NCL hurting for bookings/cash flow? 0% APR offer

[ColdCruise]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:00 AM, graphicguy said:

I got the NCL credit card.  Bought some much needed appliances.  Paid it off.  Got the OBC as a promo.  Matter of fact, I canceled the card after getting the OBC.

 

You can try doing that if you’re focused on getting a cruise credit card deal.

Very common practice, not just with cruise line cards.
 

Coworker & his wife alternate getting new Southwest cards to get the signing bonus points, dump all their spending on the new card to get enough points for the companion pass. Then the other one gets a new card to repeat and get a companion pass for the following year. Wish the man spent half as much effort doing his work…..

[graphicguy]

9 hours ago, ColdCruise said:

Very common practice, not just with cruise line cards.
 

Coworker & his wife alternate getting new Southwest cards to get the signing bonus points, dump all their spending on the new card to get enough points for the companion pass. Then the other one gets a new card to repeat and get a companion pass for the following year. Wish the man spent half as much effort doing his work…..

Yeah…there are a ton of promos via Credit Cards.  

 

One I’ve used a lot is with my American Express Platinum.  They offer between $100-$300 OBC depending on cabin type in addition to a speciality dinner and a bottle of wine when you pay for your cruise with your card.

 

They’ve offered that perk for years.  I’ve probably received nearly $2K in OBC and not sure how many specialty dinners and bottles of wine.

 

Point is, these promos have nothing to do with any cruise lines’ bookings.  They just promos.  They’re out there if you know where and what to look for.  They’re mostly not new, either.

[ColdCruise]

20 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah…there are a ton of promos via Credit Cards.  

 

One I’ve used a lot is with my American Express Platinum.  They offer between $100-$300 OBC depending on cabin type in addition to a speciality dinner and a bottle of wine when you pay for your cruise with your card.

 

They’ve offered that perk for years.  I’ve probably received nearly $2K in OBC and not sure how many specialty dinners and bottles of wine.

 

Point is, these promos have nothing to do with any cruise lines’ bookings.  They just promos.  They’re out there if you know where and what to look for.  They’re mostly not new, either.

Do you have to book through AmEx as well as pay with your AmEx card to get the OBC?

 

your ROI seems good if the cards doesn't cost much

[RocketMan275]

9 minutes ago, ColdCruise said:

Do you have to book through AmEx as well as pay with your AmEx card to get the OBC?

 

your ROI seems good if the cards doesn't cost much

AMEX Platinum annual fee is $695

I think the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a better deal  unless you travel extensively.

Edited September 22, 2023 by RocketMan275

[graphicguy]

15 minutes ago, ColdCruise said:

Do you have to book through AmEx as well as pay with your AmEx card to get the OBC?

 

your ROI seems good if the cards doesn't cost much

No…you don’t have to book through AMEX travel.  But, NCL Personal Cruise 
Consultants DO NOT recognize the AMEX perks.  I use a big travel agency, and they do recognize the AMEX perks.

 

AMEX Platinum is not a “cheap” card…..around ~$600+/year.  For me, it’s worth it as I take full advantage of the perks, like cruise OBC.  I also travel and use their access to the Centurion Lounges they have at major airports.  Plus, they have a nice hotel perk that offers upgrades (like room upgrades, meal perks, etc).  While not a lot, they also offer a $15 UBER credit per month.  Not a lot, but I use it every month.  They also offer some essential travel insurance as a perk when paying with the card.  They pay your Global Entry and TSA fees when they’re due, and they offer annual CLEAR membership at airports as a perk.

 

To me, it’s worth it.

[RocketMan275]

23 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

No…you don’t have to book through AMEX travel.  But, NCL Personal Cruise 
Consultants DO NOT recognize the AMEX perks.  I use a big travel agency, and they do recognize the AMEX perks.

 

AMEX Platinum is not a “cheap” card…..around ~$600+/year.  For me, it’s worth it as I take full advantage of the perks, like cruise OBC.  I also travel and use their access to the Centurion Lounges they have at major airports.  Plus, they have a nice hotel perk that offers upgrades (like room upgrades, meal perks, etc).  While not a lot, they also offer a $15 UBER credit per month.  Not a lot, but I use it every month.  They also offer some essential travel insurance as a perk when paying with the card.  They pay your Global Entry and TSA fees when they’re due, and they offer annual CLEAR membership at airports as a perk.

 

To me, it’s worth it.

I was torn between the AMEX Platinum and the Sapphire Reserve.  Both are very good cards.  Their offers are constantly changing.  So which one is better depends upon what the offers are when you apply.   I get an AMEX platinum offer at least once a month.  

[graphicguy]

3 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I was torn between the AMEX Platinum and the Sapphire Reserve.  Both are very good cards.  Their offers are constantly changing.  So which one is better depends upon what the offers are when you apply.   I get an AMEX platinum offer at least once a month.  

Yeah....before I retired, my company covered my annual fees.  I tried both Platinum and Reserve.  Both offer attractive perks.  At some point, Sapphire quit offering cruise perks.  So, I cancelled it and went strictly with AMEX.

 

Not sure what Sapphire is offering these days as far as perks.  As, I haven't had their card for at least 2 years, probably more.

[RocketMan275]

1 minute ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah....before I retired, my company covered my annual fees.  I tried both Platinum and Reserve.  Both offer attractive perks.  At some point, Sapphire quit offering cruise perks.  So, I cancelled it and went strictly with AMEX.

 

Not sure what Sapphire is offering these days as far as perks.  As, I haven't had their card for at least 2 years, probably more.

The sapphire reserve still offers some attractive travel perks.  While not specific to cruises, they do pay for your global entry, $300 annual travel, very good travel insurance, etc.  There are more.  

[Liljo22]

This has nothing to do with NCL hurting for bookings.  All the cruise lines have third parties offering 0% APR.  Carnival also uses Uplift while Royal/Celebrity use Affirm.  

Edited September 22, 2023 by Liljo22

[ColdCruise]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

No…you don’t have to book through AMEX travel.  But, NCL Personal Cruise 
Consultants DO NOT recognize the AMEX perks.  I use a big travel agency, and they do recognize the AMEX perks.

 

AMEX Platinum is not a “cheap” card…..around ~$600+/year.  For me, it’s worth it as I take full advantage of the perks, like cruise OBC.  I also travel and use their access to the Centurion Lounges they have at major airports.  Plus, they have a nice hotel perk that offers upgrades (like room upgrades, meal perks, etc).  While not a lot, they also offer a $15 UBER credit per month.  Not a lot, but I use it every month.  They also offer some essential travel insurance as a perk when paying with the card.  They pay your Global Entry and TSA fees when they’re due, and they offer annual CLEAR membership at airports as a perk.

 

To me, it’s worth it.

That is a heavy set of benefits & perks @graphicguybthanks👍

[cruiser2015]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:00 AM, graphicguy said:

I got the NCL credit card.  Bought some much needed appliances.  Paid it off.  Got the OBC as a promo.  Matter of fact, I canceled the card after getting the OBC.

 

You can try doing that if you’re focused on getting a cruise credit card deal.

One caution on using this tactic:

 

The credit bureaus will downgrade your credit score for a card cancellation, at least for a while.