How Does HAL Bill You?

[jan can]

HAL authorizes a hold of $60 each per day on your credit card when you confirm your booking. Once the cruise begins, do they add this to your credit card every day? If you take an excursion, is this charged to your CC right away too? We would like to pay part of our final bill with travellers' checks. It has been 5 years since we sailed with HAL so I can't remember the details for settling our account.

[DutchByAssociation]

For example, let's say it is just you, and you are on a 7 day cruise...

 

$420.00 (7 days x $60.00) will be HELD on your account (NOT charged)

 

If you exceed the $420 on your onboard bill, an additional amount (you'll have to ask the onboard staff how much) will be added as HELD.

 

This amount of money is never taken off your account, just "set aside" for lack of a better word. Same sort of thing you might see at a hotel or for a car rental.

 

If you, at the end of the cruise, spent $300.00, then the only amount you will ever see charged to your card is $300.00

 

Note:

The ships will not CHARGE any amount ahead of time as they have no idea if you might prefer to settle in cash.

 

Hope this helps.

[chloes nana]

If you, at the end of the cruise, spent $300.00, then the only amount you will ever see charged to your card is $300.00

 

Note:

The ships will not CHARGE any amount ahead of time as they have no idea if you might prefer to settle in cash.

 

Hope this helps.

so if I buy up shipboard credits to pay/apply to our shipboard expenses the difference of what we haven't used will be refunded in cash to me at the end of the cruise?

[jtl513]

This amount of money is never taken off your account, just "set aside" for lack of a better word.

How about "reserved" for the exclusive access by HAL. What it amounts to is a temporary lowering of your credit limit.

The ships will not CHARGE any amount ahead of time as they have no idea if you might prefer to settle in cash.

But the default, if you do nothing, is that it is all charged to the credit card you registered.

so if I buy up shipboard credits to pay/apply to our shipboard expenses the difference of what we haven't used will be refunded in cash to me at the end of the cruise?

Yes.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You might want to consider using two credit cards -- one for the ship as HAL does notify your credit card company how much they want to set aside for the cruise -- for both of you.

Sad to say but on one cruise we had a honeymoon couple who had no idea about the $60 per day per person fee and were stunned when they went shopping in a port and their credit card was denied because of this hold.

[DutchByAssociation]

so if I buy up shipboard credits to pay/apply to our shipboard expenses the difference of what we haven't used will be refunded in cash to me at the end of the cruise?

 

Shipboard credit that you purchase as a gift order will be, yes.

 

Shipboard credit that is a promotional item through a travel agent (note... PROMOTIONAL, not a purchased gift by them) and some other promotional perks that involve onboard credit are non-refundable.

[DutchByAssociation]

You might want to consider using two credit cards -- one for the ship as HAL does notify your credit card company how much they want to set aside for the cruise -- for both of you.

 

Sad to say but on one cruise we had a honeymoon couple who had no idea about the $60 per day per person fee and were stunned when they went shopping in a port and their credit card was denied because of this hold.

 

 

This is exactly why all pre-cruise materials mention this, and it is also disclosed on the online check-in. Specifically so that no one is taken off guard by it.

[kryos]

HAL authorizes a hold of $60 each per day on your credit card when you confirm your booking. Once the cruise begins, do they add this to your credit card every day? If you take an excursion, is this charged to your CC right away too? We would like to pay part of our final bill with travellers' checks. It has been 5 years since we sailed with HAL so I can't remember the details for settling our account.

The $60 a day per person is only a "hold," not a charge. HAL calls your credit card company and takes first dibs on $60 per day. If your credit card has a limit, that limit will get "dinged" for the reserved $60 a day because the cruise line will have a hold on that amount for an "anticipated" charge to come through at a later date.

 

As you charge things onboard, they will go on your folio. They will not be charged to your credit card immediately ... just your onboard bill. The cruise line has a computer program that tells them ... "we are holding $60 per day for this person ... and so far, they're averaging $100 a day in charges. We need to hold more. They will then call your credit card company for an additional "hold" for anticipated charges. Again, no charge will be made ... just a "hold" for that amount placed against your credit limit.

