Major changes to RCCL Visa program

[mein18]

I don't think you can cover a portion of a cruise. 75,000 points is = to 750 dollars, if your cruise was for two people at 1500 dollars total you would be able to pay for one person cruise. For on board credit, you would pay the on board credit with the card and use the purchase eraser when you get the bill. I would also use the points for my flight, rental car, and my before cruise hotel. It works for any travel. If you buy a meal at a Hilton Hotel, it works. I even bought concert tickets at Foxwoods Resort. You can also buy new cloths worth 750.00 dollars for your cruise by purchasing gift cards for almost any retail store. If you want cash 75000 points will get you 325.00 dollars, (not the best use of your 75000 points). I use the card for any merchant that would take it to build up points, I pay my cable bill, cell phone bill, Gasoline bill, groceries, if they take the card I use it.

 

Thank you for the information. Here is a scenario that maybe your experience may be able to answer. What if you owe say $3,000 for your cruise and have 75,000 points available. If you went and made a payment of $750 towards your cruise balance due could you then "erase" that charge by applying the points to that payment? The charge would come through as RCI and I doubt that Capital One would know it was only a partial payment if they only go by what company the charge was made to.

 

Just trying to cover all bases because as much as I like the RCI Visa card, it certainly sounds like the Capital One will give us a considerable more amount of points over the long haul.

 

We also use the card as extensively as you do because it just adds up the points that much faster.

[tomahawk246]

Thank you for the information. Here is a scenario that maybe your experience may be able to answer. What if you owe say $3,000 for your cruise and have 75,000 points available. If you went and made a payment of $750 towards your cruise balance due could you then "erase" that charge by applying the points to that payment? The charge would come through as RCI and I doubt that Capital One would know it was only a partial payment if they only go by what company the charge was made to.

 

Just trying to cover all bases because as much as I like the RCI Visa card, it certainly sounds like the Capital One will give us a considerable more amount of points over the long haul.

 

We also use the card as extensively as you do because it just adds up the points that much faster.

 

I think that will work. I up graded to a balcony last cruise for 100.00 dollars and the 100.00 dollars appeared on the purchase eraser which means it would work.

[cruisenfever]

I was wondering the same thing...I never got any promos with the RCI card and I have had mine since it was a MBNA card!

My problem with the card is that the points expire after a period of time...don't know when or how, since they don't "warn" you that they will be expiring (like the Airtran card does). I recently lost 5000 points because they expired!! :eek: Most annoying...

Your points expire after 5 years so they expire by first in is first out. You can call BofA at any time and they will let you know how many points will be expiring by month.

How were you notified of this promotion, because like the other poster I never have seen an offer of triple points! I would have been all over that one!

RCI Marketing Sent out emails on December 9, 2012 about the Special Promotion. It began in December and ended February 5, 2013. From the email........

 

"This holiday season, you can earn even more rewards toward cruise vacations with your Royal Caribbean Visa® credit card. During our 3 - 2 - 1 Holiday Promotion you can earn 3 ROYAL POINTS per $1 for your Royal Caribbean purchases, 2 POINTS per $1 for eligible gas and grocery purchases and at selected retailers, and 1 POINT per $1 for all other purchases."*

So you are saying that the Visa Signature Card is the better one? Did they give you any indication of what the credit level is for that card? And by credit level, do you mean, credit limit?

If you currently have an RCI Platinum Plus Visa Card you will be automatically rolled over to the new card. You will keep the same cc number and points.

 

For those applying for the card for the first time, their credit scores/rating will determine what card they will be issued.

Edited August 18, 2013 by cruisenfever

[mein18]

Your points expire after 5 years so they expire by first in is first out. You can call BofA at any time and they will let you know how many points will be expiring by month.

 

RCI Marketing Sent out emails on December 9, 2012 about the Special Promotion. It began in December and ended February 5, 2013. From the email........

 

"This holiday season, you can earn even more rewards toward cruise vacations with your Royal Caribbean Visa® credit card. During our 3 - 2 - 1 Holiday Promotion you can earn 3 ROYAL POINTS per $1 for your Royal Caribbean purchases, 2 POINTS per $1 for eligible gas and grocery purchases and at selected retailers, and 1 POINT per $1 for all other purchases."*

 

If you currently have an RCI Platinum Plus Visa Card you will be automatically rolled over to the new card. You will keep the same cc number and points.

