Carnival MasterCard - Should I?

[hlb76]

I have Chase Freedom.. we use our card a lot just to rack up points. I can cash out or do gift cards (including ones for Carnival) or shop from an online gallery. I normally bank the points and at Xmas give the kids a Gift Card for there stockings.

[lissa42886]

What do you get with your PNC points? Do you shop from one of those gift catalogues or redeem them elsewhere? What do PNC points equate to?

 

It's hard to compare your PNC points to FunPoints if they don't have the same kind of "purchasing power". For instance, I would understand what 40 Carnival FunPoints per dollar spent would mean, and how quickly that could lead to a free cruise. And I would understand what a balance of 70,000 Carnival FunPoints would mean. But I have no idea what that amount of PNC points means. But since all these various credit card points, including FunPoints, are just made-up things with made-up values, it's practically impossible to compare points to points.

 

 

Yes there is a catalog.. Also travel deals flight hotel items. Everything and anything.

 

 

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[golfb4cruzing]

I got one on our 2nd cruise cause I was hooked. Then figured out I have to put around 17 million on it to get 1 free cruise. I'll stick with my United card for free airline tix and hotel rooms.

[klaner64]

I use my carnival credit card for groceries and most other purchases that I don't get a store discount for using their card (ie Target and Kohls). When I book a cruise I use my funpoints for Prepaid gratuities and OBC. The best bang for your buck is if you can accumulate 20,000 points for $200 OBC. Even if you don't have enough for tips too, you can use OBC for tips.

[ShakyBeef]

When 9 out of 10 Cruise Critics say it is a lousy card and the others say it is not the best deal in the world, you may want to think more about this before opening the card.

 

Are you making up statistics? Nine out of ten, huh?:rolleyes:

[ShakyBeef]

I have a cruise scheduled for spring 2015 and also have the Carnival Fun Points master card.

 

What is the best way to cash in my points for my cruise? I am just trying to get the most out of my points. lol

 

The best 'bang' for your FunPoints is to pay for your cruise and your Sail & Sign bill with your FunPoints MC, thus getting the double points per dollar spent. Then, after the cruise, when the cruise fare total and the Sail & Sign total show up on your account as "qualified purchases" for FunPoints redemption, choose one or both or part of one (depending on how many points you have, how many you want to redeem, and which amount is the best redemption value) to redeem for a credit card statement refund. After the FunPointsw redemption processes, a refund of the appropriate amount will appear on your credit card statement. This is how I get my free cruises - by getting "paid back" for them.;)

 

I hope that makes sense.:o It may sound a little complicated, but it is a very simple process - all easily mananged from your online credit card account homepage.:)

[ShakyBeef]

I use my carnival credit card for groceries and most other purchases that I don't get a store discount for using their card (ie Target and Kohls). When I book a cruise I use my funpoints for Prepaid gratuities and OBC. The best bang for your buck is if you can accumulate 20,000 points for $200 OBC. Even if you don't have enough for tips too, you can use OBC for tips.

 

 

I'm sorry, this is not true. It is much better to get the statement credit after paying for the cruise with the card. This way, you get extra points and (depending on the amount redeemed) a better redemption rate.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I honestly would get a couple credit cards if you have rentals, use them where the points have an advantage. My favorites are:

 

-Capital One Business Spark: 2% cash back

-Discover It: Rotating 5% categories, 1% everything else, shopping through Discover 5%+ (including cruises), rewards doubles for cruise certificates.

-American Express Cash Preferred: Grocery 6%, Gas 3%, $75 yearly fee.

[CBuzzy]

I found you get the most bang for your buck with the Carnival MasterCard is to redeem your points for a statement credit on a charge of $1500 or more. We use the card to make the final payment which is usually that and more then when the charge shows up you on your MC account you can redeem your points for 1.5. Redeem 20,000 points on a lesser charge and you would get $200 back but the same number of points used against a charge greater than $1500 and you will get $300.

 

 

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Edited March 24, 2014 by CBuzzy

[ShakyBeef]

I got one on our 2nd cruise cause I was hooked. Then figured out I have to put around 17 million on it to get 1 free cruise. I'll stick with my United card for free airline tix and hotel rooms.

