OBC from travel agent: Is it refundable?

[ccm02339]

Good morning,

I have asked my travel agent but they say they won't know until a month before cruse.

I am cruising in the Haven and my agent gives back 10% plus several other extra $ so our OBC balance will be more than I can imagine spending on board.

It it typical for Travel agent OBC to be non refundable?

just looking for some expert advice?

Thnak you,

Sarah

[shof515]

it depends on the OBC

 

if the TA buys the OBC as a "gift" to you then it is a refundable 

if it is part of some kind of booking perk then it is non refundable 

[ccm02339]

31 minutes ago, shof515 said:

it depends on the OBC

 

if the TA buys the OBC as a "gift" to you then it is a refundable 

if it is part of some kind of booking perk then it is non refundable 

So the OBC is a booking perk from the travel agent not NCL

I was thinking that OBC that NCL provides is the only kind that can be non refundable?

The travel agent has the ability to make it non refundable too?

Thanks for your help and sorry for all the ????

[mafig]

1 hour ago, ccm02339 said:

 

I was thinking that OBC that NCL provides is the only kind that can be non refundable?

 

It's normally the other way around.  OBC from the cruise line ....you have to use it onboard.

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, ccm02339 said:

So the OBC is a booking perk from the travel agent not NCL

I was thinking that OBC that NCL provides is the only kind that can be non refundable?

The travel agent has the ability to make it non refundable too?

Thanks for your help and sorry for all the ????

 

I agree with @mafig.... typically any obc from the cruise line itself is non-refundable and must be used onboard.

 

Think of it this way. Let's say you use that OBC to buy yourself a Coke at $3.00. The actual cost of the coke to the cruise line is pennies. Since everything onboard has a mark-up, the cruise line 'profits' by forcing you to use the OBC onboard.

 

OBC from a travel agent as an gift is typically refundable. But; sometimes TA's get OBC from the cruise line as part of an incentive, in which case it could be non-refundable.

 

My best guess is your TA OBC will be refundable, but you won't really know until you get onboard :(. 

[ontheweb]

Also, non-refundable OBC will be used first before any refundable OBC.

[ccm02339]

Thanks everyone!

[Ken the cruiser]

We asked our TA the other day if the OBC they were giving us for our upcoming 38-day B2B was refundable or nonrefundable? She said it was nonrefundable. Since we also just found out nonrefundable OBC, regardless of origination, cannot be used to pay the NCL daily discretionary service charge (DSC), we then asked our TA if we could instead get this "booking perk" issued in the form of a rebate check? She said yes, and we should get the check mailed to us a few weeks before the cruise. The daily DSC can definitely start to add up on longer cruises!

[MeHeartCruising]

23 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We asked our TA the other day if the OBC they were giving us for our upcoming 38-day B2B was refundable or nonrefundable? She said it was nonrefundable. Since we also just found out nonrefundable OBC, regardless of origination, cannot be used to pay the NCL daily discretionary service charge (DSC), we then asked our TA if we could instead get this "booking perk" issued in the form of a rebate check? She said yes, and we should get the check mailed to us a few weeks before the cruise. The daily DSC can definitely start to add up on longer cruises!

Nice that your TA would do this.  I got $100 OBC from NCL on my recent cruise due to a couple port cancellations.   It couldn’t offset the DSC.  It couldn’t be used in the casino.  I already had the drink, dining and unlimited internet packages.  I was able to use $40 of it giving additional tips on my specialty dining meals.   But with the final $60 I had to buy 2 tshirts I didn’t want and that won’t fit me, and 2 way overpriced chocolate bars and 2 packages of M&Ms.  I still had $9 left and was going to buy more candy with it on the last night, but was surprised that the shops were closed because we were overnighting in Amsterdam.   What a wasted $60 to me. 

[Ken the cruiser]

15 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

Nice that your TA would do this.  I got $100 OBC from NCL on my recent cruise due to a couple port cancellations.   It couldn’t offset the DSC.  It couldn’t be used in the casino.  I already had the drink, dining and unlimited internet packages.  I was able to use $40 of it giving additional tips on my specialty dining meals.   But with the final $60 I had to buy 2 tshirts I didn’t want and that won’t fit me, and 2 way overpriced chocolate bars and 2 packages of M&Ms.  I still had $9 left and was going to buy more candy with it on the last night, but was surprised that the shops were closed because we were overnighting in Amsterdam.   What a wasted $60 to me. 

I have to admit we were a little overwhelmed when we found out we couldn't use our TA's OBC to pay for the DSC on our upcoming 38-day B2B. But as we have found when booking cruises on different lines, each one has their own rules. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a few cruises before you "think" you've got most of them figured out. Thank goodness for CC and for all of the folks that provide their valuable insights that have helped us learn some of those rules along the way!! 😄

[cruiseny4life]

16 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

Nice that your TA would do this.  I got $100 OBC from NCL on my recent cruise due to a couple port cancellations.   It couldn’t offset the DSC.  It couldn’t be used in the casino.  I already had the drink, dining and unlimited internet packages.  I was able to use $40 of it giving additional tips on my specialty dining meals.   But with the final $60 I had to buy 2 tshirts I didn’t want and that won’t fit me, and 2 way overpriced chocolate bars and 2 packages of M&Ms.  I still had $9 left and was going to buy more candy with it on the last night, but was surprised that the shops were closed because we were overnighting in Amsterdam.   What a wasted $60 to me. 

We booked massages with our $100. I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.