Royal caribbean VISA..good or bad?

[nygirl07]

Anyone have one and what rewards to you get with it? We were thinking of getting one b/c we are cruising on Oasis in Jan 2009 for our honeymoon and wanted to earn some on board credits....would we be able to use them for then? I know it says you earn 10,000 point for your first purchase

 

Any advice would be great

[CruiseDude_83]

Anyone have one and what rewards to you get with it? We were thinking of getting one b/c we are cruising on Oasis in Jan 2009 for our honeymoon and wanted to earn some on board credits....would we be able to use them for then? I know it says you earn 10,000 point for your first purchase

 

Any advice would be great

I have had the Card since 2005. I think it is a good idea. The APR or APY is a little high for my liking so i pay it off ever month. But it is a very good way to earn OBC especially if you use it to book and pay for RCCL purchases. If you are thinking about it get it if you can afford a credit card.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Dont know too much about it other than we have it and use it for EVERYTHING.......and I do mean everything. People have reported 'free' cruises when they earn millions of points lol.. (I migth be exagerating by millions, lol)

 

You definitely do earn on board credit, it is worth it.

 

Here is a link with more info:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/dealsandmore/offer/visa.do;jsessionid=0000MUgaFrR0qsuE6JSy6X9Qhvu:12hdhu6tq?cS=NAVBAR

[derf5585]

I already booked a cruise. Will getting a VISA card help me?

[PSCruiser]

I already booked a cruise. Will getting a VISA card help me?

 

Of course. Once you get enough points you can cash it for OBC on that cruise. Or, save points and you can get one person free on your next cruise, depending on length.

 

I've been able to get both OBC, and a free cruise for spouse using points. However, be warned that the RC card only yields a 1% return on day to day purchases, while the NCL card yields 3%, if you have any interest in cruising NCL. To put that in perspective, I'm getting $1500 discount on an NCL cruise next year, where the equivalent discount on RC would have been $500.

[Shanafan]

I already booked a cruise. Will getting a VISA card help me?

Absolutely! We have had ours since about 2005 or early 2006. We use it for everything we can and pay it off every month. Last year we took two 7 night cruises for 2 for free by cashing in 125,000 points for each. We also took 2 short cruises for free (other than taxes, port charges, etc) and cashed in 50,000 points for each. We have about 95,000 now and need to plan another 7 nighter for my hubby and I.

 

You would be surprised what you can charge that you would normally write a check for.....phone, cable, utilities, cell phones, gas, groceries and lots of other things. Just make sure you pay it off every month and it is well worth it.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

We had ours for about 6 years now and have taken 2 free cruises (4 NT) and now have enough for a third!! Yippee!

We pay for everything with it and then pay it off each month, we never carry a balance!

 

Its amazing for fast the points add up, double points for all RC dollars, including your Sea Pass.

 

***

[cruisenfever]

The only down side to using points for free cruises is that you do not earn cruise credits towards C&A membership.

[vickiw0318]

Good question. I would bet that you do since there two issues here - the actual booking and using the points as a method of payment. It would seem to me that the way in which it is paid does not effect the fact that a cruise was taken. Of course, I am just guessing (and hoping that I am right.:))

 

Hope someone who's actually done this will reply.

 

I have taken two RCI cruises that we paid for by another entity (they were company conventions) and so were free to me. I still got the cruise credit since the cabin was booked in my name and I took the cruise.

[bruce-r]

I already booked a cruise. Will getting a VISA card help me?

 

Yes, definitely if it is the RCI Visa from B of A. First off, you get enough points just for getting the card to redeem for $100 OBC. After that, every 5000 points you accumulate is good for another $50 OBC. If you haven't make your final payment yet, get the card and charge the final payment with it, then pay it off right away. You'll get double points for charges made to RCI. So if your final payment is at least $2500, you'd get another 5000 points which is good for another $50 OBC.

[montekat]

The only down side to using points for free cruises is that you do not earn cruise credits towards C&A membership.

 

We received credit for our free 4 nt. cruise. Some people say that you will not get a credit unless you spend something on the cruise price, such as an upgrade. We paid for the upgrade from OV to balcony and it was well worth it.

 

We have had our card for about 4 years now and feel it is definitely worthwhile. We put as much as possible on the card and always pay it off every month. I like being paid to cruise!

[cruisenfever]

Good question. I would bet that you do since there two issues here - the actual booking and using the points as a method of payment. It would seem to me that the way in which it is paid does not effect the fact that a cruise was taken. Of course, I am just guessing (and hoping that I am right.:))

 

Hope someone who's actually done this will reply.

 

I have taken two RCI cruises that we paid for by another entity (they were company conventions) and so were free to me. I still got the cruise credit since the cabin was booked in my name and I took the cruise.

Here is what it says on the RCI FAQ page............