 

For those applying for the card for the first time, their credit rating will determine what card they will be issued.

 

Sorry if I missed it in a previous post but does anyone know what the difference will be between the 2 types of RCI Visa cards other than what they are called?

[cruisenfever]

Sorry if I missed it in a previous post but does anyone know what the difference will be between the 2 types of RCI Visa cards other than what they are called?

The current card is the Visa Platinum Plus. The new card will be the Visa Signature. The biggest difference, from what I was told, is that the benefits will be far better with the Visa Signature and you can use points on Celebrity and Azamara sailings as well as RCI.

 

Below is some of the benefits from the Visa Signature.....

 

 

• Earn double MyCruise Points for every $1 spent on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises purchases§
  
• Earn one point for every $1 spent on your everyday purchases§
  
• 10,000 bonus points after your first qualifying transaction§§ — redeemable for $100 onboard credit
  
• Two for one airfare† after $3500 in card purchases within the first 90 days
  
• Perks like Visa Signature Concierge Service*, lost luggage protection, emergency cash worldwide, common carrier travel accident insurance and more**
  
• No annual fee†
  

Edited August 18, 2013 by cruisenfever

[setsail]

If you click on the link to apply for the card and scroll down it tells you this

 

Card Benefits. Certain restrictions apply to each benefit. Platinum Plus® card benefits differ from Visa Signature® card benefits (i.e., coverage amounts vary and some benefits are not available). Details accompany new account materials.

 

 

Also when you scroll through the fee schedules you will see that there are two levels of interest rate or a spread based on your credit score and there are 2 sets of fees. So, if your credit is below a certain level, you will pay higher % and fees if you do not pay the balance each month and you will get the lower card with less perks.

 

 

 

Also, for those using their card to pay regular bills to get points, most places charge a fee to do that, kinda negates using the card. For example, I could pay my electric bill every month with the rci card, but they will charge me 3.95$ to do it

[Lynda K]

Glad I spotted these posts on the RC Visa card and pts. Thanks for the info.

[pstone1]

I have two Capital one cards, both work the same way. The Signature Card has no annual fee, but I don't think that is offered any more. The Venture Card I think has no fee the first year and 59.00 dollars after that. The fee is not a problem for me because I use my cards for business and personal use. I will get 300000 points per year. With Capital One there is no jumping through hoops to redeem your points.

 

Thanks for the info! I will probably wait to see what actually shakes out with the RC Visa before doing anything. I called yesterday too and was given different information than Patti (no surprise). i'm going to sit tight right now and just hope she had a better source than i did with more accurate information. I already have the American Express Blue travel card with no annual fee which gives you 1:1 points to dollars and earns $100 toward any type of travel for every 7,500 points accumulated. A simple phone call applies the points to your bill as long as there is a charge for something travel related. Unbelievably easy! As a result, I usually only use my RC Visa for RC purchases and merchants that don't take American Express. I do have almost 50K points right now that I was hoping to cash in soon for a $500 reduction toward the cost of our upcoming Hawaii cruise. I won't give up our balcony discount to do it though so we'll just have to wait and see.

[cruisenfever]

Thanks for the info! I will probably wait to see what actually shakes out with the RC Visa before doing anything. I called yesterday too and was given different information than Patti (no surprise). i'm going to sit tight right now and just hope she had a better source than i did with more accurate information. I already have the American Express Blue travel card with no annual fee which gives you 1:1 points to dollars and earns $100 toward any type of travel for every 7,500 points accumulated. A simple phone call applies the points to your bill as long as there is a charge for something travel related. Unbelievably easy! As a result, I usually only use my RC Visa for RC purchases and merchants that don't take American Express. I do have almost 50K points right now that I was hoping to cash in soon for a $500 reduction toward the cost of our upcoming Hawaii cruise. I won't give up our balcony discount to do it though so we'll just have to wait and see.

Paula, who did you call and what information were you given? My information came from the RCI Redemption Center who is in charge of setting the parameters for the card.

