Here's something that cruise lines seem not to care to address: ID theft and unauthorized use of tourists charge cards by personnel in the ports of call. My husband and I found out last weekend that our charge card was used to purchase airline tickets and other items via an ISP in Mexico. This happened one month after our cruise to the Mexican Rivera on the Diamond Princess. We attended one of the onboard shopping seminars, and made purchases only at the Princess "approved" stores, so we felt relatively sure of our transaction. We were wrong. We've written Princess and PPI, the company who provides the marketing and onboard lecturers and so far we have not received the decency of a reply. Our bank has reversed the charges, and is researching the transactions. The bank agrees that the charges were not ours, the card was not swiped, and the ISP of origin for the purchase of the airline tickets disappeared right after the transaction. Please make sure you contact the bank when you travel (we did, but it didn't make a difference) as well as never use a debit card. These folks will take it all!
I do not know if they issue those Credit cards with the chip in the USA yet but those allow you to use a PIN. Whan in Mexico now I will only use my CC if I can use it with a PIN it makes things a bit safer since the whole CC number is no longer on the shop owners copy and this data is not as easy to come by. I for example bought some thing in NYC and got onto my Transatlantic flight that evening - during which time my CC details were used to purchase fuel in Mexico.... Lucky I could proof I was in the air and no where near Mexico. This is when I discovered the tip with the chip & the PIN.
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