NO Credit Cards in JA

[willyb]

is it possible to be at the resort and not use credit cards? like when you charge things to your room can you set it up as cash at the front desk. i've heard you HAVE to put down a credit card like any hotel, but what if you dont take a card to Jamaica with you? then they would have to take the cash. . correct?

[Ashntommy]

you have to put down a deposit when you check in with a credit card for any room damage or anything you charge with a room. Then you can pay any balance accrued with cash when you check out. Sorry--you're going ot have to bite the bullet and bring one card with you.

[smoo72]

You should have at least one with you. I understand concerns about ID theft, but if you are in some emergency situation where you have to pay a good deal of money, you are going to want a credit card. We ended up having to buy new plane tickets at MBJ on the way home one year to do a mixup with our TA and an airline. We suddenly had to drop another $600. You just never know.

[WandA]

"like when you charge things to your room can you set it up as cash at the front desk"

No, the Gift Shops and Spa would have no way to know what was left in your "account" - they'd have to call the Desk eevery time you wanted to charge and that's unreasonable- I heard a lady carrying on at the Spa Desk over this very reason last year, as they would not let her charge her Spa services ( no card on file ) and they stuck to their guns with her - no Card, no Charges.

It's not a great idea to carry that much Cash anyway.
What if one of you were injured or sick and had to go to the Hospital ? Carry more cash ??

Bring one card, use it only at the resort -
you're traveling in a foregin country - you have to be sensible- as things can happen.

[Beach-bum]

One more thing. Make sure you contact your credit card company and give them the dates you are out of the country. They have a tendency to lock your account if suspicious activity occurs like expenditures in a different country. "Don't leave home without it".

[ElaineChick]

You know what's weird - I called before our last trip in October, and the credit card (and bank debit card people) said not to bother calling about that kind of thing. I have no idea why, since it seems like it would help to prevent fraud, but that's what they said.

[Ron & Rosa 25]

You know what's weird - I called before our last trip in October, and the credit card (and bank debit card people) said not to bother calling about that kind of thing. I have no idea why, since it seems like it would help to prevent fraud, but that's what they said.

Interesting because the two CC companies I called were just the opposite, they very much appreciated the dates provided and entered the notations in their respective systems. I can vouch for this because a few days later I called to verify without providing any info from my previous calls, and sure enough they confirmed the dates and all.

[ElaineChick]

Ron & Rosa 25 - that's been our experience, too, in prior years when we've gone to JA (and elsewhere outside the US). We were suprised when the cards' reaction this last time was, "Oh, that's nice. We can make a note of it, but you really don't need to call in if you'll be gone for that short a period of time." I thought it was weird. I'll keep calling anyway.

[goodygirl]

my cc gave me a number and said to call them when the card gets locked. How fun will that be "excuse me, i need to use your phone to call my cc company, by the way it is a international number." To funny.

[Beach-bum]

We drove to Tennessee last summer and I had two cards froze within a few days of leaving Iowa. I called my credit card company and they said that is showed gas being charged out of state so they stopped transactions on it. Ya think!!!! A person goes on vacation; they might go out of state? Anyway, it's worth talking to your cc company before you go. I always do.

[jagorham]

I usually send my CC companies an email about six weeks ahead of time - most websites have some way to email them about stuff, and they usually reply with a stock answer a day or so later to thank me for notifying them.

This way I figure there's a record somewhere in case someone messes up!

[blueseagolf]

Calling your CC company is recommended. When we went to DR last year I called and let them know what city our layover was going to be in, on what days and the name of the resort we were going to.
The company I work for actually went to a new policy "corporate card use only" for travel expenses due to how many folks were having cards turned off as they went from city to city. We used to be able to build up rewards points faster during promotions by using other than the corporate card, no more.
I would be scared $&itless to be that far from home with no way to provide for an emergency medical expense

Tom CSA 4/17/10 > 4/24/10 newbie

[Chris]

We always call to let our CC company know we're out of country... and they always tell us we are doing the right thing.

Another thing you might want to do with your CC company is to ask them to issue a temporary card with a set spending limit.

[Firebrand]

I agree with the others, DEFINITELY call your CC company! My ex was in egypt one time (with the military) and tried to buy a great scuba trip, but the CC wouldn't approve it and he couldn't get a hold of them to change it in time.. so he missed the experience. He didn't realize you have to call ahead of time if you're in a foreign country.. the CC co. is trying to be helpful and stop fraud.. all it takes is a simple TC.

My CC co (chase) even puts delays on occasional large purchases. When I booked my air tx to jamaica last mo, the charge was "pending" until they called and talked to me to make sure this was my use (I had also bought some wedding stuff the same day so had spent a few hundred dollars in addition to the tx). I LIKE that they're watching out for me and letting me know if any unusual spending happens.

I'll definitely be letting them know when we're going to Jamaica... even if we don't end up having to use the card, the security of knowing it's there is so important to me.