Princess Credit Card Enhancements

[cruisequeen4ever]

Thank you, Caribill; you really helped! My head was swimming.

 

 

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[Mr Princess]

After all that, my head is also swimming! And I, as a 'mere' Ozzie, can't even get a Princess Visa card! Discrimination by Princess....NAH!

 

 

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[Astro Flyer]

If I have the new system figured out correctly, statement chargecard credits are available in increments of $50 and:

 

10,000 points were previously $100 (1%) for a chargecard statement credit against my balance.

 

Now when making a Princess purchase such as $3,000 within 180 days of redemption the amount would then be a $150 (1.50% by being between $2,001-$4,000.99) chargecard statement credit against my balance.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[floridalover5623]

My understanding of this is becoming somewhat clearer as people post and from what I now understand is that things have only changed (as far as doubling the Princess charges) is that if I wait more than 180 days trying to build up points, my older points my older points can only be redeemed at 1% -not 2 % even though they were obtained by a charge of my cruise to Princess.

 

If I redeem my points before the 6 month period basically nothing has changed but if I wait longer (which I recently started to do) the Princess card offers no advantage over some other banks credit cards which give 2 % with no string attached.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Caribill, thanks for your explanation. I appreciate this dialogue in the absence of clairification from Barclay. We are leaving soon and I am debating whether or not to change our on board spending card to something other than the Princess Visa.

 

Re-reading the Princess Reward Rules brochure with fresh eyes and brain this morning I think I do understand the points vs. Princess spending difference. But, as FloridaLover says, if the points are not used within 180 days, they actually have less value than other 'cash back' credit cards where points roll forward in perpetuity until they build to a redemptive level.

 

So I still maintain these changes are not an improvement...overall.

 

First, I read that 2 points per dollar spent are only for Princess Cruise Lines purchases, not other CCL purchases.

 

Second, by limiting redemptions to 180 days for Princess purchases, and to $50 increments, points earned by Princess Cruise Lines purchases over and above what can be redeemed basically become less valuable, as they are only good toward gift cards and merchandise, neither of which is a good as plain old 1% back cash cards. I don't even see OBC as an option any longer.

 

I think that, carefully used, in limited circumstances, the new terms could yield a greater payback. But much is lost in return, and am not sure I want the burden of making sure that we maximize the payback while at the same time not losing the cash value of points earned.

 

And what is an 'appropriate purchase'? I'm still scratching my head over that term.

[hillslife]

Yikes:eek: I'm super confused. We have used the card since it came out...use it for everything and have cashed in thousands of points. Used to always get OBC....but figured out I would rather have $$ off my bill which helps pay for cruise, air, etc. plus when you spend $$ on the ship, you get more double points again....so that is still my plan.

 

I have not received a mailing or email...but CC is usually the best resource for updates anyway..thanks:p

[killineybay]

I received the mailing but hadn't opened it until I read this thread. It is in a plain white envelope. Almost threw it out! Reading the posts here has been very helpful. I am wondering it is still possible to save points to use for OBC which are good for 5 years as it states currently. i understand the redemption value towards a past princess purchase is greater.

[Astro Flyer]

I am wondering it is still possible to save points to use for OBC which are good for 5 years as it states currently.

In the new Princess Reward Rules (effective on 11/9/16) under "Important information about points" it states "As long as your Account remains open, active, and in good standing, your Points will not expire".

 

Under "Program administration" an account is not "in good standing" when there's "no balance, no payments, and no transactions" during a 7 billing cycles period of time.

 

I recall the current 5 year time limit to use points however unless I missed it somewhere else, under the new rules as long as we have some activity within 7 billing cycles then "your Points will not expire". It also appears that without any activity during 7 billing cycles that points will expire which is worse than currently where we have 5 years after earning points to redeem them.

 

I think this big change should be clearly stated in their letter and/or their pamphlet they sent without having to scrutinize all of the details in the terms & conditions fine print.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[floridalover5623]

So I still maintain these changes are not an improvement...overall.

 

 

This has become much to complicated for my simple lifestyle.

They also have the nerve to imply that these changes make it even more rewarding to have their credit card.

Talk about spin !:rolleyes:

[Astro Flyer]

This has become much to complicated for my simple lifestyle.

They also have the nerve to imply that these changes make it even more rewarding to have their credit card.

Talk about spin !:rolleyes:

I agree that they've made their procedures more complicated & they didn't do a good job explaining their new procedure. I only redeem points for chargecard credits so haven't explored if the other redemption options have changed.