 

Of course, if your actual charges are running under the $60 per day, HAL will not need to reserve any additional "hold" amount on your card.

 

At the end of the cruise ... at a certain time on the last night ... usually around midnight or so ... all onboard accounts will be closed out. This will be at a time when onboard shops and bars will close and no one would be making charges anyway. You will get a final statement delivered to your stateroom and it will show the exact amount that is going to be charged to your credit card. The only time this could vary a bit is if you drink anything from your mini-bar (like a soda or whatever) on the last morning of the cruise and that has to be added to your bill. You won't be charging anything onboard that last morning, because nothing will be open. If the photo shop is open (as sometimes it will be), then they will be transacting cash purchases only on that final morning.

 

A couple of days after you return home ... if you check your credit card statements online ... you will note a charge from HAL "ship name" on there ... for the amount of your bill. The hold that HAL had placed on your funds is then also released.

 

The whole purpose of the credit card holds is that HAL wants to make sure you are good for the money. They don't want a situation arising where they go to charge your credit card and find that you don't have the available funds to pay your onboard bill. By placing a hold on the funds they anticipate needing, they get "first dibs" on that money and it is if you go to charge other things, such as while onshore, that you may find yourself coming up short.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[jan can]

DBA - thanks for your explanation. That is very clear.

[rochelle_s]

HAL authorizes a hold of $60 each per day on your credit card when you confirm your booking. Once the cruise begins, do they add this to your credit card every day? If you take an excursion, is this charged to your CC right away too? We would like to pay part of our final bill with travellers' checks. It has been 5 years since we sailed with HAL so I can't remember the details for settling our account.

 

 

I did not see this mentioned by anyone who responded and someone please correct me if I am wrong but the hold on your card is not made when you book. The hold is placed on your card when you board the ship.

 

Rochelle

[serendipity1499]

This is exactly why all pre-cruise materials mention this, and it is also disclosed on the online check-in. Specifically so that no one is taken off guard by it.

 

DBA...First of all want to thank you for your blog & the great info you have given on this board..It's obvious that you enjoy your job & like helping people..You are a credit to HAL..

Have a complicated question:confused:

 

We'll be doing a B2B on the Statendam in Nov (Total 28 days)...We'll have a total of $500 OBC to start..Will try to explain my question giving you three scenarios...

A) Will HAL put a hold on our credit card for the full 28 days which would be $3360 or

B) Will we have a hold put on our credit card for each segment..IE the first 14 days $1680 hold & we settle our bill before we get to San Diego..Then the second 14 days another 1680 hold? and

C) Will the $500 OBC be deducted from any of the Holds such as the first 14 day hold or are OBC's not taken into account at all?

Hope this is clear & you understand my question...

We're not worried, as have a very high credit limit on the card we use for our on board expenses... However, we normally notify the bank in advance what the $$$ amount will be on the hold from HAL..

We use a different card for our purchases out of the country as they don't charge an exchange fee to convert into USD..

Thanks for your help..

Cheers..:)Betty

[nanaof2]

WE INTEND TO USE A DEBIT CARD FOR THE SHIPBOARD ACCOUNT. HAS ANYBODY USED ONE? WOULD THIS CREATE AN ISSUE WITH HAL?:confused:

[pms4104]

I did not see this mentioned by anyone who responded and someone please correct me if I am wrong but the hold on your card is not made when you book. The hold is placed on your card when you board the ship.

 

Rochelle

Yes, the actual hold is placed on your credit card embarkation day.

[ontheweb]

For example, let's say it is just you, and you are on a 7 day cruise...

 

$420.00 (7 days x $60.00) will be HELD on your account (NOT charged)

 

If you exceed the $420 on your onboard bill, an additional amount (you'll have to ask the onboard staff how much) will be added as HELD.

 

This amount of money is never taken off your account, just "set aside" for lack of a better word. Same sort of thing you might see at a hotel or for a car rental.

 

If you, at the end of the cruise, spent $300.00, then the only amount you will ever see charged to your card is $300.00

 

Note:

The ships will not CHARGE any amount ahead of time as they have no idea if you might prefer to settle in cash.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Just out of curiosity, is this also done by other major cruise lines? We will be on our first HAL cruise this summer on the Noordam, and I was not aware of this until I read this thread.

