Princess Coffee Cards now have expiration dates

I have already ordered coffee cards hope they will issue us with valid cards!!!

That may depend upon when you cruise.

You’ll receive whatever type of cards are available on your ship. Based on posts that could either be the older cards without an expiration date or cards currently expiring on 12/31/18.

We get them onboard either using OBC or by exchanging our elite minibar.

I have already ordered coffee cards hope they will issue us with valid cards!!!

 

 

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how could they issue a Non Valid card?

Princess should have a mini-shredder that when you try to use a coffee card that was not purchased on that cruise for brewed coffee, it gets SHREDDED !!

 

and replaced by a new card with the same number of punches on your old card, that you can use a punch for either brewed or specialty coffees.

 

That's fair to all, correct, for "grandfathered in" coffee cards.

 

New coffee cards, either purchased or obtained by mini bar trade in are fair game to whatever Princess decides as to expiration dates.

 

Problem solved - EOD

On our first cruise after they changed the brewed policy (ie putting date and ship on the card) that's exactly what they did - took the old card, gave us a new dated card with the same number of remaining punches.

if by started enforcing = changing policy.....OK...:rolleyes:

I believe that what is written on the back is the cruise number, I’ve had it on most of my coffee cards...we recently got off the Royal and had 2 coffee cards from our mini bar and it was written “1801”...we were the first cruise of 2018. We disembarked 1/09/18

Yeah if you've paid for 15 coffees on a card, you've paid for 15 coffees and shouldn't be forced to use them on one cruise. That's just unfair.

Exactly!

Exactly!

You don't have to use them on one cruise, merely within 1 year, during which someone might take multiple cruises.

On our first cruise after they changed the brewed policy (ie putting date and ship on the card) that's exactly what they did - took the old card, gave us a new dated card with the same number of remaining punches.

Years ago after they made the change I showed up with an old playing card one with only 3 punches left on it and they gave me a brand new card with 15 new punches and free brews for the cruise for my old card.

A card with an expiration date is not worth it in my book, I'll buy as I need.

framer

You don't have to use them on one cruise, merely within 1 year, during which someone might take multiple cruises.

And many will not take another cruise in that year!

Leigh

We are on the Golden in a couple of days time. I have two coffee cards with some punches but with no purchase date nor ship name on which they were purchased. I wonder what will happen.

 

 

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I wonder too. Notwithstanding a new policy, if you present a card at the IC and order coffee the afternoon of boarding and it is half full of punches, it hardly seems believable that this would be a fresh card for this voyage. So I would think the staff could mark if off and make you pay punches for everything ordered - which is the way it is supposed to work. If staff want to give out free regular coffee - that's their call and thank you very much for being nice cuz you didn't have to do it.

As for the new policy, all the aspects of it seem unclear and tons of posts arguing and speculating to some degree. What I think is they should just enforce better marking of cards so customers still get to use their PRE-PAID punches. But expiry date on a blank card... no. Doesn't even seem right to put an expiry of 1 year on from first usage, or just don't buy if don't cruise multiple times a year. If new policy carried to the max, it really devalues the benefit of even having the card.

I have two brand new ones and not sure if was going to need both on our trip, but we shall see how one goes. Free coffee, tea or hot chocolate for 60 days is pretty good deal.

That makes sense, sort of like the Bed Bath & Beyond coupons!

No. You do not have to pay to get BB&B coupons, so if they expire unused, it does not matter.

The new Cards will have that drop dead date - buy it or not - buyers chioce

That assumes the buyer knows about the expiration date before making the purchase.

Do you think the ads for these cards in the Patter will mention the expiration date?

Nothing bad will happen - you will be able to use the punches as they were sold AND the brewed coffee will be given to you

That might work if the card is the same design as the current one being issued.

It would not work if it was one of the previous designs for the card.

That assumes the buyer knows about the expiration date before making the purchase.

 

Do you think the ads for these cards in the Patter will mention the expiration date?

If you purchase a card online I think they might, in small print, but if you get one from a crew member who works under an incentive program, probably not.

I suspect the 1 year expiration date is due to accounting. The unused cards represent a liability that must be estimated in the financial reporting process. Without an expiration date this liability will grow forever due to unused cards being lost, sitting in drawers, etc. Over time it tends to become very difficult to manage. By having an expiration date the liability and the task of estimation remains manageable.

You brought up a good point. The retailer that I work for would donate store gift cards to charitable organizations for fund raisers. These were backed by currency which would be applied when cashed in at the store. They stopped this practice for the reason you stated and now donate cards for the same amount that are redeemed as coupons. These coupons have no monetary value and only reduces the total purchase for a one time transaction. Just from reading this thread tells me that Princess has a lot of unused coffee cards.

