AARP Rewards eGift Cards

[Bgwest]

3 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Today, to make a long story short, we learned if you cancel a Celebrity cruise before or after final payment, any Gift Card funds posted to the associated booking will neither be refunded nor reposted back to the Gift Card from which it came. In other words, Celebrity keeps the GC funds IF you cancel the cruise for any reason. 

 

My question is this with regards to AARP GCs posted to a Princess booking. Does anyone have personal knowledge from actual experience that the GC funds posted to a booking that you subsequently canceled prior to Final Payment actually go back on the original Gift Card?

 

For the long story regarding the new "unlimited" Celebrity Gift Card rules, here's the link to the thread over on the Celebrity forum.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2946333-gift-card-limit/

 

Yikes!! We are eager to hear from those Princess cruisers who are in the same situation. 

[that]

5 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Today, to make a long story short, we learned if you cancel a Celebrity cruise before or after final payment, any Gift Card funds posted to the associated booking will neither be refunded nor reposted back to the Gift Card from which it came. In other words, Celebrity keeps the GC funds IF you cancel the cruise for any reason. 

 

My question is this with regards to AARP GCs posted to a Princess booking. Does anyone have personal knowledge from actual experience that the GC funds posted to a booking that you subsequently canceled prior to Final Payment actually go back on the original Gift Card?

 

For the long story regarding the new "unlimited" Celebrity Gift Card rules, here's the link to the thread over on the Celebrity forum.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2946333-gift-card-limit/

 

Yes

Princess cruises that

we cancelled

and had cruises that were covid cancelled and the funds were returned to the original gift cards used.  
Our concern was would Princess cruises return.  Since 2021 we have subsequently used all those gift cards.  

[Thrak]

30 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Today, to make a long story short, we learned if you cancel a Celebrity cruise before or after final payment, any Gift Card funds posted to the associated booking will neither be refunded nor reposted back to the Gift Card from which it came. In other words, Celebrity keeps the GC funds IF you cancel the cruise for any reason. 

 

This is obviously not legal - unless they are keeping the funds for your later use as in the form of a future cruise credit. If I paid thousands of dollars for a cruise using cruise branded legitimate gift cards and then was told that, due to cancellation of the cruise, the money was "theirs" to keep and nyah, nyah, nyah I would either get it fixed or get a lawyer. That would be nothing short of theft of funds.

[Ken the cruiser]

7 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

This is obviously not legal - unless they are keeping the funds for your later use as in the form of a future cruise credit. If I paid thousands of dollars for a cruise using cruise branded legitimate gift cards and then was told that, due to cancellation of the cruise, the money was "theirs" to keep and nyah, nyah, nyah I would either get it fixed or get a lawyer. That would be nothing short of theft of funds.

Understand. I'm just sharing what they told me. FWIW here's a link that was listed in the fine print on the AARP Celebrity Gift Card.

 

Microsoft Word - GiftCardT&Cs.cleandocx.docx (celebritycorporatekit.com)

 

These are the only two items I could find that mention "no refund".

 

2) Certificate/Cards are not redeemable for cash and cannot be returned for a cash refund, except to the extent required by law. Gift certificate/card cash value is 1/10 of one cent. This Certificate/Card cannot be used to settle any ship board charges, including but not limited to gift shop purchases, casino debts, shore excursions or gratuities. This Certificate/Card is not valid on any other cruise line, including any affiliate or subsidiary of Celebrity Cruises In

 

7) Changes to the reservation may be permitted, subject to availability and any other restrictions and any applicable cancellation charges. No refunds after booking is made and paid in full.

[jwattle]

15 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Understand. I'm just sharing what they told me. FWIW here's a link that was listed in the fine print on the AARP Celebrity Gift Card.

 

Microsoft Word - GiftCardT&Cs.cleandocx.docx (celebritycorporatekit.com)

 

These are the only two items I could find that mention "no refund".

 

2) Certificate/Cards are not redeemable for cash and cannot be returned for a cash refund, except to the extent required by law. Gift certificate/card cash value is 1/10 of one cent. This Certificate/Card cannot be used to settle any ship board charges, including but not limited to gift shop purchases, casino debts, shore excursions or gratuities. This Certificate/Card is not valid on any other cruise line, including any affiliate or subsidiary of Celebrity Cruises In

 

7) Changes to the reservation may be permitted, subject to availability and any other restrictions and any applicable cancellation charges. No refunds after booking is made and paid in full.

I can also vouch for Princess returning funds to the gift card, even if we canceled the cruise. 🙂

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Today, to make a long story short, we learned if you cancel a Celebrity cruise before or after final payment, any Gift Card funds posted to the associated booking will neither be refunded nor reposted back to the Gift Card from which it came. In other words, Celebrity keeps the GC funds IF you cancel the cruise for any reason. 

 

My question is this with regards to AARP GCs posted to a Princess booking. Does anyone have personal knowledge from actual experience that the GC funds posted to a booking that you subsequently canceled prior to Final Payment actually go back on the original Gift Card?