What are Cruise Credits and why do they matter? - Royal Caribbean International For instance, if you are a Crown & Anchor Society member and you complete a 12-night cruise or longer, you could be eligible for 2 Cruise Credits. Each non-discounted cruise typically earns 1 CruiseCredit, although other terms and conditions apply. Cruise Credits are important if you are a member of the Crown & Anchor Society because the more Cruise Credits you have, the more benefits you're entitled to.

 

I do know of those that have used points for the lowest priced oceanview cabin and then paid the difference to be upgraded and received their cruise credit for their sailing.

[icruiz2]

Good question. I would bet that you do since there two issues here - the actual booking and using the points as a method of payment. It would seem to me that the way in which it is paid does not effect the fact that a cruise was taken. Of course, I am just guessing (and hoping that I am right.:))

 

Hope someone who's actually done this will reply.

 

I have taken two RCI cruises that we paid for by another entity (they were company conventions) and so were free to me. I still got the cruise credit since the cabin was booked in my name and I took the cruise.

 

Yes, that is a good point. My mother earned a free cruise through her work, took me, and I did get the cruise credit. I wonder if this would be different?

[Linda/Ohio]

I saw that there was some place recently that had the RCCL offering 15,000 for the first purchase--I suggest looking for that offer. We get several hundred dollars of OBC per year.

[jillyfish]

It's good. As long as you pay it off each month.

I run everything through mine. Even pay my utilities with it, almost makes me look forward to paying 'em knowing I am earning points toward a cruise. :p

[logan1_2000]

Of course. Once you get enough points you can cash it for OBC on that cruise. Or, save points and you can get one person free on your next cruise, depending on length.

 

I've been able to get both OBC, and a free cruise for spouse using points. However, be warned that the RC card only yields a 1% return on day to day purchases, while the NCL card yields 3%, if you have any interest in cruising NCL. To put that in perspective, I'm getting $1500 discount on an NCL cruise next year, where the equivalent discount on RC would have been $500.

 

I have both cards. I have used the RCI Visa for 1) a free companion fare to the bahamas; 2) a free caribbean cruise for 2 (that ended up being a roughly $2000 credit toward a junior suite); 3) a fare discount on an upcoming cruise; 4) a free cruise for 2 to the bahamas, upcoming. Plan to add an OBC to the upcoming cruise on which I got the discounted fare.

 

Am accumulating NCL points to try that cruise line out, just to see how we like their version of flexible dining. Have had friends with whom we cruised twice on RCI say positive things about a 5-niter out of Miami on NCL and we trust their judgment, so we'll give it a try. Also, no black-out dates for using the NCL credit, so can use that on a cruise over Christmas or New Year's, which is very convenient for us since DW and DS are on different school years and DS's baseball now makes a summer cruise impossible most of the time. Can get the discount up to $3,000 over a three year period of use and point accumulation (max. $1,000 per year).

 

I pay both cards off monthly, and use only one at a time for EVERYTHING, both myself and DW as an additional card-holder. DW also got her own separate RCI card when the bonus was 15,000, so her card, not mine, was the source of the upcoming $150 fare discount.

[cruisenfever]

We received credit for our free 4 nt. cruise. Some people say that you will not get a credit unless you spend something on the cruise price, such as an upgrade. We paid for the upgrade from OV to balcony and it was well worth it.

 

We have had our card for about 4 years now and feel it is definitely worthwhile. We put as much as possible on the card and always pay it off every month. I like being paid to cruise!

I am guessing that you received your credit because you paid the difference to upgrade. So in actuality it wasn't really free in RCI's mind.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

The only down side to using points for free cruises is that you do not earn cruise credits towards C&A membership.

 

Thats what we thought Patti, we upgraded on our free Monarch cruise and that gave us one credit :) ........ We had already turned Diamond, so getting to a new level didn't matter..... Otherwise I would of been disappointed!

 

***

[cruisenfever]

Thats what we thought Patti, we upgraded on our free Monarch cruise and that gave us one credit :) ........ We had already turned Diamond, so getting to a new level didn't matter..... Otherwise I would of been disappointed!

 

***

But you "upgraded"......you paid $$$ to RCI to do that. So that is why I believe you got the credit. If someone just redeems their points and sails in an oceanview cabin........then I don't believe they would earn the credit.

 

Where's Shirl when I need her??

[PSCruiser]

I have both cards. I have used the RCI Visa for 1) a free companion fare to the bahamas; 2) a free caribbean cruise for 2 (that ended up being a roughly $2000 credit toward a junior suite); 3) a fare discount on an upcoming cruise; 4) a free cruise for 2 to the bahamas, upcoming. Plan to add an OBC to the upcoming cruise on which I got the discounted fare.

