How do I get a refund to my on-board account?
Each P&O Cruises ship operates in a cashless environment, so payments you make on board get charged to your on-board account. If you notice a charge on board that doesn’t look right or appears more than once, here's what to do.
On-board account
Last updated: 10/04/2026
Your on-board account explained
If you’ve ever sailed with us before, you’ll know that we don’t accept cash or card payments on our ships. Instead, we issue you with a cruise card on board, which you present to our crew whenever you want to buy things (such as drinks) on board.
Payments you make using your cruise card get logged in your on-board account. You can access this account at any time while on the ship by logging in to My Holiday (our free digital planner) from a smartphone or other Wi-Fi enabled device.
In your account you’ll find a summary of your on-board purchases, so you can see how much you’re spending and check that everything is correct.
What if there’s a transaction I don’t recognise in my on-board account?
If you notice a transaction in your on-board account that doesn’t look right, don’t wait until you’re back home. Speak to our Reception team on board. They’ll investigate and, if a mistake has been made, they’ll cancel the transaction or issue you a refund, so you won’t get charged.
I’ve returned from my holiday, and I can see two charges on my payment card. How do I get a refund?
If you’re seeing multiple payments to P&O Cruises following your cruise, you haven’t been charged twice. The charges you are seeing are a holding or ‘pre-authorisation’ charge (shown as ‘pending’ in your account).
These holding charges will be released back to you. Often this happens within a few days, but the exact timing depends on your bank. For some card types – including pre-payment cards – this process can take up to 28 days. We understand this may be frustrating; however, we’re unable to speed this process up.
If, after 28 days, you’re still awaiting the release of these funds, please contact our Customer Contact Centre, and we’ll do our best to assist you.
Still need help?
Still have questions? Our friendly Customer Contact Centre is always happy to help! Contact us today on 0344 338 8003.
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