Royal Caribbean credit card

[jticarruthers]

You can get up to 4% back using the Royal card, if you use it for Royal purchases only, and redeem the "free" types of rewards, like free cruise, free companion fare, etc.

 

That's part of why I am changing frankly as I have yet to be able to use my points for one of the "double value" awards, have tried on 6+ cruises now and everytime get the "not combinable with what you already have" speech back.

 

Got frustrated after getting that again on all 4 cruises I currently have booked and started looking around.

 

I will take 2% on everything vs. just 2% on RCI purchases with a hope that one day somehow I might get a 4% redemption.

[MindyJohn]

We have been able to save $300 ($150 per person) by using 15000 points to upgrade from inside to oceanview on two separate 6-8 day cruises, thereby doubling the points value. The upgrade amount is based on the difference between an inside room and an oceanview room and it can be applied even for balcony and higher categories.

 

We thought it was a good deal to be able to maximize the points earned.

 

Have you done this recently since they began BOGOHO? Are you doing the booking and the reward redemption at the same time directly with the redemption desk? I'm interested in pursuing this for some of my current bookings, although I don't know how much luck I'll have since they're controlled by my travel agent. Thanks !

[bigboffs]

Be aware that the RCCL Co credit cards on Bank of America not long ago made significant changes in the benefits you can receive. For us, and as others have noted, their are better deals elseware

[Blaise]

We discovered this, too. Can only redeem up to $400 (I think) in points toward Royal Caribbean cruises. Any more than that needs to go to a Celebrity cruise.

 

We were, however, able to use our free 7 day cruise for 2 reward on a RC ship. Applied only to an a standard outside stateroom. We were able to book something better, but they just credited the equivalent lesser booking. They also allowed us to use additional points toward on-board credit.

 

In any case, it's true that you can get better rewards elsewhere. 1% dedicated to just RCI cruises is minimal and limiting. We've sure used the heck out of our card and enjoyed many free benefits, such as it is.

[velmasue]

Have you done this recently since they began BOGOHO? Are you doing the booking and the reward redemption at the same time directly with the redemption desk? I'm interested in pursuing this for some of my current bookings, although I don't know how much luck I'll have since they're controlled by my travel agent. Thanks !

 

We applied the 15000 points for $150 per person ($300 total) to two separate cruises, Feb. 2014 and Apr. 2014. We made the reservations quite a bit before applying for the credits--in one case just before final payment and in the other case after final payment so we were credited $300 on our credit card. When I called to apply the credit the second time I had to argue with the representative and read their rules word for word to him---he insisted that I could just get a total of $150 for 15000 points. But he finally agreed to the $300 total, provided there was at least $150 price difference p.p. between inside and oceanview cabins on the cruise we were booked. I'm not sure if rules have been tweaked to prevent this now?

[molly361]

We applied the 15000 points for $150 per person ($300 total) to two separate cruises, Feb. 2014 and Apr. 2014. We made the reservations quite a bit before applying for the credits--in one case just before final payment and in the other case after final payment so we were credited $300 on our credit card. When I called to apply the credit the second time I had to argue with the representative and read their rules word for word to him---he insisted that I could just get a total of $150 for 15000 points. But he finally agreed to the $300 total, provided there was at least $150 price difference p.p. between inside and oceanview cabins on the cruise we were booked. I'm not sure if rules have been tweaked to prevent this now?

 

Those sailings were before the BOGOHO never ending sale started in May 2014. You can not use points for an upgrade on any sailing that has BOGOHO on it. You can only use the points for OBC on those sailings

[Philly Steve]

Looking forward to using our points/OBC for our April cruise. :)

[MindyJohn]

We applied the 15000 points for $150 per person ($300 total) to two separate cruises, Feb. 2014 and Apr. 2014. We made the reservations quite a bit before applying for the credits--in one case just before final payment and in the other case after final payment so we were credited $300 on our credit card. When I called to apply the credit the second time I had to argue with the representative and read their rules word for word to him---he insisted that I could just get a total of $150 for 15000 points. But he finally agreed to the $300 total, provided there was at least $150 price difference p.p. between inside and oceanview cabins on the cruise we were booked. I'm not sure if rules have been tweaked to prevent this now?

