No longer able to get cash in the casino for non-refundable OBC?

[kk99]

Currently on Constellation. They have temporarily reverted back to allowing all passengers to charge their seapass card and withdraw cash. Suites, Zenith members, and Blue Chip players club members have the 5% charge waived.

 

Current casino manager Derek Kinnaird told me that until all of the ships have implemented the new casino withdrawal changes to start uniformly on a specific date, they are still operating on the old system. There is no need to mention if it is for obc, just say you want the funds charged to your seapass.

 

Shoreside casino corporate will be on Silhouette in mid February for a Blue Chip players club junket. Perhaps that will be another cruise where the new policy will be enforced. I will say the casino is much busier this trip than over Thanksgiving week.

[DanceDuo]

Just off the Constellation in January, 2016. They WILL NOT give you a cash advance if you have onboard credit in your account. If you put OBC on your card to play the slots, they will not give you that money back or put it back into your OBC for use elsewhere. Essentially, you must lose it.

 

It appears that the Constellation is the only Celebrity ship doing this as I just got off the Silhouette and prior to that, in December, the Equinox and was able to pay the five percent to get a cash advance. Went to Guest Relations and they said to tell the cashier to give you a cash advance and pay the 5%. Went back; same result. Back to GR and they said it's the casino's choice. I thought Celebrity owned all the casinos with the same policy. Guess not with the Connie.

[ghstudio]

Just off the Constellation in January, 2016. They WILL NOT give you a cash advance if you have onboard credit in your account. If you put OBC on your card to play the slots, they will not give you that money back or put it back into your OBC for use elsewhere. Essentially, you must lose it.

 

 

Let me try to clarify...it's not as bad as people make it sound.

 

If you go to the cashier on the Constellation (and presumably all ships at some point in the future) and ask for $100 in chips (or slot machine credit), they will give you $100 in promotional chips (or promotional slot machine credit)..and charge your On board account $105 (the 5% fee).

 

You must bet the promotional chips....you can not cash in those chips. However, let's say you sit at the blackjack table, bet $10 in promotional chips and you win...they will give you $20 in regular chips and take away the $10 in promotional chips. Now you just have $80 in promotional chips left...and so on. Obviously, if you lose, they just take the $10 in promotional chips. After 10 $10 bets, you are playing with regular house chips.

 

Similarly, if you put $100 credit in a slot machine, the first $100 you bet will be the promotional credit and any winnings will be in regular house credit which you can cash in.

 

I understand how this is not easy for non-gamblers, but if you gamble or have a member of your party that gambles, it's pretty straight-forward. I would have no problem giving a non-gambler friend $100 cash for $100 worth of promotional chips because I'm going to make more than 10 $10 bets in an evening or on the cruise. I'd probably do it for you if you asked nicely....it costs me nothing and helps you out.

[DanceDuo]

Let me try to clarify...it's not as bad as people make it sound.

 

If you go to the cashier on the Constellation (and presumably all ships at some point in the future) and ask for $100 in chips (or slot machine credit), they will give you $100 in promotional chips (or promotional slot machine credit)..and charge your On board account $105 (the 5% fee).

 

You must bet the promotional chips....you can not cash in those chips. However, let's say you sit at the blackjack table, bet $10 in promotional chips and you win...they will give you $20 in regular chips and take away the $10 in promotional chips. Now you just have $80 in promotional chips left...and so on. Obviously, if you lose, they just take the $10 in promotional chips. After 10 $10 bets, you are playing with regular house chips.

 

Similarly, if you put $100 credit in a slot machine, the first $100 you bet will be the promotional credit and any winnings will be in regular house credit which you can cash in.

 

I understand how this is not easy for non-gamblers, but if you gamble or have a member of your party that gambles, it's pretty straight-forward. I would have no problem giving a non-gambler friend $100 cash for $100 worth of promotional chips because I'm going to make more than 10 $10 bets in an evening or on the cruise. I'd probably do it for you if you asked nicely....it costs me nothing and helps you out.

 

I guess I have to find a friend like you onboard:). There are ways around anything, but I was willing to give them the 5% so I would not have to use it for overpriced jewelry, restaurants or excursions if I did not want to.

 

One of the things I use a good part of that money for is extra tips for the staff. And, we do drop a lot of money in the casino slots. We usually lose, but don't tell me I have to lose it. I have always considered OBC as part of the deal and I could use it however I chose. I would like to spend that money the way I want. I have always gotten cash advances on dozens of RC and X cruises and paid the percentage. This was the first time ever that this occurred, a big surprise. No prior warning from Celebrity. Hopefully these messages get across to those expecting cash advances like I did.

