Carnival Mastercard 180 day rule

[ober134]

I just got the Carnival Barclay rewards card, and trying to understand the 180 day limit. TIA for anyone that can provide tips so I don't miss out.

[ShakyBeef]

Are you referring to this:

"And remember, you have 180 days to pay yourself back for a statement credit toward eligible purchases!" ?

 

If so, that means that you have up to 180 days after a qualifying purchase has posted to your account to cash in your available FunPoints towards a statement credit for it.

 

So, for example, my final payment for a Carnival cruise is made on August 15th. I have 180 days, or until roughly February 11th, to redeem FunPoints for a statement credit on this transaction, which amounts to "paying myself back" for the final payment on my cruise.

 

BTW, this redeeming for statement credit method is always the best bang for your FunPoint buck - if you wait to redeem until you have at least 100,000 FPs and a qualifying purchase of at least $1,500 towards which to redeem them.

 

 

ETA:

(From Barclay's FAQ):

 

What are the redemption values for eligible transactions?

Redemption values for eligible transactions are: 
Carnival Cruise transactions of $1,500.00 or more = 1.5%  
Carnival Cruise transactions of $50.00 - $1499.99 = 1%  
World's Leading Cruise lines transactions of $50.00 or more = 1%  
Airfare or hotel transactions of $50.00 or more = 0.90%

Edited January 5, 2019 by ShakyBeef
added info

[ober134]

Thank you. So that is for a credit. I was planning to buy Carnival gift cards. Nice tip, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get 100k point even with x2, boost rewards.

[ShakyBeef]

Do you shop online?  Are you aware of RewardsBoost, the shopping portal on the Barclays site?  Shopping thru that gives you FP multipliers that blow the 2x multiplier for Carnival purchases out of the water!  Hundreds of retailers, many of which I'm sure you already shop with.  If you just shop with them through RewardsBoost, you can rack up the FPs very quickly.

 

For example, some current FP multipliers being offered:

 

• Bed Bath & Beyond - 4 FPs per $1 (and that's 4 FPs in addition to the regular 1 FP you get with every purchase anyway; so you'll get 5 FPs per dollar spent)
• Macy's - 5 FPs per $1
• WalMart - 2 FPs per $1
• Home Depot - 2 FPs per $1
• Staples - 2 FPs per $1
• eBags dot com - 7 FPs per $1
• LifeLock -  20 FPs per $1

...and those are just a few of the hundreds (maybe thousands?) of the deals.  I do practically 100% of my online shopping thru RB, now.  I also use this card for everything, including utilities, that accepts credit cards and pay it off completely every month, of course.  And I rack up more than 100,000 FPs every year.  I realize everyone's spending habits and budgets are different, so YMMV.  But this is how I maximize the number of free cruises we take.  I've had this card since 2005 and have received many thousands of dollars back in statement credits.

 

I hope this helps.  Happy FunPoints accruing to you!

 

 

Edited January 5, 2019 by ShakyBeef
typo

[almitra]

I heard funpoints expire after 5 yrs...is that true?

[ShakyBeef]

1 hour ago, almitra said:

I heard funpoints expire after 5 yrs...is that true?

 

That used to be the case.  But (at least for now), I am pleased to say, they no longer expire.

 

Here's straight from the Barclays website FAQ:

 

"As long as your card is open, active and in good standing, your FunPoints do not expire."

 

Edited January 27, 2019 by ShakyBeef
wrong wording

[almitra]

TY!

[ShakyBeef]

Just now, almitra said:

TY!

 

You're very welcome!

[Jerseygirl1416]

4 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

That used to be the case.  But (at least for now), I am pleased to say, they no longer expire.

 

Here's straight from the Barclays website FAQ:

 

"As long as your card is open, active and in good standing, your FunPoints do not expire."

 

You seem to have a lot of knowledge about this card so  I’m seeing right now where if I apply for the card, after a qualifying purchase I’d earn enough points for $200 worth of cruise credit. So my questions are (and I’ve read all the terms and conditions and can’t find the answers) 1. What qualifies as a qualifying purchase? And 2. If I make this purchase would I be able to apply this $200 credit to OBC or payment credit for a cruise I booked months ago but still very far from final payment? 

