Debt Cards or Credit Cards

[dhornick]

Has anyone ever had problems of using a debit card on cruises? I haven't written a check in years but with the debit card isn't there something about a limit? Or is a regular credit card better to use? Of course we'll take cash also but just wanted to know about the cards.

[Jene]

I am not a whole lot of help b/c we are taking our first cruise next week. But I plan on using a debit card also, and at my bank we have a $1000 per day limit on our cards. (hope we don't spend that much though!!!)
I suggest to call your bank to see if your limit is the same.
Hope this is some help for you!
Have a great cruise!!!

[Elaine515]

Please careful when using a debit card.... If my understanding is correct, when you use them, the bank will automatically tie up a certain amount (depending on length of cruise) from your bank for up to 2 weeks after the cruise is over. Also, I'm not even sure that Carnival will accept a debit card. See below....

If planning on using a credit card, please notify your bank of your plans and where you could be charging, i.e, San Juan, St Thomas etc so that your card is not rejected while on vacation.

Below is from the Carnival website....
____________________________________

Deposit with a Credit Card

Credit Cards are accepted as a form of deposit to open a Sail & Sign Account at the start of the cruise. The following credit cards are accepted:


Visa
MasterCard
Discover® Network
American Express
Note:

The American Express "Persona Select" is not an acceptable credit card.
Regular ATM debit cards are not acceptable.
Guests may use a checking account debit card as long as it is a registered MasterCard or Visa card.
A guest traveling without his/her parents cannot use the parents' credit card even with the parents' written permission
The cardholding guest must be an authorized signer by the card issuing bank.
Upon completion of the Sail & Sign Application Form, the cardholder agrees to pay for the individuals indicated on the form; it is not necessary for these individuals to be booked in the same room as the cardholder.
Important Note: A hold will be placed on the credit card or checking account debit card at the beginning of the cruise as a deposit for an onboard purchases. This will reduce the amount of available credit on the credit card or restrict the availability of cash in the checking account. The hold will be released and actual charges will be billed at the end of the cruise.
The following dollar amounts, per guest, are used as a deposit and placed as a hold on the credit card when the Sail & Sign Account is opened:


2-4 day cruises: $100 deposit pp

5-8 day cruises: $200 deposit pp

9 + day cruises: $350 deposit pp


Hope that helped....

[Jene]

The American Express "Persona Select" is not an acceptable credit card.
Regular ATM debit cards are not acceptable.
Guests may use a checking account debit card as long as it is a registered MasterCard or Visa card.
A guest traveling without his/her parents cannot use the parents' credit card even with the parents' written permission
The cardholding guest must be an authorized signer by the card issuing bank.
Upon completion of the Sail & Sign Application Form, the cardholder agrees to pay for the individuals indicated on the form; it is not necessary for these individuals to be booked in the same room as the cardholder.
Important Note: A hold will be placed on the credit card or checking account debit card at the beginning of the cruise as a deposit for an onboard purchases. This will reduce the amount of available credit on the credit card or restrict the availability of cash in the checking account. The hold will be released and actual charges will be billed at the end of the cruise."

I did not know that the deposit would be held for such a long time!
But as for the whether carnival will accept the debit card - I think we will be ok, ours is a check card that has the visa logo on it.
thanks for your help!

[msblackjack]

Don't use the Visa or MasterCard debit card if you plan on using it or NEEDING it the day you debark; the holds are not released that quickly and if you have to use your card once your back in port you can run into trouble, for instance, you may not be able to pick up your rental car.... it has happened even though there is money in the account you cannot control the "amount" of the hold nor the exact moment when they release the hold....safest thing to do is use a charge card and pay it off when you return....

[Jene]

What if you don't own a credit card??
Is it better to deposit the S&S card with cash, and then use the check debit card to pay it off when we debark?
Only use cash? travelers checks?

[UConn1]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that it all depends upon your bank and/or your relationship with your bank. I bank at a 'hometown' bank where I they know me and I use my debit card to pay for all my cruises, including my S&S that can often exceed $1000 if I have purchased artwork. My bank has never put a hold on my account, I have used the card in port during the cruise, upon disembarkation, along with having it for my S&S - I have never had a problem.

Check with your bank and see what their policies are.

[Jene]

We bank at a very small bank as well, and they know us well too. I know their policy is $1000 per day on the check debit card, and if you will be spending more than that, you have to tell them in advance so they can "lift the cap".
We don't use credit cards so our options are limited. I guess we will take the chance with the check debit card and hope all goes well
Thanks for your advice!

[AANR]

I hope I am not getting to far off topic here.

If you use cash, how long does it take to get any change back?

If you put up $500.00 cash for your s/s card, and you only use $400.00, when do you get the other $100.00 back?

[mrspair]

Originally Posted by AANR

I hope I am not getting to far off topic here.

If you use cash, how long does it take to get any change back?

If you put up $500.00 cash for your s/s card, and you only use $400.00, when do you get the other $100.00 back?

If you close out the account the day before you get off the ship they will give you your change back in cash that day, if you wait until the day you get off I am told they will issue you a check. We were scheduled to disembark on Monday morning and I knew I wasn't going to need my card any longer so I went to the purser's desk and closed out my account on Sunday afternoon, but make sure you will not want anything else onboard the ship (pictures, drinks, etc.) before you close it out, because you won't be able to reopen it. My Dad used his card and he closed his account out the night before on Sunday night. On another cruise we used our debit card and they did not release the hold until 2 days after, so make sure you have enough money in there because just like someone previously stated you can get messed up.

[Billalford]

I just finished a trip on the Pride on Sunday and I can tell you that Carnival only put 2 holds on my asccount. The first was for 51.50 and the second was for 25.00. Both of those dropped off this morning and my S&S charges posted to my account today. They claim that they take a 200.00 per person hold on the account when you check in for the cruise but they never did do that. I checked my account on the internet the first day at sea and there was never an inital hold placed. Only the 2 charges which I found rather odd. My S&S account came to over 700.00 and they only went in for the 2 apporvals of 51.50 and 25.00. The cash option requires a 200.00 per person cash deposit with no credit card. If you give a higher amount than that and there is money left over at the end of the cruise you will get the refund in the form of a check on the last night of the cruise.

[carolina wildman]

My wife and I just returned from the Bahamas in January aboard the Celebration. We used our bank debit card (Visa) and Carnival placed a hold of $300.00 on our account. The hold was released 2 days after our return. We are leaving on the Victory in Oct. and will be using the debit card again.

[Jene]

Originally Posted by carolina wildman

My wife and I just returned from the Bahamas in January aboard the Celebration. We used our bank debit card (Visa) and Carnival placed a hold of $300.00 on our account. The hold was released 2 days after our return. We are leaving on the Victory in Oct. and will be using the debit card again.

Thank you for your comment, it makes me feel much better about using mine.