 

It appears that for anyone who has made over $500 in Princess purchases within 180 days before redemption the credit rate is improved from 1% to as much as 2%. They've also added a 5,000 points chargecard credit which previously began at 10,000 points. They've also extended the chargecard credit redemption option to purchases made on other CCL companies & airline purchases at a 1% rate which is also a new benefit.

 

As I recall previously to get a chargecard credit we needed to have made a recent Princess purchase which is now defined as being made within 180 days.

 

They tout those changes but not what appears to be a negative change for people like me who no longer use it for all of my purchases...apparently losing points if there's no activity during 7 billing cycles. We now use an airline chargecard which works better for us & will have to use the Princess Visa at least every 7 billing cycles so those points don't expire.

 

We're all attempting to figure out the changes which could be either good or bad for each of us.

[PrincessMelody]

So I have 65,000 points sitting on my card currently. My most recent Princess transaction was paying off my November cruise last month. It was like $2900.

 

So, am I to understand that once the changes take place, I could redeem points at 2% as a statement credit since the charge I placed on the card for the final payment is less than 180 days ago?

 

Thank you so much for any help or insight on this. I have been saving the points but now I guess I should use them.

 

 

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[VibeGuy]

My read is not that a given Princess purchase size or cumulative spend in the previous 180 days does anything with redemption rate, but rather that when you apply points to that particular transaction of that amount or more, each point erases more of that particular purchase.

 

I've always had to redeem for statement credit by calling - I've never seen a self-service option.

 

The inactivity piece is definitely new and buried in the T&Cs.

 

I'm still a bit confused about redemptions for the full amount of a charge - to me, my read is that any Princess charge can be either erased in full, or in $50 increments - so one for $499 would take 49,900 points out, but a charge of 501, if you only had 50050 points, would erase 500, and leave you with 50 points.

 

It's very poorly described and disclosed - I am shocked Barclaycard would put out such a bad communication.

[TracieABD]

I really need to look into this...

 

I wish they would simplify the language a bit.

[Host Jazzbeau]

They tout those changes but not what appears to be a negative change for people like me who no longer use it for all of my purchases...apparently losing points if there's no activity during 7 billing cycles. We now use an airline chargecard which works better for us & will have to use the Princess Visa at least every 7 billing cycles so those points don't expire.

 

We're all attempting to figure out the changes which could be either good or bad for each of us.

 

You are right on that point. You must use the card at least once every 7 months to keep your card "active." The Princess Reward Rules insert in the mailing contains this clear statement:

"As long as your account remains open, active, and in good standing, your Points will not expire." Any purchase (even a cup of coffee) or interest payment will suffice for this purpose.

BUT what happens if your account becomes inactive? Under the heading "Points Forfeiture" it does NOT include the account becoming inactive as a reason to lose your points. So I suspect that you would just need to call customer service to get the account returned to active status.

 

As to the requirement of a Princess purchase within 180 days -- failing to do this WILL NOT lead to points expirations. The 180-day statement only applies to the ability to link a point redemption to a Princess purchase to get the bonus multiplier statement credit. Note: I have a Barclay Arrival+ card, so I have experience with how their statement credit procedure works. The points never expire, the 180 days only refers to the Princess charge toward which you want to link the point redemption. If you have a Princess charge within 180 days, you can link points in 50 point increments for credit with the multiplier depending on how big your Princess purchase was. The minimum is 1% and the maximum is 2% -- this is the same as it was under the old system. If you don't have a 180-day Princess purchase, you won't be able to redeem points using this method. But there are other ways to redeem your points and that doesn't change (but you only get 1%). The ONLY thing that is changing is that the thresholds have been lowered, so it is easier to get to 2%. So there is NO downside to these changes, but for folks who charge their Princess cruises on their Princess Visa card there is a nice upside.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Host Jazzbeau

[TracieABD]

People keep saying this, but I have gone back and reread the flyer for the third time and that's NOT how I read it. Nowhere does it say that your points EVER expire. Note: I have a Barclay Arrival+ card, so I have experience with how their statement credit works. The points never expire, the 180 days only refers to the Princess charge toward which you want to link the point redemption. If you have a Princess charge within 180 days, you can link points in 50 points increments for credit with the multiplier depending on how big your Princess purchase was. The minimum is 1% and the maximum is 2% -- this is the same as it was under the old system. The ONLY thing that is changing is that the thresholds have been lowered, so it is easier to get to 2%. There are also other ways to redeem your points and that doesn't change, but you only get 1%. So there is NO downside to these changes, but for folks who charge their Princess cruises on their Princess Visa card there is a nice upside.

