that person that if i dont have money to buy it i either dont or save for it. So please let me know how u all do this. Thanks for any help and have a great day. :) Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

[Bonnie J.]

I think you should be able to use your debit card for your sign'n sail card. Or you can bring cash for it. But if you go over the cash amount, youll have to stop spending on board. Call the cruise lines and ask about a debit card to make sure. You can only use your sign ' sail card on the ship. Off the ship you'll have to use a Visa credit card, (I don't know about debit cards in Canada) or cash.

[phoenix1181]

The problem you may run into using your debit card onboard is the hold that the cruise line puts on it. They seem to place a hold for your daily expenditures but don't actually process any transactions until the cruise is over. As a result, a large portion of you account balance may be tied up unnecessarily. Having (not necessarily using) a credit card for emergencies isn't a bad idea.

You may want to take some travelers checks and apply those to your sign'n sail card instead if using the card. You won't have any trouble using the debit card in port unless the cruise line ties up all your $$ with their holds. Don't forget to find out what the daily limit is on your card. That could also be a problem if the limit is low.

[serene56]

The biggest problem with the visa debit card is some people are not aware that there is a daily limit to which is allowed to be used.

 

IF you go over the daily limit this could cause you trouble- the cruiselines only put in for their money once-- and thats the last day.

 

I have a 200.00 limit. some people have only 500. few people have unlimited. You call the bank about a month before and get the limit changed to an unlimited amount.

 

You wont have a problem using that card in the ports- bt some vendors might charge you to use it. (had that once in Cozumel- no thanks.)

Now we use cash. especially if your purchases are small--10-15 dollars per item. Take smaller bills as a lot of small vendors wont have change for a 20.00

Using a debit card in the ports your chance of being "taken" are higher also.

 

Your friends might be confusing this issue with the prepaid credit cards- cruiselines do not take them--nor do a lot of vendors.

[kitty9]

If your debit card is tied directly to your checking or savings account at a regular bank, there are some inherent problems with them. First of all, they put some very low limits on daily charges, regardless of how much money you have in the account. I have a very large balance in my accounts, but my bank will only allow purchases up to $500 per day, and no matter how hard I've tried, they will not up that amount. Believe me, I've tried talking to them on the phone and in person, but they are adamant about not raising the limits. They say it's for my own protection. Some lines put some pretty big holds on your account to cover your purchases, and if they do that, it will tie up your debit card for the whole day and you won't be able to use it. Your best choice might be to purchase traveler's checks and use those to back your sign and sail card, that way freeing up your debit card for port purchases, or you do the reverse, use the traveler's checks for your port purchases.

[Happy ks]

Talk to your bank, they will advise you what will work best for you. If there is a limit and you won't be able to use the debit for everything, why not have a Visa gift card, that can be pre-loaded with cash, then use that card for port stop purchases.

[serene56]

, why not have a Visa gift card, that can be pre-loaded with cash, then use that card for port stop purchases.

 

 

it will have to be a card that is good for international purchases. Many cards are good for here only. And even with those international cards-- getting vendors to take them is another issue.

 

Cruiselines will not take prepaid credit cards/

[LHT28]

If it is a "DEBIT card" it has a daily withdrawal limit... you can ask the bank to raise it

 

If it is a credit card you will be OK

 

Take some travellers cheques or cash

The purser should cash them but check with Carnival.

also notify your card holder you will be travelling out of the country

[Cruisin Suzin]

I know there are many questions about this here..But some of my friends told me i wont be able to do this. Please if you know for sure let me know. OK here is my question. I want to use my visa card which is also a debit card for my on board purchases. However i was told that then i wouldn't be able to use the same card to make purchases while in the different ports (Canada), to purchase other things. Is this true does anyone know? Should i bring separate money? I don't have any other credit cards to use as i am that person that if i don't have money to buy it i either don't or save for it. So please let me know how u all do this. Thanks for any help and have a great day. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