 

What Celebrity cruises you going to be on?;)

[Ma Bell]

I guess I have to find a friend like you onboard:). There are ways around anything, but I was willing to give them the 5% so I would not have to use it for overpriced jewelry, restaurants or excursions if I did not want to.

 

One of the things I use a good part of that money for is extra tips for the staff. And, we do drop a lot of money in the casino slots. We usually lose, but don't tell me I have to lose it. I have always considered OBC as part of the deal and I could use it however I chose. I would like to spend that money the way I want. I have always gotten cash advances on dozens of RC and X cruises and paid the percentage. This was the first time ever that this occurred, a big surprise. No prior warning from Celebrity. Hopefully these messages get across to those expecting cash advances like I did.

 

What Celebrity cruises you going to be on?;)

 

What is it about non-refundable OBC that people don't get? You don't have to lose it, you have to play it. You may lose it but you may also end up winning a lot more than you play. The point is it's on board credit to be spent on board. If you're going to use it in the casino you better be ready to play it and call it entertainment. Consider yourself lucky to have gotten away with it for so long.

[bravostar]

Received cash in the casino aboard the Silhouette last week. Of course with the fee.

[Ma Bell]

They haven't instituted it fleet wide yet, but it's coming soon.

[Northern Aurora]

They haven't instituted it fleet wide yet, but it's coming soon.

 

Hello "Ma:" Any idea as to when to expect fleet wide implementation?

[montekat]

If I can only use the OBC for credit which has to be played in the casino, why are they charging me 5%? There should be no fee because it can only be used in the casino! I will be spending more on excursions and will try to find something in the shops. Guess I'll be taking home any leftover OBC as bottles of liquor!

[ghstudio]

If I can only use the OBC for credit which has to be played in the casino, why are they charging me 5%? There should be no fee because it can only be used in the casino! I will be spending more on excursions and will try to find something in the shops. Guess I'll be taking home any leftover OBC as bottles of liquor!

 

The answer is "because they can". Yes, with the new chips/credit that you have to spend in the casino, they are, at least in theory, guaranteed a profit, so how do they justify the 5%. I don't know...and I doubt you'll find anyone at Celebrity who says anything other than "we just charge it".

[Ma Bell]

Hello "Ma:" Any idea as to when to expect fleet wide implementation?

 

I wouldn't bet on it ;) but probably by the end of February.

[livingasia]

Right now on Millennium and you can use the card on the roulette table to draw down cash from Seapass card. 5% charge and get real chips. Same chips as everyone else got . I took out $500 on the card and checked out with $750 after some lucky play. Got full $750 in cash at the cashier cage. All of the draw down was on non refundable credit.

 

Cage did not want to give me cash and said I can use the card at tables and machines.

[WAVTAM]

Let me try to clarify...it's not as bad as people make it sound.

 

If you go to the cashier on the Constellation (and presumably all ships at some point in the future) and ask for $100 in chips (or slot machine credit), they will give you $100 in promotional chips (or promotional slot machine credit)..and charge your On board account $105 (the 5% fee).

 

You must bet the promotional chips....you can not cash in those chips. However, let's say you sit at the blackjack table, bet $10 in promotional chips and you win...they will give you $20 in regular chips and take away the $10 in promotional chips. Now you just have $80 in promotional chips left...and so on. Obviously, if you lose, they just take the $10 in promotional chips. After 10 $10 bets, you are playing with regular house chips.

 

Similarly, if you put $100 credit in a slot machine, the first $100 you bet will be the promotional credit and any winnings will be in regular house credit which you can cash in.

 

I understand how this is not easy for non-gamblers, but if you gamble or have a member of your party that gambles, it's pretty straight-forward. I would have no problem giving a non-gambler friend $100 cash for $100 worth of promotional chips because I'm going to make more than 10 $10 bets in an evening or on the cruise. I'd probably do it for you if you asked nicely....it costs me nothing and helps you out.

 

Assume at an later date the policy will be enforce fleet wide.

 

Take say 200 promotional chips at cage.

Play 100 on red and 100 on black. Win one /lose one. Then take real casinos chips and cash out. Doable????????

[need2bespoiled]

Assume at an later date the policy will be enforce fleet wide.

 

Take say 200 promotional chips at cage.

Play 100 on red and 100 on black. Win one /lose one. Then take real casinos chips and cash out. Doable????????

 

Unless it hits 0/00 then you loose all ;)

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[neverbeenhere]

Unless it hits 0/00 then you loose all ;)

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

That's the 5% fee... Thank you for paying it for everyone else.

