New Credit Card Hold Policy

[sk8teacher]

You may be interested to know that HALs policy of putting a $60 per day/per person hold on your card has been reduced to $35 per day per person. Especially nice on longer cruises like our upcoming 50 day Grand Med.

 

Some may already be aware of this but I just found out.:o

 

Cheers,

[kryos]

You may be interested to know that HALs policy of putting a $60 per day/per person hold on your card has been reduced to $35 per day per person. Especially nice on longer cruises like our upcoming 50 day Grand Med.

 

Some may already be aware of this but I just found out.:o

 

Cheers,

Thanks for the info. I never understood why HAL held so much, especially on longer cruises. Most people do not spend as much on a daily basis on a longer cruise, and for the few who do, HAL can always hold more further down the line as the cruise progresses. They have software that warns them when someone's account hold is being depleted.

 

I think HAL held something like $2,500 initially on my 35 day cruise. I knew there was no way I would spend $2,500 over 35 days ... especially since I had already paid for all of my shore excursions upfront before the cruise. I think my end of cruise bill wound up being something in the neighborhood of $1,350 ... a far cry from $2,500 ... and a good portion of that ($350) represented my auto-tips, and probably another $350 my bar tab. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Akheila]

this is good news....but as I am always skeptical, can you tell me your source for this?

 

I agree we don't spend the $60 per day. and certainly my little daughter didn't :rolleyes: even with the auto tips.

[Clearwater Bill]

I have just spoke to ship services and the policy has changed from $ 60.00 to now $ 61.00 a day. the 35.00 is not true per ship board services.

 

Thought this would help.

[MadManOfBethesda]

The only thing I can add to this thread is that when I completed my online checkin information a couple of days ago for my upcoming 30-day cruise on the Ryndam, I received an online notice that the hold would be $3600 ($60 pp/day).

[sk8teacher]

this is good news....but as I am always skeptical, can you tell me your source for this?

 

I agree we don't spend the $60 per day. and certainly my little daughter didn't :rolleyes: even with the auto tips.

 

During online checkin, when you go to the credit card area, there is a link there that says "New Credit Card Policy". If you click that a new window pops up. On our checkin, the hold is stated to be $3500 for our 50 day cruise.

 

Cheers,

[sk8teacher]

"Terms And Conditions

 

I hereby grant permission to Holland America Line (hereinafter “HAL”) to settle my onboard account, and the onboard accounts for guests as designated during my online registration, using the credit/debit card(s) I have presented. I understand and agree that HAL may seek multiple authorizations on my credit/debit card(s) to enable HAL to settle the onboard charges, which will create credit “holds”on such card account(s). I further understand that the first such hold will be in an amount equal to US $35.00 per person per day times the number of days of the cruise, and that if there are charges in excess of this amount, that HAL may seek further authorizations in those amounts for all staterooms (and guests booked therein). I also acknowledge that my onboard purchases will be charged to my credit/debit card(s) in U.S. funds. Any conversion to a currency other than U.S. dollars is at the discretion of the issuing bank. In the event that sufficient credit or fund account balance is not available on subsequent credit/debit card(s) that I may present to HAL at a later time during the cruise, or the authorization of such card(s) is (are) rejected. I hereby grant HAL permission to charge any credit/debit card(s) that I have previously submitted for payment. I understand that the onboard purchases I hereby agree to pay will be charged (settled) to my credit/debit card(s)."

 

Of course, maybe this only applies to us because we are special :D:rolleyes:

 

Cheers,

[RuthC]

The $60/day (then $50/day) hold stopped making sense when HAL started to allow booking of shore excursions on-line. It still makes sense for anyone who is booking shore excursions while on board.

But for most of us who book on-line, or aren't doing HAL excursions at all, $60/day is way out of line.

In the scheme of things it really makes no difference to me how much they do hold, but it bothers me on principle that the hold is so much more than it needs to be.

This decrease pleases me.

[nik953]

I just checked this for my September cruise for 2009 and it still states they will authorize $60/per person per day.

[sk8teacher]

I just checked this for my September cruise for 2009 and it still states they will authorize $60/per person per day.

 

That is strange. Perhaps this is a new policy for longer cruises??

 

Cheers,

[Bedazzled101]

I think maybe that only applies to the world cruise segments. Maybe there is a 45 day minimum. Sounds great to me, now if only I could find a way to personally test out this theory ;D

[jtl513]

That is strange. Perhaps this is a new policy for longer cruises??

 

Cheers,

That must be it. I see $60 under the New Credit Card Policy too.

[Akheila]

or perhaps you truly just are special? it is what it is....at least with today's turn of events I no longer have to watch the daily oil prices! I know they may add them back on but most likely won't until after my cruise!

 

Happy sailing everyone