OBC and Exchange Rates

[jveevers]

Maybe the site is being swamped with people buying OBC, try again later.:D

Haha Dont think so Mic.

Probably just fickle X website.

[Briansbrain]

Haha Dont think so Mic.

Probably just fickle X website.

 

Hi, the site did it to me, too, but I got thru later and did get a good discountCAD$

[jveevers]

Hi, the site did it to me, too, but I got thru later and did get a good discountCAD$

Thanks Brian.

Other posters have been saying that they get $ for $

I.e. USD25 for CAD25

But your comment suggests that you got a different rate ?

[Belle Epoque]

Hoping to buy some OBC for cruise on 1st March. Is there a direct telephone number or do i have to go through the general Celebrity UK number? Can anyone help?

[Project_gal]

Hoping to buy some OBC for cruise on 1st March. Is there a direct telephone number or do i have to go through the general Celebrity UK number? Can anyone help?

 

Most of the numbers I have used over the years no longer work. Your best bet is to use the general Celebrity UK number. If you ring as soon as they open, you usually do not get put on hold.

 

Sorry, just saw that you want to do it on a Sunday. Not sure if you will be able to then but my husband managed on a Saturday.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Project_gal

[Miaminice]

Hoping to buy some OBC for cruise on 1st March. Is there a direct telephone number or do i have to go through the general Celebrity UK number? Can anyone help?

 

Try on the website... Go to Gifts & Gear on the Cruise Planner.

 

I was able to buy OBC by using the US-webseite and setting the location to Germany. 25 US$ OBC was offered for 18.30 Euro - an incredibly good rate!

 

However, setting the location to UK does not work because it redirects you to the UK website. So try the Cruise Planner...

[UniPac]

Just curious if you checked your CC statement? I also have a US booking and purchased 9 units online at $27.20CDN but my CDN CC was charged $279.33 ($31.04/unit instead of $27.20). Phoned Celebrity who are supposed to be refunding the difference but I won't hold my breath as the last thing she said was to phone back if I didn't see a refund on my card within a few weeks. I ordered in CDN but the confirmation emailed to me was in USD. I would like to order more but don't want to risk the same thing happening.

 

Thats what happened to me' date=' too. Total amount was like 150 EUR, but they took 173,xx EUR from my CC (which is just the current exchange rate). However, it should be a contract "buy $25 OBC for 18.30 EUR" and they should not be allowed to take more than the 18.30 EUR from my CC for the 25 OBC.

 

Ok. Just called Celebrity in the UK and have been told that as the reservation was made through a USA TA we cannot purchase OBC in GBP.

If I contact X in the US I can purchase OBC but will be charged at current exchange rates so no point in doing it. So that answers everyone. Pay for the cruise in US and everything else is charged in US. At least here in the UK.

 

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I also called them and that's what I have been told, too. However, Heather here was able to pay in CAD. I'm gonna give it a try - buying 100 USD OBC multiple times - one time in CAD, one time in EUR, one time in GBP and one time in AUD. Let's see what will happen :D

Edited January 29, 2015 by UniPac

[UniPac]

Try on the website... Go to Gifts & Gear on the Cruise Planner.

 

I was able to buy OBC by using the US-webseite and setting the location to Germany. 25 US$ OBC was offered for 18.30 Euro - an incredibly good rate!

 

However, setting the location to UK does not work because it redirects you to the UK website. So try the Cruise Planner...

 

Is your orignal Cruise booked in Germany and payed in EUR? Like directly through Celebrity Germany or a travel agent in Germany?

 

Or did you book trough US (Celebrity, Travel agent...)?

[Belle Epoque]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I decided to telephone my booking agent at Celebrity and she put me through to the amenities dept. Now in possession of OBC with a great exchange rate. Just planning how to spend it now!!!!

[UniPac]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I decided to telephone my booking agent at Celebrity and she put me through to the amenities dept. Now in possession of OBC with a great exchange rate. Just planning how to spend it now!!!!

 

Would you mind sharing the details regarding your booking (through US TA/US Celebrity or foreign) and currency of the OBC? I wonder if the US amneties dept. can process CC payments in foreign currency for a US booked cruise.

[Belle Epoque]

I telephoned the UK office and paid with CC in sterling

[Project_gal]

Would you mind sharing the details regarding your booking (through US TA/US Celebrity or foreign) and currency of the OBC? I wonder if the US amneties dept. can process CC payments in foreign currency for a US booked cruise.

 

If the cruise is booked in US$ then any enhancements, including OBC, has to be purchased in US$. This has recently been confirmed.

[upwarduk]

My C.C has been debited £134.10, which I was expecting, for 9 units of $25 @ £14.90 per unit.

So, as I was expecting, I have paid in GBP (£)

[Briansbrain]

Thanks Brian.

Other posters have been saying that they get $ for $

I.e. USD25 for CAD25

But your comment suggests that you got a different rate ?

