Major changes to RCCL Visa program

[molly361]

Does anyone have a copy of the old program, and do you know if it's still in effect?

 

TIA

 

Here are the old rules.

bofa_program_rules.pdf

[hollon]

Wow I did not notice that, I guess because we can never amass that many points. Those were the 2 ships that you could get the most "bang for your buck" with 125,000.

 

You could use it for $1250.00 off the cruise fare couldn't you? Or just use 50,000 points for a free cruise for 2? 100,000 for 2 free cruise for 2:D

 

ok sorry it's 5:34 am kinda early, where did you get the 50,000 for two, is that the 3 or 4 nighter? or the 100,000 for two free cruise - sorry if i'm missing it., also can I still use the 75,000 for a free companion on the Oasis, I booked in July for next May?

[molly361]

ok sorry it's 5:34 am kinda early, where did you get the 50,000 for two, is that the 3 or 4 nighter? or the 100,000 for two free cruise - sorry if i'm missing it., also can I still use the 75,000 for a free companion on the Oasis, I booked in July for next May?

 

I was saying you could get 2 3/4 night free cruises for 2 for 50,000 points each or 100,000 total of the 125,000 that you have to use.

 

It looks like you can still use the 75,000 for a companion fare. I do not see in the new rules on that one any limitations as to what ship you can use it on. Good luck

 

Edit If you have the 125,000 points ready to use I would give them a call and see if this new program has been started. Maybe they will still let you use it for the Oasis. Can't hurt to try

Edited August 17, 2013 by molly361

[sr4mjc]

Looks like new people who get the card will be subject to a 1099 for the bonus 10000 pts.

 

"Bonus Points are credited to your account approximately 6-8 weeks after you qualify and they will count towards your maximum Yearly Points earnings limits. The value of this reward may constitute taxable income to you. You may be issued an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099 (or other appropriate form) that reflects the value of such reward. Please consult your tax advisor, as neither Bank of America, its affiliates, nor their employees provide tax advice. "

 

No, it says MAY be taxable income and MAY be issued a 1099. Which is not definitive and even more vague. I would guess they do this as a CYA if there is ever a much larger bonus which would be subject to taxing and not a measly $100. Can you imagine the backlash with all the cards out there if they start taxing bonus points?

 

However, there has been some chatter on flyertalk about credit cards starting this, maybe it is coming for all of them. We shall see.

[Philly Steve]

Some great info in this thread. Thanks!

[tomahawk246]

My advise to everyone that uses this card is to look into getting a Capital One card. Capital One card is mush simpler to redeem points. Example, if you spend 1000 dollars you get 2000 points. 2000 points will get you 20 dollars that is good towards any type of travel. You get 2% of whatever you spend towards any type of travel. I get a free cruise every year. Believe me get rid of the Royal Caribbean card and stop jumping through hoops. Look into the Capital One Card.

[pstone1]

My advise to everyone that uses this card is to look into getting a Capital One card. Capital One card is mush simpler to redeem points. Example, if you spend 1000 dollars you get 2000 points. 2000 points will get you 20 dollars that is good towards any type of travel. You get 2% of whatever you spend towards any type of travel. I get a free cruise every year. Believe me get rid of the Royal Caribbean card and stop jumping through hoops. Look into the Capital One Card.

 

Thanks for the info. When I looked at the Capital One website, the card that gives 2% cash back has an annual fee. It's still a better deal but just wanted to check that this is the card you are referring to and that I am not missing something. Is it the Capital One Venture Rewards card with the annual $59 fee?

 

Thanks!

[mein18]

My advise to everyone that uses this card is to look into getting a Capital One card. Capital One card is mush simpler to redeem points. Example, if you spend 1000 dollars you get 2000 points. 2000 points will get you 20 dollars that is good towards any type of travel. You get 2% of whatever you spend towards any type of travel. I get a free cruise every year. Believe me get rid of the Royal Caribbean card and stop jumping through hoops. Look into the Capital One Card.

 

We have Capital One accounts and don't recall ever getting promos for this type of card. How do you redeem the points? Is it via credit to your card, a check or can it be applied directly to RCI amounts due? Also, with your purchases, does it give 1% for everything you use the card for or do they have any purchases that are greater such as some cards give higher percentages when you purchase gasoline or some restaurants.

