NCL Mastercard FAQ

[fleet]

I haven't really decided on a new card yet but I did have a call from NCL this morning that I wanted to share. I have really appreciated all the input about the Compass Rewards and I'm sure it helped alot of people like myself not to stress completely out with all the confusion. Anyway, I did mail in my certificates and received my $2000 off my account. (booked thru NCL) I also sent in two upgrade certificates (I know...trash) with a letter saying I did not want my reservation changed and I DID NOT want an upgrade. We booked our first aft balcony to Alaska and I did not want any cabin change. Thanks again to the cc boards I already knew there was no upgrade for a BA........so when I answered the phone and the nice PCC said I have your upgrade certificates and..... I just said no I do not want an upgrade. I do not want my cabin changed. She then asked what she should do with the certificate and I said well just throw it in the trash. I think she must have been a little shocked and I may have been a bit short with her because of the changes, etc. Anyway she went on to say that she could credit my account $34 for the certificate. Of course (again after reading about how changes can affect OBC) I said no, not if I lose my $250 OBC, just forget it. She said no, everything will remain the same, I will just credit your account for the $34. Of course I then thanked her and asked her extension number at NCL and promised I would post on the boards in case anyone else kept those "worthless" upgrade certificates. I know it's not much, but it was a nice gesture on NCL's part. Thanks again for all the input.

 

Pat

[lhall85917]

I have 5 $100 certificates - 4 from one account, 1 from the other. I think I will probably just send them and see what they do with them. Right now I know they are worthless towards upgrades since we are booked in a BA for our July cruise so I figure anything is better than nothing.

[98Charlie]

Wonder if I am one in a million here with my current WorldPoints total.

 

I stopped using my BOA card back in early Nov. after I achieved enough points to reach my $500 certificate. Received my $500 certificate in early January.

 

A month or so ago my credit card was credited $20. (We had used my card back in Oct. to book a cruise. A $20 credit came in for that cruise and was credited back to my card which, at the time the credit came through, showed a zero balance.

 

Got a statement on my credit card earlier this week showing the $20 credit is on my card and also shows I have -20 WorldPoints. :D:D

 

Dianne

[angeljt]

I haven't really decided on a new card yet but I did have a call from NCL this morning that I wanted to share. I have really appreciated all the input about the Compass Rewards and I'm sure it helped alot of people like myself not to stress completely out with all the confusion. Anyway, I did mail in my certificates and received my $2000 off my account. (booked thru NCL) I also sent in two upgrade certificates (I know...trash) with a letter saying I did not want my reservation changed and I DID NOT want an upgrade. We booked our first aft balcony to Alaska and I did not want any cabin change. Thanks again to the cc boards I already knew there was no upgrade for a BA........so when I answered the phone and the nice PCC said I have your upgrade certificates and..... I just said no I do not want an upgrade. I do not want my cabin changed. She then asked what she should do with the certificate and I said well just throw it in the trash. I think she must have been a little shocked and I may have been a bit short with her because of the changes, etc. Anyway she went on to say that she could credit my account $34 for the certificate. Of course (again after reading about how changes can affect OBC) I said no, not if I lose my $250 OBC, just forget it. She said no, everything will remain the same, I will just credit your account for the $34. Of course I then thanked her and asked her extension number at NCL and promised I would post on the boards in case anyone else kept those "worthless" upgrade certificates. I know it's not much, but it was a nice gesture on NCL's part. Thanks again for all the input.

 

Pat

 

Thank you for sharing that info Pat. I have 5 of them also along with two $500 certificates. I won't throw the $100 ones away now.

Jackie

[fleet]

Jackie,

I did send them in with the $500 certificates with a letter saying I would appreciate any monetary value they might have. I did not make copies of the $100 so cannot remember whether one or two were sent. It has been almost a month since the $2000 credit and phone call came this morning. Since posting I have been reading cc boards that others are receiving small credits from NCL...so I am not positive it was a credit for the certificates or something else. Still, it is worth a try. Good luck. Spoke to Annette at 7675.

 

Pat

[angeljt]

Thanks again, Pat, for the name and ext. I'm hoping to book something for October and I'll save it until then.

It's worth a try, even if they're just worth a small amount as a OBC.

