Costco Travel FYI: No Partial Payments

[RickW]

My wife called Costco earlier today to check on a couple things, and found out the following:

Costco can't accept partial payments for your cruise. After your deposit, you need to make a single final payment of the full amount.

We are renting our DVC points to help cover the cost of the cruise, and had planned on applying any money we got from that directly to the cruise as soon as we got it, but it looks like that won't be possible.

Not too big of a deal, it just makes the cruise money a bit less "untouchable".

Just an FYI if any of you were planning on doing something similar.

 

[CheapMom]

I know- I recently found out the same thing and I was kind of bummed- I like to pay little chunks at a time so it doesn't hurt so much in the end. But then I thought I may as well just stash those little chunks away in my INGdirect account and get 2% while it's time to pay.

 

[thiscloud]

depending on when your final payment's due (for us it's next june), my wife said it's the perfect use of a tax return, if you get one, and if it's in time for the due date.

 

[Mjasp]

How long before is the final payment due? With DCL its 60 days, what is it for Costco?

TIA

 

[starwood]

That must be a new rule because when we booked our first cruise through them for 2001 I would call them up and say I wanted to pay $500 on the cruise and give them the credit card number. Our last cruise I decided to hold onto the money and get the extra interest.

 

[thiscloud]

mjasp, 90 days before the cruise.

 

[Mjasp]

Oh it is 90 days out, my friend thought it was 75 days.

Thanks

 

[thiscloud]

well, that's what the costco TA told my wife. maybe it was 75 days before, and maybe they used to do partial payments (i've seen other people mention that they have in the past).

 

[lotsofboys]

We have used Costco twice in the past 3 years and it has always been 90 days out, but you can still get a refund if it is between 60 - 90 days.

 

[kimkatmom]

I just switched our 14 day FL to CA cruise to Costco this evening. I was told final payment is due 90 days out. Also, no partial payments. Not a problem, just designate a specific savings account for it and put in a little at a time. It all comes out in the end.

7 more days until WDW

365 more days until FL to CA cruise

 

[jfs9900]

I'm glad I know this now! I don't have a credit card that could hold the entire balance of the repo cruise that I have booked. I could pay cash but with the nice cash back bonus that comes with the credit card I definitely will need to break up the payments!

 

[thiscloud]

jfs9900 good point. you should call costco and ask. these cruises are expensive and many people may not have a high enough limit to charge it all at once.