 

For the long story regarding the new "unlimited" Celebrity Gift Card rules, here's the link to the thread over on the Celebrity forum.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2946333-gift-card-limit/

 

That’s terrible.  I would never use a GC on X then. Even if you have insurance CFAR?

[dreaminofcruisin]

4 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Today, to make a long story short, we learned if you cancel a Celebrity cruise before or after final payment, any Gift Card funds posted to the associated booking will neither be refunded nor reposted back to the Gift Card from which it came. In other words, Celebrity keeps the GC funds IF you cancel the cruise for any reason. 

 

My question is this with regards to AARP GCs posted to a Princess booking. Does anyone have personal knowledge from actual experience that the GC funds posted to a booking that you subsequently canceled prior to Final Payment actually go back on the original Gift Card?

 

For the long story regarding the new "unlimited" Celebrity Gift Card rules, here's the link to the thread over on the Celebrity forum.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2946333-gift-card-limit/

 

 

Yes. When we cancelled for our January 2023 cruise, the payments made by gift cards went back to each gift card. In fact, this was after Final Payment....I think about 65 days prior to sailing.

 

[PacnGoNow]

23 minutes ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

Yes. When we cancelled for our January 2023 cruise, the payments made by gift cards went back to each gift card. In fact, this was after Final Payment....I think about 65 days prior to sailing.

 

And that’s how it is supposed to work on Princess.  Others have reported this was also their experience.

[Calnev1]

17 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

And that’s how it is supposed to work on Princess.  Others have reported this was also their experience.

Just for clarity, if you had paid cash for the cruise instead of a gift card, wouldn't you have lost all your money (e.g., 100% cancellation fee after Final payment is due)?  Maybe I have that wrong about the cancellation policy when you cancel after the final payment due date.  But if I am correct, then to get a refund for a Princess gift card when you cancel after the final payment date would be a huge benefit of using gift cards over cash.

[PacnGoNow]

4 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

Just for clarity, if you had paid cash for the cruise instead of a gift card, wouldn't you have lost all your money (e.g., 100% cancellation fee after Final payment is due)?  Maybe I have that wrong about the cancellation policy when you cancel after the final payment due date.  But if I am correct, then to get a refund for a Princess gift card when you cancel after the final payment date would be a huge benefit of using gift cards over cash.

No the cancellation policy stands.  The exception is, if you bought insurance and had to cancel due to medical or if you bought CFAR cancel for any reason insurance.  That’s what is being discussed here.  

[Calnev1]

1 minute ago, PacnGoNow said:

No the cancellation policy stands.  The exception is, if you bought insurance and had to cancel due to medical or if you bought CFAR cancel for any reason insurance.  That’s what is being discussed here.  

OK   Thanks for the clarification.

[no1racefan1]

On 6/26/2023 at 1:33 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

Today, to make a long story short, we learned if you cancel a Celebrity cruise before or after final payment, any Gift Card funds posted to the associated booking will neither be refunded nor reposted back to the Gift Card from which it came. In other words, Celebrity keeps the GC funds IF you cancel the cruise for any reason. 

 

My question is this with regards to AARP GCs posted to a Princess booking. Does anyone have personal knowledge from actual experience that the GC funds posted to a booking that you subsequently canceled prior to Final Payment actually go back on the original Gift Card?

 

For the long story regarding the new "unlimited" Celebrity Gift Card rules, here's the link to the thread over on the Celebrity forum.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2946333-gift-card-limit/

 

Say what???

[dreaminofcruisin]

3 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

Just for clarity, if you had paid cash for the cruise instead of a gift card, wouldn't you have lost all your money (e.g., 100% cancellation fee after Final payment is due)?  Maybe I have that wrong about the cancellation policy when you cancel after the final payment due date.  But if I am correct, then to get a refund for a Princess gift card when you cancel after the final payment date would be a huge benefit of using gift cards over cash.

 

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

No the cancellation policy stands.  The exception is, if you bought insurance and had to cancel due to medical or if you bought CFAR cancel for any reason insurance.  That’s what is being discussed here.  

 

Actually, the cancellation fee is not 100 % after Final Payment.

It varies by length of sailing how much when.

The entire list is here:

https://www.princess.com/plan/standard-cancellation-refund-policy/

 

For example:

Sailings 6 to 24 days

 

90 days or more	None	None
57 to 89 days	Cruise fare	Deposit^ Amount
29 to 56 days	All Items	50% of Total Charges
28-15 days	All Items	75% of Total Charges
14 days or less	All Items	100% of Total Charges

[med02]

I started to read through this thread but I don't know if this question was answered: Can a husband and a wife each purchase five $500 AARP gift cards per month and apply as payment for a cruise? We are looking at booking a cruise this week and final payment is due immediately as the cruise leaves August 21st. We each are AARP members. 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 minutes ago, med02 said:

I started to read through this thread but I don't know if this question was answered: Can a husband and a wife each purchase five $500 AARP gift cards per month and apply as payment for a cruise? We are looking at booking a cruise this week and final payment is due immediately as the cruise leaves August 21st. We each are AARP members. 