Jackie

[Maryfrei]

I also got a call from Annette and got a credit. She said there is a limit of 4 upgrade certs so I will have to save a few for next time. Yay NCL, I'm thrilled that I got the credit!

[angeljt]

I also got a call from Annette and got a credit. She said there is a limit of 4 upgrade certs so I will have to save a few for next time. Yay NCL, I'm thrilled that I got the credit!

Good for you too, Mary!!! I'm happy to hear they're giving a little something for them. :D

Jackie

[kendallison]

Pat, was that $34 credited back to your credit card or $34 OBC?

 

Thanks!

Susan

[fleet]

Susan,

It came off the amount due to NCL for September cruise. They issued a new reservation showing the deduction and everything else was the same...room and obc. If you already have a cruise paid for, it never hurts to ask if they could be used for obc.

 

Pat

[AFT_LOVER]

Never knew NCL Compass Rewards had $100 certificates. $500 with the minimum for money off a cruise. 100 POINTS are the other certs which are upgrades within the category you booked. These are NOT worth money ($100).

 

Glad I closed the new account with Worldpoints since it was a waste as is the B of A Signature Visa since that is Worldpoints also. NCL was MBNA who was bought by B of A who slowly wrecked our great card til they killed it.

 

NCL called asking why I am not booking with them. I said I have lost the $500 off a cruise with B of A killing our great Compass Rewards card for the very cheap Worldpoints. Spend $50K for a $500 reward? NO! So we are saving for a cruise & have have $250 deposit which is good til November & we expect to cruise well before then. No big sales by NCL. My PCC was promoted & her replacement isn't listening to what new retirees without a retirement check for 3 years need. We are living off our Money Market account til we get checks. $1000 is our monthly allowance which includes insurance, taxes, hospitalization, etc with food & gas. Any money left over goes into a free checking account for cruises. Then I laughed at the lady who tells me that she had $900 balcony in Hawaii & I told her she didn't call me. A great deal on an April TA but the air was too much.

 

There are plenty like us who are over 55 & out of work with this bad economy. No one wants to hire & we have worked over 40 years and want to relax. So NCL should get their act together for us to enjoy them & tell folks about them as I do after every cruise with my 3 page reviews.

 

As far as credit cards we have is AMEX BLUE (free with great rewards as air, cruises booked with them and many gift cards, etc; HiltonHHonors Signature Visa (free with great hotel deals with points and Silver membership as a starter). I still have my Discover Road, new card they talked me into from the card I have had for 20 years that sat in a safe instead of closing. 5% cashback for gas purchases and car maintenance or parts purchases. But then they have a $100 a month ceiling for $5 cashback total a month. So forget that! Hilton is 2,3,5 & 10 points per $1 spent for various stuff.

 

Jackie,

I did send them in with the $500 certificates with a letter saying I would appreciate any monetary value they might have. I did not make copies of the $100 so cannot remember whether one or two were sent. It has been almost a month since the $2000 credit and phone call came this morning. Since posting I have been reading cc boards that others are receiving small credits from NCL...so I am not positive it was a credit for the certificates or something else. Still, it is worth a try. Good luck. Spoke to Annette at 7675.

 

Pat

Edited March 19, 2009 by AFT_LOVER

[98Charlie]

Never knew NCL Compass Rewards had $100 certificates. $500 with the minimum for money off a cruise. 100 POINTS are the other certs which are upgrades within the category you booked. These are NOT worth money ($100).

 

Glad I closed the new account with Worldpoints since it was a waste as is the B of A Signature Visa since that is Worldpoints also. NCL was MBNA who was bought by B of A who slowly wrecked our great card til they killed it.

 

NCL called asking why I am not booking with them. I said I have lost the $500 off a cruise with B of A killing our great Compass Rewards card for the very cheap Worldpoints. Spend $50K for a $500 reward? NO! So we are saving for a cruise & have have $250 deposit which is good til November & we expect to cruise well before then. No big sales by NCL. My PCC was promoted & her replacement isn't listening to what new retirees without a retirement check for 3 years need. We are living off our Money Market account til we get checks. $1000 is our monthly allowance which includes insurance, taxes, hospitalization, etc with food & gas. Any money left over goes into a free checking account for cruises. Then I laughed at the lady who tells me that she had $900 balcony in Hawaii & I told her she didn't call me. A great deal on an April TA but the air was too much.

