Anne is struggling to save for her cruise holiday and wants to know what options are available.
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Q. Anne
My friends are keen for me to join them on their latest cruising adventure, but it does seem like quite a lot of money to spend in one big hit. I was thinking of taking out a small loan to help pay for the trip, but are there other alternatives to help me break up the cost?
A. Earlier this year, P&O Cruises launched a buy-now-pay-later system, which sounds like it could fit the bill for you.
The plan makes it easier for passengers to budget and pay for their next holiday by offering EZpay, which spreads the cost of a cruise over time.
Passengers who book with P&O can make a deposit, then have the option to divide the cost of the cruise into equal, interest-free monthly instalments, which can be made right up to the final payment due date. Passengers have the ability to opt out of the plan at any time without incurring any additional charges or fees
P&O’s Ryan Taibel says the new payment solution opens up another simple and convenient payment option for guests looking to book their next dream holiday.
“Our guests love to cruise because it is so easy – you hop on the ship and relax because everything is done for you,” he said.
“P&O EZpay payment plan is yet another way of making a P&O cruise effortless and takes the stress out of planning and budgeting for a short getaway or longer holiday. It works like layby – simply choose your cruise, then pay it off in convenient monthly instalments.”
Passengers can choose the date of the month the instalment is made, which is confirmed in an email after the payment. Extra funds can be added to a payment with the remaining balance recalculated into equal amounts.
Carnival Cruises offers a similar service, called EasyPay, for some of its cruises. EasyPay is only available for sailings booked at least 120 days to 150 days prior to sailing, based on cruise duration and your destination.
It could be worth checking directly with the cruise line you are going to cruise with to determine whether they offer such options.
Have you used a buy-now-pay-later option for a holiday? Do you know of other cruise lines that offer this service?
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