Liquidating carnival gift card

[themagicman]

During black friday I purchased $2,000 in carnival gift cards in order to receive $200 free. I also purchased a $500 gift card from kroger when they were doing 4x points.

 

I am going on a cruise at the end of Feb and have a total of $2,700 in gift cards to use. I only plan on spending about $300-400 on the cruise and it is already paid off. I am wondering what the best way to convert these gift cards to cash?

 

I know that you can do the sail and sign with the slot machine but I think there is a limit on the amount and it might raise flags doing that much. I have also read that you can load all of the gift cards to sail and sign and then they will mail you a check with the difference. Could I load all $2,700 and then spend $300 and get a check for $2,400? I am just trying to figure out the best way to do this!

 

Thank you!

[jimbo5544]

During black friday I purchased $2,000 in carnival gift cards in order to receive $200 free. I also purchased a $500 gift card from kroger when they were doing 4x points.

 

 

 

I am going on a cruise at the end of Feb and have a total of $2,700 in gift cards to use. I only plan on spending about $300-400 on the cruise and it is already paid off. I am wondering what the best way to convert these gift cards to cash?

 

 

 

I know that you can do the sail and sign with the slot machine but I think there is a limit on the amount and it might raise flags doing that much. I have also read that you can load all of the gift cards to sail and sign and then they will mail you a check with the difference. Could I load all $2,700 and then spend $300 and get a check for $2,400? I am just trying to figure out the best way to do this!

 

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

They mailed us a check from our Breeze cruise over NYE. There might be limits to the amount they will send. Don't know.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[GaMtnMom]

I'm not 100% sure but I believe they put any balance that is left over at the end of the cruise back onto a gift card to be used at a later time.

 

Someone else may know of a loophole that would work for you to get cash out.

[themagicman]

They mailed us a check from our Breeze cruise over NYE. There might be limits to the amount they will send. Don't know.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Do you recall if it was a large amount? In the $1,000's?

[themagicman]

I'm not 100% sure but I believe they put any balance that is left over at the end of the cruise back onto a gift card to be used at a later time.

 

Someone else may know of a loophole that would work for you to get cash out.

 

Do you know if it would be the same gift card(s) or they would just issue a new one with the balance?

[jimbo5544]

Do you know if it would be the same gift card(s) or they would just issue a new one with the balance?

 

 

We only had one and not much of a balance. My guess is you might have issues, because they are going to figure your trying to liquidate the cards. Be careful about applying all, as it might be an issue.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Frank12]

We only had one and not much of a balance. My guess is you might have issues, because they are going to figure your trying to liquidate the cards. Be careful about applying all, as it might be an issue.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

I agree. Very likely there is some type of check / balance in place to keep people from turning the gift cards into cash.

[KevInPitt]

You will likely encounter difficulty turning the gift cards back into cash. Directly from the Carnival terms and conditions section for the cards:

 

Q: Can I receive a refund on funds I have placed in my Carnival Cruise Lines Gift Card?

 

A: No, Gift Cards are not refundable or redeemable for cash, except where required by law. Gift Cards are redeemable for cruise reservation or onboard spending only, and there is no cash back.

 

Q: Can I receive a refund on any unused portion of the Carnival Gift Card amount that was applied towards my Sail and Sign account while onboard?

A: Any unused portion or overage of the Gift Card that was applied toward your Sail and Sign account will be issued in the form of another Carnival Gift Card.

 

I suspect they may have the ability to recognize that funds applied to your Sign & Sail came from a gift card and not cash (thereby eliminating the refund-by-check possibility).

 

The often-discussed "casino trick" may or may not work for similar reasons.

[themagicman]

I agree. Very likely there is some type of check / balance in place to keep people from turning the gift cards into cash.

 

Any other ideas on how to liquidate them? I am not sure when my next cruise is going to be and I would prefer not to have to worry about keeping up with them for a couple of years!

[bar1068]

Aren't you supposed to be able to withdraw cash from the kiosks? I seem to recall that as an option on the ships that have kiosks, no clue however if there's a daily/weekly/cruise withdrawal limit.

[Kd_chocolate]

Aren't you supposed to be able to withdraw cash from the kiosks? I seem to recall that as an option on the ships that have kiosks, no clue however if there's a daily/weekly/cruise withdrawal limit.

 

I did find this info answered by a Carnival rep, but no mention at all on a limit: http://www.carnival.com/Funville/forums/p/322513/1664181.aspx

 

And this one (still no limit): https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/shipboard_knowledge/SailSignKiosk.htm

[KevInPitt]

Again, from the Carnival terms and conditions:

 

Q: Can I use my Gift Card to set-up my onboard spending (Sail and Sign) account?

 

A: No, you must use cash or a credit card to establish your onboard spending account. The gift card can then be applied towards your onboard spending account by using the kiosks on board or at the Guest Services desk.

 

You apparently can't "load" your Sign and Sail with the amount of a gift card and then withdraw it later but you can use it to pay off anything charged to your Sign and Sail.

 

Almost every gift card I have experience with has some form of condition (for a multitude of reasons) that it cannot be liquidated back into cash and this shouldn't be much of surprise.

 

It's a wild recommendation, but you could try selling them to someone else (but this too is against the terms and conditions of the gift card).

 

I think you might be holding on to the balance until your next cruise.

[NCTribeFan]

I'm not 100% sure but I believe they put any balance that is left over at the end of the cruise back onto a gift card to be used at a later time.

 

Someone else may know of a loophole that would work for you to get cash out.

 

This was not my experience in November. I applied a $500 gift card at the service desk and asked the young woman if any balance would be refunded or applied back to the card (I had another cruise in a month and planned on just taking the "balance" card with me then). She said it would go back on the card.

 

After I got home, I kept checking the balance and it continued to show $0. I emailed Carnival and was told this was not the case and apologized for the misinformation.

 

What she said was, if you apply a gift card to a balance due to pay off your cruise and the card amount is more than the balance due, it goes back on the card. If you apply it onboard and don't spend it all, you receive a refund check.

 

I got my check about a week after returning home. No big deal, but it did not work they way people here had been saying it was supposed to work.

 

Not sure I understand why anyone would spend a huge amount just to get a small amount of cash back, but that's not really my business. I like cash back and discounts, but don't like to prepay anything unnecessarily. I'm an accountant. I'm like that. :p

[cruisetexas]

If they are transferable, you may try putting them on ebay, but doubt that anyone would pay full price.

 

There are gift card 'exchange' websites, but I think they usually discount the card value about 15%-20%.

 

Those of us that have cruises schedule may be interested in buying one or all of them (depending on the denomination), and you could offer them with a 5%-10% discount and still get the cash back.

 

Just a couple of ideas!

[themagicman]

Thanks everyone for the tips so far!

 

Is there a limit on how much I can take off my sail and sign card at the tables in the casino? I know that there is a 3% fee but it still might be worth paying about $80 to liquidate all of them!

[sammee]

Be very careful with Ebay, make sure the potential buyer has a high score. Selling giftcards are not well protected for buyer or seller.

[luv2trvlnow]

I didn't have as much on my cards as you do. But I did have over $800 on 2 cards. I put them on my S&S card at Customer Service desk the first day. I used the slot machines to cash out the money. You are allowed to put $300 at a time on your players club account (charged to your S&S card). I did this 2 times for $300 each on day one and once for $250 the following day. Then I went to the cashier in the casino and cashed out. We needed money to pay for excursions in the next 4 ports and for after the cruise since we were staying in Ft Lauderdale for 1 night. That worked for us. It was good for having money for use in the ports.