AM EX Platinum Members Beware!

I am on Celebrity Constellation now and have been told that the "1 2 3" promotion ( I booked this cruise January 2014) is not combinable with AM EX cruise rewards. This cruisewasbooked through Celebrity and this is the first notification given me. Sorry, Celbrity, but no more of your penny pinching and omissions for me. Even though teir representative told meat thetimeof final payment that shewouldcontact AN EX and have the perks applied it was notdoneand no one told me. Anyoneelsehavea similar experience? Will update later. I have been to Guest Relations twice with no further. Contact.

Not sure what you thought you were getting but Amex cut way back on its cruise partner benefits last year.

Current program states benefits are only "Valid for new bookings of voyages of at least five nights made through American Express Travel."

Celebrity isn't even listed on the Amex website as a Cruise Privileges Program cruise line anymore. However, that may just be an oversight. In the small print it does provide that:

Card Members receive $100 USD shipboard credit for inside and outside staterooms; $200 USD shipboard credit for balcony, verandah, and mini-suite staterooms; and $300 USD shipboard credit for suites on Celebrity Cruises.

Benefits may have been different when you booked but you'll need confirmation of what they were at that time and that the cruise was booked properly to take advantage of the program. Not enough to have just used the card to pay for the cruise. These are things you should have confirmed at the time of booking not after you boarded.

BTW, when I booked my last Celebrity cruise I was also told at the time of booking that the 123 go benefits were not combinable with the Platinum benefits.

I am on Celebrity Constellation now and have been told that the "1 2 3" promotion ( I booked this cruise January 2014) is not combinable with AM EX cruise rewards. This cruisewasbooked through Celebrity and this is the first notification given me. Sorry, Celbrity, but no more of your penny pinching and omissions for me. Even though teir representative told meat thetimeof final payment that shewouldcontact AN EX and have the perks applied it was notdoneand no one told me. Anyoneelsehavea similar experience? Will update later. I have been to Guest Relations twice with no further. Contact.

Let me understand this.

You booked directly with Celebrity, and so you would have received an invoice directly from Celebrity.

You didn't see any of your 123 Promotion on the invoice, and you are posting about it now, a year later, while you are ON your cruise?

You are saying that you learned of this for the first time just NOW, while ON your cruise?

Clearly, you needed to take responsibility and follow up when you made your reservation a year ago.

Sure - you can blame Celebrity all you want, but the bottom line is that you needed to examine your receipt (invoice) and deal with any discrepancies up front.

Hope you have a good cruise anyway.

It seems that there has always been an under the table agreement with AmEx that celebrity is somehow funding part of the Amex provided perks. I haven't come across this with any other TA or credit card. When I first heard of this issue, I thought it was sneaky....I still think it's pretty sneaky since it's not disclosed. 1-2-3 is combinable with the additional perks my TAs give us.

Platinum benefits are not combinable with many other benefits. I've never received any Platinum benefits on any Celebrity cruise.

i believe that to get the AMEX benefit you must book through AMEX travel. I tried once to get it by proving the entire cruise was paid for on AMEX and it didnt matter. Celebrity is also very clear on combining promo offers. I do believe though that the AMEX benefits are inviting but you must go through AMEX and not Celebrity

i believe that to get the AMEX benefit you must book through AMEX travel. I tried once to get it by proving the entire cruise was paid for on AMEX and it didnt matter. Celebrity is also very clear on combining promo offers. I do believe though that the AMEX benefits are inviting but you must go through AMEX and not Celebrity

You have to go through AMEX or an affiliated travel agent.

I am on Celebrity Constellation now and have been told that the "1 2 3" promotion ( I booked this cruise January 2014) is not combinable with AM EX cruise rewards. This cruisewasbooked through Celebrity and this is the first notification given me. Sorry, Celbrity, but no more of your penny pinching and omissions for me. Even though teir representative told meat thetimeof final payment that shewouldcontact AN EX and have the perks applied it was notdoneand no one told me. Anyoneelsehavea similar experience? Will update later. I have been to Guest Relations twice with no further. Contact.

We have NEVER been able to get the Amex platinum benefits on a Celebrity cruise. There's always a different reason.

I don't even ask any more.

We still use Amex to book.

We get them on Princess so it's not Amex or my TA.

I just realized this also, after booking 4 cruises with them (close to 50 days) with my Amex Plat. TA. On the other hand, if you ever have a problem, I stick with Amex because they are right on it and worth giving up the few extras.

Even Carnival respects the AmX promise of OBC. It is very disappointing that Celebrity refuses to respect the AmX offer, and I am not even getting the 123 offer because it is a Transatlantic cruise.

Thanks for all of the replies. It seems that many of us have had different experiences relative to the AMEX perks. By the way, I finally have a desk top and not my old first generation IPAD so can type a lot better than my first post, for which I apologize.

