Paying gratuities using gift cards onboard

[Hsmama]

ok.... I was discussing this in another thread (somewhere) and I want to verify that I can do this without issue... I want to pay our gratuities once we get onboard,using a few gift cards that I have....this is ok,correct? what do I need to do?-thanks

[jbethel11]

27 minutes ago, Hsmama said:

ok.... I was discussing this in another thread (somewhere) and I want to verify that I can do this without issue... I want to pay our gratuities once we get onboard,using a few gift cards that I have....this is ok,correct? what do I need to do?-thanks

Yes. All you have to do is apply the gift cards to your sail & sign (I believe by going down to Guest Services) and your gratuities will applied to your account, and covered by the gift cards.

[Organized Chaos]

Since you didn't pre-pay your gratuities prior to the cruise, they'll be charged to your S&S account at the end, like jbethel mentioned. You can't pay the gratuities when you get onboard because they aren't charged up front. You can, however, apply the gift cards to your S&S right away. Just keep in mind that their system won't reserve those gift card funds for gratuities specifically. If you deposit them at the beginning of your cruise, any spending you do will be deducted from the gift card balance. Well, technically it'll use up any OBC you might have first (including Cruise Cash), then the gift cards. So if you want to use them specifically for gratuities, you'll have to wait until the last night and apply them then.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Organized Chaos

[Hsmama]

thank you!

[jdemps]

Can you call now and just pay with the gift card on the phone so it's taken care of?

[Joe817]

11 minutes ago, jdemps said:

Can you call now and just pay with the gift card on the phone so it's taken care of?

I would think you would be able to. If you booked your cruise through a Travel Agent, you have to do it through them.

[bury me at sea]

One easy way to do this is have the grats included with your booking fare and pay the entire thing with gift cards, either directly through Carnival or through your TA, depending on how you booked.

[Schoifmom]

43 minutes ago, jdemps said:

Can you call now and just pay with the gift card on the phone so it's taken care of?

 

Yes.  You can call and add pre-paid grats to your booking and simply apply the gift cards to your booking payment (or pay for the grats, if your cruise is paid).