 

Although we use our RCI points strictly for OBC, it is only a 1 for 1 swap and now that we have to do in 25k increments then some points will go unused each cruise.

 

Sounds like the 2 for 1 points as you note, that even negates the double points feature when you use the RCI Visa to pay for RCI amounts due.

[FLACRUISER99]

I noticed Celebrity has 2 cards A fee & no fee.

http://www.celebritycruises.com/genericHtmlTemplate.do?&pagename=celebrity_credit_card

Edited August 17, 2013 by FLACRUISER99

[kruz gal]

I am cruising on Grandeur on September 5th and just "redeemed" 10,000 points from my RCCL Visa for a $100 OBC about 2-3 weeks ago. If there has been a change, I must have just squeaked in under the wire, because when I called to do the transaction, there was no mention of a minimum, and in fact, they FINALLY got into the current century by making this transaction electronically. Last year, I had to call and request a paper certificate to be mailed to me, then had to mail that to RCCL "allowing 2 to 3 weeks for processing" for the credit to be applied to my account. This year, happily surprised that they did it all over the phone. But all things considered, I agree w/ previous posters... I'm transitioning over to my AmEx and Discover where I have so much more flexibility to use the points on whatever I want, including statement credits!!

[emeraldcity]

Sounds like RCI is shooting itself in the foot. I finally make diamond, so I can get an attractive balcony discount now. My plan has always been to sweeten the cruise experience by using my RCI points for OBC. I always reason that the OBC is "found" money and I blow it on extras I wouldn't have spent "real" money on (isn't it fun to delude oneself?). If that is no longer an option, I will join the "cancel the card" club.

[mein18]

Sounds like RCI is shooting itself in the foot. I finally make diamond, so I can get an attractive balcony discount now. My plan has always been to sweeten the cruise experience by using my RCI points for OBC. I always reason that the OBC is "found" money and I blow it on extras I wouldn't have spent "real" money on (isn't it fun to delude oneself?). If that is no longer an option, I will join the "cancel the card" club.

 

And the "cancel the card" club is free to join. :D

 

Can still use the RCI Visa for OBC but in 25k increments so if you have 24,999 points, you can not use them for RCI OBC. In the past you were able to do in 5k increments. I am sure there are many will find this feature now useless.

 

If nothing else, these changes have opened our eyes to other card options and finding that some are much more "rewarding" than the RCI Visa whether you look at the new rules or the old. As did you, we have always used for OBC but they were always redeemed on a 1 to 1 basis so really no advantage other than you see the RCI points add up on your statement. If other cards are doing a 1 to 2 conversion on all points, then it is much more rewarding to just get double points and apply to the cost of the cruise. We will just have to be strict to then set aside those monies saved to use against the sea pass account onboard.

Edited August 17, 2013 by mein18

[FLACRUISER99]

My advise to everyone that uses this card is to look into getting a Capital One card. Capital One card is mush simpler to redeem points. Example, if you spend 1000 dollars you get 2000 points. 2000 points will get you 20 dollars that is good towards any type of travel. You get 2% of whatever you spend towards any type of travel. I get a free cruise every year. Believe me get rid of the Royal Caribbean card and stop jumping through hoops. Look into the Capital One Card.

Looks good except for the $59 fee.:eek:

[mein18]

Looks good except for the $59 fee.:eek:

 

Saw that but it kicks in after the first year. I think the across the board double points will more than offset that for many but certainly not for all. If my calculations are correct then it will take you $3,000 in card purchases to pay for the fee each year then after that it's all cruise money.

[cruisenfever]

Looks like Celebrity has decided to bring back a New Celebrity Visa Card

[PattyW]

I'm glad I clicked on this thread! We don't have a cruise upcoming until June of next year, so I'm sure the new rules will be in effect. I don't use the card except for booking cruises (in fact, BOA closed my last account with them because the card was unused. On the plus side, by reapplying, I get the bonus again), so while I am not happy that I won't be able to get onboard credit just from paying off the cruise, I'm glad I know in advance so I can funnel some spending on this card to get OBC for this next cruise.

