NCL Mastercard FAQ

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Rule of thumb when using certificates: make sure your TA understand how the program works before booking.

 

A really good price is not a deal if they are not your advocate. NCL will usually not be the cheapest price you can get but if you deal with a reputable agency using certificates is not a problem.

 

I have found the problem with getting credit "requested" comes when you've booked with a TA who had a group rate, which is how you got the really good price. Group rates are handled differently within NCL and it takes a little more work on your part to get your credit.

 

If you are planning on doing a last minute cruise and using certificates, then I would certainly recommend using NCL (sorry, TA friends). It shouldn't be but it is a surer bet.

[molly361]

Has anyone ever NOT received their certificates from B of A? I ordered them April 14th and they are not here. I called today and was told to call back Monday if I do not receive them. I think I was told that because the man did not know what to do if they are lost:eek:

[Marlissa]

Has anyone ever NOT received their certificates from B of A? I ordered them April 14th and they are not here. I called today and was told to call back Monday if I do not receive them. I think I was told that because the man did not know what to do if they are lost:eek:

 

We've received ours every time. Word of warning though, each cert comes in a seperate envelope and the envelopes look like junk mail. Very easy to mistakenly throw out. Whenever I order them, I open every piece of mail until all certs are received.

[molly361]

Thanks- I hope that I didn't throw it away!!! Will wait and call them on Monday-

[Sea Hound]

Has anyone ever NOT received their certificates from B of A? I ordered them April 14th and they are not here. I called today and was told to call back Monday if I do not receive them. I think I was told that because the man did not know what to do if they are lost:eek:

 

Same here -- I ordered my certs on 4/14 and was told 10 days. I just called back and they said 4-6 weeks!:eek:

 

I sail in 38 days!

 

I told them I'd give them one more week.

 

Sea Hound:D

[Sea Hound]

I couldn't read through all these pages so I'll just ask the question -- forgive me if it's been asked before . . . .

 

When I secure my onboard account with my NCL BOA card, will my cash withdrawals at the casino count toward reward points?

 

You probably see my angle -- withdraw a bunch of cash from the casino to run up points and then use the cash to pay off the account when I get home.

 

Am I crazy or would this work?

 

Sea Hound:D

[Planer's Edge]

I couldn't read through all these pages so I'll just ask the question -- forgive me if it's been asked before . . . .

 

When I secure my onboard account with my NCL BOA card, will my cash withdrawals at the casino count toward reward points?

 

You probably see my angle -- withdraw a bunch of cash from the casino to run up points and then use the cash to pay off the account when I get home.

 

Am I crazy or would this work?

 

Sea Hound:D

 

I don't believe cash advances count towards points. But if you took out cash against your onboard account and payed with your card then you would earn 4 points for every $100. Remember you get an additional point for NCL purchases.

 

PE

[Preds]

I couldn't read through all these pages so I'll just ask the question -- forgive me if it's been asked before . . . .

 

When I secure my onboard account with my NCL BOA card, will my cash withdrawals at the casino count toward reward points?

 

You probably see my angle -- withdraw a bunch of cash from the casino to run up points and then use the cash to pay off the account when I get home.

 

Am I crazy or would this work?

 

Sea Hound

Yes you can (and you WILL get the Compass rewards points), but get your flame suit on... if the gamblers see this post they won't like it since NCL is one of the only lines to allow the privilege of drawing up to $2k in cash in the casino each day against your Onboard account and NOT have it count as a cash advance.

[Leosmom]

I guess we were lucky, we got our certificates in 9 days. I ordered them on 4/3 and they arrived in the mail on 4/12. When we called we asked for the certificate #'s and the very helpful customer rep gave them to us......not sure if that helped, but it gave us some reassurance that they were indeed in their system. We actually called a few times until we got a rep that said she was familiar with the Compass Rewards Points. The certificates themselves was dated 4/5 (2 days after our call). I will post shortly with more info, timeline, etc. I would keep calling until you can get a helpful rep .....maybe try to ask when they were sent out.

Hope it all works out for you, the Bank of America terms do say you need 4-6 weeks to get the certificates, but most have reported receiving them 10-14 days.