DINA S, I am not one to blame until all of the facts have been found. You jump to conclusions or simply defend Celebrity without knowing all of the facts. The 123 promotion was on my invoice. At time of final payment, Celebrity confirmed that my AMEX perks would be added. I did not know that they weren't until I was onboard.

I have cruised with Celebrity the last four years in an RS and have always received 300. OBC, specialty dining and a bottle of wine.

All I am trying to find out is whether this situation is the doing of AMEX or Celebrity so I will know who to cease doing business with. Yes, I really like Celebrity, even though it has become a little sketchy in the past few years. But there are simply too many other good lines--and card companies--who might appreciate my business.

Will follow up with AMEX...

And by the way, the show last night was probably in the top two of any that I have ever seen at sea. Also, the food has improved since last January. They no longer offer any Asian breakfast, unfortunately. After a bad experience with the MDR last January, I tried Princess in March. The experience was great and, if this problem is Celebrity's doing, then Princess here I come. DINA S, maybe you should give Princess a try, too. You can never be too set in your ways, even though I would really like to continue with Celebrity.

I booked my upcoming cruise with Celebrity through Amex Plat and the rep told me I could not get the AMEX OBC due to my receiving the 123go promotion.

I didn't think it was fair but she was upfront about it with me.

Thanks for all of the replies. It seems that many of us have had different experiences relative to the AMEX perks. By the way, I finally have a desk top and not my old first generation IPAD so can type a lot better than my first post, for which I apologize.

 

DINA S, I am not one to blame until all of the facts have been found. You jump to conclusions or simply defend Celebrity without knowing all of the facts. The 123 promotion was on my invoice. At time of final payment, Celebrity confirmed that my AMEX perks would be added. I did not know that they weren't until I was onboard.

 

I have cruised with Celebrity the last four years in an RS and have always received 300. OBC, specialty dining and a bottle of wine.

 

All I am trying to find out is whether this situation is the doing of AMEX or Celebrity so I will know who to cease doing business with. Yes, I really like Celebrity, even though it has become a little sketchy in the past few years. But there are simply too many other good lines--and card companies--who might appreciate my business.

 

Will follow up with AMEX...

You misunderstood my post. I am not a Celebrity "cheerleader", so your comment about trying Princess is pretty silly since they don't even do the itineraries that interest me.

In fact, this is my first Celebrity cruise coming up in May.

I was simply stating that you should have assured that your invoice reflected all the information you were told when you booked your cruise.

If it did not, then it was your responsibility to straighten it out.

If it SHOWED that you were getting everything you were told, then it now becomes a legal issue. An invoice is a contract. When you paid the invoice, you expected to get what you paid for.

Since you paid for the cruise with AmEx, take it up with them. AmEx is VERY good when it comes to disputes - especially when you have something IN WRITING from the vendor.

If it's a deal-breaker for you to be able to get Amex Platinum benefits along with the advertised offer on the cruise (and shareholder benefits too) you will be a Princess cruiser. Princess has always allowed combining benefits, including those three. Celebrity has never allowed it. My RCL stock has never paid off on the shareholder benefit -- but it has been a great investment for the dividends and huge capital gain. Still, none of this is a deal-breaker for me. Princess offers a great cruise, and I will continue to sail with them for the right itinerary. Celebrity also offers a great cruise, and I will continue to sail with them even though I can't get Platinum or shareholder benefits -- especially because they have many interesting itineraries that Princess doesn't have, and their loyalty program runs jointly with Azamara. To do what you suggest would be cutting off my nose to spite my face, as they say.

I am on Celebrity Constellation now and have been told that the "1 2 3" promotion ( I booked this cruise January 2014) is not combinable with AM EX cruise rewards. This cruisewasbooked through Celebrity and this is the first notification given me. Sorry, Celbrity, but no more of your penny pinching and omissions for me. Even though teir representative told meat thetimeof final payment that shewouldcontact AN EX and have the perks applied it was notdoneand no one told me. Anyoneelsehavea similar experience? Will update later. I have been to Guest Relations twice with no further. Contact.

That sounds like Celebrity failed to inform you that the 1,2,3 promotion was not combinable with AM Cruise Rewards. Did you ask the Celebrity representative whether they were combinable when you booked your cruise? Is there a way you can escalate your issue up to someone who may be able to resolve the problem to your satisfaction?

What does your invoice (contract) say? Have you taken up your dispute with AM EX?

Good luck with your quest. Please report back the results of your efforts.

The email is here:

Celebrity Cruises continues to promote its national promotions such as 123! Go and Pick Your Perk, which are successful among their customers but not combinable with the Cruise Privileges Program (CPP). To drive satisfaction with program combinability and provide the best experience to Card Members, Celebrity Cruises will be leaving the CPP, effective January 1, 2015.

