ON BOARD CREDIT, CRUISELINE vs TRAVEL AGENT

[Spif Barwunkel]

On board credit is a nice addition to the cruising experience. Whether given by the carrier or a TA, it is extra money to spend as you wish. Cruise line OBC, you use it or lose it. Travel Agent OBC, what is not used on the cruise is given to you in another form. We have large amounts of OBC from both sources on upcoming cruises. How can I assure that any expenditures are first taken from the cruise line source until that amount is exhausted? Obviously, it is much more beneficial to maintain monies that will not be given, then taketh away.  

[CruiserBruce]

That will depend on the cruise line. Perhaps you should ask on the board for the cruise line(s) involved. 

 

In Holland America's app, itclearly says which type of OBC you have. HAL has always been good about burning up the non-refundable first.

[rkacruiser]

24 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

HAL has always been good about burning up the non-refundable first.

 

That's been my experience as well.  

[Hlitner]

From the OP's posts I gather they will be on Celebrity.  That line does have both refundable and non-refundable OBCs and I do not know if their current app lets you see that detail.  But the norm is for the non-refundable (which is generally the OBCs given fully or partially by the cruise line) to be used first.  This should be handled automatically by the ship's system.  But, just to be sure and satisfy yourself you might want to pay a visit to the Guest Relations desk sometime during the first few days of your cruise and ask the question.   They will also be able to tell you how much refundable you have and how it would be refunded.

 

I agree with the other post that all this is handled differently by various lines.  Some lines will refund to the credit card of record while some others (such as Princess) will send a check to your home a few weeks after a cruise.  And then there are a few lines that will not refund any OBC.  Igetn that case one should either spend the money during the cruise or, if the line permits, you might be able to get the OBC by getting chips or a credit in the casino and later cashing out.

 

Hank

[CruiserBruce]

@Hlitner, then @Spif Barwunkelshould probably be asking this on the Celebrity board.

[Spif Barwunkel]

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

@Hlitner, then @Spif Barwunkelshould probably be asking this on the Celebrity board.

That is what I have done. I thank you all for your responses and advice. Glad that it is just that simple.

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

On board credit is a nice addition to the cruising experience. Whether given by the carrier or a TA, it is extra money to spend as you wish. Cruise line OBC, you use it or lose it. Travel Agent OBC, what is not used on the cruise is given to you in another form. We have large amounts of OBC from both sources on upcoming cruises. How can I assure that any expenditures are first taken from the cruise line source until that amount is exhausted? Obviously, it is much more beneficial to maintain monies that will not be given, then taketh away.  

A touch more complicated than that.

Some SBC provided by a TA may actually come from the cruise line as pass-through incentive funds. Though it is for the TA to use for specific purposes (e.g., customers new to that line) or at the TA’s discretion, pass through $ are usually non-refundable. On the other hand, the TA’s own resources (e.g., commissions) used for SBC perks are refundable.

[Spif Barwunkel]

Personally, I would like to have most of my awarded discretionary funds exhausted prior to sailing day. Pre-booked shore excursions - which we do - can quickly exhaust OBC. So, for us if TA OBC became available prior to cruising, those monies would be more manageable depending on how much you wanted to keep for the actual cruise.

[Flatbush Flyer]

38 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Personally, I would like to have most of my awarded discretionary funds exhausted prior to sailing day. Pre-booked shore excursions - which we do - can quickly exhaust OBC. So, for us if TA OBC became available prior to cruising, those monies would be more manageable depending on how much you wanted to keep for the actual cruise.

Here’s another somewhat complicated item. Depending on the cruiseline, it may or may not include TA SBC (even if it’s the line’s own pass through $ incentives) in the balance of SBC available to offset the charges associated with pre-cruise purchases. 
For example, O Club SBC (e.g., $500 for Platinum) is listed in the cart and, though, it is not visible, any O Life included excursions or SBC will be applied to pre-purchases (really nice is that the Cart intuitively assigns $0 as the price of the most expensive of your alloyed/allowable excursions. (On the downside, the Cart is not very good at showing its math. But, if you check it manually, the bottom line for O Life and additionally purchased tours (which are discounted 25% if you meet the YWYW minimum purchase requirement for your cruise) is usually accurate. BTW, once you settle your Cart charges, you or your TA can immediately request a PDF summary that does show all the math.

Admittedly, O policies on Cart and related items can be a bit confusing to a newbie. But, many seasoned O cruisers will agree that the combo of O Life excursions option, YWYW 25% tour discounts and O Club SBC can make the bottom line cost of the right ship excursions a significant bargain - perfect for mixing with your favorite private tours.

 

And, because TA SBC or rebates and some other SBC (even that “gifted” by O) are not involved in Cart purchases, there will be $ available during the cruise (in your account or in your pocket).

[Spif Barwunkel]

17 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Here’s another somewhat complicated item. Depending on the cruiseline, it may or may not include TA SBC (even if it’s the line’s own pass through $ incentives) in the balance of SBC available to offset the charges associated with pre-cruise purchases. 
For example, O Club SBC (e.g., $500 for Platinum) is listed in the cart and, though, it is not visible, any O Life included excursions or SBC will be applied to pre-purchases (really nice is that the Cart intuitively assigns $0 as the price of the most expensive of your alloyed/allowable excursions. (On the downside, the Cart is not very good at showing its math. But, if you check it manually, the bottom line for O Life and additionally purchased tours (which are discounted 25% if you meet the YWYW minimum purchase requirement for your cruise) is usually accurate. BTW, once you settle your Cart charges, you or your TA can immediately request a PDF summary that does show all the math.

Admittedly, O policies on Cart and related items can be a bit confusing to a newbie. But, many seasoned O cruisers will agree that the combo of O Life excursions option, YWYW 25% tour discounts and O Club SBC can make the bottom line cost of the right ship excursions a significant bargain - perfect for mixing with your favorite private tours.

 

And, because TA SBC or rebates and some other SBC (even that “gifted” by O) are not involved in Cart purchases, there will be $ available during the cruise (in your account or in your pocket).

Excellent post and quite educational for me. thank you.

[cruiseaholic777]

We just had a cruise that we had 1000$ onboard credit. We found out that they were using the refundable money first. So I went to the desk and ask for my cash back. They gave me 200$ cash and then started using my onboard credit.

[Flatbush Flyer]

39 minutes ago, cruiseaholic777 said:

We just had a cruise that we had 1000$ onboard credit. We found out that they were using the refundable money first. So I went to the desk and ask for my cash back. They gave me 200$ cash and then started using my onboard credit.

On some lines, you need not do anything. On the last evening of the cruise, you’ll receive a note regarding how much refundable cash you have left (since they use non-refundable $ first) and the option of taking it as cash or receiving a check by mail once you’re home.