Using a different agent to purchase a reservation held with HAL?

[smariner]

If a reservation is held directly with HAL -- could I use a different travel agency to purchase it (within the 24 hour courtesy-hold period)?

[LadyVol1]

Yes. I usually book our cruises while onboard but then when I get home and have free wifi I use a website that lets me have lots of TAs give me bids and then I transfer my booking from HAL to the lowest bidder. You will have to sign a simple HAL form to make the transfer but it's easy and well worth it.

[Cruizer Bill]

Yes, you can transfer it to another travel agent.

[smariner]

Thanks for the responses. What form needs to be filled up? Is it available online?

[Krazy Kruizers]

It is not available on line.

Your need to call HAL and tell them the name of the agency/TA that you want your reservation changed to.

[MCC retired]

The chosen TA will know exactly how to do this .

[Alberta Quilter]

The chosen TA will know exactly how to do this .

 

Agreed. When I transfer from HAL to a TA, I contact the TA in question to request the information required. Then I call HAL and request the transfer. The additional information that I have to provide is the TA's phone number that is on file with HAL.

[blizzardboy]

Yes. I usually book our cruises while onboard but then when I get home and have free wifi I use a website that lets me have lots of TAs give me bids and then I transfer my booking from HAL to the lowest bidder. You will have to sign a simple HAL form to make the transfer but it's easy and well worth it.

My HAL PCC does it for me upon verbal or email request, but transfer needs to be done before final payment is made. They won't transfer a fully paid booking. All the PCC needs is the TA name and main phone number and they'll pull it up on their database.

[azcruise]

Is the benefit in doing this that you may get a better price and maybe some perks with a TA? Why would you use the PCC to start with? I am not very sophisticated in this part of the booking process, and would love some advice.

[RocketMan275]

Is the benefit in doing this that you may get a better price and maybe some perks with a TA? Why would you use the PCC to start with? I am not very sophisticated in this part of the booking process, and would love some advice.

 

Sure, you can get better perks/price/benefits using a TA. The PCC has it's own advantages. I booked a fall 17 cruise with the PCC. She gave me some additional OBC. Not much, maybe $100. She also may have additional insights like when new cruises are going to be released, etc. I can leave it with her watching for drops/promos etc. A few weeks prior to final, I'll contact my TAs and get their bids and then transfer it. Should get another 10% discount.

[Alberta Quilter]

I have been using a PCC for the past few cruises. She knows our likes and dislikes; I don't have to tell her about our dietary restrictions, how to set up the beds or our preferred dining time. I can also email her my request for the shareholder benefit which she forwards to the appropriate department. This saves me from faxing or mailing it and is much easier for me. She also fights for me on occasion and has won me a price drop without losing a valuable promotion.

 

I make all arrangements through her and then transfer the booking, before final payment, to a warehouse TA solely for the OBC. I do not do it for the customer service because I talk to a different person every time I call and I have to lead them through what I want them to do. At times, I wonder if the OBC is worth the additional hassle. But, on our last cruise, our final ship account was a mere $50 because of all of the OBC we had so I guess it was worth the hassle in the end.

[blizzardboy]

Is the benefit in doing this that you may get a better price and maybe some perks with a TA? Why would you use the PCC to start with? I am not very sophisticated in this part of the booking process, and would love some advice.

 

Alberta Quilter and Rocketman summed it up quite well. The knowledge of all things HAL that my PCC has acquired over the years has proved invaluable to me, and we have become quite good friends as well. My "rewards card" gives double points if travel is booked through, or transferred to them. I negotiated an ongoing deal whereby their TA matches the big box wholesale club's 9% of the fare in OBC, and we still get the double points which amounts to an additional 3%. The PCC and TA combined offer great knowledge and service and an additional 12% off the fare.

[RocketMan275]

Alberta Quilter and Rocketman summed it up quite well. The knowledge of all things HAL that my PCC has acquired over the years has proved invaluable to me, and we have become quite good friends as well. My "rewards card" gives double points if travel is booked through, or transferred to them. I negotiated an ongoing deal whereby their TA matches the big box wholesale club's 9% of the fare in OBC, and we still get the double points which amounts to an additional 3%. The PCC and TA combined offer great knowledge and service and an additional 12% off the fare.

 

About that credit card.

 

Are you saying that you earn points and that if you cash those points in on travel through the travel agency operated by the credit card company?