 

That will be it though, because without the 10,000 point bonus, we'd never even get close to 25,000 points and I really see the OBC as the most valuable perk to this card.

[mein18]

I'm glad I clicked on this thread! We don't have a cruise upcoming until June of next year, so I'm sure the new rules will be in effect. I don't use the card except for booking cruises (in fact, BOA closed my last account with them because the card was unused. On the plus side, by reapplying, I get the bonus again), so while I am not happy that I won't be able to get onboard credit just from paying off the cruise, I'm glad I know in advance so I can funnel some spending on this card to get OBC for this next cruise.

 

That will be it though, because without the 10,000 point bonus, we'd never even get close to 25,000 points and I really see the OBC as the most valuable perk to this card.

 

I will start off by restating what we have posted earlier and as you mentioned is that you use the RCI Visa for the OBC as we always have. With that said, I believe the main reason we did this is to be sure that all points earned were used in fact for OBC and not just applied towards our monthly bill like you would with most cards and then forgotten about.

 

The problem with the RCI Visa when you use as OBC is that you only get 1 point per dollar spent on the card no matter what you use the card for. If you can be regimented enough to put the monies earned from points aside and use a different card that doubles or some even triple the points for certain purchases, when you eventually cruise, you will have a considerable more saved that can be then applied to your sea pass account.

 

This thread has opened our eyes. Although we are dedicated RCI cruisers, if for any reason RCI makes more stupid moves like this in other areas of their offerings etc, using another card with the additional points can be used for any cruise line, flight, hotel etc.

 

Waiting now for some feedback from the couple of posters who already use other cards to get their input on previous questions asked. The Capital One site gives some details but nothing better than hearing it from those with first hand experience.

Edited August 17, 2013 by mein18

[Grandma Dazzles]

We use a variety of airline and hotel credit cards, plus have a RC card. Charge all our purchases, plus DH used to travel extensively on business and earned a lot of points. Used the RC card strictly for cruise purchases and for a few months prior to a cruise to get some OBC.

 

Some time ago did check into Capital One (they are always sending applications), at the time I checked, I did not like their airline reimbursement. It was pretty simple - you pay a dollar amount - say $200 for a fare - I understood that would cost 20,000 points. Trouble is that few air fares are that cheap. Most of the ones we get are in the $500-$600 range, which would mean 50,000 or more points. Airline frequent flyer miles were less (in most cases), especially when you book pretty far out and can take advantage of a super-saver- type airline mile deal.

[cruisenfever]

The problem with the RCI Visa when you use as OBC is that you only get 1 point per dollar spent on the card no matter what you use the card for. If you can be regimented enough to put the monies earned from points aside and use a different card that doubles or some even triple the points for certain purchases, when you eventually cruise, you will have a considerable more saved that can be then applied to your sea pass account.

I'm a little confused by your statement above. You earn 2 points for every RCI transaction. If you pay a balance off that's, let's say, $3000 you will earn 3000 points plus a bonus of an additional 3000 points.

Edited August 17, 2013 by cruisenfever

[mein18]

I'm a little confused by your statement above. You earn 2 points for every RCI transaction. If you pay a balance off that's, let's say, $3000 you will earn 3000 points plus a bonus of an additional 3000 points.

 

But that is the ONLY purchase you can get double points for.

 

We currently have a different card in addition to the RCI which rarely gets used but you get triple point when you buy gasoline and double points and many restaurants.

 

The point the one poster made with their Capital One card is that they get double points towards travel for EVERY purchase they make including when they pay for RCI cruises.

 

To give an example: If you spend $20k per year on your RCI card plus pay for a $3k cruise you will get 26,000 points (20,000 x 1 plus 3,000 x 2).

 

If you do the same with the card from Capital One (using that card as an example since it is mentioned in this thread) you get 46,000 points (20,000 x 2 plus 3,000 x 2)

 

So, with the RCI Visa you will earn towards your cruise in OBC of $260 (actually only $250 now since you have to redeem in 25k point increments. With the Capital One example you would get $460 applied towards the cost of your cruise.