 

Where can I find the rules you were reading word for word? I'm not far from the 125k award, but yesterday an agent at the redemptions desk said that ever since BOGOHO he hadn't seen a single booking that made the free cruise attractive like it used to be - as in $2500 of value. This is due to the fact they re-price your booking to take away your BOGOHO pricing. I've always looked for ways to get more than 2% for the points value, but now it's not looking good. I have a Celebrity cruise in May, so perhaps I'll try to do something with that. If I can't do better than 2% I'm going to drop this card and switch to one with fewer redemption restrictions and complications.

[molly361]

Where can I find the rules you were reading word for word? I'm not far from the 125k award, but yesterday an agent at the redemptions desk said that ever since BOGOHO he hadn't seen a single booking that made the free cruise attractive like it used to be - as in $2500 of value. This is due to the fact they re-price your booking to take away your BOGOHO pricing. I've always looked for ways to get more than 2% for the points value, but now it's not looking good. I have a Celebrity cruise in May, so perhaps I'll try to do something with that. If I can't do better than 2% I'm going to drop this card and switch to one with fewer redemption restrictions and complications.

 

Here they are

B of A terms 5-20-14.pdf

[MindyJohn]

Here they are

 

Thanks ! Wish I could understand it all better. :confused:

Edited February 6, 2015 by MindyJohn

[TIMNANNA]

Where can I find the rules you were reading word for word? I'm not far from the 125k award, but yesterday an agent at the redemptions desk said that ever since BOGOHO he hadn't seen a single booking that made the free cruise attractive like it used to be - as in $2500 of value. This is due to the fact they re-price your booking to take away your BOGOHO pricing. I've always looked for ways to get more than 2% for the points value, but now it's not looking good. I have a Celebrity cruise in May, so perhaps I'll try to do something with that. If I can't do better than 2% I'm going to drop this card and switch to one with fewer redemption restrictions and complications.

 

I am also close to the 125K level and was considering applying the free cruise credit to a cruise I have booked on Adventure of the Seas in March 2016. We booked a balcony cabin using BOGOHO sale, but from what I understand, if I call to apply the credit, they will reprice the cruise to regular price and then apply the $2500 credit? Is that correct? Or will I just not be able to use the credit at all because I booked with BOGOHO? If that is the case, I will just cancel the cruise and rebook when the sale finally goes away.

[MindyJohn]

I am also close to the 125K level and was considering applying the free cruise credit to a cruise I have booked on Adventure of the Seas in March 2016. We booked a balcony cabin using BOGOHO sale, but from what I understand, if I call to apply the credit, they will reprice the cruise to regular price and then apply the $2500 credit? Is that correct? Or will I just not be able to use the credit at all because I booked with BOGOHO? If that is the case, I will just cancel the cruise and rebook when the sale finally goes away.

 

From what I was told by the rep, yes, they reprice the balcony to remove the BOGOHO discount. This leaves you with an inflated price for the cabin. Second, the amount of the credit depends upon the price of the least expensive Oceanview. So in order to have a $2500 credit applied, the Oceanview pricing would need to be at $1250pp or above.

[TIMNANNA]

From what I was told by the rep, yes, they reprice the balcony to remove the BOGOHO discount. This leaves you with an inflated price for the cabin. Second, the amount of the credit depends upon the price of the least expensive Oceanview. So in order to have a $2500 credit applied, the Oceanview pricing would need to be at $1250pp or above.

 

Thanks

[rt1092]

I am also close to the 125K level and was considering applying the free cruise credit to a cruise I have booked on Adventure of the Seas in March 2016. We booked a balcony cabin using BOGOHO sale, but from what I understand, if I call to apply the credit, they will reprice the cruise to regular price and then apply the $2500 credit? Is that correct? Or will I just not be able to use the credit at all because I booked with BOGOHO? If that is the case, I will just cancel the cruise and rebook when the sale finally goes away.

