NCL MBNA Card - So Far Not Impressed

[cruizinwithkids]

Are some of you paying your mortgage payment using the MBNA card? If so, how are you doing that? And I'm confused about the "automatic payments" you are doing each month......what is that all about? Is MBNA giving you cruise points for paying bills? This appears to be a feature I must have overlooked! Thanks, BobK/Orlando

 

I don't think you can do the mortgage. At least that seems to be a pretty consistent comment.

 

I go to the phone company website and set up my monthly payment to be automatically charged to my MBNA credit card. For MBNA it is a "retail" sale. I believe you can go to the MBNA website and have it set up automatically, but then it's not a retail sale and you don't get points.

 

I have my phone, electric, cellphone and cable bill all set up that way. If the company offers the option of payment by credit card, that's the way I do it.

[auntweezie]

How do you get one of these cards? I'm sure I could rack up some points before our cruise next September. All the previous posts have had great information. Thanks to all.

[cruizinwithkids]

How do you get one of these cards? I'm sure I could rack up some points before our cruise next September. All the previous posts have had great information. Thanks to all.

 

The link is right on the NCL home page.

www.ncl.com

[missjanet]

I never knew about this credit card, but it's starting to sound pretty good to me.

 

I have a question about redemption. Do you have to book your cruise directly through NCL? Will a travel agent be able to take the coupons? Can you shop for the cruise you want, then let them know you have the coupon? I hate a situation where you say you have a coupon & the price you're given seems to be inflated. This just sounds too good to be true.

 

Thanks.

Janet

[cruizinwithkids]

I never knew about this credit card, but it's starting to sound pretty good to me.

 

I have a question about redemption. Do you have to book your cruise directly through NCL? Will a travel agent be able to take the coupons? Can you shop for the cruise you want, then let them know you have the coupon? I hate a situation where you say you have a coupon & the price you're given seems to be inflated. This just sounds too good to be true.

 

Thanks.

Janet

 

OK, MissJanet. I'll make a deal with you. When we are on the Dawn in December, you tell me all about your Hawaiian cruise and I'll tell you about the credit card.

 

It really is a great deal. No inflated prices. Book the best price you can get and use the certificates.

 

But seriously order it now so you have it for the November cruise.

[ute_fan]

No, you don't have to book directly through NCL. I'm sailing on the Jewel in 6 weeks. I submitted $1,000 in certificates to my TA in August. He send them in to NCL about 3 weeks before the final payment was due, and then I paid the very small remaining balance :D .

 

You can use them on any NCL cruise. Neither NCL or your TA need to know you'll be using them when you book. Just earn those points and submit the certificate!

[Smellytoes]

I have a hypothetical question: If you have an upcoming purchase (or a payment on a cruise) that would put you over the 250 max monthly points can you break that down and make an early payment so the final payment won't put you over?

[shoreguy]

I have a hypothetical question: If you have an upcoming purchase (or a payment on a cruise) that would put you over the 250 max monthly points can you break that down and make an early payment so the final payment won't put you over?

 

Just did that. Paided most of my final the last day of the Sept. bill cycle on the 18th and the balance on the 19th one day late ;) I will have to do that again since I will be on the Pearl when the Dawn final is due. The combination of a cruise and onboard charges in the same month would put me over.

 

I guess it is time for a second card or stop cruising - 4 months into the card year I will have earned 750 points

[Droopy_Sails]

I haven't felt like this NCL card was for me since I've always enjoyed getting American Airlines miles for my credit-card purchases (and we don't carry a balance, so we charge EVERYTHING, from groceries to gas to the cable bill). But given how hard it's getting to redeem air miles in any convenient way, plus how many miles it takes during high season to get anywhere interesting, perhaps it's time to switch over to an NCL MBNA card.

[missjanet]

cruzinwithkids,

 

Sounds good to me! It almost sounds too good to be true. I have been using my miles card faithfully & it did get me round trip airfares to Seattle for an Alaska cruise & non-stop 1st class (a first for me!!) to Hawaii for Pride of America. But it is getting really hard to use those miles without having to jump through hoops. This looks interesting.

