Is This Safe To Do??? Final Payment

[princess crazy]

We are coming up on making our final payment for our cruise and I have a concern that maybe someone here can help with. We would really prefer paying for the final payment with cash. The only way we can do this is to send either a cashiers check or money order to our TA. If we do this however we have to make the cashiers check out to the travel agency not DCL. Now, I completely trust my agent and agency but I've also read things in the past about if the agency goes under and you pay them not the company who you are cruising with you can possibly lose out.

Has anyone used a debit card for their final payment??? That is an option also but I try to never use it for a hotel situation because I know that they can put a hold on a certain amount and I've heard it's not a good idea to do. Would it be a problem in this situation and would it be charged to DCL?

I'd appreciate any thoughts you guys have on this or if you've experienced sending a cashiers check or paid for your final payment with a debit card. Thanks!

 

[LindaBabe]

Put it on a credit card and make your cashiers check out to the credit card company!

 

[DisneyPoly]

We used Allseas Travel and paid for our entire cruise (two cabins) using a debit card and had no problem. The only drawback is that many debit cards have a daily minimum, thus we had to make our payments on a daily basis.

We only booked last week for November 21st and therefore we had to pay the entire balance at once. The TA charged through a certain payment each day.

Good luck!

 

[princess crazy]

Putting it on a credit card is not an option for me so that's why I'm trying to find the best solution to cash. Thanks though for your post Lindababe!

 

[DrCavin]

We used our debit card to pay ours off through All Seasons as well. They ran about $1K every couple days until it was paid off.

 

[Thunderrd]

I'm not sure I understand. If you pay cash or use a debit card you are directly paying the TA not DCL, so why do you have concern if a cashier check or money order is made payable to your TA?

I would probably guess that your TA will deposit your cashier check even if it's made out to DCL without any problems. However that is just my experience w/banking and I do not know who you bank with or your TA.

 

[Thunderrd]

princess crazy: What about having another family member use their credit card? You could pay them the money however you wish but the cruise would still be on a credit card? Is that possible?

 

[TheWog]

we paid by check and didn't worry about it. We used a reputable TA.

 

[AnnMorin]

you could deposit money into your paypal account and use that to pay.

 

[AnnMorin]

you could deposit money into your paypal account and use that to pay.

 

[Suzanne033]

We paid for our entire trip with one check. We tried to us our debit card but obviously $5,000 is a little over our daily limit so we just wrote a check. There was no problem. I can't see where using a cashier's check or a money order would be any different.

 

[jgalecpa]

How about buying travellers cheques at your local bank and then using those to pay?

Jim

 

[figment52]

Originally posted by jgalecpa
How about buying travellers cheques at your local bank and then using those to pay?

Jim

Some banks charge a 1-2% service fee to buy the travellers so that could raise the price a bit.

 

[alwatlers]

Just use your Debit card. Ours has a daily amount of 2000.00 but I just called my bank and asked them for a one day increase to $4000.00 to cover my balance. I must say that I do bank with a local bank and they know my very well. But also we had DCL charge it directly even though I was sitting in my TA office. So the money went directly to Disney. You shouldn't have a problem giving the TA your account number because I think they call disney and have them do the charging.

 

[tam012864]

I have used my debit card for the payments I have made on my trip thru my travel agent. It posts on my account as DCL not the travel agency. Hope this helps!!!!!

 

[BethC1952]

I always use my debit card (don't have a credit card, don't need one, don't want one). When it's time for my big final payment, I call the bank and tell them what I'm doing, and I've never had a problem. I also call them and let them know that I'm going on vacation and will be using the card in a variety of locations. The first time we went on a Disney Cruise, I forgot to call them, and they called my house. My son answered the phone and explained that we were on vacation and using the card to pay our expenses. There were no further problems.

Beth

 

[DisneyElf]

On my last two cruises I used a TA - and I would call in the payments - then wait 4 to 5 days -- and it would post through to my account - always listed as charged to DCL.

 

[princess crazy]

Thanks so much everyone for your help!

My mother called her bank today to ask about the debit card situation and they said they would only do a certain amount every day but the lady there said she would be better off to put it on a credit card as opposed to her debit because that just gets your number out there less?? I thought debit cards had an even better policy on them if there was fraudulent use than credit cards?? I have still yet to call my bank and see what they say but I'm leaning more that way now because of all of you who have posted saying that you have used yours with no problems. The debit card is charged just like a credit card so it will go directly to DCL which I like. If I send a check I can't make it out to DCL--she said they will only accept agency checks for final payment. Again thanks for all of your help!

 

[MiaSRN62]

I've used debit/VISA check cards very often. We used it to pay off our cruise balance to DU online and it came through my bank statement as being paid directly to DCL. DU told me they just forward all payments to DCL. I have a $2K daily limit so we had to make our final payment over 2 days. DU/DCL had no problem with it.
I've also paid for hotel stays with it and if they ask me if I want to leave a deposit for charging or incidentals I tell them "no" because sometimes this is where the "hold" comes into play.
As of recent, I'm in the process of booking an excursion for a jet ski tour on our upcoming cruise. The vendor wants a $300 per jet ski deposit. Now I won't use my debit/VISA check card for that because it will tie up my funds. Those "holds" can often take days to come off. We're going to leave travlers checks as deposits. This way we get the money right back.

 

[Rence]

Originally posted by princess crazy
I thought debit cards had an even better policy on them if there was fraudulent use than credit cards??

Actually you have less protection with Debit Cards than you do with Credit Cards. The laws have not caught up with debit cards yet. There are a number of legal protections that apply to credit cards that do not apply to debit cards so you can be on the hook for a lot more in the event of fraudulent use of a debit card than you would be with a credit card.

That being said, a lot of financial institutions have put policies in place to offer protection to debit cards to encourage their use. This is not the law, but a policy of the instituttion so it can vary from bank to bank. Check with your bank to see what protections they offer.

Also realize that if their is fraudulent activity on a debit card, the money is out of your account. The money is gone and you have to work to get it back. This can cause other checks to bounce and you can be without money for months while it is worked out and unable to pay other bills.

If their is fraudulent activity on a credit card, you owe the money, but your money is not gone, its still safe in your bank account while you try to work the issue out with the bank. While the amount is in dispute, you don't have to pay it. Your money is safe and sound and you can still pay your other bills etc.

I understand why people like to use debit cards... pay as you go, not going into debt etc. But as far as protection from fraud you are much better off with a credit card. I never use my debit card on-line or when traveling. I use a credit card and pay it off in full.