 

Nice exaggeration.:cool: So, by your math, that fact that DH and I have already taken three free cruises on this card and are soon going to take a fourth means that we have spent something close to 68 million dollars since 2005. Wow, I had no idea we make (and spend) that kind of money. We're high-rollers and didn't even know it.:cool::rolleyes::p

[ShakyBeef]

I honestly would get a couple credit cards if you have rentals, use them where the points have an advantage. My favorites are:

 

-Capital One Business Spark: 2% cash back

-Discover It: Rotating 5% categories, 1% everything else, shopping through Discover 5%+ (including cruises), rewards doubles for cruise certificates.

-American Express Cash Preferred: Grocery 6%, Gas 3%, $75 yearly fee.

 

 

This is one of the cards DH has for his business. I think this is the one we get points with which we shop for rewards from the online catalogue. We usually cash in the points before the company Christmas party to get gifts and prizes for his employees (and a few things for us,too;)). We've gotten some nice things with the rewards from this card, but I wish we had been able to get FunPoints towards free cruises, instead. But Barclays doesn't offer the FunPoints MC as a business card.:(

[jenjay1210]

I pay any bills/expenses each month with my cc and then pay my cc at the end of each month. My opinion is the OP should get a general rewards card like chase freedom so the rewards may be used for anything desired and built up over time. Not a lot of good things to say about the Carnival card.

[cbell21219]

Theme are the worst on the market if you have decent credit get the arrival card. 2% on every thing and can be used in any type of travel. Not just a cruise. If you use the carnival card your Just throwing away free money.

 

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[golfb4cruzing]

Shaky that's true. retire, you've earned it. That 17 million was derived by using the new Common Core Math. I have no idea how to explain it but my grandson would.

[ShakyBeef]

Shaky that's true. retire, you've earned it. That 17 million was derived by using the new Common Core Math. I have no idea how to explain it but my grandson would.

 

For real LOL:D:p (and a little Diet Coke nasal rinse --thanks a lot:cool:)!

[klaner64]

I do pay for my cruise and sign and sail charges with my mastercard. But in order to pay $50 of that you would need 5,000 points. Same exchange you get for $200 for 20,000 points so what is the real difference? I'm just using my points I have accumulated before the cruise.

[ShakyBeef]

I do pay for my cruise and sign and sail charges with my mastercard. But in order to pay $50 of that you would need 5,000 points. Same exchange you get for $200 for 20,000 points so what is the real difference? I'm just using my points I have accumulated before the cruise.

 

One real difference is that by paying for the cruise and the Sail & Sign bill with your FP MC, you would earn 2 points per dollar before getting that money spent refunded back to you. So it's kinda like getting some free points - you get the FunPoints earned on a purchase that gets refunded;). Another real difference, the better redemption rate, as I said depends on the amount redeemed. You get a better redemption rate in certain 'brackets' of dollar amounts. I believe the first bracket of better redemption rate starts at $1500, as CBuzzy stated earlier:

 

"I found you get the most bang for your buck with the Carnival MasterCard is to redeem your points for a statement credit on a charge of $1500 or more. We use the card to make the final payment which is usually that and more then when the charge shows up you on your MC account you can redeem your points for 1.5. Redeem 20,000 points on a lesser charge and you would get $200 back but the same number of points used against a charge greater than $1500 and you will get $300."

[richfret]

Are you making up statistics? Nine out of ten, huh?:rolleyes:

 

OK, then 8.734021 out of 10.00000.

[GAPinkLady]

I use my Carnival Card as my corporate purchase card for all my travel/purchases for my work. We aren't issued corporate cards. Work pays the bill and I get the points. The owner is ok with this, so I feel I get a bonus every time I get to redeem points! :)

 

 

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[ShakyBeef]

OK, then 8.734021 out of 10.00000.

 

Alright, then. That's more like it.:cool:

 

:rolleyes:

[winddawn]

The Southwest Airlines card has a shopping mall online that you can shop through. It has a huge number of stores. You can get Rapid Reward points for the shopping purchase in addition to a point for every dollar you put on the card. I rack up a lot of points using the mall for online purchases I would have made anyway. The card has no interest if you pay it off every month. It is worthwhile if you fly to your cruise from a city that Southwest serves. Southwest drops the number of points needed to book a flight when the flight goes on sale. Most of the other airlines don't do that. And there are no blackout dates. Plus Southwest has no change fees.

 

I always fly for free to my cruise using the points I earned with the card. Well actually it costs $2.50 each way because I have to pay the 9-11 fee. I have used 3 free roundtrip flights to cruise in the past 5 months, and just booked another free flight for August.