Edited August 18, 2013 by cruisenfever

[mein18]

If you click on the link to apply for the card and scroll down it tells you this

 

Card Benefits. Certain restrictions apply to each benefit. Platinum Plus® card benefits differ from Visa Signature® card benefits (i.e., coverage amounts vary and some benefits are not available). Details accompany new account materials.

 

 

Also when you scroll through the fee schedules you will see that there are two levels of interest rate or a spread based on your credit score and there are 2 sets of fees. So, if your credit is below a certain level, you will pay higher % and fees if you do not pay the balance each month and you will get the lower card with less perks.

 

 

 

Also, for those using their card to pay regular bills to get points, most places charge a fee to do that, kinda negates using the card. For example, I could pay my electric bill every month with the rci card, but they will charge me 3.95$ to do it

 

We are fortunate that all but one of our monthly bills do not charge to pay via credit card. The one that does we just have it deduct from our bank account. Helps to accumulate the points.

 

Hopefully when the issue the new signature cards they don't change the numbers on us again. About a month ago received new card with slightly new number due to a vendor having their system compromised. One of the downfalls of using the card for paying bills since you have to go through each and make the account number changes.

[setsail]

We are fortunate that all but one of our monthly bills do not charge to pay via credit card. The one that does we just have it deduct from our bank account. Helps to accumulate the points.

 

Hopefully when the issue the new signature cards they don't change the numbers on us again. About a month ago received new card with slightly new number due to a vendor having their system compromised. One of the downfalls of using the card for paying bills since you have to go through each and make the account number changes.

 

I just checked Verizon, they charge 3.50 a month to use a cc:eek: let's say a person pays 10.00 a month to use a cc to pay bills, that's 120.00 a year or 12000 dollars to get 12000 points just to break even. Holy cow:p

[mein18]

I just checked Verizon, they charge 3.50 a month to use a cc:eek: let's say a person pays 10.00 a month to use a cc to pay bills, that's 120.00 a year or 12000 dollars to get 12000 points just to break even. Holy cow:p

 

Yes, if you are not careful and selective then it does have a negative impact.

[tomahawk246]

I just checked Verizon, they charge 3.50 a month to use a cc:eek: let's say a person pays 10.00 a month to use a cc to pay bills, that's 120.00 a year or 12000 dollars to get 12000 points just to break even. Holy cow:p

 

Make sure that the merchant is not charging any fees and just as important you must make sure your paying the bill off in full every month.

[ace1zoe2]

Also, for those using their card to pay regular bills to get points, most places charge a fee to do that, kinda negates using the card. For example, I could pay my electric bill every month with the rci card, but they will charge me 3.95$ to do it

 

I would say some, but definitely not most, in my experience charge to use the card. We pay anything & everything that doesn't get a fee with our card.

 

This includes electric, AT&T cell service, Directv, our local water bill, homeowners insurance, auto insurance, Netflix, satellite Internet provider. I would pay my mortgage if they would let me!

 

We use our card in place of cash or ATM card then payoff each payday. Think groceries, gas, eating out or anything else you'd swipe your ATM card for. The things I can't pay (mortgage & life insurance) are the only things which are auto-debited from checking.

 

I also took advantage of the 3-for-1 points last December to payoff our Alaska cruise tour earlier which netted us around 12,000 points or more.

 

We accumulate the points for free cruises or category upgrades.

Edited August 18, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[setsail]

Make sure that the merchant is not charging any fees and just as important you must make sure your paying the bill off in full every month.

 

I don't have to worry about that:D, no way would we use a cc to pay monthly bills, we write checks:p we love paper.

[LMaxwell]

I don't have to worry about that:D, no way would we use a cc to pay monthly bills, we write checks:p we love paper.

 

Why? Creditors that don't charge CC fees, and then paying off the balance each month on a card that gives rewards is essentially the same as getting a discount on your bill. I have never paid interest to a credit card company, I have never paid an annual fee. I view every payment I make on a credit card as ensuring some sort of rebate and / or discount on my bill. I keep just enough in checking to cover those creditors that either won't take a CC or would charge a fee for using the CC.

