CENTEX CRUISER Posted August 12, 2013 #1 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I hope you don't think I am conniving , or whatever, but this is how I reduced our final by $300 on one of our booked cruises. Wife and I are both signed up for Carnival e-mails, so a while back, we both got offers for $100 gift cards if we signed up for Carnival Mastercards. So we did, got the cards, and about a month later, both received Carnival $100 e cards. I went to our booking, selected Make a Payment, use gift card,and that dropped the final by $200 after applying both cards. The with each credit card I made a $10 purchase , which gives you 5000 bonus points for your first use..So then I go back to my booking and make a $100 payment towards our final with both credit cards, no big deal as I will have to pay it off sooner or later. Then, finally, I redeem my 5000 points on each credit card for $50 statement credit, thus saving the $300 total. I have a Visa that has better rewards, but I may use the Carnival card for Carnival purchases , and get the double points..Just wanted to share this idea, please don't call me a rat. They offered these cars, and the gift cards, so I just used them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizinisthebest Posted August 12, 2013 #2 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Sounds good to me! Saving money is saving money! Now all Carnival hopes is that you'll use it onboard:D! Enjoy your cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudechuck Posted August 12, 2013 #3 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I'm not seeing anything underhanded here. Congratulations! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CENTEX CRUISER Posted August 12, 2013 Author #4 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Thanks for that.:) I'm not seeing anything underhanded here. Congratulations! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_cruise Posted August 12, 2013 #5 Share Posted August 12, 2013 wish they would offer these cards to canadians, jeeezzzzzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annawanX2 Posted August 12, 2013 #6 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Uh, you lost me when you signed up for carnival cards . . .:D Smart move !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhurley0504 Posted August 12, 2013 #7 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Ha! Did the exact same thing ;) Yay for us! Don't call it being conniving, call it being smart!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshd33 Posted August 12, 2013 #8 Share Posted August 12, 2013 No conning here, just a good use of playing by the rule! Way to go! Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedevil72 Posted August 12, 2013 #9 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Here's my story on that card. We just signed up for one and after I waited on the email gift card for the 2-4 weeks that it said, I thought it wasn't showing up. It also said good for the first 750 people,so I figured I was #751. I canceled the card, which I had received promptly in snail mail, and guess what showed up in an email the next morning. Yep, the gift card. In fact, it came six mornings in a row,but all with the same number. We're using the gift card for our Triumph cruise in 19 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halos Posted August 12, 2013 #10 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I'm not seeing anything underhanded here. Congratulations! :) Ditto. I call that smart, not conniving. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WetToes Posted August 12, 2013 #11 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Why would anyone call you a "rat"? You used your head. I'd call that 'smart'. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fyree39 Posted August 12, 2013 #12 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Did you then cancel the card? Cancel it then reapply in 6 months and take advantage of the freebies all over again. I have a points card that has given me about $700 in cruise payments so far. It's not a M/C, but rather one of the Capital One cards. I also have a United Mileage card that I have enough points on to send my DH and I R/T to the east coast. If I'm careful, I can enjoy a free cruise out of Miami every year, flight included! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neotericisis Posted August 12, 2013 #13 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Power to ya! Glad you saved some money :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkportersat Posted August 12, 2013 #14 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I do this all the time with cash rewards cards....they send me stuff all the time. I use it, redeem for my cash and then close them with the 0% period runs out. If they send you the app and approve it, then I don't think you did anything wrong. Sounds like you were smart and used it to your advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliair Posted August 12, 2013 #15 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I'm not seeing anything underhanded here. Congratulations! :) I don't see anything underhanded here either. The OP is just a smart shopper using Carnivals system to get the most for him and his family. Very smart! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CENTEX CRUISER Posted August 12, 2013 Author #16 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Thank you all for the positive replies. I really appreciate you.:):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccahope Posted August 12, 2013 #17 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Thanks for sharing! We all need to look for ways to save money. Appreciate the tip!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hancogran Posted August 12, 2013 #18 Share Posted August 12, 2013 wish they would offer these cards to canadians, jeeezzzzzz Ditto!! :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritsnc Posted August 12, 2013 #19 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Did you then cancel the card? Cancel it then reapply in 6 months and take advantage of the freebies all over again. I have a points card that has given me about $700 in cruise payments so far. It's not a M/C, but rather one of the Capital One cards. I also have a United Mileage card that I have enough points on to send my DH and I R/T to the east coast. If I'm careful, I can enjoy a free cruise out of Miami every year, flight included! Actually, cancelling a card is a big no-no when it comes to your credit. It's best to just cut the card up and leave the account open. Each time you close an account, it knocks your score down a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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