 

Previously we have been on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, and Carnival. At no time did we know there was a daily hold on our credit card. Was there one?

[Kabana]

WE INTEND TO USE A DEBIT CARD FOR THE SHIPBOARD ACCOUNT. HAS ANYBODY USED ONE? WOULD THIS CREATE AN ISSUE WITH HAL?:confused:

 

I have used a debit card with no problems. My bank releases any holds after 3 days, some banks take longer to release the hold so you may want to check with your bank.

[Boytjie]

Just out of curiosity, is this also done by other major cruise lines? We will be on our first HAL cruise this summer on the Noordam, and I was not aware of this until I read this thread.

 

Previously we have been on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, and Carnival. At no time did we know there was a daily hold on our credit card. Was there one?

 

Princess also places a hold on your card as well (as do other businesses such car rental companies, hotels and gas stations).

 

It usually pops up during the time you enter your information online.

[noblepa]

WE INTEND TO USE A DEBIT CARD FOR THE SHIPBOARD ACCOUNT. HAS ANYBODY USED ONE? WOULD THIS CREATE AN ISSUE WITH HAL?:confused:

 

Why are you shouting? Using all caps is the internet equivalent of shouting.

 

Anyway, to answer your question... HAL treats a debit card the same as a credit card. BTW, they will only accept debit cards that have the MasterCard or Visa logo on them. If it is just a local debit/atm card, it won't work.

 

This means that they do put a hold on your card, which means that cash in your checking account may be unavailable for other purposes, like automatic payments that your mortgage lender, gas company or electric utility may attempt the withdraw from your account while you are away.

 

The hold may also affect your ability to use the debit card in ports, to make souvenir purchases.

 

Think of your debit card as a credit card. The "credit" limit is the amount of cash balance plus any overdraft protection your bank may provide. Just like any other credit card, the hold that HAL puts on your account reduces the amount of available credit. If your credit limit is high enough, but your hold plus onshore purchases exceeds the cash balance, it may trigger a cash advance from the OD protection. Then at the end of the cruise, if you spent very little on board, it may turn out that the cash advance was unneccesary. Worse, if you don't have OD protection, uncleared checks or automated payments may bounce, even though there is enough cash in your account.

 

Consider the following scenario. On a seven day cruise for two people, the credit hold will be $60 * 2 * 7 = $840. You have a balance of $1,000 in your checking account. You may know that you will spend less than $500 onboard, including the $140 autotip. You have no OD protection on the account. While you are away, your electric utility company attempts to withdraw a $200 payment. However, your AVAILABLE balance is only $160, so the payment is returned as NSF.

 

When you return home, you find that your checking account now has a (correct) balance of $500 ($1,000 you started with, minus $500 onboard purchases). Meanwhile, the electric company is mad at you and may have charged you a late fee and/or a bad check fee. Plus your bank may have charged you a bad check fee. While the bank and the electric company MIGHT be convinced to waive the fees under the circumstances, they are both within their legal rights to charge those fees.

 

Another thing to consider when using a debit card, especially for international travel is the fact that they do not provide the same protection from fraud that a true credit card will.

 

Paul

[Don_In_AZ]

We are doing a 15 day circle Hawaii, there are 2 of us so I'm assuming they need to hold $120/day * 15 for a total of $1800!!! Thats almost what we paid for the cruise!

 

So what if you don't have a card with $1800 of cap left on it?

 

Also if I pre-buy shipboard credit, is this deducted from the amount they need to pre-authorize?

 

Don

[Boytjie]

We are doing a 15 day circle Hawaii, there are 2 of us so I'm assuming they need to hold $120/day * 15 for a total of $1800!!! Thats almost what we paid for the cruise!

 

So what if you don't have a card with $1800 of cap left on it?

 

I would assume you would have to put down a cash deposit for the difference (which is what you have to do if you opt to not give a credit or debit card).

 

Also if I pre-buy shipboard credit, is this deducted from the amount they need to pre-authorize?

 

I would not expect that.

[Don_In_AZ]

I would assume you would have to put down a cash deposit for the difference (which is what you have to do if you opt to not give a credit or debit card).