I just called today and inquired about using points. And they told me they use a standard pricing (not advertised) And that you can no longer combine any other discounts. Such as balcony, or OBC.

This has changed recently. You can no longer book a $900 cruise with 50,000 points.

I'm so happy I got the Barclays card the applies double points on everything. And those points can be used on any vacation. Still have 100,000 plus point on the rcl visa. Will have to use them for obc.

We are now going to search other cruise lines royal has lost a lot of it's wow.

[RocketMan275]

Be aware that the RCCL Co credit cards on Bank of America not long ago made significant changes in the benefits you can receive. For us, and as others have noted, their are better deals elseware

 

Much better deals. I get 3% back on all travel (cruises, airfare, hotels, meals, etc.) from my Sam's Master Card. Plus I get 5% back on gas. Only 1% on other things but I have other cards for those things. Another nice thing is cash can always be combined with any other offers.

[rt1092]

Much better deals. I get 3% back on all travel (cruises, airfare, hotels, meals, etc.) from my Sam's Master Card. Plus I get 5% back on gas. Only 1% on other things but I have other cards for those things. Another nice thing is cash can always be combined with any other offers.

 

I used to use the rcl visa for an lot more than just travel etc. I would pay bills (as long as there was no added charges). That is how I get the total up so high.

I always pay off the balance at the end of the month.

[jewopaho]

Be aware that the RCCL Co credit cards on Bank of America not long ago made significant changes in the benefits you can receive. For us, and as others have noted, their are better deals elsewhere

Indeed there are. Those proprietary credit cards (be they for cruises, airlines, etc.) are always dangling the carrot out there ... just read the fine print and you'll discover that the terms and conditions are far more restrictive than they appear to be.

 

We're veteran travelers and cruise enthusiasts. What we've learned over the years is that cruises are cheap ... it's the airfare that takes the biggest bite out of the vacation, so we focus on that aspect exclusively. We use our Capital One Venture Card to pay for virtually all purchases (if only Costco accepted it, we'd likely be at 100%), earning double miles on everything, with no restrictions as to airline or time period. We have accumulated sufficient points to fly at no cost on several occasions ... currently working on our Australia-New Zealand trip next year, and should be able to pick up another freebie.

 

If the cruise is, say $1000, and airfare runs $1500 (which has been the case for us several times) it makes sense to work on the getting the airfare for zip ... and we accumulate points far more quickly than if we used the RCI card. As a bonus, overseas travel is far more favorable using the Capital One card, as there is no charge for currency exchange ... BofA tacks on 3%.

 

We pay our balance on time, so there are no finance charges to consider. Using our Capital One card has provided us with many more benefits, than had we used the RCI card ... overall, we're a few thousand ahead. Take a look to see how much you'd have to spend on the BofA card, and how long it would take, to earn a free cruise. If you don't pay the balance in full each month, add another 13% or so to the price ... doesn't make sense to me.

 

Al

[TIMNANNA]

We've already switched to using our new Arrival+ card. I just have the 125K points to use on the RCCL BoA card, so I think we will just apply them to the cruise we have booked and get whatever we can, regardless of whether I am getting a good value or not. Then, we'll get rid of that card altogether.

[jewopaho]

We've already switched to using our new Arrival+ card. I just have the 125K points to use on the RCCL BoA card, so I think we will just apply them to the cruise we have booked and get whatever we can, regardless of whether I am getting a good value or not. Then, we'll get rid of that card altogether.

That's what we did a few years back, when we signed up onboard and received a bunch of bonus points. It amounted to $50OBC for each of us (we got two cards) ... then we read all the terms and conditions, figured that we're better off with another card (selected Capital One Venture), cashed in the OBC on our following cruise, and canceled the cards when we returned home.