Major changes to RCCL Visa program

[mein18]

Hi Mein....I'm almost positive I already know the answer to this, but did you make sure your Keurig order was above $45 so you got the free shipping?:D

 

I actually used the calculator when I decided to use the USAA card...my 'reward' is worth 3 cents rather than 1 cent on the RC Visa. Whoopee!:o

 

Sure did plus with 6 boxes got the free 5 pack sample. They also had a $2 off per box special running per email I received. To be honest, I only order directly from them when we get the $2 off per box.

 

Reason we are thinking to switch to Capital One... would have had 160 points or $1.60 to use towards a specialty coffee on next cruise instead of the 80 cents I get with RCI card.

[foxgoodrich]

Sure did plus with 6 boxes got the free 5 pack sample. They also had a $2 off per box special running per email I received. To be honest, I only order directly from them when we get the $2 off per box.

 

Reason we are thinking to switch to Capital One... would have had 160 points or $1.60 to use towards a specialty coffee on next cruise instead of the 80 cents I get with RCI card.

 

Oh my....so who else has been keeping those calculator keys warm?:p I should probably check out that Cap One deal...

 

Yes, it's always my goal to make each K-cup cost about 50 cents. I get a 15% discount from being a member of their club, plus I look for coupons or deals to add to that. (and get that free 5 pack sample too) Since our sales tax is over 8%, I instantly save that by ordering from them. That situation could change, though!

 

Now if we could just get Keurig machines in our cabins...I could wake up with Dark Magic...:rolleyes:

Judy

[tomahawk246]

I just make the payment on my Capital One card (personal use), 2540.31. 50.80 for my next cruise.

[mein18]

Oh my....so who else has been keeping those calculator keys warm?:p I should probably check out that Cap One deal...

 

Yes, it's always my goal to make each K-cup cost about 50 cents. I get a 15% discount from being a member of their club, plus I look for coupons or deals to add to that. (and get that free 5 pack sample too) Since our sales tax is over 8%, I instantly save that by ordering from them. That situation could change, though!

 

Now if we could just get Keurig machines in our cabins...I could wake up with Dark Magic...:rolleyes:

Judy

 

:):):):) And it has been said that you can't make a perfect experience more perfect. That sure would do it.

 

We put away the coffee maker in our room as soon as we arrive to give us more counter space. Makes the absolute worst cup of coffee.

 

There was actually a thread here a while back with someone asking if they could take their Keurig onto the ship.

[mein18]

I just make the payment on my Capital One card (personal use), 2540.31. 50.80 for my next cruise.

 

Think my question couple days ago got lost in the shuffle. That $50.80 can you designate what travel it gets applied to or will CO automatically apply your points to the first travel charge that comes through that your total can cover?

[wrcjr98]

Certainly not a waste of time. Really doesn't appear to be much in the way of changes being made. We have had nothing but excellent service from BofA on both a personal and business level. You will also get what was probably 10,000 points for signing up which can convert to $100 OBC on your next cruise.

 

Oh - okay - thanks Mein!

I just skimmed some of the posts, and "assumed" that points could not be converted to on board credit - Thank you for clarifying for me! :)

[tomahawk246]

Think my question couple days ago got lost in the shuffle. That $50.80 can you designate what travel it gets applied to or will CO automatically apply your points to the first travel charge that comes through that your total can cover?

 

At the end of the month you can see all the transaction that qualify for travel and you pick if and when you apply your points. Actually if you don't have enough points for a transaction they give you 90 days to build up points.

[orville99]

Does anyone use the Royal Visa card for business expenses? The new rules seem to say the annual limit for points earned is going from 250,000 to 540,000 but it also says use by a business or for a business does not earn points!!! How is anyone going to accumulate that many points with only personal expenses?

Any comments?

 

 

Restrictions on personal credit cards that prohibit their use for business purposes are very common practice. I'm not sure how others accumulate points, but we only have one card, and everything goes on that card that doesn't have a processing fee associated with it.:)

[mein18]

At the end of the month you can see all the transaction that qualify for travel and you pick if and when you apply your points. Actually if you don't have enough points for a transaction they give you 90 days to build up points.