 

 

To the best of my knowledge Canada does not accept Visa debit cards, just credit cards, but call Visa they will let you know, there is another travel card by both visa and mastercard one that you load ahead of time, and they are accepted everywhere that accepts credit cards I know this because I use them all the time...you can pre load them up to 10,000..but they are not attached to any credit information like a credit card, so no one can use them to steal your identity..also they are protected just like visa and mastercard if you have an statement issue they will investigate and if necessary return the money to you...great to use when travelling..I like the mastercard one because you can load it directly from your chequing account so if you do overspend on your cruise you could reload it from the ship..:)

[sjcruiser]

Use cash or travelers check for your S&S card. That way you can free up your debit card for purchases. Also take cash for small purchase on port days. Lastly, I belong to a credit union. For debit purchases my limit is $500.00. For credit purchases it's $2,500.00. Whenever I'm going away on business or pleasure, I call a week or two before hand to let them know I'm going away and have them raise the limit to Unlimited. I also let them know where I'm going. They have never refused a purchase, but they called my cellphone while I was still in the store in Jamaica!

[clearwater10]

I think what you are referring to is this. When you use your Debit Card/Visa for a purchase that has not been charged a hold is put on the account. Then when you try to use it somewhere else say at port, it can be declined. This has happened to me when I went to the beach. I used a credit card to secure the room and tried to use it somewhere else there and it was declined. The reason was that the secure for the room was not charged yet but on hold which held up any other purchases being made. For this reason I always take a regular credit card with me or cash for the other purchases off the ship.

[AlanFromFL]

To the best of my knowledge Canada does not accept Visa debit cards, just credit cards, but call Visa they will let you know, there is another travel card by both visa and mastercard one that you load ahead of time, and they are accepted everywhere that accepts credit cards I know this because I use them all the time...you can pre load them up to 10,000..but they are not attached to any credit information like a credit card, so no one can use them to steal your identity..also they are protected just like visa and mastercard if you have an statement issue they will investigate and if necessary return the money to you...great to use when travelling..I like the mastercard one because you can load it directly from your chequing account so if you do overspend on your cruise you could reload it from the ship..:)

 

Yes, Visa-branded Debit cards are accepted in Canada, but not for PIN-based transactions, only for signature-based transactions (i.e. where the merchant swipes the card to obtain authorization by the issuer & the cardholder signs the draft). I've never had a problem using my Visa Debit card North of the border. But beware of the steep foreign currency transaction fees that most banks now impose on credit and debit card purchases; you can get hit with as much as 3% of the transaction amount.

 

I've never cruised in Canada, so I don't know if merchants in the port cities readily accept US dollars as do most of the Caribbean islands; however you might check with your bank to see if the bank has a reciprocal ATM agreement with a Canadian bank. For example Bank of America ATM customers can use Scotiabank ATMs in Canada without any ATM fees, and the exchange rate is very favorable.

[cruiserssandr]

I am the debit credit coordinator for the bank I work at and people call me all the time when they are going to travel. I just raise their daily limits to the level they think they will need. When they come back from vacation and all the charges have gone through I put them back to their normal levels. It is also a good idea to let you bank know you are travelling out of the country so your card doesn't end up being blocked due to suspicious activity.

[phoenix1181]

Yes, Visa-branded Debit cards are accepted in Canada, but not for PIN-based transactions, only for signature-based transactions (i.e. where the merchant swipes the card to obtain authorization by the issuer & the cardholder signs the draft). I've never had a problem using my Visa Debit card North of the border. But beware of the steep foreign currency transaction fees that most banks now impose on credit and debit card purchases; you can get hit with as much as 3% of the transaction amount.

 

MasterCard (not your bank) charges 3% on foreign transactions. I'm inclined to think it's the same with Visa accounts. If you're not being charged a fee, thank your bank................ they're absorbing the fee instead of passing it along.