 

There are plenty like us who are over 55 & out of work with this bad economy. No one wants to hire & we have worked over 40 years and want to relax. So NCL should get their act together for us to enjoy them & tell folks about them as I do after every cruise with my 3 page reviews.

 

As far as credit cards we have is AMEX BLUE (free with great rewards as air, cruises booked with them and many gift cards, etc; HiltonHHonors Signature Visa (free with great hotel deals with points and Silver membership as a starter). I still have my Discover Road, new card they talked me into from the card I have had for 20 years that sat in a safe instead of closing. 5% cashback for gas purchases and car maintenance or parts purchases. But then they have a $100 a month ceiling for $5 cashback total a month. So forget that! Hilton is 2,3,5 & 10 points per $1 spent for various stuff.

 

 

And your point is? Take a deep breath and explain that again, please.

 

 

Some days I just wonder.

 

Dianne

Edited March 19, 2009 by 98Charlie

[fleet]

"Of course I then thanked her and asked her extension number at NCL and promised I would post on the boards in case anyone else kept those "worthless" upgrade certificates. I know it's not much, but it was a nice gesture on NCL's part. Thanks again for all the input."

 

Aft,

I tried to be clear that it was the $100 upgrade certificates that a lot of people got who did not have enough compass rewards points for another $500 certificate. I just wanted to let cc know that they could be worth a little bit. We are also retired and over 55 and on a fixed income. I usually do not post much because I know I can ramble on but I have very much enjoyed reading all the posts and especially yours as you led us to our first (and probably last) aft cabin. Thanks again.

 

Pat

Edited March 20, 2009 by fleet

[asylum575]

I just got delivery confirmation of my 2 $500 cetificates to the 7665 Corporate Center Dr. I was wondering how long it would be to see the credit on my card?

[Maryfrei]

I just got delivery confirmation of my 2 $500 cetificates to the 7665 Corporate Center Dr. I was wondering how long it would be to see the credit on my card?

 

It varies. The first one I sent posted in 4 days, the second one took over 2 weeks. Perhaps they process the credits periodically in batches?

[asylum575]

Thanks,

 

Now I got to figure out which card to get.

[EmmasNana]

I just got delivery confirmation of my 2 $500 cetificates to the 7665 Corporate Center Dr. I was wondering how long it would be to see the credit on my card?

 

I first saw a credit on my online reservation and then it took nearly a week later for my cc to be credited.

[AFT_LOVER]

as B of A stated "That is the reward, no $100 value for 100 points"

 

"Of course I then thanked her and asked her extension number at NCL and promised I would post on the boards in case anyone else kept those "worthless" upgrade certificates. I know it's not much, but it was a nice gesture on NCL's part. Thanks again for all the input."

 

Aft,

I tried to be clear that it was the $100 upgrade certificates that a lot of people got who did not have enough compass rewards points for another $500 certificate. I just wanted to let cc know that they could be worth a little bit. We are also retired and over 55 and on a fixed income. I usually do not post much because I know I can ramble on but I have very much enjoyed reading all the posts and especially yours as you led us to our first (and probably last) aft cabin. Thanks again.

 

Pat

[kdg51]

Last cruise they took my final payment before they received the certificates and I had to have my TA call NCL to request the credit. I called NCL and they knew they owed me money but TA had to be the one to contact them.

[MSUcruisers]

I first saw a credit on my online reservation and then it took nearly a week later for my cc to be credited.

 

I booked a July cruise through a TA and sent her $2000 in certificates. I have verification from her that she received them. Is the only way I can see if they were credited by NCL is to call her? I haven't figured out how to do it online.

[EmmasNana]

I booked a July cruise through a TA and sent her $2000 in certificates. I have verification from her that she received them. Is the only way I can see if they were credited by NCL is to call her? I haven't figured out how to do it online.

 

Natasha, I believe if you have not already created an account on ncl.com you will need to. You should then be able to do a search with your reservation #. You need to do online check in anyway. I am guessing you can see your credit then??