There is no more CPP with Amex Plat/Centurian and Celebrity cruises.

Cheers!

The email is here:

 

Celebrity Cruises continues to promote its national promotions such as 123! Go and Pick Your Perk, which are successful among their customers but not combinable with the Cruise Privileges Program (CPP). To drive satisfaction with program combinability and provide the best experience to Card Members, Celebrity Cruises will be leaving the CPP, effective January 1, 2015.

 

There is no more CPP with Amex Plat/Centurian and Celebrity cruises.

 

Cheers!

They booked a year ago, so this doesn't pertain to them.

Anyoneelsehavea similar experience? Will update later. I have been to Guest Relations twice with no further. Contact.

Am Ex perks generally can't be combined. We've booked through AmEx for Celebrity and have had to choose either or. Although once they were able to determine that we could get an extra dining reservation; seems most was not combinable but they finagled that for us.

We have NEVER been able to get the Amex platinum benefits on a Celebrity cruise. There's always a different reason.

We have, but you have to book through AmEx travel.

At time of final payment, Celebrity confirmed that my AMEX perks would be added. I did not know that they weren't until I was onboard.

 

And they did that in writing, correct? They included the perks on your invoice, or emailed you a confirmation stating definitively that you would receive the AmEx perks?

Or was it just something a Celebrity booking rep told you over the phone? (wouldn't be the first time a phone rep spouted off about something they had no clue about and which was categorically untrue)

Or was there fine print verbiage along the lines of "we'll check and make sure you get any AmEx benefits for which you're eligible?" ( but then you weren't eligible for any since you were already getting the 123 thing?)

There have been quite a few threads about credit card programs, the best one to have, and so on and so forth over the past months.

We have the RCCL & Celebrity Visa cards and have always been given the additional OBC and Speciality dinning comp, no matter how we booked or thru whom.

Maybe it is time for a different credit card?

We had a similar problem with our AMEx gold Delta card. In the marketing for the AmEx card, it says a card holder can get into Delta's Sky Club for $29 per day instead of $50 if you are a Delta Sky Miles member. Last Sept. we were held up at JFK waiting for 70 passengers from Salt Lake City who needed to get on our flight to Venice for a cruise. (I don't know which cruiseline). We had to wait over 4 hours for them, so we thought we would go into the Delta Sky Club because it is much nicer than the waiting area and has food and drinks for "free".

When I asked the desk hostess in the Sky Club for the $29 deal, she very rudely said no, it would be $50. We didn't want to pay that much, so we left. When I called Delta, they could not find the deal in their literature,it is only in the AmEx literature.My point is, no matter what AmEx writes, the person at the point of entry (in your case Celebrity) may not honor it.

I did not renew my Delta AmEx card as a result.

American Express Centurion Travel and Platinum Travel offer benefits if you book through them on cruise lines that are part of their program.

I know for Centurion Members on Celerity you would in 2014 get the Travel Insurance, Baggage Insurance, $300 OBC for me and $300 for my spouse, dinner for two in a specialty restaurant, premium bottle of wine or champagne and double membership rewards.

for 2015 Celebrity has opted not to be in the American Express Travel Program so those benefits are no longer offered but they can still book your travel.

So now the only advantage I get are the points and the ease of just calling and having it booked through Am Ex. This is where you might want to check in with your local Travel Agent to see if they will do something extra for you that Am Ex cannot.

~ Steve

I have never found AMEX platinum even come close to a good TA!

We have been a long time AMEX customer (for over thirty years) and do not see the justification for spending $450 a year for a Platinum Card (which does not even get you a free card for your spouse). AMEX has tried to market that Platinum Card to us by explaining all the benefits. But when they start touting things like "no foreign exchange fees" my response is that I already have both a Visa and MC that charge zero foreign exchange fees and those two cards have ZERO annual fees and are accepted just about everywhere! AMEX then says, yes, but we will pay for your Global Entry registration fees. And I respond: Ahh, so you will charge me $2,250 (5 years of membership fees) and then give me $100 for an application fee? We think not!

Then AMEX touts their Airline Club memberships...but even this has been cut-back in recent years to a point that we could seldom take advantage.

As to the cruise line OBCs, there just are too many catches to the program that make it worth little to us.

But my biggest complaint about AMEX is that it seems that fewer and fewer restaurants and shops in Europe will even accept the card. We have several MC and Visa cards, 2 of which have zero foreign exchange fees (AMEX charges 2.7% except for the Platinum card) and no annual fees (AMEX annual fees vary to as high as $450 a year for a Platinum).

So while we still see some advantages to AMEX (great customer service, no upper limit hassles, etc) it is now a card we seldom use when outside the USA. In fact, we live in Puerto Vallarta for several months a year and do not even bother to take our AMEX card since it is near useless in this city.

Hank