Why have two payments been taken for my on board account?
Purchases made after the on board account was cleared
If the charges are of different value, the main reason is likely to be that on the morning of the final day of your cruise, your on board account would have been cleared by an automatic credit / debit card payment using the card details you supplied. Any purchases made after this payment has been taken will generate a second credit / debit card payment.
Pre-authorisation (pending payment)
Another reason that you may have payments of different value or a pending payment is that a "pre-authorisation" has been requested.
What is a pre-authorisation?
- When you give us a credit/debit card, the pre-authorisation guarantees us that the funds are available to pay for any charges incurred.
- A pre-authorisation is a temporary hold of a specific amount of the available balance on a credit or debit card that is provided upon check in and throughout your cruise. These are likely to be for multiple payments.
Why does it show as pending?
- The pre-authorisation is not a charge and no funds have been debited from your account.
- Pre-authorisations are processed on a daily basis and are completed to ensure your bank account holds enough funds to clear your account on board. Your bank does not actually release any money and we do not actually ask for this to be paid to us. However, should you have any concerns over this, please contact your Card Services Number which is on the back of your credit/debit card.
How much is a pre-authorisation and when is the card pre-authorised?
- All credit or debit cards provided are pre-authorised on check in. For online check in the value is £1, for check in at the cruise terminal for £50.00 and then daily per your spend onboard.
Who is responsible for the pre-authorisation procedure?
- Pre authorisations are processed through PXP’s payment gateway.
When does the pre-authorisation get released from the card?
- This varies dependent on your individual credit/debit card provider. Upon your check out, your onboard account and any extras will be charged to your card. This will appear on your debit / credit card statement within three working days. The final charge will automatically remove the pre authorisation, however, this can take up to 10 working days to clear from your account depending on your card provider. For some online banks, such as Chase Bank, Starling Bank and Revolut Bank, this timeframe may be longer – up to 30 days. For any queries on this, you should speak to your card provider.
- P&O Cruises is NOT charging your account card. A pre-authorisation is a hold of funds prior to payment. The pre-authorisation is not held by us, but is held on your card by your own issuing bank. A pre-authorisation can be held on your card for a minimum of seven to 10 working days and should be released by your issuing bank automatically. If not you will need to contact your card issuing bank, as this is outside of P&O Cruises' control.