 

Can't beat that. Last question... do you lose points when you apply points to a travel purchase? In other words, if you were to spend $1,000 in travel which would normally give you 2,000 points but then go and apply 1,000 points to pay that tavel charge do you lose the 2,000 points?

[mein18]

Restrictions on personal credit cards that prohibit their use for business purposes are very common practice. I'm not sure how others accumulate points, but we only have one card, and everything goes on that card that doesn't have a processing fee associated with it.:)

 

Same here except we have a BofA "business" cash rewards card also to use for business only. For that one, the reward just gets posted as a credit to your account.

[cruisenfever]

Patty, do you know if there's a list of the 'benefits' for each card somewhere? (The Visa Platinum Plus and the Visa Signature) We seem to have the Plat Plus card, but assuming your info is correct, it will soon be automatically changed to the Signature card. I'm curious...

 

Thanks for clarifying that point redemption thing for amounts under the $250 OBC on Royal. My first reaction to the list of rewards posted on the RC site was that this had to be an error. I couldn't figure out any logical reason to prevent redemptions of less than 25k points for OBC on Royal but to allow them on Celebrity/Azamara. My thinking was that somebody probably just goofed when they added Celebrity and Azamara and accidentally deleted the smaller RC OBC point redemptions.

Judy

 

P.S. Isn't it weird how these credit card people can control us by giving us small reinforcements? We are as susceptible to behavior modification as Pavlov's slobbering dogs!:rolleyes: How much time do we all spend trying to figure out the best way to maximize all our 'rewards' tied to credit cards?:o (I confess...I just put my Keurig coffee order on a USAA card we rarely use....one more $25 or more charge on that card and I'll get a $10 credit. Whoopee! Oh snap! I think I'll have Buz go fill up the car and put it on that card....:p)

Until they get the website corrected, I'm not sure that they even know what the differences are going to be between the 2 cards.:D

[jljlinda]

Keep trying. I just tried and it went right through though I was put on hold for the next available agent.

 

Just got off the phone with the RCL redemption center (was on hold for almost 30 minutes before getting to speak with an agent.) Happy that I did not hang up before getting a real live person on the line. Bottom line, I was able to redeem 125,000 points in the old "Royal Points" program and was told that I can apply the points to a "free" sailing on the Allure!! Called my TA and had her book the Allure for her Apr 27, 2014 sailing. We are now ready to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary onboard the Allure on May 3, 2014!!!

 

Based on info provided by the very kind lady at the redemption center (in Wichita), the "old" points program is still in place today but it is expected to be replaced with the new, much talked about, program at any moment. If you are considering using points for a benefit that is unique to the "old" (Royal Points) program, action should probably be taken very quickly!

 

PS: As I stop to think about this "whirlwind" booking of the free cruise on the Allure today, I realize that I need to stop and thank this CC board and its members for making me aware of the forthcoming changes in RCL's Visa card benefits program. Had I not visited this thread, I would have almost certainly missed the chance to book our cruise of choice using our points!! THANKS!!

[tomahawk246]

Can't beat that. Last question... do you lose points when you apply points to a travel purchase? In other words, if you were to spend $1,000 in travel which would normally give you 2,000 points but then go and apply 1,000 points to pay that tavel charge do you lose the 2,000 points?

 

No, you get to keep the points. The card works great for me. I use one card for business expenses and one for personnal use. Every couple of months I transfer all my points to one card. When May comes I shop for the best price for the cruise of my choise and use my points to pay for it. It is very simple. Capital One also allows you to transfer your points to someone else. There is no limit on points and they never expire.

[FLACRUISER99]

Until they get the website corrected, I'm not sure that they even know what the differences are going to be between the 2 cards.:D

How about the Visa Signature Card Premium with yearly fee that "X" has, is RCI/BOA also going to offer that http://www.celebritycruises.com/genericHtmlTemplate.do?&pagename=celebrity_credit_card

[cruisenfever]

How about the Visa Signature Card Premium with yearly fee that "X" has, is RCI/BOA also going to offer that http://www.celebritycruises.com/genericHtmlTemplate.do?&pagename=celebrity_credit_card

I was told that there would be 2 cards available from RCI, the Visa Platinum Plus and the Visa Signature......and there would be no annual fee.

