New GDPR laws- It could affect your loyalty points and booking.

I have had emails from several companies asking me to OK the new rules, the latest were the National Trust and Hilton Hotels.

By May you will be sick of it. Every organization will have to do the same. They must get your explicit consent to keep your information and to send you things. There are some exceptions to the rule for health authorities and police etc who are exempt but otherwise this is a massive undertaking for any organization/club who store members information.

I have had emails from P&O and Princess asking me to update my contact information over the past few weeks, nothing from Cunard or RCI which I have also cruised with oddly.

First P&O email regarding the GDPR changes was 14 March for me. They have then been regular.

Of course I may just be a cynic but I've never sailed with Princess but have been on their website at some point and given them my email address possibly when looking at pricing a cruise. Since then I have been bombarded by emails.

.I did get one last week mentioning Gdpr regulations and stating that I need to opt in to keep being informed .... Also known as bombarded with sales emails . Hence I've taken the view that if I don't click then the junk will stop...hopefully.

 

Could this just be yet another ploy to keep you locked in.😉

I've not received any similar opt in email from P&O (I have sailed with them many times now)

Its not a ploy to keep you locked in, its needed to keep them within the law.

You have always been able to unsuscribe from marketing e-mails. You have only been bombarded because up to now you have taken the decision not to unsuscribe.

The Princess email does say it is Carnival brand policy so accept with Princess and data will be made available to P&O, Cunard etc,

First P&O email regarding the GDPR changes was 14 March for me. They have then been regular.

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My wife has just received her email from P&O and there is a box that specifically needs to be ticked if you want to continue being a member of the Loyalty Club.

Hopefully my email will arrive soon.

So far I have had nothing about this from P&O. Is anyone else in the same position?

I am surprised that they are going down the consent route for a loyalty club, I would have thought that legitimate interest would be a better way to go as you can’t run a loyalty club without saving details.

He ho I’ll await an email.

My wife has just received her email from P&O and there is a box that specifically needs to be ticked if you want to continue being a member of the Loyalty Club.

Hopefully my email will arrive soon.

I can't remember if I have had an email from P and O regarding this.I went to the Princess website and was able to tick a box to say that I wanted to remain a member of the Captains Circle.However when I log into my loyalty account with P and O there is no option to tick to say I want to remain a member of the Peninsular Club. Not sure whether I need to contact P and O or wait and see?

I can't remember if I have had an email from P and O regarding this.I went to the Princess website and was able to tick a box to say that I wanted to remain a member of the Captains Circle.However when I log into my loyalty account with P and O there is no option to tick to say I want to remain a member of the Peninsular Club. Not sure whether I need to contact P and O or wait and see?

When I went into my loyalty account I found that the changes, if any had been made including the question, do you wish to remain a member. That is when I trawled back through my emails and found the communication from the 14th March. I don’t think my wife has ever gone into he account. We will look tomorrow.

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Grr GDPR. I work for a charity and we have spent days and weeks planning to implement the new laws which come in on May 25th. They come from the EU so it will be across Europe, although the UK government accepts they will stay when we leave the EU. Every organisation in the country is dealing with these rules, so over the next month you will be asked to sign up to everything to which you belong, receive information etc.

I have done a website for a cruise we are on next year. I am asking everyone on our roll call for permission to add information even though I am the only person from the UK or Europe. I am not sure what are the rules in the USA but may be similar, if not suspect the Facebook problems will mean they are tightened up.

I got the email and have responded.

One query though.. my husband hasn’t had an email, and obviously my young children won’t have had an email.

I’m guessing this email I received is for the individual not us as a group; I assume P&O would write to those who don’t have an email address associated with their peninsular club # so that my husband and kids can reaffirm their loyalty points!?

When I went into my loyalty account I found that the changes, if any had been made including the question, do you wish to remain a member. That is when I trawled back through my emails and found the communication from the 14th March. I don’t think my wife has ever gone into he account. We will look tomorrow.

 

 

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Possibly I could not find the details, including the question 'Do you wish to stay a member of the Peninsular Club?' because I have not received the email yet?I shall wait a while and see if I receive any communication from P and O regarding this

Not seen any communications from any cruise line as yet and we are both top tier members of all 4 cruise lines we sail with regularly, maybe its because our surnames are towards the end of the alphabet.

Both my husband and I have each received an email from P&O asking us to update our details, including the contact details and how we wish to received information.

I just don’t understand why membership of a loyalty scheme is linked to a need to receive all the marketing emails .

I just don’t understand why membership of a loyalty scheme is linked to a need to receive all the marketing emails .

Any company has to keep data on those who want regular information and date on their members of loyalty clubs etc. It’s all data and the rules are changing. They have to have your permission to keep that information.

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So far I have had nothing about this from P&O. Is anyone else in the same position?

 

I am surprised that they are going down the consent route for a loyalty club, I would have thought that legitimate interest would be a better way to go as you can’t run a loyalty club without saving details.

 

He ho I’ll await an email.

You're not the only one. We have received nothing yet. I agree that they could rely on the 'Legitimate Interest' clause for a loyalty club, yet many membership organisations are choosing to go down the 'consent' route, which is very odd. I can't help but wonder what they will do with paid up members who do not respond giving consent (as many will not do)!

I just don’t understand why membership of a loyalty scheme is linked to a need to receive all the marketing emails .

