Recently I returned from my honeymoon cruise with some hard learned lessons on how to keep your money safe from not only thieves, but from yourself. One is to have a budget (and stick to it!), the other is to be extra vigilant when it comes to identity theft. As most people know, vacationing travelers are like walking bull’s-eyes to fraudsters. Follow these tips and you’ll have smooth sailing when it comes to your bank account.

Cruising is a unique vacation experience, as anyone who has been on one can tell you. Let me give you a quick rundown on how it works, and I’m sure you’ll see where budgeting can get tricky.

Your Room Card is Your Credit Card
The first thing that most people don’t realize is that there is no such thing as cash on a cruise ship. Nor is there anywhere that you can use your debit or credit card. That little room card you are issued when you get on board does a lot more than open your cabin. It is encoded with your personal information, as well as the credit card you used to book your cruise. Paid for your cruise in cash? Doesn’t matter. Before you board you’re asked for one anyway, as this will be your onboard account. All charges, from ordering a drink to paying for a massage will go to this card.

Obviously this is where things can get sticky. After a day or two of simply signing receipts, you start to disassociate the fact that all those charges are being transferred to the credit card you gave them in the beginning. Once the cruise is over, your on board account is tallied up and charged to your credit card. The front desk on the ship keeps a running statement of all your charges, so feel free to ask for a copy each day to see where you are in terms of your budget. If anything looks suspicious or unusual, ask the staff to produce the signed receipt for the purchase.

Use Your Credit Card On Shore
Something that you should do in any unfamiliar situation, but absolutely when you’re traveling is to use your credit card for purchases. For reasons mentioned in other articles, credit cards are much more secure and safe than debit cards or cash. While traveler’s checks are the old standby for vacationers, they are being accepted less and less due to fraud surrounding them. The alternative traveler’s check-card is nothing more than a pre-paid debit card, and easily compromised. A credit card doesn’t link to your money directly like a debit card does, and it gives you plenty of time to dispute any issues. If something does happen, and your credit card is overdrawn or disabled, you still can have your debit card as a backup if you need cash.

Balance The Books
If you’re using the same credit card on shore that you used to open your on-board account, be sure to keep track of your on shore purchases and add them to your statement from the ship. Some might see their statement from the ship and think that they are within their budget, when in fact they forgot about all the charges they had at their destinations.