[ShakyBeef]

11 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

You seem to have a lot of knowledge about this card so  I’m seeing right now where if I apply for the card, after a qualifying purchase I’d earn enough points for $200 worth of cruise credit. So my questions are (and I’ve read all the terms and conditions and can’t find the answers) 1. What qualifies as a qualifying purchase? And 2. If I make this purchase would I be able to apply this $200 credit to OBC or payment credit for a cruise I booked months ago but still very far from final payment? 

 

Hi!  Yes, I know a bit about the card.  I've had mine since 2005, back when it was the Carnival SeaMiles MC. 

 

The sign-up bonus is 10,000 FunPoints as soon as you make your first purchase with the card.  Any purchase.  It does not have to be a Carnival purchase.  It can be a can of soup from the grocery store.  Anything.

 

Here's from Barclays Rewards Summary:

 

"10,000 Bonus FunPoints^® will be awarded at the close of the first billing statement in which you make your first purchase or balance transfer and then will be credited to your Carnival World Mastercard account. There is a fee for Balance Transfers. See the Terms and Conditions for complete details about this offer."

 

And that 10,000 Funpoints only gets you $100 credit, not $200.  That's redeemable as OBC.  But I personally would never use my FunPoints that way. The way I use them is the way to get the biggest bang for your (FunPoint) buck: I accrue my FunPoints until I have at least 100,000.  And then I cash them in for a statement credit on a Carnival purchase of $1500 or more.  That has been my S&S balance for some cruises, and sometimes it's been my final payment. 

 

If you can be patient and build up the FPs (and plan on taking another Carnival cruise at some point in the future on which you can redeem them), you get a better redemption rate this way.

 

I hope this helps.

[Jerseygirl1416]

9 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

Hi!  Yes, I know a bit about the card.  I've had mine since 2005, back when it was the Carnival SeaMiles MC. 

 

The sign-up bonus is 10,000 FunPoints as soon as you make your first purchase with the card.  Any purchase.  It does not have to be a Carnival purchase.  It can be a can of soup from the grocery store.  Anything.

 

Here's from Barclays Rewards Summary:

 

"10,000 Bonus FunPoints^® will be awarded at the close of the first billing statement in which you make your first purchase or balance transfer and then will be credited to your Carnival World Mastercard account. There is a fee for Balance Transfers. See the Terms and Conditions for complete details about this offer."

 

And that 10,000 Funpoints only gets you $100 credit, not $200.  That's redeemable as OBC.  But I personally would never use my FunPoints that way. The way I use them is the way to get the biggest bang for your (FunPoint) buck: I accrue my FunPoints until I have at least 100,000.  And then I cash them in for a statement credit on a Carnival purchase of $1500 or more.  That has been my S&S balance for some cruises, and sometimes it's been my final payment. 

 

If you can be patient and build up the FPs (and plan on taking another Carnival cruise at some point in the future on which you can redeem them), you get a better redemption rate this way.

 

I hope this helps.

Thank you! 

 

[ShakyBeef]

2 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

Thank you! 

 

You're welcome.

[mojavetex]

I admit I am lazy and have not done the math but maybe someone has. My question is which is better—buying AARP gift cards $100 for $90, $500 for $450 or using 100,000 points for over $1500 purchase. 

[n6uqqq]

The two gift cards are both 10 percent off. For the everyday Joe that is the best discount you will get for Carnival. To get that 100000 points you have to be spending a lot of money.

Edited January 27, 2019 by n6uqqq

[ShakyBeef]

18 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

To get that 100000 points you have to be spending a lot of money.

 

It depends on what one considers a lot of money.  It's all very relative,  I know.  But it doesn't have to take all that much spending to rack up the points fast. 