 

I did note on another thread that the certificates don't seem to be treated the same as actual payment for a cruise. I mean, if you have to cancel your cruise, you lose those points. Hopefully, that wouldn't happen but we all know that stuff DOES happen sometimes that is out of our control. I always purchase trip insurance in case a family member gets sick or something happens to one of us. With frequent flyer miles they redeposit them back into your account. What I read elsewhere seemed to indicate that NCL only does that if you cancel far enough ahead of time. This is a point I'd really like clarified if someone could do that for me.

 

As always, thanks!

Janet

[Smellytoes]

Just did that. Paided most of my final the last day of the Sept. bill cycle on the 18th and the balance on the 19th one day late ;) I will have to do that again since I will be on the Pearl when the Dawn final is due. The combination of a cruise and onboard charges in the same month would put me over.

 

I guess it is time for a second card or stop cruising - 4 months into the card year I will have earned 750 points

 

Shoreguy, you're way ahead of me. I was excited because I earned 500 points since April. I should have 1000 by next April and I'm hoping to use them next summer (DH doesn't know I have all these points. He'll think I should use what I have for this coming April. I say what he doesn't know won't hurt him.:D )

[rideev]

My biggest problem with the cruise card and the certificates is that I can't decide which cruise to take next:rolleyes: All those choices of great places to go and only able to select one at a time? What kind of dumb program is that:eek:

 

Up next, Norwegian Wind on Jan 10th, 2007.

[shoreguy]

Shoreguy, you're way ahead of me. I was excited because I earned 500 points since April. I should have 1000 by next April and I'm hoping to use them next summer (DH doesn't know I have all these points. He'll think I should use what I have for this coming April. I say what he doesn't know won't hurt him.:D )

 

I still have 1000 from last year that I will use for the Dawn in Feb. Should have another 1000 to use if and when they post the Gem transatlantic next October. I look at the points as free money that allows be to book a penthouse for the same out of pocket expense as a standard balcony. Removes some of the penthouse guilt :D

[nancyfancy40]

:confused:

I booked my first NCL cruise (after several Princess Cruises). It is not until January, 2008, so I decided to get the MBNA NCL card so I can get a discount before I have to make final payment.

I just got the card, and the first thing I tried to do was set up automatic payments from my bank account. I have done this with every other card I have ever had. I hate paying bills.

Well, the MBNA card is the first card I have ever run accross where you cannot do this. They will only set up an automatic payment for a set amount (which will be the same each month). This is useless, as the minimum due and balance will be different each month. Every other card allows you to set up automatic payments for either a)the minumum due; b)the total balance; or c)a set amount. I always pick the minimum due, that way I won't ever accidently miss a payment if I am out of town or forgetful. Then I will make an extra manual payment online, so I don't build up a large balance.

Another thing, with my card I received nothing about how the points system worked. No rules, nothing. In fact, the points weren't even mentioned. I went to their web site and found nothing there either. So far, the only information I have found on how to collect and redeem points is what I have found out here on this board. I would really like to read something official.

 

 

Is this same card as offered on the NCL site? Since BOA merged with MBNA that is the only card I can find on the NCL site and BOA site, if so it sounds like a good card and I may go for it.

 

Nancy

[Marlissa]

Originally Posted by nancyfancy40

Is this same card as offered on the NCL site? Since BOA merged with MBNA that is the only card I can find on the NCL site and BOA site, if so it sounds like a good card and I may go for it.

 

Yes, this is the same card that NCL links to on their homepage.

[GoHuskies!]

:confused:

 

 

Is this same card as offered on the NCL site? Since BOA merged with MBNA that is the only card I can find on the NCL site and BOA site, if so it sounds like a good card and I may go for it.

 

Nancy

 

Yes it is--the MBNA MasterCard with pic of an NCL ship on it. Is it a good deal? Well, I just got the card three months ago and already I have enough points for a $500 certificate to be used for an NCL cruise. I'm not a huge spender, but we put everything we can on the one card. I actually lost about 20 points in the process because one of those months I put our cruise final payment on it, and already had enough charges on the card to put us over the max for that month. Lesson: get a second card for situations like this. But to answer the question directly: Yes, indeed, it is a terrific deal, especially when you compare it with the redemption hassle that the airlines put you through for air miles.

[GoHuskies!]

