Dive Travel Agencies that allows credit card payments without a surcharge?

[MW_Scuba]

Wondering if people can recommend dive travel agencies that will allow for a credit card payment without a surcharge. I looked at Bluewater Travel and it looks like they have a 3% surcharge for using a Visa credit card.

I prefer to use a credit card for the reward points as well as credit card travel benefits but don't fancy paying a surcharge if at all possible.

Many thanks.

 

[Cert1967]

Me too. He is here too, @aquabluegreg

Greg does a great job

Call him

 

[Dan]

If you’re offered “no fee for credit card”, who do you think is paying the bank’s 3% charge?

Kinda’ like “free shipping” on EBay, it stimulates sales, but the buyer is paying for it in the price.

Money isn’t free.

Dive operators pay the travel agent a commission for getting customers. Greg is sharing part of the commission to his customers, in terms of paying the bank’s 3% charge. So, Money (at least for the credit card fees) is free if you book through the right agent. He’ll just get less commission, but more customers booking through him.

He sometimes gets a special DEMA discount or other operator promotions that his customers are not aware of and tells us the news. For example, my upcoming trip to Sea of Cortez on Nautilus Belle Amie, Sep 2-9, 2023, is a 50% off sale that he got when he visited the last DEMA.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I've been booking with Greg for 10-15 years!

 

[Dan]

Greg does a great job

Call him

Thanks for referring him to me when we met in Socorro a couple years ago. Since then I have booked several trips from him.

 

[chillyinCanada]

@aquabluegreg

Are you able to help the OP?

 

[also_anon_dc]

I looked at Bluewater Travel and it looks like they have a 3% surcharge for using a Visa credit card.

I've made several payments to Bluewater this month using a Visa and have not had to pay a fee. I'd double check this info before writing them off.

 

[Dan]

I've made several payments to Bluewater this month using a Visa and have not had to pay a fee. I'd double check this info before writing them off.

So did I, no credit card fee charged to my payment. Tim Yeo of Bluewater Dive Travel | Scuba diving travel agency - Book Liveaboards and Resorts even set up a website for my group to review our trip and pay through their credit cards plus $100 discount for choosing Bluewater Travel to book the trip.

I have done this kind of group trips with Bluewater Travel since 2018 to Raja Ampat, Cocos, Banda Sea (Ring of Fire), Sangalaki, Socorro, and the latest one is to Triton Bay for January 2025, as shown here: $742 off on White Manta, Misool-Triton Bay, 15-24 January 2025

2025 January Misool to Triton Bay Trip

JANUARY 2025 MISOOL TO TRITON BAY TRIP DETAILSJANUARY 15-24, 2025Aboard White Manta Liveaboard Misool. This route offers a wealth of biodiversity starting with the spectacularly beautiful reefs around Raja Ampat in some of the world’s most bio-diverse waters: 580 kinds of coral, 1,397 species of...

www.bluewaterdivetravel.com

 

[Dan]

Wondering if people can recommend dive travel agencies that will allow for a credit card payment without a surcharge. I looked at Bluewater Travel and it looks like they have a 3% surcharge for using a Visa credit card.

I prefer to use a credit card for the reward points as well as credit card travel benefits but don't fancy paying a surcharge if at all possible.

Many thanks.

That is not true.

I have been going to several trips with Bluewater Travel since 2018 to Cocos (twice), Raja Ampat, Banda Sea, Galapagos, Sangalaki, Socorro, Guadalupe, paying the trips with my Visa cards and they never charge me the 3% fee. They even gave $100 off for booking through them.