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How do I settle my on board account?

On board account

The currency on board all ships is the US dollar, and you’ll find the Purser’s Office acts as a handy financial centre. For your convenience, all of our ships operate a cash-free environment. To make any purchases on board you just need to present your Guest ID card. Our ships do not accept cash, except at the Purser’s Office, for purchase of foreign currency and the settlement of your account. In order for charges to be posted on to your account, you will need to register your credit card at check-in. All transactions will be charged to your account in US dollars.

Registering a payment card

You may register your credit card as part of online check in. If you do not check in online, the check-in team will ask you for your credit or debit payment card and you will be asked to enter your 4 digit pin number to verify the card. At this point, a $100 pre-authorisation will be applied to ensure your account is live and has available funds. Only once your on-board account totals more than the pre-authorised amount, plus any on-board credit, will your card be authorised further on board. Please see below information regarding card authorisations. 

We accept Mastercard (Credit, Debit), Visa (Credit, Debit and Electron), American Express, Discover and Diners Club cards. We do not accept Solo, Switch and Maestro or pre-paid cards.  Even if you wish to settle your on board account with cash at the end of your voyage, a payment card must still be registered at embarkation.

Children and on board accounts

All guests are issued with a cruise card, including children. Cruise cards provide access to your cabin and also operate as a card to charge purchases to your on board account.

It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure they are aware of what their children charge to their account. If a guest under the age of 18 years old tries to purchase age restricted products, the swiped card will flag up the age of the guest and the transaction will be not be processed. 

Settling your on board account with cash

  • You may choose to settle your account with cash, however a payment card must still be registered. If using cash, your account must be kept in credit at all times.
  • If you wish to settle your account this way, you can deposit cash with the Purser's Office once on board (note you will not be able to use your account until a deposit is made).
  • Please also note that there are limits on the amount of cash that can be deposited on your account at any one time, which vary by cruise length. You will not be permitted to deposit cash as payment for any goods totalling €9,000 or more (equivalent in the ship’s currency) and these transactions must be settled using your registered card

Settling your on board account by card

If you have a credit card or Visa/MasterCard Debit card registered, all you need to do is to check your final statement on the morning of disembarkation. If you are happy with your account, you need take no further action. The final amount will be settled to your registered credit or debit card. If you do have any queries you should raise these with the Purser's Office prior to your departure from the ship. You have the ability to charge items to your account on the day of disembarkation until you finally leave the ship – these charges will show as a second settlement on your credit or debit card statement.

If you are doing a back to back voyage, you will be charged your on board spend at the end of each voyage separately.

Please note, if your voyage is longer than 28 days your account will be settled in the middle of your voyage and at the end. You need to ensure you have sufficient funds to settle your account.

Electronic fund transfer

We are unable to accept this payment type at this time.

How can I avoid issues with my credit card?

Whilst you are on board, we run an authorisation against your credit card on a daily basis to cover your spend for the previous day. This amount is not taken from your account until it is finally settled on the day of disembarkation or at the end of a segment on a World Voyage.

Your card provider, as part of their standard procedures, may retain these authorisations for up to 28 days and this is outside the control of Cunard. Until these authorisations are released, the available funds in the account could be affected. Payment is not taken from your account until it is finally settled on the day of disembarkation. You may therefore wish to contact your card provider on your return to release these authorisations. Prior to leaving for your voyage, it is recommended that you advise your credit or debit card provider of your trip away and that you will be on board a ship and visiting different countries. This will help avoid raising a security alert and your card being declined.

What can I do if my card gets declined?

If the guest's card gets declined whilst onboard when the nightly authorisation is run, they will be notified the following morning and be given the opportunity to contact their bank to try and rectify the issue. Or they can register an alternative card or swap to cash payment.

If the settlement of their final onboard bill declines, and they have already left the ship, a member of the shore side Finance team will contact the guest to collect payment.

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