 

And I am still confused...

[Host Jazzbeau]

They tout those changes but not what appears to be a negative change for people like me who no longer use it for all of my purchases...apparently losing points if there's no activity during 7 billing cycles. We now use an airline chargecard which works better for us & will have to use the Princess Visa at least every 7 billing cycles so those points don't expire.

 

We're all attempting to figure out the changes which could be either good or bad for each of us.

 

You are right on that point. You must use the card at least once every 7 months to keep your card "active." The Princess Reward Rules insert in the mailing contains this clear statement:

"As long as your account remains open, active, and in good standing, your Points will not expire." Any purchase (even a cup of coffee) or interest payment will suffice for this purpose.

BUT what happens if your account becomes inactive? Under the heading "Points Forfeiture" it does NOT include the account becoming inactive as a reason to lose your points. So I suspect that you would just need to call customer service to get the account returned to active status.

 

As to the requirement of a Princess purchase within 180 days -- failing to do this WILL NOT lead to points expirations. The 180-day statement only applies to the ability to link a point redemption to a Princess purchase to get the bonus multiplier statement credit. Note: I have a Barclay Arrival+ card, so I have experience with how their statement credit procedure works. The points never expire, the 180 days only refers to the Princess charge toward which you want to link the point redemption. If you have a Princess charge within 180 days, you can link points in 50 point increments for credit with the multiplier depending on how big your Princess purchase was. The minimum is 1% and the maximum is 2% -- this is the same as it was under the old system. If you don't have a 180-day Princess purchase, you won't be able to redeem points using this method. But there are other ways to redeem your points and that doesn't change (but you only get 1%). The ONLY thing that is changing is that the thresholds have been lowered, so it is easier to get to 2%. So there is NO downside to these changes, but for folks who charge their Princess cruises on their Princess Visa card there is a nice upside.

 

UPDATE: I checked the current Terms and Conditions on the Barclay website:

"To participate in the rewards program, your Account must remain open and in good standing, you must maintain your creditworthiness and you must use your card for at least one (1) purchase transaction every six (6) months (or have some type of Account balance every six months)." So even here the changes are an improvement -- extending the time period to 7 billing cycles.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I agree that the points do not expire after 180 days, but my understanding is if the points were earned by making Princess purchases, the ability to redeem them to get a credit applied to the account expires after 180 days. And after that ability expires, or if there is any quantity too small to redeem, they can only be used for other travel or gift cards at a 1% redemption rate. A $100 gift card for Eddie Bauer is not as valuable to me as a $100 credit against my Princess Visa balance used to be.

 

But the fact that we have not collectively reached a consensus on these points is proof positive of the ambiguity and confusion in the mailing.

[Astro Flyer]

UPDATE: I checked the current Terms and Conditions on the Barclay website:

"To participate in the rewards program, your Account must remain open and in good standing, you must maintain your creditworthiness and you must use your card for at least one (1) purchase transaction every six (6) months (or have some type of Account balance every six months)." So even here the changes are an improvement -- extending the time period to 7 billing cycles.

Thanks...I was unaware of the current 6 month condition which apparently I've met because I have not lost any points.

 

And I agree that nowhere does it say points will expire after 180 days & instead that's the look back period of time to be able to use a chargecard credit, correct?

 

But as Pescado & others of us have posted it shouldn't be open to so much interpretation of the new policy. :eek:

Edited September 30, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Astro Flyer]

So I have 65,000 points sitting on my card currently. My most recent Princess transaction was paying off my November cruise last month. It was like $2900.

 

So, am I to understand that once the changes take place, I could redeem points at 2% as a statement credit since the charge I placed on the card for the final payment is less than 180 days ago?

 

Thank you so much for any help or insight on this. I have been saving the points but now I guess I should use them.

Based on the chart they mailed, you'd be in the 1.50% category which is for Princess purchases between $2,001 & $4,000.99. For a 2% redemption points value you'd need to have spent $4,001+.

 

Since there are only the current redemption levels on their website it's all speculation because of their poorly written new policy. Here's my guess for redeeming your 65,000 points after the new policy is implemented on 11/9/16.

 

Multiply your points by 1.50% which is $975 but since the credit is only in $50 increments not all of your points could be redeemed resulting in a $950 chargecard credit.

