Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Gift Card ??

Balto. Guys

By Balto. Guys,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

 Share

Recommended Posts

Florings

Florings

Posted
Posted

There are no cons that I can think of....I only get them when they are discounted also and use them to pay for the cruise, or buy cruise cash or pre-cruise items for the cabin.

 

I live in Florida, so I get them from Publix supermarket when they are available, but I've seen other threads where people get them from AAA and from Verizon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Nuff_Said

Nuff_Said

Posted
Posted

We get them from AARP when they are available. They sell them for 10% off in $100 and $500 increments. You don't have to be a paying member to get them, but you do have to accumulate points on their site. It's 1,000 points plus $90 for a $100 card and 5,000 points and $450 for a $500 card.

 

We are using them to pay for our cruise next July plus onboard spending.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DCCruiser1013

DCCruiser1013

Posted
Posted

We are buying $50 gift cards every month leading up to our cruise in December so that we have at least most of our S&S taken care of.

 

Our grocery store (Giant Eagle) has them and they have amazing discounts on gas when you buy gift cards, so we go that route. I also hear that Verizon and AARP offer them for discounts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gobben

gobben

Posted
Posted

Just paid our next cruise off using gift cards. Buying them discounted at 10 percent off helped save a few dollars.

 

Our last cruise I took about 1200 in gift cards and had them added onto the sign and sail account once we boarded.

 

We didn't have to worry about a large tab at the end, anything left over on the last night I cashed out in the casino.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
daff67

daff67

Posted
Posted

To get the gift cards from AARP, you need to create an account on aarp.org for their rewards for good program. The program is free. You take quizzes to earn points for the gift cards. You'll get points just for signing up. It's 1000 points plus $90 for a $100 gift card. I was able to get one last week but right now, they're not even showing up on their site. I read somewhere else on this board that it happens sometimes but they always show up again. I hear they have $500 gift cards for $450 but I haven't seen those.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sweetsixteencruisers

sweetsixteencruisers

Posted
Posted (edited)

We get ours through Verizon saved 10% as well on the balance of our cruise.

 

Just keep in mind, you CAN NOT use your gift cards for pre-cruise purchases of the cheers pkg, bottomless bubbles or anything from the Bon voyage programs.

Edited by sweetsixteencruisers
Link to comment
Share on other sites
retiredgram

retiredgram

Posted
Posted (edited)
To get the gift cards from AARP, you need to create an account on aarp.org for their rewards for good program. The program is free. You take quizzes to earn points for the gift cards. You'll get points just for signing up. It's 1000 points plus $90 for a $100 gift card. I was able to get one last week but right now, they're not even showing up on their site. I read somewhere else on this board that it happens sometimes but they always show up again. I hear they have $500 gift cards for $450 but I haven't seen those.

 

My $500 cards came by UPS and I had to sign for them . The $500 ones go fast on AARP. The $100 cards come by regular mail.

Edited by retiredgram
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RecoveryDude

RecoveryDude

Posted
Posted

One of the best reasons to sail carnival is the 10% off gift cards! I pay for the ENTIRE cruise ... plus S&S and all excursions with these cards! I get at least 10% off EVERYTHING! I keep a watch out for the 15% off eBay flash sales too.

 

FYI ...can't do that with the discount Royal Caribbean gift "certificates" that are sold on VZ/AARP ... with those, you can only use ONE per cruise ... and can only be used AFTER you have paid the deposit. Cannot be used for S&S account either. So basically you can get $50 off your RCCL booking. That's it. No thanks, I will stick with Carnival where I get 10% off it all!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LibratPDX

LibratPDX

Posted
Posted

I can't think of any cons. While you can't currently use them to purchase pre-cruise items, I have read that they are "working on it".

 

I've never received a gift card that had an expiration date, so IMO it doesn't matter that they are "non-refundable".

 

In addition to AARP and Verizon, Citibank has them as well (City Easy Deals).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cousin Eddie

Cousin Eddie

Posted
Posted

One con to remember for all gift cards, not just Carnival, is that they are cash equivalents. This means if your card get lost or stolen or the card balance is stolen or somehow lost you will be taking the loss, as opposed to some level of fraud or loss protection on credit cards and some debit cards. You can mitigate the risk somewhat by applying the cards to a booking shortly after purchasing. Obviously the longer you hold the cards the greater the risk.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
beachbum53

beachbum53

Posted
Posted
I buy mine at kroger-during the summer and fall they run specials to earn 4X the fuel points. I buy off and on till my cruise and usually have enough to take care of my SS card plus save a ton on gas!!

 

Ditto! In fact, Kroger is selling gift cards (including Carnival) this week with 4X the fuel points. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tidecat

tidecat

Posted
Posted
I can't think of any cons. While you can't currently use them to purchase pre-cruise items, I have read that they are "working on it".

 

 

You can pay for Carnival shore excursions prior to your cruise using gift cards.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kctwinmommy Great Review Rare

kctwinmommy

Posted
Posted
We get them from AARP when they are available. They sell them for 10% off in $100 and $500 increments. You don't have to be a paying member to get them, but you do have to accumulate points on their site. It's 1,000 points plus $90 for a $100 card and 5,000 points and $450 for a $500 card.

 

We are using them to pay for our cruise next July plus onboard spending.

 

We do the same. The benefit being we save $50!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LibratPDX

LibratPDX

Posted
Posted (edited)
You can pay for Carnival shore excursions prior to your cruise using gift cards.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Yes you can............I should have been more specific............currently you can't pay for in-cabin items (and the other things mentioned by sweetsixteencruisers) pre-cruise :D

Edited by LibratPDX
Link to comment
Share on other sites
cheermomof2girls

cheermomof2girls

Posted
Posted

We purchased some at Kroger with 4x fuel points- used those to pay off our cruise balance and saved a ton on fuel. We have also purchased a few $500 ones from AARP to get the 10% off.

 

I figure, it's money we would be spending anyway, but this way we either get savings from the gift card amount or from the fuel points.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...