[Leosmom]

This is the first time we have redeemed points and are happy we got them pretty quickly. We booked last minute (5 weeks before cruise) and paid in full at time of booking. Thanks to this thread and subsequent calls to NCL to double check, we knew that we could send in the certificates after final payment and then get our Bank of America credit card credited. NCL rep told us the certificates must be received by NCL at least one week before sailing. Here is the "timeline" for our redemption:

 

 

4/3/08-Thursday- Called Bank of America 1-800-421-2110 to redeem $1,000 in compass rewards. Asked for and was given the certificate numbers. (called 3 times until we got a rep that was familiar with program).

 

4/12/08-Saturday- received 2 certicates, $500 each in separate envelopes. The issue date on the certificates said April 5, 2008.

 

4/14/08-Monday- Sent certifcates, cover letter, copy of reservation confirmation from agency, via Regular mail/ Certified return receipt requested by email to:

 

Norwegian Cruise Lines

7665 Corporate Center Drive

Miami, Florida 33126

Attn: Accounting Department/Compass Rewards

 

 

4/22/08-Tuesday Credit card credited with only approx. $844.

4/26/08- Remaining $155 credited to card.

 

 

Don't know the reason why the original credit was the partial amount, $844, good thing we kept checking our a/c. or we may not have realized it until much later. DH had to make several calls directly to NCL and finally got an agent to transfer us to the "payment applications" department. They put us on hold and came back and just said the remainder would be credited shortly and it was credited a few days later.

 

Also, we never got a confirmation from the "Return Receipt". I called the post office after a week and they said that "sometimes the carrier misses a scan" :eek: In our case, I guess this is exactly what happened! I just got an email from the USPS saying my return receipt was not available :mad: So, all in all very happy with the program, just have to keep on top of things and check your accounts. However, I would not use the same delivery method (return receipt), next time we will use Fedex.

 

This is a great program, but it does require work and you do have to make sure to keep on top of everything!

[alkotik]

Here is a question:

suppose someone has 1500 points and they are about to start expiring because of 3 year rule. He orders 2 certificates to pay for the incoming cruise and leaves 500 points for the future. Will the 500 points start to expire?

How does someone tell if the certificates are ordered off the oldest points?

[molly361]

Same here -- I ordered my certs on 4/14 and was told 10 days. I just called back and they said 4-6 weeks!:eek:

 

I sail in 38 days!

 

I told them I'd give them one more week.

 

Sea Hound:D

 

I would call them back again if you have not already- I called again and was directed to call another number yesterday at 8am- well that number was NOT for the Compas Rewards. I think like I had read here somewhere you just have to keep calling until you find an agent that is familiar with the program. The gentlemen I talked to has re-issued them and gave me the certificate number. The first call I was told they could NOT give me the number which I know is incorrect. Good luck!!!

[Planer's Edge]

Here is a question:

suppose someone has 1500 points and they are about to start expiring because of 3 year rule. He orders 2 certificates to pay for the incoming cruise and leaves 500 points for the future. Will the 500 points start to expire?

How does someone tell if the certificates are ordered off the oldest points?

 

Oldest points are always used first. There is no way to tell other than trusting them to do the right thing.

 

PE

[swishers5]

Where can I go to find out when my points expire? I know at the bottom of my statement it shows how many points I have, but nowhere can I find out when and how many of my points expire. I called BofA and they told me to go to www.bankofamerica.com/rewards; however when I try to signin using my NCL credit card number it does not recognize it. I believe this portion of their website is only for their "WorldPoints" and not NCL Compass Points.

[smeyer418]

Where can I go to find out when my points expire? I know at the bottom of my statement it shows how many points I have, but nowhere can I find out when and how many of my points expire. I called BofA and they told me to go to www.bankofamerica.com/rewards; however when I try to signin using my NCL credit card number it does not recognize it. I believe this portion of their website is only for their "WorldPoints" and not NCL Compass Points.

 

They expire three years from when you got them. You can ask for them to send you all your three year statements.