 

No. I didn't get 25$US fror 25$ but the conversion was way better than what I get at home. 244 Cnd for 225 us

[spearmint]

I never knew any of this. It's great for us Canadians at this time. For our next cruise I have an OBC of $!00 from my TA, and $300 from a previous booking on board. If I have read correctly, these will be used up first before any that I purchase. Yes?

 

On a 14 day cruise we will usually buy a bottle of wine each night for dinner, averaged at $40 per night for total of $560. So, a grouping of 4 units of $25 US (or more :)) would be very worthwhile.

 

My question is: Having booked through a Travel Agent, must I purchase through the agent or can I purchase via phone? (I suspect the former.)

 

Bill

[Cruise Junky]

We just switched our 2017 cruise from US to CDN. As if today's rate its a $853 savings. I'm very happy

 

 

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[UniPac]

If the cruise is booked in US$ then any enhancements, including OBC, has to be purchased in US$. This has recently been confirmed.

 

If you read this thread you will find posts like this:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=45387313&postcount=17

 

Booked through USA TA, bought two times OBC and one of them was payed in CAN.

 

I also understand that if my cart has an item inside (no matter if it is a bottle of wine or if its $25 OBC) and the check is shown as XX EUR, that I pay the XX EUR for the cart and not YY EUR (which is not shown).

[RobbieMc]

I emailed Celebrity and they confirmed to me when buying in AUD it is converted to USD at the rate on the day of purchase. Thought getting dollar for dollar sounded too good to be true.

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

I emailed Celebrity and they confirmed to me when buying in AUD it is converted to USD at the rate on the day of purchase. Thought getting dollar for dollar sounded too good to be true.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Not $ for $ but as the AUD is dropping, it is a way of locking in at the current rate.:D

[monicajay]

I just tried to buy 4 units @ a rate of $27.50 CAD per unit on line.

 

Thanked me for my purchase but said nothing was final till I got an e-mail.

 

Still waiting for an e-mail to see if this actually goes through at this rate.

 

Maybe I should have called.:rolleyes:

 

I also tried to book a dinner at Normandie. Web-site said $49.00 CAD but when I followed through and tried to book a specific date and time it came to $57.50 CAD. No longer a good deal so I let it go and decided to wait and see.

[If only]

I just tried to buy 4 units @ a rate of $27.50 CAD per unit on line.

 

Thanked me for my purchase but said nothing was final till I got an e-mail.

 

Still waiting for an e-mail to see if this actually goes through at this rate.

 

Maybe I should have called.:rolleyes:

 

I also tried to book a dinner at Normandie. Web-site said $49.00 CAD but when I followed through and tried to book a specific date and time it came to $57.50 CAD. No longer a good deal so I let it go and decided to wait and see.

 

i called on one that did not send me an email & Celebrity checked & said they cannot check by the confirmation # that I received which did not make sense to me & it did not look like it had gone through, so I did it again & much to my surprise I received confirmation that both had gone through that evening around 8pm so now we have another $100. to spend than we thought which is ok. So give it time.

Edited January 30, 2015 by If only

[monicajay]

i called on one that did not send me an email & Celebrity checked & said they cannot check by the confirmation # that I received which did not make sense to me & it did not look like it had gone through, so I did it again & much to my surprise I received confirmation that both had gone through that evening around 8pm so now we have another $100. to spend than we thought which is ok. So give it time.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'll wait and see till tomorrow if it goes through and I get an e-mail. Doesn't make sense to me because any other web-site I purchase or reserve things from I always get an e-mail within minutes. What's up Celebrity???

[If only]

Thanks for the reply. I'll wait and see till tomorrow if it goes through and I get an e-mail. Doesn't make sense to me because any other web-site I purchase or reserve things from I always get an e-mail within minutes. What's up Celebrity???

 

On tours etc you also have to give the 3 digit # on the back of your credit card, but with the onboard credit you don't so they do not confirm until it has actually been confirmed by your credit card, which they should confirm within 24 hrs.

Edited January 30, 2015 by If only

[MicCanberra]

On tours etc you also have to give the 3 digit # on the back of your credit card, but with the onboard credit you don't so they do not confirm until it has actually been confirmed by your credit card, which they should confirm within 24 hrs.

 

That makes sense.:D

[Project_gal]

If you read this thread you will find posts like this:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=45387313&postcount=17

 

Booked through USA TA, bought two times OBC and one of them was payed in CAN.

 

I also understand that if my cart has an item inside (no matter if it is a bottle of wine or if its $25 OBC) and the check is shown as XX EUR, that I pay the XX EUR for the cart and not YY EUR (which is not shown).

 

I understood that the posters who had reported that they had been able to purchase OBC in a currency other than that in which they had purchased their cruise came back and reported that, when they checked the rate they were charged, they were wrong. Certainly, this is what the poster from the UK has reported. I may have missed some of the other locations. There have been fewer posts from people in the Eurozone and it MAY be different in that region.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Project_gal