 

Am accumulating NCL points to try that cruise line out, just to see how we like their version of flexible dining. Have had friends with whom we cruised twice on RCI say positive things about a 5-niter out of Miami on NCL and we trust their judgment, so we'll give it a try. Also, no black-out dates for using the NCL credit, so can use that on a cruise over Christmas or New Year's, which is very convenient for us since DW and DS are on different school years and DS's baseball now makes a summer cruise impossible most of the time. Can get the discount up to $3,000 over a three year period of use and point accumulation (max. $1,000 per year).

 

I pay both cards off monthly, and use only one at a time for EVERYTHING, both myself and DW as an additional card-holder. DW also got her own separate RCI card when the bonus was 15,000, so her card, not mine, was the source of the upcoming $150 fare discount.

 

I do things exactly the same way, and have already done one NCL cruise paid mainly by the credit card points. In my opinion, no, NCL is not RC, but at one third the "price" its a great deal. NCL is my #1 card, and I get my $1000 every year.

[jillybabes]

We received credit for our free 4 nt. cruise. Some people say that you will not get a credit unless you spend something on the cruise price, such as an upgrade. We paid for the upgrade from OV to balcony and it was well worth it.

 

We have had our card for about 4 years now and feel it is definitely worthwhile. We put as much as possible on the card and always pay it off every month. I like being paid to cruise!

 

We have used the card to upgrade to a JS and got a cruise credit for sailing...

My question is now that we have reached D+ and if we book an OV cabin for 125,000pts.(free cruise for 2) & upgrade to a balcony can we get the 200.00 diamond discount on the $$$ difference???

But you "upgraded"......you paid $$$ to RCI to do that. So that is why I believe you got the credit. If someone just redeems their points and sails in an oceanview cabin........then I don't believe they would earn the credit.

Where's Shirl when I need her??

 

Patti: I'm not Shirl:p , but I have the answer...You're correct in assuming that if you just stay in an OV and do not upgrade you do not get a credit for the cruise...The only way you get a credit is if you upgrade...Later, Jill:cool:

[cruisenfever]

We have used the card to upgrade to a JS and got a cruise credit for sailing...

My question is now that we have reached D+ and if we book an OV cabin for 125,000pts.(free cruise for 2) & upgrade to a balcony can we get the 200.00 diamond discount on the $$$ difference???

 

 

 

Patti: I'm not Shirl:p , but I have the answer...You're correct in assuming that if you just stay in an OV and do not upgrade you do not get a credit for the cruise...The only way you get a credit is if you upgrade...Later, Jill:cool:

Thanks Jill............that's how I interpret the rules.

 

Can't answer your question about the discount..............I'll bet Shirl can.;)

[jillybabes]

Thanks Jill............that's how I interpret the rules.

 

Can't answer your question about the discount..............I'll bet Shirl can.;)

 

Thanks Patti, SHIRL, Where ARE YOU:D

[pmshirl]

Here I am Patti!;) :)

 

When I used my points for the free fare for 2 on 7 day cruise's, I also upgraded to a Balcony, and received the C&A Credits. I was told from RC that if you do not pay any additional costs towards your cabin ( not talking about port taxes and fees), that you are not entitled to the C&A credits. I have never experienced it, since all my Visa Free cruise's were upgraded and I paid the upgraded cost and received the C&A credits! My T/A also stated no C&A credit if you don't pay for an upgrade.

 

Now here's a question. What happens if you use the free fare for 2 in the lowest OV cabin (not sure if the rule still has a max amount $2500.00) and say the OV cost $2800.00 and you are now paying $300.00 towards that OV free Cruise! You are applying additional money towards payment of the cabin (such as you do for an upgrade), will you receive C&A credits?

 

I can tell you this much, I use to run group cruise's ( just with a bunch of friends, getting sometimes as many of 100 in my groups! If I received the free berth for my DH and myself, we DID NOT receive a C&A cruise credit for it! This was back in the 90's when you received the free berths. Then they changed and now give you a check in the amount of what you earned (after the cruise is completed), so you are paying upfront for the cruise and do receive the C&A credit. I no longer do groups, just want to relax and enjoy my Cruise!;) :)

 

Unless you experienced using the points for a Free Cruise , with no upgrade or additional costs to pay, I don't think RC or BOA will even give you the right answer!:rolleyes:

[pmshirl]

We have used the card to upgrade to a JS and got a cruise credit for sailing...

My question is now that we have reached D+ and if we book an OV cabin for 125,000pts.(free cruise for 2) & upgrade to a balcony can we get the 200.00 diamond discount on the $$$ difference???

 

 

 

Patti: I'm not Shirl:p , but I have the answer...You're correct in assuming that if you just stay in an OV and do not upgrade you do not get a credit for the cruise...The only way you get a credit is if you upgrade...Later, Jill:cool:

 

Jill: Yes you can get the Diamond Discount! I upgraded to the Balcony and got it!