 

I did see that Celebrity is reinstating their credit card program again. I have a feeling that because Celebrity discontinued their cc program a while back, these are the 2 cards that will be available for them.

[mein18]

How about the Visa Signature Card Premium with yearly fee that "X" has, is RCI/BOA also going to offer that http://www.celebritycruises.com/genericHtmlTemplate.do?&pagename=celebrity_credit_card

 

Anybody's guess. The "signature" card is not out yet nor have the perks been announced as far as anyone has posted. Maybe they will mirror the X card. Some nice perks there.

[printingchick]

I guess if you have a high enough credit limit you could buy a car or time share then pay it off when you get the bill. Depending on your monthly purchases such as groceries and gas you could accumulate quite a lot of points. I use mine for gas, groceries, department store purchases and gifts, charitable donations and sometimes in restaurants .Purchasing a RCCL cruise with the card gives you double points. Anything you purchase on board is also double if your sea pass is covered by your Visa. Your'e not likely to accumulate the limit of points in a year but it's not so hard to accumulate enough for a nice upgrade or some OBC. Oh, and I used mine to make college tuition and room and board payments when I had 2 in college at the same time. I always pay it off each month and keep a close watch on the balance to make sure I can do that.

 

Typically, my points are not that significant, but enough to make the cruise affordable. My spending has been way down the last couple of years due to a lay-off and subsequent 12 months of unemployment. I finally replaced my job, but even with a recent promotion, I'll still be a little UNDER what I was previously earning.

 

On the other hand, that means I've not cruised since 2011. I paid for $650 of my upcoming 2014 cruise using my accumulated BoA points. Add the savings certificate I lucked into for my sailing and it was basically a buy-one/get-one deal! Typically, I'm lucky to save $250-$300, but even that is enough to make the vacation an affordable option for me!

 

One year, I was redoing my kitchen, a project I funded with a home equity loan. I bought all the cabinets using my credit card, then immediately paid it off with the equity money. Parking the cost on my card temporarily earned me a significant number of points. Not exactly the CAR example misty used, but you can get creative!

 

Last year, BoA offered double points on gas and grocery purchases. I purchased a number of gift cards at the grocery store (it was holiday time) and earned double points...for my Christmas shopping! YAY!!

 

I know there may be other credit cards out there with better cash-back perks, but I know I'd only apply the cash-back to the balance. For me, this is FORCED CRUISE SAVINGS. I can't use the points for ANYTHING else. It FORCES me to take a cruise. Yup...BoA is twisting my arm! :p

[setsail]

Just got off the phone with the RCL redemption center (was on hold for almost 30 minutes before getting to speak with an agent.) Happy that I did not hang up before getting a real live person on the line. Bottom line, I was able to redeem 125,000 points in the old "Royal Points" program and was told that I can apply the points to a "free" sailing on the Allure!! Called my TA and had her book the Allure for her Apr 27, 2014 sailing. We are now ready to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary onboard the Allure on May 3, 2014!!!

 

Based on info provided by the very kind lady at the redemption center (in Wichita), the "old" points program is still in place today but it is expected to be replaced with the new, much talked about, program at any moment. If you are considering using points for a benefit that is unique to the "old" (Royal Points) program, action should probably be taken very quickly!

 

PS: As I stop to think about this "whirlwind" booking of the free cruise on the Allure today, I realize that I need to stop and thank this CC board and its members for making me aware of the forthcoming changes in RCL's Visa card benefits program. Had I not visited this thread, I would have almost certainly missed the chance to book our cruise of choice using our points!! THANKS!!

 

Glad you were able to get it done, smart move and enjoy your cruise. :D

[tomahawk246]

I guess if you have a high enough credit limit you could buy a car or time share then pay it off when you get the bill. Depending on your monthly purchases such as groceries and gas you could accumulate quite a lot of points. I use mine for gas, groceries, department store purchases and gifts, charitable donations and sometimes in restaurants .Purchasing a RCCL cruise with the card gives you double points. Anything you purchase on board is also double if your sea pass is covered by your Visa. Your'e not likely to accumulate the limit of points in a year but it's not so hard to accumulate enough for a nice upgrade or some OBC. Oh, and I used mine to make college tuition and room and board payments when I had 2 in college at the same time. I always pay it off each month and keep a close watch on the balance to make sure I can do that.