[setsail]

interesting what people would do to get points

 

I just checked the locality where I live, to pay utility bills with a cc is a 4.95 monthly charge, to pay realestate taxes with a cc is 2.42% of the bill:eek: all online

 

Our auto/home insurance does not allow a cc to pay the bill but you can pay the cell bill if you do it in person, but on line a fee

 

So, for us to use a cc on line to pay local utilities, phone, and power would cost 14.00 a Mo., not counting real estate and personal property which would be another 2.42% of that bill

Edited August 18, 2013 by setsail

[LMaxwell]

All very good and valid reasons to stick to tried and true methods! The fees and jumping through hoops (time, gas, frustration) to avoid fees is often not worth it . I should say when it is PRACTICAL to earn rewards I do so.

[mein18]

interesting what people would do to get points

 

I just checked the locality where I live, to pay utility bills with a cc is a 4.95 monthly charge, to pay realestate taxes with a cc is 2.42% of the bill:eek: all online

 

Our auto/home insurance does not allow a cc to pay the bill but you can pay the cell bill if you do it in person, but on line a fee

 

"Usually", any creditor where you must physically go online to pay a bill each and every month, uses a service provider to collect their payments and as a result, there is a charge. "Usually" when you can be set up on an auto pay, there is not a charge for a cc payment. There are of course exceptions.

 

When you can pay using a cc that gives you some type of benefit whether it be credit towards a cruise or cash back, why wouldn't you use it? You can look at it as a discount on your creditor's bill. I used it for a sizable medical bill last month and to ease the "pain" :rolleyes: I thought of it as a 1% discount. Turned around the next day and paid down the credit card balance to cover the expense.

 

Keep in mind for those who still write checks. Most banks charge for providing checks and some even either charge to process a check you write or limit the number you can write in a month.

[setsail]

"Usually", any creditor where you must physically go online to pay a bill each and every month, uses a service provider to collect their payments and as a result, there is a charge. "Usually" when you can be set up on an auto pay, there is not a charge for a cc payment. There are of course exceptions.

 

 

 

Keep in mind for those who still write checks. Most banks charge for providing checks and some even either charge to process a check you write or limit the number you can write in a month.

 

I checked that and the fee was either way, setup or not.

 

We use a credit union, free checks and no fees, but they will pay our bills out of our account or from their cc each month ....for a fee..so we don't do that.

Edited August 18, 2013 by setsail

[cruisenfever]

interesting what people would do to get points

 

I just checked the locality where I live, to pay utility bills with a cc is a 4.95 monthly charge, to pay realestate taxes with a cc is 2.42% of the bill:eek: all online

 

Our auto/home insurance does not allow a cc to pay the bill but you can pay the cell bill if you do it in person, but on line a fee

 

So, for us to use a cc on line to pay local utilities, phone, and power would cost 14.00 a Mo., not counting real estate and personal property which would be another 2.42% of that bill

We use our UA card to pay all our monthly bills except for Dominion East Ohio which does charge a monthly service charge if paid by credit card.

 

The air miles are nice, but we do it for the convenience of knowing that even if we are out of town, they will get paid. Much easier to pay 1 monthly bill when it comes due. With Dominion, if I know that we will be out of town when the bill comes, and because we are on budget, I'll just make a double payment and that gets done on-line through our bank.

Edited August 18, 2013 by cruisenfever

[mein18]

I checked that and the fee was either way, setup or not.

 

We use a credit union, free checks and no fees, but they will pay our bills out of our account or from their cc each month ....for a fee..so we don't do that.

 

That is why I said "usually". What is strange is that we are not charged any fee through Verizon. Just verified the monthly invoice and invoice detail with amount charged. No additional fees.

[mein18]

We use our UA card to pay all our monthly bills except for Dominion East Ohio which does charge a monthly service charge if paid by credit card.

 

The air miles are nice, but we do it for the convenience of knowing that even if we are out of town, they will get paid. Much easier to pay 1 monthly bill when it comes due. With Dominion, if I know that we will be out of town when the bill comes, and because we are on budget, I'll just make a double payment and that gets done on-line through our bank.

 

Peace of mind is worth even more than the points. :)

[cruisenfever]

Peace of mind is worth even more than the points. :)

Absolutely.

[SherriZ366]

:D That would be 30 years! I believe it is 60 months/5 years when the points start dropping off as expired. :)

Thanks for correcting my math. Should have used a calculator to divide 360 by 12 before I posted.