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SOLUTION

Princess , how about making decent coffee in the buffet so we don't need to bother with the IC . That would make the morning line tolerable for those who wish to buy a specialty coffee.

That assumes the buyer knows about the expiration date before making the purchase.

 

Do you think the ads for these cards in the Patter will mention the expiration date?

NO, caribill...

No assumption at all here.

This is why Princess has redesigned the card with the expiration date pre-printed on it.

Nobody could really plead ignorance.

I do wonder just how forthcoming Princess is being on these ships with the new cards.

Since this is a new thing, and the cards do not really look all that different... and the date is on the back...

If they are not being very open about this, as they are selling the new cards... That would def. make me question Princess and how they operate.

No. You do not have to pay to get BB&B coupons, so if they expire unused, it does not matter.

Yes, I understand that - expiration just adds the sense of urgency as the other poster stated.

NO, caribill...

No assumption at all here.

This is why Princess has redesigned the card with the expiration date pre-printed on it.

 

Nobody could really plead ignorance.

 

I do wonder just how forthcoming Princess is being on these ships with the new cards.

Since this is a new thing, and the cards do not really look all that different... and the date is on the back...

If they are not being very open about this, as they are selling the new cards... That would def. make me question Princess and how they operate.

Like almost every other business on land. ;)

I can't wait to see the repercussions at the end of this year when the baristas have to notify people that their cards have expired and are now worthless. :eek:

Like almost every other business on land. ;)

I can't wait to see the repercussions at the end of this year when the baristas have to notify people that their cards have expired and are now worthless. :eek:

I am sure it will not be a problem.....we have a number of cards that we cannot possibly use by the end of the year even though we have three fairly lengthily cruises booked and we will just accept it an move on. My god.....it is a coffee card for heaven's sake and it is not going to impact a cruise we spent over $10,000 on. :cool:

take the old cards, give shipboard credit for the unused punches for the current cruise.

this isn't rocket strategery, folks.....:evilsmile:

It’s not 6/30/18 on all cruises. As I mentioned when starting this thread.... we sailed on the January 9, 2018 cruise on the Royal and coffee card has an expiration date of 12/31/18.

 

 

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We were on that sailing too! We're Elite and always trade our mini-bar for 2 coffee cards. My husband doesn't drink coffee at all and rarely drinks a specialty tea. I drink mostly brewed coffee because I'm not a big fan of flavored coffees (although in the heat, I found out I really like a blended mocha). Depending on the ship, sometimes the Lido coffee is undrinkable. I probably have 25 or more cards from previous cruises. It never occurred to me to try to sell them. I just looked and my cards have the 12/31/18 exp also (never noticed it until I read this thread). I wish Princess would give us another option for the mini bar (we don't drink wine either). It's a perk we've earned from 35+ Princess cruises. I certainly don't mind punches for brewed coffee, but I don't think the old ones should expire entirely. Anyone want to guess what it costs Princess to give me a cup of brewed coffee? Maybe less than 1 cent! I highly doubt the free brewed coffee is crippling their bottom line. They've also eliminated large cups and no longer let you use a punch (or punches) at Gelato either. Will be on the Crown in Feb and the Regal in March. Holland is looking better all the time. At least I don't feel nickle and dimed to death there!!

I am sure it will not be a problem.....we have a number of cards that we cannot possibly use by the end of the year even though we have three fairly lengthily cruises booked and we will just ac?t an move on. My god.....it is a coffee card for heaven's sake and it is not going to impact a cruise we spent over $10,000 on. :cool:

You have a number of cards (with expiration dates pre-printed on them) ?

If that the case you certainly do cruise an awful lot since they only started to put expiration dates on them less then 1 month ago.

For myself we'll probably lose out on a good number of coffees an it's basically the principle of it more than anything else.

I'll make sure it costs them $$ in other ways to compensate for my getting cheated on.

What's fair is fair. :cool:

take the old cards, give shipboard credit for the unused punches for the current cruise.

 

this isn't rocket strategery, folks.....:evilsmile:

Good luck with getting that option.

Okay, since we cancelled our upcoming cruise, and our original booking is still on the books for later this year with the Beverage Package... (we never happened to cancel it yet, when we had booked to move our dates up)

How can we take these two cards we have, UNDATED, and get shipboard credit for them?

I have never really known about or thought of that!

Inquiring minds want to know.

Had anyone phoned and talked to Princess yet? There’s a lot of assuming going on and we need an answer from the proverbial horses mouth. Perhaps it’s not as nefarious as we are assuming...

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