 

For instance,  I just bought a new Purple bed from Sam's Club thru RewardsBoost for $1020.  Sam's Club was offering 3 FPs per $.  That's in addition to the regular 1 FP per dollar for all non-Carnival purchases.  So I got 4080 FPs  for that $1020 spent.  Now I don't buy new beds everyday,  but with the RB multipliers,  the FPs really do add up fast. 

[Mediterranean_Honeymooner]

Mine said a $200 statement credit.  Any idea how long it will take to appear on the account?

[n6uqqq]

1 hour ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

It depends on what one considers a lot of money.  It's all very relative,  I know.  But it doesn't have to take all that much spending to rack up the points fast. 

 

For instance,  I just bought a new Purple bed from Sam's Club thru RewardsBoost for $1020.  Sam's Club was offering 3 FPs per $.  That's in addition to the regular 1 FP per dollar for all non-Carnival purchases.  So I got 4080 FPs  for that $1020 spent.  Now I don't buy new beds everyday,  but with the RB multipliers,  the FPs really do add up fast. 

No doubt some can accumulate points fast but even at 5X points you need to spend 20 thousand dollars to get that 1500 dollars. I just paid a cruise off that is 5k with gift cards so I saved 500 dollars and made another 75 or so with my rewards credit card which gives me 1.25 percent back for all purchases. There is no wrong answer here but for someone who doesn't spend a lot on credit cards the AARP/Allstate cards are a great deal.

[Saint Greg]

2 hours ago, mojavetex said:

I admit I am lazy and have not done the math but maybe someone has. My question is which is better—buying AARP gift cards $100 for $90, $500 for $450 or using 100,000 points for over $1500 purchase. 

 

I kind of do both. I use the MC to buy my gift cards, then when I reach 100,000 pts I cash that in for a $1500 cruise.

[n6uqqq]

Just now, Saint Greg said:

 

I kind of do both. I use the MC to buy my gift cards, then when I reach 100,000 pts I cash that in for a $1500 cruise.

That's a good way to max out!

[Saint Greg]

3 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

That's a good way to max out!

 

My MC funpoints paid for my Vista cruise next month. Booked it a year ago...And I’m almost up to 40,000 points towards another. You get double points charging that $1,500 that you aren’t really paying for so I immediately got 3k points back.

Edited January 27, 2019 by Saint Greg

[ShakyBeef]

17 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

No doubt some can accumulate points fast but even at 5X points you need to spend 20 thousand dollars to get that 1500 dollars. I just paid a cruise off that is 5k with gift cards so I saved 500 dollars and made another 75 or so with my rewards credit card which gives me 1.25 percent back for all purchases. There is no wrong answer here but for someone who doesn't spend a lot on credit cards the AARP/Allstate cards are a great deal.

 

I concur.

[ShakyBeef]

14 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

I kind of do both. I use the MC to buy my gift cards, then when I reach 100,000 pts I cash that in for a $1500 cruise.

 

Good method!🤑

 

9 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

My MC funpoints paid for my Vista cruise next month. Booked it a year ago...And I’m almost up to 40,000 points towards another. You get double points charging that $1,500 that you aren’t really paying for so I immediately got 3k points back.

 

Yep.  That's the way to do it.

[Saint Greg]

1 minute ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

Good method!🤑

 

 

Yep.  That's the way to do it.

 

And I booked it under early saver so I got OBC from price drops that will pay for a couple steakhouse visits.

[ShakyBeef]

Just now, Saint Greg said:

 

And I booked it under early saver so I got OBC from price drops that will pay for a couple steakhouse visits.

 

You go, boy.🤑

[n6uqqq]

Another thing people should do besides credit card savings, is shop around. My alaska cruise on June 25th through Carnival direct is $4878.08 for early saver. My local favorite big box has same cruise exactly (early saver) for $4566.08 plus 200 obc plus $235 store gift card plus 2% executive bonus back. This one cruise comes out to be 819.80 less through big box for one cabin. The great thing is they will apply Carnival gift cards that I have purchased through AARP. Having my cake and eating it too. I used to book faithfully directly through Carnival, but no more.