Yes, but not sure how it works when you book a cruise after the final payment date and the total sum is due at booking. You may want to ask your booking agent before you purchase the GCs.

Edited June 27, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

21 minutes ago, no1racefan1 said:

Say what???

I just posted an update to the Celebrity Gift Card thread if you want to know the latest.

[PacnGoNow]

25 minutes ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

 

Actually, the cancellation fee is not 100 % after Final Payment.

It varies by length of sailing how much when.

The entire list is here:

https://www.princess.com/plan/standard-cancellation-refund-policy/

 

For example:

Sailings 6 to 24 days

 

90 days or more	None	None
57 to 89 days	Cruise fare	Deposit^ Amount
29 to 56 days	All Items	50% of Total Charges
28-15 days	All Items	75% of Total Charges
14 days or less	All Items	100% of Total Charges

Yes, that’s the detailed cancellation policy.  Believe the question was if a GC would be different than paying cash, in case of cancellation.

 

Thank you for posting the details.

[LBCABob]

1 hour ago, med02 said:

I started to read through this thread but I don't know if this question was answered: Can a husband and a wife each purchase five $500 AARP gift cards per month and apply as payment for a cruise? We are looking at booking a cruise this week and final payment is due immediately as the cruise leaves August 21st. We each are AARP members. 

This was addressed somewhere in this thread.  IF you can book and still use the Courtesy HOLD function (which holds for just a few hours, not days) then go into the booking payment page and Gift Card is an option like credit cards and PayPal.  Note that someone mentioned to pace yourself when posting 10+ cards, the Princess computer may get confused.  Maybe just do 5 then leave the page and come back?  Someone will correct me on this as I have NOT personally done more than 2 GC's at a time.

 

And, yes, you and your husband would need to create your own [free] AARP Rewards account (which is different than AARP itself and is NOT required to use their rewards feature) and each purchase the 5/month limit.  Same CC if you want.

 

Bon Voyage! 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by LBCABob
Forgot about the husband-wife question.

[DJ Cruisers]

There was a discussion on the Holland America boards about what happens if you cancel a cruise after final payment, will your insurance cover the cruise cost if you pay with gift certificates. Someone called  an insurance company to clarify what would happen and was told no.  They will not cover the amount that was paid by the AARP gift cards.  She also said her credit card insurance would not cover the cost paid with gift cards.

 

If true, would using them on a Princess cruise be any different...

[theloo]

I know a few people have reported that Princess returned funds from a cancelled cruise back to the original gift card.  Has anyone had to cancel  and get refunded through trip insurance?  I would think that it would be the same as paying with cash, but it sounds like it might not.

Edited June 30, 2023 by theloo

[DJ Cruisers]

4 minutes ago, theloo said:

 Has anyone had to cancel  and get refunded through trip insurance?  

That is what I was wondering.  The person on the HAL boards who posted said she talked to Steve at the tripinsurancestore who I have heard others talk about as being very knowledgeable.  It sounded like you need to verify when you buy insurance, it's not a given.  She also said the fine print of her Chase Sapphire card said the insurance would not cover the cruise cost if it was paid by a certificate.

 

Wouldn't want to be surprised if I had to cancel a cruise after final payment and find out the insurance doesn't cover it.  It's always in  the fine print......

[theloo]

18 minutes ago, DJ Cruisers said:

That is what I was wondering.  The person on the HAL boards who posted said she talked to Steve at the tripinsurancestore who I have heard others talk about as being very knowledgeable.  It sounded like you need to verify when you buy insurance, it's not a given.  She also said the fine print of her Chase Sapphire card said the insurance would not cover the cruise cost if it was paid by a certificate.

 

Wouldn't want to be surprised if I had to cancel a cruise after final payment and find out the insurance doesn't cover it.  It's always in  the fine print......

Thanks.  I guess I will have to shop insurance carefully.  

[Esjung1]

On 6/27/2023 at 4:49 PM, med02 said:

I started to read through this thread but I don't know if this question was answered: Can a husband and a wife each purchase five $500 AARP gift cards per month and apply as payment for a cruise? We are looking at booking a cruise this week and final payment is due immediately as the cruise leaves August 21st. We each are AARP members. 

If you each have your own email accounts you should be able to do this, we had two separate bookings and my dad bought half the gift cards and I bought the other half to pay off the $6,134 balance.  It worked great! 

[Ellipooh]

Apologies for being an idiot, but I cannot find anywhere on AARP to purchase Princess gift cards. I’ve searched in Travel and Rewards and the general site. 
 

can some kind soul provide fool-proof step by step instructions?

[Ken the cruiser]

19 minutes ago, Ellipooh said:

Apologies for being an idiot, but I cannot find anywhere on AARP to purchase Princess gift cards. I’ve searched in Travel and Rewards and the general site. 
 

can some kind soul provide fool-proof step by step instructions?

Try this link.

 

https://www.aarp.org/rewards/redeem/#sort-by=default&type=filter_travel