[Sea Hound]

Same here -- I ordered my certs on 4/14 and was told 10 days. I just called back and they said 4-6 weeks!:eek:

 

I sail in 38 days!

 

I told them I'd give them one more week.

 

Sea Hound:D

 

 

5/5/08 UPDATE: Still no certificates!:eek: :eek:

 

BOA says now that I should've received them by now. BOA verifies that they were mailed to me on 4/15. A very knowledgeable CSR at BOA said he would put in a tracking notice on the certs because there is a tracking number associated with the mailing (though he wouldn't give me the tracking number). He said I'll receive a notice in the mail about the results of the tracking attempt. He also was quick to let me know that BOA is not responsible for certificates lost or stolen.

 

I KNOW I've checked every piece of mail that's come to our house because I've been looking for them since they were requested.

 

We'll see.

 

Sea Hound:D

[CoJo]

If a cruise that was purchased with NCL Mastercard certificates has to be cancelled due to illness, etc. will insurance be paid in the usual manner? Just asking.

 

Thanks.

[Gregor4500]

If a cruise that was purchased with NCL Mastercard certificates has to be cancelled due to illness, etc. will insurance be paid in the usual manner? Just asking.

 

Thanks.

 

Good question, I'm waiting to hear a good answer also.

[Planer's Edge]

If a cruise that was purchased with NCL Mastercard certificates has to be cancelled due to illness, etc. will insurance be paid in the usual manner? Just asking.

 

Thanks.

 

Yes, your insurance will cover the amount of the certificates if it is an insured reason. The certificates are the same as cash and the insurance company does not care how you paid for your cruise only that you did.

 

PE

[CarRex]

Good question, I'm waiting to hear a good answer also.

 

I could be wrong, but I believe the insurance will only cover the part of the ticket that was paid in cash. You might want to check with NCL or BOA to be sure.

[Planer's Edge]

I could be wrong, but I believe the insurance will only cover the part of the ticket that was paid in cash. You might want to check with NCL or BOA to be sure.

 

The certificates are considered "cash". As I said above they will be covered by travel insurance.

 

PE

[CarRex]

This subject has been addressed in a previous post

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=705027

[Planer's Edge]

This subject has been addressed in a previous post

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=705027

 

And my answer was from personal experience.

 

PE

[Leosmom]

If a cruise that was purchased with NCL Mastercard certificates has to be cancelled due to illness, etc. will insurance be paid in the usual manner? Just asking.

 

Thanks.

 

I could be wrong, but I believe the insurance will only cover the part of the ticket that was paid in cash. You might want to check with NCL or BOA to be sure.

 

 

I believe this is correct......insurance will not cover the Compass Reward Certicates. Do a search right on this thread, it was discussed before......check post #240 dated January 30, 2008. I can't recall the exact company, but when I checked for quotes on http://www.insuremytrip.com and read the fine print and FAQ, it stated that only "out of pocket" expenses are covered. I would check directly with the insurance company before deciding on the amount to insure. It is possible that different states may have different rules so it would be best to call a few insurance companies directly before insuring the value of the certificates.....better safe than sorry!

[Sea Hound]

5/5/08 UPDATE: Still no certificates!:eek: :eek:

 

BOA says now that I should've received them by now. BOA verifies that they were mailed to me on 4/15. A very knowledgeable CSR at BOA said he would put in a tracking notice on the certs because there is a tracking number associated with the mailing (though he wouldn't give me the tracking number). He said I'll receive a notice in the mail about the results of the tracking attempt. He also was quick to let me know that BOA is not responsible for certificates lost or stolen.

 

I KNOW I've checked every piece of mail that's come to our house because I've been looking for them since they were requested.

 

We'll see.

 

Sea Hound:D

 

WE GOT OUR CERTIFICATES TODAY!:D

 

Basically, BOA admitted that they had not mailed the certificates when they originally said they did (they were actually mailed on 5/1/08 -- after my repeated calls). This indicates you should check (repeatedly) when your certificates do not arrive within 10 days of your request.

 

As a favor to the boards, I scanned the envelope and certificates so others will know what to look for in the mail. To see the sample images, go to:

 

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563361426TUkxtz

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Sea Hound:D