 

I use the big box visa card that pays 3% cash back on all travel regardless of where it's booked and I don't have to negotiate for the 9%.

[blizzardboy]

About that credit card.

 

Are you saying that you earn points and that if you cash those points in on travel through the travel agency operated by the credit card company?

 

I use the big box visa card that pays 3% cash back on all travel regardless of where it's booked and I don't have to negotiate for the 9%.

 

I earn points that equate to 1.5% on every dollar spent on the card, and double on travel booked through the Rewards Card TA, which is an actual independent travel agency with professional agents, of which I work with one of their senior luxury-travel specialists. The credit union rewards card contract is only a part of their business.

The big box we're both talking about offers a great on-line site, and a clean and easy return in OBC on cruises, but I have been less than impressed with their personnel and their travel knowledge. Getting the Rewards TA to match the big-box OBC, while providing me outstanding service and knowledge, combined with the double points, seemed the best of both worlds.

Edited August 3, 2016 by blizzardboy

[RocketMan275]

I earn points that equate to 1.5% on every dollar spent on the card, and double on travel booked through the Rewards Card TA, which is an actual independent travel agency with professional agents, of which I work with one of their senior luxury-travel specialists. The credit union rewards card contract is only a part of their business.

The big box we're both talking about offers a great on-line site, and a clean and easy return in OBC on cruises, but I have been less than impressed with their personnel and their travel knowledge. Getting the Rewards TA to match the big-box OBC, while providing me outstanding service and knowledge, combined with the double points, seemed the best of both worlds.

 

Still not certain how that works.

If you spend $1000 on stuff, you'll get $15 in points.

Do you then spend the points at the TA and get an additional 2%?

 

I don't do points so I'm unfamiliar with how this works.

Could you give an example?

[blizzardboy]

Still not certain how that works.

If you spend $1000 on stuff, you'll get $15 in points.

Do you then spend the points at the TA and get an additional 2%?

 

I don't do points so I'm unfamiliar with how this works.

Could you give an example?

You spend a $1000 and get 1000 points that you can exchange for merchandise, hotels, car rentals, air fare, cruises fare reductions etc. They have a flat rate points exchange in various amounts for air tickets to various markets in coach, but being a big guy, I fly first or business, so I redeem 50000 points for a $750 unrestricted air certificate that I can use through their TA for any airline or class of flight. If I book a cruise through them that costs $5000, I pay for it with my card, I get 10,000 points, and out of the TA's commission from the cruise line, they give me the negotiated 9% OBC. The OBC deal was done outside of the rewards program as the TA opted to match the big box to get my cruise business and the remaining 6% commission. I accumulate points and use them when airfare is a large enough expense, like next January when we fly to FLL for our 7-day cruise, then fly from Miami to San Juan for 7 days at the Renaissance La Concha Resort Casino, then back to Indy. 2 first class tickets ran a little over $2000 total, so I used a $750 air certificate for partial payment. They have $325 and $500 certs as well, but the points per dollar of cert is a little higher. I figure the "yield" on the points used for the higher denomination cert, because that's what I end up using. I'll get double points on the remaining $1250 of the airfare billed to the card in the above example. I was debating about switching to something like your card until I worked out the OBC deal on cruises, which we do once a year anyway. I had a long talk with the rep before proposing the OBC deal. She, and her base of travel knowledge etc, was so impressive that I told her that I would love to do business with her, but not at the expense of the big box OBC deal, so she agreed to my terms. I've never messed with merchandise or hotels, since I know I'm going to fly to the cruise port or hotel/resort anyway. I stay pretty much exclusively at Marriot's brands of hotels (not on the Rewards card redemption program) and use their Rewards program, which soon will include Starwood as well. Your card is a great deal, and easier to keep track of the rewards, but I've received a lot of perks from the credit union, like lowering my mortgage rate .75%, while only charging me a $25 "loan modification fee", when rates dropped a year after I took out the mortgage. In turn, I try to be supportive of them. Edited August 3, 2016 by blizzardboy

[smariner]

Lots of useful tips on this thread! Thanks everyone.

I was able to transfer my held-reservation to a different TA on a simple conference call including HAL & my TA.

Edited August 4, 2016 by smariner

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Yes, you can transfer it to another travel agent.

 

We always do it ..:)