[Birdnutty]

I booked a July cruise through a TA and sent her $2000 in certificates. I have verification from her that she received them. Is the only way I can see if they were credited by NCL is to call her? I haven't figured out how to do it online.

 

There are two ways - first is the NCL site where you can check your account. Second way is to go onto your Bank of America credit card online account and see if the credit has shown up there. It usually happens pretty much at the same time - at least it has for me.

[Birdnutty]

Has anyone actually tried successfully to use the certificates for an actual upgrade (as opposed to $ off an existing reservation and staying inthe saem room). We're in a lower oceanview category and would love to be upgraded to a higher deck - I'd like to know if anyone has tried.

[saliusm]

Hi JTCruiser1,

 

I am having the same problem - perhaps even worse! I used ************* to find a good price for a Mexican Riviera cruise in October. I ended up purchasing from BestPriceCruises.com - I guess I should have dug through their pages and pages of terms and conditions to find out that they will only credit my $500 certificates at 80%, and not only that, they are going to charge me a $25 late processing fee because I didn't get the certificates to them by 10 days after booking. They say to get credit for the certs I have to send them directly to them, and if I send them to NCL, they will charge me full fare for the cruise. Anyway, I think it's important that everyone here know not to book with this company if you plan to use any certificates!

 

Just so you know I'm not making this up - here is the part of the terms and conditions they emailed me:

 

As per Best Price Cruises Terms of Use

 

COUPONS/CERTIFICATES/CRUISE PRICE CREDITS:All discount coupons, certificates, and future cruise credits are SUBJECT TO APPROVAL and must be received in our offices, via certified or overnight mail, NO LATER THAN 10 days after your initial booking date or at least 7 days prior to your sailing departure date - whichever is sooner. Upon receipt, we will review the coupon or certificate with the cruise line to determine whether it can be applied to your booking, AND to what extent it may be applied. Since Best Price Cruises is a discount agency, all dollars off coupons (EXCEPT Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruises) that receive cruise line approval will be credited at 80% or 80 cents on the dollar. This is because all dollar-off coupons reduce the cruise fare - a commissionable item, which Best Price Cruises has already lowered to a "rock bottom" price. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity coupons that receive cruise line approval will be applied at 100% of face value. Coupons received later than 10 days after your initial booking date will be considered LATE and only applied at the discretion of Best Price Cruises. All LATE coupons received after final payment has been made will be changed an additional $25 late processing fee. Any coupons sent directly to the cruise line, contrary to this policy are not the responsibility of Best Price Cruises. Additionally, these coupons sent directly to the cruise line, if applied, are in violation of these terms and conditions and you can be charged, at our discretion, full retail fare for your cruise. Your previously emailed confirmation and discount price will be VOIDED/TERMINATED. When voided/terminated, it will be your sole responsibility to remit the fare difference. If Best Price Cruises does choose to credit you for any coupon sent directly to the cruise line, you hereby acknowledge & accept that Best Price Cruises will assess an additional $35 processing fee.

 

I booked an NCL cruise through an online travel agent, and called to make arrangements to make the final payment today. I was told that they charged a $39 fee for using the NCL Compass Rewards certificates (even if I mailed them directly to NCL) and that these certificates could only be applied to the travel portion of the cruise, not the taxes/fees portion of the total bill. I have never encountered this before. Has anyone else?

I called NCL, and they said that they didn't charge a redemption fee, and were unaware of any travel agents doing so. I don't recall what NCL said about the Compass Rewards points not applying to taxes and fees. In my past experience using the Rewards points, they applied to the total cruise bill.

[kdg51]

I don't think the Compass reward points are considered a coupon. Coupons could be like the ones NCL sends for upgrades or that they have in the Entertainment Books that are sold usually by schools or church groups. I remember someone saying that the TA gets paid for the Compass rewards as if they were cash. I used that same agency in the past many times and only problem was when I sent to NCL without informing them plus I had one of those $250 cruise awards I purchased on the previous cruise applied when I could not use it for the deposit because I was booking online. One cruise balance was $500 which was credited back to my card after I had them call NCL to approve the credit and the other balance was less than the $500 so I lost about $20. I just checked and most of the terms were the same as your contract, I guess I just never read them all. I always found Gary x20 to be very helpful.

Edited March 22, 2009 by kdg51