Let me hasten to add, we put everything on the card that we can pay off at the end of the month. There is no credit card on earth that could entice me to pay the monthly payments on those rates--and that bottomless pit of debt.

[nancyfancy40]

Let me hasten to add, we put everything on the card that we can pay off at the end of the month. There is no credit card on earth that could entice me to pay the monthly payments on those rates--and that bottomless pit of debt.

 

Okay sounds like I want to go for that card, as we are not planning our cruise until May 2008. I do like you do, I use it to by my groceries, then come home make a check out and stick it in the envelope for when the bill comes.

 

Thanks for all your help

 

Nancy

[missjanet]

OK, I think some of you must work for the credit card company because you're such good salespeople! I signed up for the card & can't wait for it to come. I hope it gets here before our 11/12 cruise on the Dawn. I'd love to get those extra points for using it on the ship!!

 

Thanks for the good advice. I only wish I'd known about it sooner.

Janet

[kdg51]

I recently started using my NCL card instead of my Southwest because I had a few free flight certificates to use. I am more than half way to my first $500 certificate :) and Hubby has helped. Not everyone buys a snowblower in August! :D I must admit that the picture on the card impresses clerks and stops the suggestions of what I could get using their store card! :p

 

For the past seveal years I have had all of my bills paying themselves either on my credit card or as debits from my checking account. This gives me a lot of free time to worry about other things. I pay my card off every month so I pay no interest.

 

Anyone new to the NCL card needs to go online and read the payment schedule..payments take a day or 2 longer to post than some cards. I thought my payment was due the 31st of last month because it was the month before but was due the 29th. I noticed this late evening the day before the payment was due. I tried to pay online and it changed the payment to the 30th. The only way to avoid this payment from posting late was to check the box to make an express payment for a $12 fee. I called and to pay it over the phone is $25 and if it showed up a day late they charge $39. :eek: Now I pay the minimum when the bill arrives and then I schedule a payment for at least a few days before the due date.

 

My information booklet arrived after about a week ater the cards and it's around somewhere :confused: Can somebody tell me about "Shop safe" ???

[ute_fan]

When you're on their website, there's a button you can push for "shop safe". What it does is assign a new card number -- complete with the CSV code, that is tied to one particular merchant. You can get them for either one-time purchases or recurring payments.

 

I have one set up for each one of the payments that I make on a monthly basis using the card -- internet, satellite, water bill, etc. That way, if any of the credit card information gets stolen from those sites, the number would be invalid at any other merchant. You also assign a dollar limit to each number.

 

I've also used the "one time" ones for internet purchases where it was an unfamiliar merchant. Just seems like an added level of security.

[kdg51]

Thanks ute_fan. Will that work for my utilities etc that are put on my card automatically each month? I have given them my credit card number. Never had a problem before so I am not too worried.

 

Someone I know used that feature for a purchase that was ordered online but to be picked up at the store and they need to check your credit card and the info must match to pick up your purchase. :eek:

[ute_fan]

I'm sure it would work for any on-line charges, as long as you don't have to present physical card to anyone. It's not necessary, just a "feel good" sort of thing.

[cmdchiefthom]

Tom O.

 

I wasn't sure about the program, but signed up last January, just for the heck of it. I got kind of annoyed because of a finance charge I incurred because of monthly balance payment, ( I don't keep any balance), and actually told an account rep I was considering cancelling the account and please forward any discount certificates I had earned. Low and behold, less than two weeks later, I had a $500.00 discount certificate as well as a one category upgrade certificate as well. Considering I'm in a suite aboard the Pearl in April, saving $500.00 below an already discounted price, and charged my Tahiti cruise in December aboard Princess on the NCL card, payed no interest, I loved the card. :D

 

Having said all that, I pay most of my bills online, and don't let credit card companies have automatic access to my accounts. I deal directly through my bank, and pay online at my pleasure. It gives me control over my money I need, and the perks I earn.;)

[uneamie]

I have a few questions. Do you get points for "balance transfers" or "cash advances"?

Also, where can you get more information about the terms of the point system.? They really did not give you very much info about all this in the NCL web site. I applied for the card but during the process there were only terms and conditions for using the card but not for aquiring points. I know you get more points if you charge NCL stuff but that is about all I know so far.