Edited February 4, 2016 by neverbeenhere

[jan-n-john]

One clarification about the reason for the 5% fee for using credits or otherwise cashing out in the casino:

 

If I understand things correctly, the reason Celebrity does this is not as if its some sort of arbitrary fee to get a little extra revenue. Remember that OBC has been paid for by credit card in the first place, directly or as part of the cruise payment. There is no casino in the world that I know of that will let you get cash with a credit card and then play dollar for dollar. The reason is that their profit, which comes from the house advantage that they must have to make money, would be greatly reduced if not eliminated by the fee they pay to the credit card company; in most cases, casinos are cash only operations for that reason. Similarly, if you buy something in a normal store with a cc and return it, they don't usually give you cash back -- they credit your cc, which allows them to recoup the cc charge they have paid. X does the same thing for any overage in your account.

 

If you go to the cage in the casino on ship and get cash from your account, this effectively comes from from funds X got off your credit card. Even if it's perk credit, you've still paid for your cruise with a credit card. So I think that's the real reason for the 5% fee when using OBC to get cash in the casino. Simply a necessary business decision similar to any casino.

[ghstudio]

One clarification about the reason for the 5% fee for using credits or otherwise cashing out in the casino:

 

If I understand things correctly, the reason Celebrity does this is not as if its some sort of arbitrary fee to get a little extra revenue. Remember that OBC has been paid for by credit card in the first place, directly or as part of the cruise payment. There is no casino in the world that I know of that will let you get cash with a credit card and then play dollar for dollar. The reason is that their profit, which comes from the house advantage that they must have to make money, would be greatly reduced if not eliminated by the fee they pay to the credit card company; in most cases, casinos are cash only operations for that reason. Similarly, if you buy something in a normal store with a cc and return it, they don't usually give you cash back -- they credit your cc, which allows them to recoup the cc charge they have paid. X does the same thing for any overage in your account.

 

If you go to the cage in the casino on ship and get cash from your account, this effectively comes from from funds X got off your credit card. Even if it's perk credit, you've still paid for your cruise with a credit card. So I think that's the real reason for the 5% fee when using OBC to get cash in the casino. Simply a necessary business decision similar to any casino.

 

I buy your argument at 3% which is the charge that was in effect for a long time. The rise to 5% is 2% pure profit.....credit card companies are not charging more....just Celebrity.

[jan-n-john]

I buy your argument at 3% which is the charge that was in effect for a long time. The rise to 5% is 2% pure profit.....credit card companies are not charging more....just Celebrity.

 

I agree the commission percentage is likely less than 5%. OTOH, cc's vary in the commission they charge. Amex, which is likely a frequently used card for cruises given the demographics, charges more than most. I myself have an Amex, issued by one of the big brokerage firms, that gives me 2% cash back. I doubt it could be done if the charge to the merchant were only 1% more than that, ie, I imagine it's more than 3%. But I obviously don't know the background deals that went on to create that card -- I do know it is soon going to be replaced with a Visa, still with 2% cash back.

[bubbachief]

Assume at an later date the policy will be enforce fleet wide.

 

Take say 200 promotional chips at cage.

Play 100 on red and 100 on black. Win one /lose one. Then take real casinos chips and cash out. Doable????????

 

Same question. You would lose on one bet, but win on the other. Do they pay in regular chips that you can then take and cash out for money or do they just credit your winnings back to your non- refundable OBC

[ghstudio]

Same question. You would lose on one bet, but win on the other. Do they pay in regular chips that you can then take and cash out for money or do they just credit your winnings back to your non- refundable OBC

 

When you win, they replace any promotional chips bet with regular chips. When you cash out regular chips, they give you cash.

[pmcue]

I buy your argument at 3% which is the charge that was in effect for a long time. The rise to 5% is 2% pure profit.....credit card companies are not charging more....just Celebrity.

 

I gamble in Vegas quote a bit. Have a pseudo line of credit. I gave a check years ago and then can go to cage anytime and get cash up to certain amount and then they simply deduct from my account. Was free for a long time then 2% and now 3% not a credit card. No fee for them. So it is NOT "just Celebrity" it is Corporate America doing anything they can to please Wall Street.

[bubbachief]

When you win, they replace any promotional chips bet with regular chips. When you cash out regular chips, they give you cash.

 

Do they even replace the original promotional chips you placed the bet with or just the chips you win?

[ghstudio]

Do they even replace the original promotional chips you placed the bet with or just the chips you win?

 

my understanding is that they replace any promotional chips that are bet with normal chips if you win the hand....not sure what they do on a push....technically, it was a bet and they should replace your chips.

[wrk2cruise]

On Silhouette now and they have the sign at the casino cage that you only get slot credit or promotional chips if you have OBC. No cash equivalents for OBC

[wrk2cruise]

We do have OBN credit from Celebrity perks and OBR from our TA so I'm expecting unused OBR to be refunded to credit card