Actually a car dealer will not let you buy a car on a credit card, because it will cost him 2% to the credit card company. They will let you do it, but they will jack up the price of the car. I tried to do it on a 22,000 dollar car a few years back. I also tried to pay for collage tuition with the card, again they wanted 2% more. The merchants are paying for all the points that we get.

[cruisenfever]

Oh Joy.........here is the "official" press release about the new cards Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Family of Brands and Bank of America Renew Partnership and Launch New Affinity Cards

 

Of course, the Rewards Options for RCI are still not correct!!:eek::(

[setsail]

I think anyone on the fence about cashing in rewards under the old rules should give serious thought to doing just that.

[molly361]

Okay I wasn't going to ask but here I go. I think somewhere it says they are not combinable with senior, military rates etc. So that means if you have a senior rate you can't use them for OBC?? Or $$ off your cruise?

 

Doesn't seem to make sense to me. :rolleyes:

[foxgoodrich]

Okay I wasn't going to ask but here I go. I think somewhere it says they are not combinable with senior, military rates etc. So that means if you have a senior rate you can't use them for OBC?? Or $$ off your cruise?

 

Doesn't seem to make sense to me. :rolleyes:

 

I know you can combine if you use points for OBC - we usually have the senior discount and always cash in points for OBC with no problem. I don't know on the $$ off your cruise.

Judy

[bcarney]

I think anyone on the fence about cashing in rewards under the old rules should give serious thought to doing just that.

 

I wish I could - I have over 125,000 points and wanted an Oasis or Allure cruise, but I can't book one right now due to having two kids (3/4th pax aren't exactly cheap)...

 

I get angrier about this every time I think about it. My loyalty to Royal Caribbean and (BOA for that matter) - 9 cruises - apparently means nothing to them. It only takes one experience to ruin a brand/customer relationship, and this was it for me.

 

I'm not going to thump my chest and swear that I'll never cruise them again, because I clearly liked their product. However, today I applied for and was approved for the Capital One Venture card mentioned in this thread - 2 points for every purchase, which never expire, and they can be applied to any travel expense. Which means I'm no longer limited to looking just to Royal Caribbean for my cruise purchases... Royal Caribbean has opened the door for me to choose other cruise lines. Not smart for them. At all.

 

I'll sit on these points that I have until such time as I can use them, and after that you'll see me on other cruises - maybe RCCL, maybe some other cruise line. But I won't be a GUARANTEED CUSTOMER any longer, RCCL.

[mein18]

I wish I could - I have over 125,000 points and wanted an Oasis or Allure cruise, but I can't book one right now due to having two kids (3/4th pax aren't exactly cheap)...

 

I get angrier about this every time I think about it. My loyalty to Royal Caribbean and (BOA for that matter) - 9 cruises - apparently means nothing to them. It only takes one experience to ruin a brand/customer relationship, and this was it for me.

 

I'm not going to thump my chest and swear that I'll never cruise them again, because I clearly liked their product. However, today I applied for and was approved for the Capital One Venture card mentioned in this thread - 2 points for every purchase, which never expire, and they can be applied to any travel expense. Which means I'm no longer limited to looking just to Royal Caribbean for my cruise purchases... Royal Caribbean has opened the door for me to choose other cruise lines. Not smart for them. At all.

 

I'll sit on these points that I have until such time as I can use them, and after that you'll see me on other cruises - maybe RCCL, maybe some other cruise line. But I won't be a GUARANTEED CUSTOMER any longer, RCCL.

 

Can I just say "ditto"? Was reading your post and thought I wrote it except as much as I have posted about the Capital One, Just haven't pulled the trigger yet.

 

As everyone can see, read, hear, write on how confusing RCI is making this card's perks, Capital One sure seems to make it easy.

 

As dedicated as we are to RCI and BofA, I will think of using CO as a way to save MORE to go against our next RCI cruise and as a result, maybe take that cruise a little sooner with the extra points earned.