Purchase OBC?

[LizzGo]

I see one of the items MSC offers for purchase is a cash advance. Has anyone done this and why would you? I'm not sure I see the advantage. And also- would this be like a cash advance on your credit card, in other words, an exorbitant fee on your card?

[Safe77]

LizzGo,

American Express treats this like any other purchase and not like a cash advance. I can't speak for other credit card companies. In the past, we have purchased on board credits (OBCs) ahead of our cruise, primarily so we could feel like the entire vacation was paid for before we departed and we could "live a little". It's more of a psychological thing for us. We have purchased minimal OBCs for our upcoming Seaside cruise, just enough to cover gratuities and some incidental expenses. Our experience has been that, unlike other cruises where excess refundable OBCs are automatically refunded a month or so after the cruise, we've had to call MSC and request the refund. Our MSC PVP asks if we don't want to apply the remainder for a future cruise. Bad idea! They don't show the future cruise at the actual price paid and then subtract the credit. Instead, the invoice/confirmation reduces the total fare by the amount of the credit. This makes it appear that you've paid less than you actually did and could cause problems if you have to cancel or rebook the cruise. Presumably, you would lose the credit you applied.

 

Safe77

[LizzGo]

Thanks for the detailed response. So it looks like they are just selling a bit of convenience, but you’d better make sure you don’t purchase more than you need. I was thinking it may be convenient for the casino. We like to play a bit of Blackjack. I think ships often charge a premium if you draw casino cash from an OBC as opposed to cash on the spot.perhaps if you go this route you don’t incur the extra fee? I think I’ll star another thread about that. Would be good to know.

[joeyjeremiah]

I haven’t done it with msc but have in past cruises with princess purchased OBC in advance. I had planned out what I was going to spend on excursions (at that time they weren’t prepaid), in the spa etc to make our cruise what we wanted. By purchasing ahead of time I don’t have to worry about what my bill would be at the end of the cruise. And knowing ourselves we weren’t tempted to cancel something we had been looking forward to as an effort to save a bit of money (since we typically travel in January shortly after Christmas). So for us if I know I’m going to spend it, I try to prepay (gratuities etc) or purchase onboard credit to cover it and then it’s guilt free enjoyment of our vacation.

 

 

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[SirWolf]

Another reason to pre-purchase OBC on non-US cruises is the currency exchange rate.

Example: On a cruise in Europe the on-board currency is Euro. If pre-purchased the

exchange rate is as of the day of purchase. In case the Euro gets stronger the OBC is

"locked in" regardless of the exchange rate during the cruise. But caution... this can go

both ways. If the Euro gets weaker you may have paid to much for the pre-purchase OBC.

I agree that pre-purchased OBC is convenient and you don't end up with a high balance at

the end of your cruise, it's like a small cash wallet for minor purchases or services on board.

[Beamafar]

I think ships often charge a premium if you draw casino cash from an OBC as opposed to cash on the spot.perhaps if you go this route you don’t incur the extra fee?

 

MSC definitely doesn't charge a fee (speaking from experience).

[TnTom]

LizzGo,

Our experience has been that, unlike other cruises where excess refundable OBCs are automatically refunded a month or so after the cruise, we've had to call MSC and request the refund.

Safe77

 

The way I am reading the MSC "Important Information" text, the OBC and debit card deposits are treated as cash deposits. This is what they say about such deposits:

Any amount deposited in cash and not spent during the cruise will be reimbursed in cash at the Reception - Guest Service on the final morning before disembarkation.

I have to admit that the thought of standing in line at the reception desk on the last day to get the cash refund is not appealing, and your reference to another option (asking for it after we are off of the ship) sounds better. Unless the line is incredibly long, however, it would probably be worth waiting for the cash.

Another point I got from reading the fine print is they don't simply put a hold on certain amounts on debit cards- they actually process the charges and show them as cash advances on your shipboard account. Someone please correct me if I am reading that wrong.

[Sbarr5]

I have bought the OBC pre cruise, and as mentioned here, it is treated like all OBC, ie use it or lose it. (Confirmed pre cruise by phoning MSC and during the cruise at Guest Services). However, you can get unspent OBC back with this little trick: Near the end of your cruise go to the casino, load your excess OBC into a slot machine and then cash out immediately. You can then your cash out slip to the cashier and you have your money back. (There may have been a 5% service charge, I cant remember)