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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: GeorgeC1]
#63844
08/04/2015 07:49 AM
08/04/2015 07:49 AM
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 252
jboothe
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 252
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I have to agree with George on this. The calls are to a area code that would make you think that it isn't international, but a few minutes on the phone to make a hotel reservation can be very expensive.
So I call from work now...... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />
Last edited by jboothe; 08/04/2015 07:51 AM.
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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: floet]
#63846
08/04/2015 08:56 AM
08/04/2015 08:56 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,557 Toronto, Ontario
gordaguy2
Traveler
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Traveler
Traveler
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,557
Toronto, Ontario
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E mail works best for the preliminary set up - we do everything by check and email with only the occasional phone call.
GordaGuy2
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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: CottageGirl]
#63847
08/04/2015 09:57 AM
08/04/2015 09:57 AM
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,618 Woodstock, GA
RickinAtlanta
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,618
Woodstock, GA
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CottageGirl said: We made our reservations at Sebastian's by calling their land line. Then they emailed a cc form and I faxed it back to them. No problems. We did the same with Sebastian's for the nine years we stayed there and never had a problem.
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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: Zanshin]
#63849
08/04/2015 12:47 PM
08/04/2015 12:47 PM
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 610 Jacksonville, FL, USA
onlymedication
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 610
Jacksonville, FL, USA
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Verizon Wireless has an International Calling Plan intended for use when in the US needing to call internationally. It's $5/month and the rate is $0.05/minute. I am currently on the no cost plan that gets you a rate of ~$2/minute. When I am taking a trip, I just switch over to the $5/month plan. Reasonable cost, easy to do and doesn't require a change in behavior. If I think about something I need to check up on, doesn't matter if I'm at work, home, in the car or at the airport, I can call right then and there while I am thinking about it. Other carriers have similar plans, I am sure. Haven't had a land line at home for years, don't even use my desk phone at work for the most part.
Last edited by onlymedication; 08/04/2015 12:49 PM.
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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: onlymedication]
#63851
08/04/2015 01:24 PM
08/04/2015 01:24 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,601 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,601
Central Florida!
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Our calling card runs around 35 cents a minute and there are no other charges. If you make occasional calls all the time, then it makes sense. Basically the minutes don't expire, and every time you make a call it tells you how much money you have left, and then you can just purchase some more time.
Carol Hill
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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: jboothe]
#63852
08/04/2015 01:37 PM
08/04/2015 01:37 PM
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,213 GJ, CO S/V Long Overdue
sail2wind
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,213
GJ, CO S/V Long Overdue
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jboothe said: I'm sure there are all sorts of ways to make calls for a reasonable amount. I just think it's important to realize that calling the BVI is not the same as calling from one US area code to another. A few 4 and 5 minute calls to check on availability at hotels showed up on out bill as around a $20 international charge. You better check your carrier, I have never heard of $5 a minute charges from the U.S. My ATT calls to BVI are about .45 a minute, BVI to U.S is $2.00 a minute.
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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: jboothe]
#63854
08/04/2015 07:08 PM
08/04/2015 07:08 PM
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 397
jbuch02
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 397
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So, answer the OP's question:
How do you make a reservation in a secure manner with any BVI entity you would like to deal with?
(1) email and ask for a CC authorization form, fill it out and send it back by the easiest means for you.
(2) phone call.
Caveats: you may not always get a response via an email inquiry. fall back: call. If you're going to call see the multiple options for doing that at a reasonable cost above.
I have ATT so, I'm not going to change providers to access better deals. If you are going to get an international plan (ATT Passport for example), you have to assess the value of that compared to the cost of just making one or two phone calla and getting charged for it on a by minute basis. It can be quite expensive that way.
My preference is to use email if I'm making reservation more than a month out then add the ATT PassPort plan that will cover a period both 2-3 weeks before your charter and the charter itself.
Last trip I bought the Passport plan on July 3rd for a charter that went from 7/16 - through 8/2. I made several calls/texts to verify orders before the charter(Caribbean Cellars, DeDe's Car Rental), a couple of local calls while on charter and paid $60 for the voice/data service. I rang up $25 for calls over the 30d period.
You seem to have legitimate concerns about CC Security. If you don't have one, get a Capital One credit card then set it up for alerts. It's the only CC I use when I travel but I carry an extra one (USAA MC) in case I have to freeze my Cap One card. Every time my Cap One card was charged, I got a text alert. I had one unauthorized charge early in the trip, noticed it right away, phoned the CSR at an 800 number and it was removed. It happens. I don't care how security conscious you are. Be prepared for it with approaches like this one.
I also have a travel debit card account with PNC bank. It's not attached to any other bank accounts to prevent misuse (e.g., all my accounts getting drained). I put $250 into it to start and go from there. I use it mostly to get cash if needed but will also use it for payment for goods and services. If I need more cash, I move it on a secure connection via my bank's web site.
Speaking of ATMs outside of RT. IMO, there is only one safe one (others may offer other safe ATMs). Its in Scotia Bank in Spanish town. It's a block from the Harbor and has an ATM both inside the bank (accessible during normal banking hours) and outside (accessible all the time).
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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: floet]
#63856
08/04/2015 10:02 PM
08/04/2015 10:02 PM
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,618 Woodstock, GA
RickinAtlanta
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,618
Woodstock, GA
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floet said: Rick and Cottagegirl, So you called Sebastian's for your reservation; did you use a calling card as suggested by a few here? I understand its an investment that may be suitable. Thanks all Deb I simply filled out the Sebastian's online form, printed it out, and faxed. Easy Peasey!
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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: Lcrich]
#63858
08/05/2015 06:31 PM
08/05/2015 06:31 PM
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,530 Ya never know...
HillsideView
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,530
Ya never know...
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I guess one of the advantages of being a long time land based visitor is I usually just send an e mail saying arriving xxx and leaving xxx+/-. Never get asked for a deposit and I always get the same confirmation #,"OK" <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />. You mail just want to e mail them and ask for them to call you at a specified time for cc info. BVI to US rates are cheap(comparatively).
My foot fits right into my shoe and my shoe will fit right into your...
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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: CottageGirl]
#63860
08/06/2015 01:41 PM
08/06/2015 01:41 PM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720 Massachusetts
maytrix
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
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Personally, I'd have no problem emailing it. You've got a better than 50/50 chance that the email is encrypted anyway and even if it isn't, the odds of someone capturing that specific email at the specific time you send it is minimal.
Matt
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Re: Room Reservations by credit card Website or Phone?
[Re: maytrix]
#63861
08/07/2015 12:25 PM
08/07/2015 12:25 PM
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 610 Jacksonville, FL, USA
onlymedication
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 610
Jacksonville, FL, USA
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maytrix said: Personally, I'd have no problem emailing it. You've got a better than 50/50 chance that the email is encrypted anyway and even if it isn't, the odds of someone capturing that specific email at the specific time you send it is minimal. Unless by someone you mean the Guvmint, in which case the chance is 100%!
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