 

The current redemption chart shows a $750 chargecard credit when redeeming 60,000 points so your reward may be $200 more. :confused:

 

I'm skeptical that a call to Barclay would provide an accurate answer because their agents are also probably trying to interpret the new policy & like us are guessing about what it means.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Host Jazzbeau]

So I have 65,000 points sitting on my card currently. My most recent Princess transaction was paying off my November cruise last month. It was like $2900.

 

So, am I to understand that once the changes take place, I could redeem points at 2% as a statement credit since the charge I placed on the card for the final payment is less than 180 days ago?

 

Thank you so much for any help or insight on this. I have been saving the points but now I guess I should use them.

 

Under the old rules [through Nov. 8], $2,900 is in the 1.25% bracket; under the new rules it moves up to the 1.5% bracket. If you redeem 65,000 points against that charge today, you would get a statement credit of $812.50; if you wait until Nov. 9, you will get a statement credit of $975. [To get 2%, your Princess charge will have to be over $4,000; but as of today it would have to be over $7,500]

[Astro Flyer]

And I am still confused...

Me too and I'm finished with attempting to figure it out. ;)

[PrincessMelody]

Based on the chart they mailed, you'd be in the 1.50% category which is for Princess purchases between $2,001 & $4,000.99. For a 2% redemption points value you'd need to have spent $4,001+.

 

Since there are only the current redemption levels on their website it's all speculation because of their poorly written new policy. Here's my guess for redeeming your 65,000 points after the new policy is implemented on 11/9/16.

 

Multiply your points by 1.50% which is $975 but since the credit is only in $50 increments not all of your points could be redeemed resulting in a $950 chargecard credit.

 

The current redemption chart shows a $750 chargecard credit when redeeming 60,000 points so your reward may be $200 more. :confused:

 

I'm skeptical that a call to Barclay would provide an accurate answer because their agents are also probably trying to interpret the new policy & like us are guessing about what it means.

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to reply!! I appreciate the info...so looks like I will wait until the change happens to redeem.

 

 

 

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[PrincessMelody]

Under the old rules [through Nov. 8], $2,900 is in the 1.25% bracket; under the new rules it moves up to the 1.5% bracket. If you redeem 65,000 points against that charge today, you would get a statement credit of $812.50; if you wait until Nov. 9, you will get a statement credit of $975. [To get 2%, your Princess charge will have to be over $4,000; but as of today it would have to be over $7,500]

 

 

 

Thank you, that makes sense... So looks like I will wait. [emoji4]

 

 

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[caribill]

Caribill, thanks for your explanation. I appreciate this dialogue in the absence of clairification from Barclay. We are leaving soon and I am debating whether or not to change our on board spending card to something other than the Princess Visa.

 

Re-reading the Princess Reward Rules brochure with fresh eyes and brain this morning I think I do understand the points vs. Princess spending difference. But, as FloridaLover says, if the points are not used within 180 days, they actually have less value than other 'cash back' credit cards where points roll forward in perpetuity until they build to a redemptive level.

 

So I still maintain these changes are not an improvement...overall.

 

First, I read that 2 points per dollar spent are only for Princess Cruise Lines purchases, not other CCL purchases.

 

 

For earning points the notice says: "Earn 2x points for every $1 spent on Princess Cruises and other World's Leading Cruise Lines purchases - including cruise bookings, onboard amenities and more." So this applies to all CCL owned cruise companies.

 

For redeeming points for more than 1% value, this only applies to Princess charges.

[floridalover5623]

So I have 65,000 points sitting on my card currently. My most recent Princess transaction was paying off my November cruise last month. It was like $2900.

 

So, am I to understand that once the changes take place, I could redeem points at 2% as a statement credit since the charge I placed on the card for the final payment is less than 180 days ago?

 

Thank you so much for any help or insight on this. I have been saving the points but now I guess I should use them.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Under the old rules [through Nov. 8], $2,900 is in the 1.25% bracket; under the new rules it moves up to the 1.5% bracket. If you redeem 65,000 points against that charge today, you would get a statement credit of $812.50; if you wait until Nov. 9, you will get a statement credit of $975. [To get 2%, your Princess charge will have to be over $4,000; but as of today it would have to be over $7,500]

 

Thanks, it's beginning to make more sense but as I now see it accumulating Princess points from past cruises more than 180 day prior will be only remediable at the lower rate ? The only way I can get the higher bonus rate is to redeem my points within the 180 look-back period?

 

This sort or defeats my accumulating points from last years Princess cruises in order to get a better rate. I'm I correct?

If so it's going to be difficult to determine whether to cash in within the 180 period or hold off to get to a higher level.