 

When all is said and done you get $210 more.

 

Sorry if this sounds like a sales pitch but it is only the fact that I am just in shock by how much we have been losing by sticking with the RCI card.

Edited August 17, 2013 by mein18

[cruisenfever]

But that is the ONLY purchase you can get double points for.

 

We currently have a different card in addition to the RCI which rarely gets used but you get triple point when you buy gasoline and double points and many restaurants.

 

The point the one poster made with their Capital One card is that they get double points towards travel for EVERY purchase they make including when they pay for RCI cruises.

 

To give an example: If you spend $20k per year on your RCI card plus pay for a $3k cruise you will get 26,000 points (20,000 x 1 plus 3,000 x 2).

 

If you do the same with the card from Capital One (using that card as an example since it is mentioned in this thread) you get 46,000 points (20,000 x 2 plus 3,000 x 2)

 

So, with the RCI Visa you will earn towards your cruise in OBC of $260 (actually only $250 now since you have to redeem in 25k point increments. With the Capital One example you would get $460 applied towards the cost of your cruise.

 

When all is said and done you get $210 more.

 

Sorry if this sounds like a sales pitch but it is only the fact that I am just in shock by how much we have been losing by sticking with the RCI card.

Got it.:)

[mein18]

We use a variety of airline and hotel credit cards, plus have a RC card. Charge all our purchases, plus DH used to travel extensively on business and earned a lot of points. Used the RC card strictly for cruise purchases and for a few months prior to a cruise to get some OBC.

 

Some time ago did check into Capital One (they are always sending applications), at the time I checked, I did not like their airline reimbursement. It was pretty simple - you pay a dollar amount - say $200 for a fare - I understood that would cost 20,000 points. Trouble is that few air fares are that cheap. Most of the ones we get are in the $500-$600 range, which would mean 50,000 or more points. Airline frequent flyer miles were less (in most cases), especially when you book pretty far out and can take advantage of a super-saver- type airline mile deal.

 

Using any card for airlines is very sketchy due to all the restrictions, flier miles, blackout dates etc. For the purpose of this thread, with the RCI card, doesn't really matter since you can't use it for fights or hotels anyhow. So even the possibility of using another card that gives you more points for a flight but can without limitation use for hotel and cruise fares is a plus in our book.

[Cindy]

Hmm...since I'm not sure what the impact will be once the new program is fully implemented, I just went to the redemption site and applied 50,000 points to a discount on my April cruise.

I usually split purchases evenly between my RCCL card and my United card, but I may put everything on United for now until I'm sure I'll still be able to redeem RCCL points. Both of my booked Royal Caribbean cruises already have a Diamond balcony discount applied.

[mein18]

Hmm...since I'm not sure what the impact will be once the new program is fully implemented, I just went to the redemption site and applied 50,000 points to a discount on my April cruise.

I usually split purchases evenly between my RCCL card and my United card, but I may put everything on United for now until I'm sure I'll still be able to redeem RCCL points. Both of my booked Royal Caribbean cruises already have a Diamond balcony discount applied.

 

It is absolutely ridiculous that anyone in today's ease of communication society should have to alter their strategies due to uncertainty. It may be the same ease of communication that is creating this uncertainty since it appears that one site has been updated and others have not. Left arm has no idea what the right arm is doing.

 

Glad to hear you got your discount pre-changes. Without notice, many RCI Visa card holders could retroactively find their accumulated points worthless unless they use the card enough to get to 25k points.

[orville99]

I'm a little confused by your statement above. You earn 2 points for every RCI transaction. If you pay a balance off that's, let's say, $3000 you will earn 3000 points plus a bonus of an additional 3000 points.

 

 

 

 

But that is the ONLY purchase you can get double points for.

 

BOA periodically runs promotions that do the triple/double points, and also do periodic promotions that give you 5% cash back.

 

I may be in the minority here, but I actually like the new program. I think adding the ability to use my points on X makes the decision to do an X cruise a lot easier to make:) Every one of the ways that we currently use our points hasn't changed, so for us, this is a big net plus:)

Edited August 17, 2013 by orville99