Hand it over to the bartender or salesperson to bill a purchase to your onboard account. The same cruise key card that opens your cabin door also functions as a shipboard credit card. That includes store purchases, bar drinks, spa and salon treatments, fitness classes and shore excursions. Your onboard account is how you pay for almost everything you need that isn't included in your cruise fare or wasn't paid for in advance. You will either connect the account to a credit or debit card or pre-load it with a cash payment. Instead, the cruise line opens a charge account for every passenger on embarkation day. If you've never cruised, know that a cruise ship is a cashless society. It's a financial credit to your shipboard account the amount of your onboard credit will be deducted from your final bill of purchases made on board during your cruise. Onboard credit is free money you can use to buy things on your cruise ship. They might offer as little as $25 cruise onboard credit for booking an inside cabin on a short sailing or as much as hundreds of dollars for booking suites on longer cruises.īut what exactly are you getting and what can you do with it once you have it? Find out here if cruise onboard credit is a perk you can use on your next cruise.įor cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter.

Cruise lines and online travel agencies often promote it as a booking bonus.

Spend any time shopping for cruises online and you'll likely come across the term 'onboard credit,' also known as OBC.

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