 

That is EXTREMELY dissapointing!!! This basically means that the money I would have put toward shore excursions, I will now have to use to satisfy this deposit requirement... It's as if the cost of my cruise has just DOUBLED even if only temporarily!!!

 

One of the reasons I am trying to pre-pay as much as I can is so I wouldn't have to rack up a large onboard tab... It would appear that the cruise line assumes I'm going to anyway...

 

And just to be clear, it's not that I don't understand the policy or why it's done, just that the hotels I've stayed at (even the nicest ones) only put a max $500 hold per room. Same with rental cars... but $1800, that's just rediculous!

 

I am not happy about this at all,

Don

[Boytjie]

That is EXTREMELY dissapointing!!! This basically means that the money I would have put toward shore excursions, I will now have to use to satisfy this deposit requirement... It's as if the cost of my cruise has just DOUBLED even if only temporarily!!!

 

One of the reasons I am trying to pre-pay as much as I can is so I wouldn't have to rack up a large onboard tab... It would appear that the cruise line assumes I'm going to anyway...

 

And just to be clear, it's not that I don't understand the policy or why it's done, just that the hotels I've stayed at (even the nicest ones) only put a max $500 hold per room. Same with rental cars... but $1800, that's just rediculous!

 

I am not happy about this at all,

Don

 

Remember, it is just a hold and not an actual charge on the card. I know that difference means nothing if you hit the card's limit.

 

Look at it from HAL's persective: even though you have an excursion paid for it doesn't mean you wouldn't also rack up more that $60 in bar charges for that day too.

[Don_In_AZ]

Look at it from HAL's persective: even though you have an excursion paid for it doesn't mean you wouldn't also rack up more that $60 in bar charges for that day too.

 

That's why I bought a raft of drink cards... and $500 of onboard credit to cover our tips and any laundry services.

 

I would think a more reasonable approach would be to do a pre-auth for $500/cabin upon embarkation and then if your onboard balance due approaches the limit (> $350), increase the hold at that time... But to just demand $1800 of your credit all at once is ABSOLUTELY unreasonable to me.

 

I would also think that onboard credit would be same as cash as far as a deposit goes... since they already have your money in either case.

 

Good heavens, what would one do on a world cruise... Let's see 150 days * 2 people * $60.00/day = $18,000 ??? I don't even own a card with that kind of limit! Not that I'm in any position to afford a world cruise either but still...

[pms4104]

But to just demand $1800 of your credit all at once is ABSOLUTELY unreasonable to me.

While I can understand your frustration with this policy, it is clearly posted on HAL's website. So, if the credit card hold is news to you, or if it is unacceptable to you ... that is unfortunate, but that's how HAL does it and they do not hide that fact.

[Don_In_AZ]

I think the only good news here is that thanks to CC and all of you good people out there, I know about this 6 months in advance and can work to mitigate it's impact.

 

If I had found out about this a month or less before our cruise, we would've been sunk! (no pun intended)

 

A huge thanks to all of you for this very important information, and just for the record, my online TA said nothing about this and I know it wasn't in any of the fine print I read on their website (and I read all of it)...

 

Admittedly, I have not read all the FP on HAL's site (my bad).

 

Don

[richwmn]

That's why I bought a raft of drink cards... and $500 of onboard credit to cover our tips and any laundry services.

 

I would think a more reasonable approach would be to do a pre-auth for $500/cabin upon embarkation and then if your onboard balance due approaches the limit (> $350), increase the hold at that time... But to just demand $1800 of your credit all at once is ABSOLUTELY unreasonable to me.

 

I would also think that onboard credit would be same as cash as far as a deposit goes... since they already have your money in either case.

 

Good heavens, what would one do on a world cruise... Let's see 150 days * 2 people * $60.00/day = $18,000 ??? I don't even own a card with that kind of limit! Not that I'm in any position to afford a world cruise either but still...

 

From posts here in the past - two points 1) on the "World Voyages" the per diem is smaller, I don't remember the amount but seems like it was about $35 /day. 2) If you select cash as your payment they seem to be more flexible on the deposit. Also, by selecting cash whatever you have purchased as "on board credit" will count toward the deposit.

 

Rich