 

https://rapidrewardsshopping.southwest.com/shopping/b____alpha.htm

[ShakyBeef]

The Southwest Airlines card has a shopping mall online that you can shop through. It has a huge number of stores. You can get Rapid Reward points for the shopping purchase in addition to a point for every dollar you put on the card. I rack up a lot of points using the mall for online purchases I would have made anyway. The card has no interest if you pay it off every month. It is worthwhile if you fly to your cruise from a city that Southwest serves. Southwest drops the number of points needed to book a flight when the flight goes on sale. Most of the other airlines don't do that. And there are no blackout dates. Plus Southwest has no change fees.

 

I always fly for free to my cruise using the points I earned with the card. Well actually it costs $2.50 each way because I have to pay the 9-11 fee. I have used 3 free roundtrip flights to cruise in the past 5 months, and just booked another free flight for August.

 

https://rapidrewardsshopping.southwest.com/shopping/b____alpha.htm

 

Barclays (the provider of the Carnival FunPoints MC) also has the online mall with thousands of stores. Theirs is called RewardsBoost and it sounds like it works the same way as Southwest's.

 

I do a lot of my regular shopping online using RewardsBoost instead of driving 1/2 hour or more to the brick-and-mortar version of the same store (Home Depot, JCP, Lowes, Target, Petsmart, Vitamin Shoppe, Target, Books-A-Million, Bed Bath & Beyond, Gander Mountain, etc.) They all offer at least 2 additional points per dollar spent (that's in addition to the 1 point per dollar you get anyway), and some of the retailers offer much more - like 5, 8, or even 30 points per dollar spent. And many of them offer free shipping. So with RewardsBoost, I save money (gas to drive to store) on the buying I was going to do anyway while getting lots of extra points to sit back and do it from home.:)

 

It sounds like you have the same kind of deal with Southwest's Rapid Reward mall. And the air miles work for you, so that's great. I don't fly much at all - I drive to my cruise port.

 

Also, I like to know that I "have to" take a cruise with my rewards points. If my credit card rewards points were too versatile or came in the form of cash back, I'd do responsible, easy-to-forget things with the money like put it in the gas tank, or buy groceries with it.:o We're not hurting for gas or grocery money, but cash back would just get absorbed into our regular spending money in some very bland way like that. We just wouldn't take as many cruises if we weren't earning these free cruises.;)

 

I for one am glad there are so many different credit card reward programs out there so that we can all find one that works great for each of us.:)

[winddawn]

Barclays (the provider of the Carnival FunPoints MC) also has the online mall with thousands of stores. Theirs is called RewardsBoost and it sounds like it works the same way as Southwest's.

 

I do a lot of my regular shopping online using RewardsBoost instead of driving 1/2 hour or more to the brick-and-mortar version of the same store (Home Depot, JCP, Lowes, Target, Petsmart, Vitamin Shoppe, Target, Books-A-Million, Bed Bath & Beyond, Gander Mountain, etc.) They all offer at least 2 additional points per dollar spent (that's in addition to the 1 point per dollar you get anyway), and some of the retailers offer much more - like 5, 8, or even 30 points per dollar spent. And many of them offer free shipping. So with RewardsBoost, I save money (gas to drive to store) on the buying I was going to do anyway while getting lots of extra points to sit back and do it from home.:)

 

It sounds like you have the same kind of deal with Southwest's Rapid Reward mall. And the air miles work for you, so that's great. I don't fly much at all - I drive to my cruise port.

 

Also, I like to know that I "have to" take a cruise with my rewards points. If my credit card rewards points were too versatile or came in the form of cash back, I'd do responsible, easy-to-forget things with the money like put it in the gas tank, or buy groceries with it.:o We're not hurting for gas or grocery money, but cash back would just get absorbed into our regular spending money in some very bland way like that. We just wouldn't take as many cruises if we weren't earning these free cruises.;)

 

I for one am glad there are so many different credit card reward programs out there so that we can all find one that works great for each of us.:)

Well said, ShakyBeef. It's only a good deal if it benefits the user. :-)

[HappyValley3]

Not to be dense, but what you are saying is to charge the full amount of your cruise, all on board purchases, and tips to your FP Mastercard for double points then request a statement credit using your points after your charges show up when you get home. RIGHT?

[jazm2011]

Not to be dense, but what you are saying is to charge the full amount of your cruise, all on board purchases, and tips to your FP Mastercard for double points then request a statement credit using your points after your charges show up when you get home. RIGHT?

 

Exactly!