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AARP /HAL Gift Cards

mcrcruiser

By mcrcruiser,
in Holland America Line

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mcrcruiser

mcrcruiser

Posted
Posted (edited)

Suppose we bought a  $500  AARP  Gift Card for On board Credit ;but ,we never used that money ,Does HAL refund to us our  $500  And will it be cash or credited to our credit card on file with HAL ? 

 

 PS what id we used $50 of ithe $500 ,how dowe get the $450 balance  back ?

 

TIA

Edited by mcrcruiser
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Mary229 "Live from...." Rare

Mary229

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If I understand your question correctly, you are asking what if you buy OBC with your card and don’t use it.  It will be refunded to the method you used to buy the OBC, if all goes according to the rules.  I have been told by the general office onboard that if I overpay my shipboard account by gift card it may not be refundable.  So it seems the rules are not set in stone.  I pay as I go once onboard.  Weekly I make my way down to the desk and pay only as much as appears on my bill. For me I find this the most conservative method and yes I have to visit to pay but I don’t have to be paid back.   One of my maxims is it is better to owe than to be owed 

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Nodakboiler

Nodakboiler

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We used AARP gift cards and bought OBC via the HAL website before we cruised. We also had nonrefundable OBC which is used first. We had credit at the end of the cruise and our credit card showed the total refund the day after the cruise ended.

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crystalspin

crystalspin

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Cliff, I have always understood that unused AARP (or other) cards were refunded to the card. Otherwise some crafty person would buy the limit of cards, put it in their OBC balance -- not spend it -- have 110% paid back to their credit card!

 

Not anyone on this board, of course. 

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BermudaBound2014 Great Review Rare

BermudaBound2014

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4 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

Thank you dor your replies  .Just seemed tocme that my credit card woud be credited for any un used on board credits we had paid regardless of by what method we used ,even the AARP  coupon 

 

I wouldn't count on it. Read Crystalspin's reply above. The terms of the AARP card specify that any unused portion goes back to the gift card itself. Read the terms. 

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mcrcruiser

mcrcruiser

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5 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Cliff, I have always understood that unused AARP (or other) cards were refunded to the card. Otherwise some crafty person would buy the limit of cards, put it in their OBC balance -- not spend it -- have 110% paid back to their credit card!

 

Not anyone on this board, of course. 

OK  that seems reasonable .Still buying $500 for $450 is still a goof deal ,if a person can really use that for OBC  purposes  

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Haljo1935 "Live from...." Rare

Haljo1935

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1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said:

OK  that seems reasonable .Still buying $500 for $450 is still a goof deal ,if a person can really use that for OBC  purposes  

Yes, and of course, you can use the gift cards toward the actual cruise fare (please nobody, no discussion about trip protection ramifications - diff thread) saving another 10%off whatever discount you already received. 

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Real NHDOC

Real NHDOC

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Posted
On 8/26/2023 at 4:54 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

Are the funds from an AARP gift card applied to a booking returned to the originating gift card(s) if a cruise is canceled either before or after final payment (minus any cancellation penalties)?

Yes

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PigsCanFly

PigsCanFly

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We used our AARP purchased gift cards for OBC and Casino chips.  I expect the OBC will go toward our crew appreciation and any drink, specialty dining or gift purchases.  The casino chips will likely be shared with the table games, but I believe they could be cashed in at the cashier.  We don't have any experience with unused OBC.  We have repeatedly spent it before the cruises were over😉

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Real NHDOC

Real NHDOC

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10 minutes ago, PigsCanFly said:

We used our AARP purchased gift cards for OBC and Casino chips.  I expect the OBC will go toward our crew appreciation and any drink, specialty dining or gift purchases.  The casino chips will likely be shared with the table games, but I believe they could be cashed in at the cashier.  We don't have any experience with unused OBC.  We have repeatedly spent it before the cruises were over😉

When I pre-bought casino "chips" with HAL gift cards I was handed cash at the casino cashier once aboard.  Whether that practice will continue or will occur to anyone else is up to HAL but that's how it was handled for us this past spring.

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Nodakboiler

Nodakboiler

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As I stated above, if you use the AARP gift cards to buy HAL OBC online before you cruise and have a balance at the end, it will be refunded to your credit card on file. We had over $150 in port fees reimbursed on our last cruise which added to the OBC we didn't spend and had the total refund on our CC the day the cruise ended.

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Real NHDOC

Real NHDOC

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28 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We have a cruise where we may need more on board credit , so we could buy one $500 AARP gift vard  for that porpose as we get closer to the cruise

Yes, you can either apply it online before you leave or go to guest services on the ship and they will apply it to your onboard folio as a credit.

Edited by Real NHDOC
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Real NHDOC

Real NHDOC

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Nodakboiler said:

As I stated above, if you use the AARP gift cards to buy HAL OBC online before you cruise and have a balance at the end, it will be refunded to your credit card on file. We had over $150 in port fees reimbursed on our last cruise which added to the OBC we didn't spend and had the total refund on our CC the day the cruise ended.

We had the same experience onboard this spring.  The same also was the case when we asked guest services to credit our onboard account with gift cards we brought with us onto the ship.

Edited by Real NHDOC
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crystalspin

crystalspin

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45 minutes ago, DuckInntheH2O said:

Thanks for your quick reply!

 

When I logged on as an AARP member, I was unable to find any gift cards under any topic.

But Google found them for me just now!!

The "See All Rewards" used to be much more prominent (now the See All Activities is). I had to log in and go to Redeem Rewards, then Go to All Rewards popped up. But I had the thought to search instead of scroll looking.

 

Logging in shouldn't be necessary because some gift cards don't require membership, at least they didn't used to.

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polphi

polphi

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Does anyone know what the cutoff time is (if any) for depositing these AARP gift cards into your OBC before sailing?

 

I called HAL and even their supervisor wasn't sure.  We're sailing on Sunday Sept 3, hoping it isn't too late.  TIA. 

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