I think it may be a way to reduce numbers in loyalty schemes, a lot of companies are doing the same.

I have updated my Princess one but have heard nothing from P&O and can find no way of doing anything on the Peninsula Club site about opting in or out.

You're not the only one. We have received nothing yet. I agree that they could rely on the 'Legitimate Interest' clause for a loyalty club, yet many membership organisations are choosing to go down the 'consent' route, which is very odd. I can't help but wonder what they will do with paid up members who do not respond giving consent (as many will not do)!

I did wonder that.

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I just don’t understand why membership of a loyalty scheme is linked to a need to receive all the marketing emails .

Just got home to this and have to smile (cynically). Just looks like a good way for people to lose their loyalty points etc if they are not careful to me. Thanks to everyone on here for bringing this up - have had mail from different charities but had never seen our loyalty bonus for P&O as a charity ;-)

Just got home to this and have to smile (cynically). Just looks like a good way for people to lose their loyalty points etc if they are not careful to me. Thanks to everyone on here for bringing this up - have had mail from different charities but had never seen our loyalty bonus for P&O as a charity ;-)

It’s about data not charities. To maintain their records, for the Peninsular club, for example they have to keep records. You now have to agree to them doing that.

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I have 2 email addresses on my phone for Pauline and I and P&O sent us both an email showing the entire fleet etc so hopefully our 930 loyalty points are safe.

Graham.

Having spent more time than is good for my health looking at GDPR matters over the past year, it’s a minefield and almost nobody understands it fully. Even supposed ‘experts’ who charge for professional advice on this offer conflicting interpretations!

In summary though, the issue with GDPR is not about organisations holding information. It’s about what they do with that information. If you have provided an organisation with your details they do not need to seek your consent to retain it. They can still contact you without you having supplied specific consent as long as they can make a case they have a ‘legitimate interest’ to do so. They have to show documented procedural evidence, if challenged, to show what steps and decisions they took in order to rely upon that legitimate interest and also ensure that such communication contains a clear option for you to cease receiving future such communications.

So, with regards to the Peninsular scheme, P&O could rely on this if, for example, they needed to update us on changes to the scheme. The reality, however, is that most of what we received is firmly ‘marketing’ and It becomes more challenging to prove that there was a legitimate interest in sending it. It’s not impossible, as it could be deemed reasonable that in providing our details we would have a reasonable expectation that we might be contacted about offers etc that might be of interest to us. However, this is where the grey areas start and many organisations are just not prepared to take the risk and are therefore seeking ‘consent’.

If all of that wasn’t confusing enough, the other thing catching out many organisations is that they think that seeking consent is the safest and easiest way to be ‘covered’ under GDPR. It is simply one of several ways of equal weight (including legitimate interest) but brings with it major challenges. Human nature being as it is, most people don’t read or respond to communications. I know of some charities (including some household name ones) who decided early on to go down the ‘consent’ route and are now deeply regretting it as they have lost a huge proportion of their supporter base, in some cases two-thirds or more.

Given the volume of marketing communications that P&O bombard us with I’m not surprised that they are seeking consent, as it will be far easier for them to manage in the long run. The big worry is the number of organisations that won’t be compliant after 25th May and have yet to wake up to the fact!

Having spent more time than is good for my health looking at GDPR matters over the past year, it’s a minefield and almost nobody understands it fully. Even supposed ‘experts’ who charge for professional advice on this offer conflicting interpretations!

 

In summary though, the issue with GDPR is not about organisations holding information. It’s about what they do with that information. If you have provided an organisation with your details they do not need to seek your consent to retain it. They can still contact you without you having supplied specific consent as long as they can make a case they have a ‘legitimate interest’ to do so. They have to show documented procedural evidence, if challenged, to show what steps and decisions they took in order to rely upon that legitimate interest and also ensure that such communication contains a clear option for you to cease receiving future such communications.

 

So, with regards to the Peninsular scheme, P&O could rely on this if, for example, they needed to update us on changes to the scheme. The reality, however, is that most of what we received is firmly ‘marketing’ and It becomes more challenging to prove that there was a legitimate interest in sending it. It’s not impossible, as it could be deemed reasonable that in providing our details we would have a reasonable expectation that we might be contacted about offers etc that might be of interest to us. However, this is where the grey areas start and many organisations are just not prepared to take the risk and are therefore seeking ‘consent’.

 

If all of that wasn’t confusing enough, the other thing catching out many organisations is that they think that seeking consent is the safest and easiest way to be ‘covered’ under GDPR. It is simply one of several ways of equal weight (including legitimate interest) but brings with it major challenges. Human nature being as it is, most people don’t read or respond to communications. I know of some charities (including some household name ones) who decided early on to go down the ‘consent’ route and are now deeply regretting it as they have lost a huge proportion of their supporter base, in some cases two-thirds or more.

 

Given the volume of marketing communications that P&O bombard us with I’m not surprised that they are seeking consent, as it will be far easier for them to manage in the long run. The big worry is the number of organisations that won’t be compliant after 25th May and have yet to wake up to the fact!

Thats how i thought i understood it so thanks for clarifying.

Legitimate interest seems to apply if they only use it for the loyalty element. They want to use it for marketing which is why they are using the consent clause.

If they don’t contact everyone (which to date they have not) then they cut the number of people in the “club”. Seems a little cynical to me.