UK cruisers - buying gift certificates

[cclarke12]

Apologies if this is already well known, but I spotted on a Facebook page yesterday that someone was highlighting the benefits of pre-purchasing onboard credit in sterling through the gifts section. At the moment £1 buys you $1.22, but if you buy the gift certificates you get the exchange rate at the point you booked, for us that works out at $1.45 to £1. Definitely worth considering buying gift certificates to cover onboard spend if you're a UK customer and you booked some time ago.

Edited October 12, 2016 by cclarke12

[Blondie008]

I noticed it a while ago but thanks for the reminder - I haven't prepaid my grats - So with the £ so weak - its a good deal to do this for sure.

Note to self to get it done today!

Thanks!

Actually I think if I pay my grats online now too its at the same rate as at time of purchase..

Edited October 12, 2016 by Blondie008

[KeithJenner]

Yes, this is true. I have done it quite a few times over the past few years, as it is very often a better rate. Obviously at the moment it is particularly good.

 

Make sure you take confirmation with you, as I have had it not show up in the past. Give it a couple of days to appear onboard and then go to guest services with your confirmation if it isn't there.

 

Service charges are also worth it, as mentioned above.

 

Depending on what your onboard spend is likely to be, it may be better to purchase specific items (dining package, Internet etc) online rather than OBC. The same exchange rate is used for everything.

[cclarke12]

I noticed it a while ago but thanks for the reminder - I haven't prepaid my grats - So with the £ so weak - its a good deal to do this for sure.

Note to self to get it done today!

Thanks!

Actually I think if I pay my grats online now too its at the same rate as at time of purchase..

 

I was told grats set at £8.50 so I'll definitely be pre paying as cheaper than paying onboard

[KeithJenner]

Actually I think if I pay my grats online now too its at the same rate as at time of purchase..

 

 

 

The DSC is payable at a fixed rate of £8.50 per day, so whether it is better than buying OBC depends on the rate you get for dollar conversions.

 

Generally, it is a little cheaper to prepay the DSC than it is to buy OBC to cover it.

[cshellz]

Thats really helpful thank you. I only booked in Aug for next Aug but if it continues to drop that will definitely come in handy nearer the time.

 

Is it ok for me to copy this into my roll call?

[KeithJenner]

Thats really helpful thank you. I only booked in Aug for next Aug but if it continues to drop that will definitely come in handy nearer the time.

 

 

 

Is it ok for me to copy this into my roll call?

 

 

 

If you booked in August, it will be interesting to see what rate you have got, as the pound had already fallen by quite a bit by then.

 

If you go to Myncl and put something like $100 OBC in your basket, you will see how much they are charging. That rate should never change for you, but you may find it isn't as good as some of the rates being discussed here.

[cshellz]

£76.12 for $100 so 1.31

 

I think its going to get worse though (hopefully not) so by next Aug that could be an excellent rate.

[sandancer]

I found calling and buying over the phone easier than doing it online as I was able to ask the agent what exchange rate I would get. We booked when the rate was 1.51 and that's what I got. Next day it appeared on My NCL. Does anyone know if it will be refunded if we don't spend it all.

 

 

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Edited October 12, 2016 by sandancer

[Froggitt]

Yes, this is true. I have done it quite a few times over the past few years, as it is very often a better rate. Obviously at the moment it is particularly good.

 

Make sure you take confirmation with you, as I have had it not show up in the past. Give it a couple of days to appear onboard and then go to guest services with your confirmation if it isn't there.

 

Service charges are also worth it, as mentioned above.

 

Depending on what your onboard spend is likely to be, it may be better to purchase specific items (dining package, Internet etc) online rather than OBC. The same exchange rate is used for everything.

 

I found calling and buying over the phone easier than doing it online as I was able to ask the agent what exchange rate I would get. We booked when the rate was 1.51 and that's what I got. Next day it appeared on My NCL. Does anyone know if it will be refunded if we don't spend it all.

 

 

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So is this done onboard or thru NCL UK? I emailed my PCC and got a rather vague answer

The price for conversion is shown on the site. As it is a currency exchange we do not do them for customers.

[KeithJenner]

So is this done onboard or thru NCL UK? I emailed my PCC and got a rather vague answer

 

 

 

Just do what cshellz did earlier.

 

Log into myncl and put some OBC into your basket. It will say how much that will cost you in pounds, so you can work out the rate you are being charged.

 

That rate will apply to any purchases you make before boarding for that particular cruise.

[Froggitt]

£76.12 for $100 so 1.31

 

I think its going to get worse though (hopefully not) so by next Aug that could be an excellent rate.

 

Interesting. My cost is £75.59 so maybe it has fixed the rate for each of us at the rate when we booked. I seem to recall it was the same a week or so ago, so it doesnt appear to be sinking with the pound.

[cshellz]

Interesting. My cost is £75.59 so maybe it has fixed the rate for each of us at the rate when we booked. I seem to recall it was the same a week or so ago, so it doesnt appear to be sinking with the pound.

 

 

 

Yes thats what the OP says, its fixed to the time of the booking.

[KeithJenner]

Interesting. My cost is £75.59 so maybe it has fixed the rate for each of us at the rate when we booked. I seem to recall it was the same a week or so ago, so it doesnt appear to be sinking with the pound.

 

 

 

Yes, the rate is fixed depending on when you booked. Your rate will be different from others on the same cruise, and if you have multiple cruises booked then each will have a different rate (assuming you booked them at different times).

 

Given the big fall in the pound, there is always the chance that NCL will change this, so it's probably worth making any purchases sooner than later.

Edited October 12, 2016 by KeithJenner

[Froggitt]

Thanks. Looks like tinternet is fixed at the same rate.

[Froggitt]

I found calling and buying over the phone easier than doing it online as I was able to ask the agent what exchange rate I would get. We booked when the rate was 1.51 and that's what I got. Next day it appeared on My NCL. Does anyone know if it will be refunded if we don't spend it all.

 

 

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Why would you want it refunded if you're buying dollars at $1.51? Tell you what, anything you have left over I will take off your hands at $1.51 for crisp twenty pound notes, so you don't even have to wait a month for the cheque from NCL!!!

[cclarke12]

Why would you want it refunded if you're buying dollars at $1.51? Tell you what, anything you have left over I will take off your hands at $1.51 for crisp twenty pound notes, so you don't even have to wait a month for the cheque from NCL!!!

 

Because if they converted back at the current actual rate you'd make a profit.

[Froggitt]

Which is why presumably they just back out the original purchase at the original rate.

[huskypup]

Hi

 

We are UK but book through a USA TA, we booked when the rate was high - if I log in now and buy some certificates now can I use them to purchase 4 x dining package or would I get that rate for the package anyway.

 

Thank you

[KeithJenner]

Hi

 

We are UK but book through a USA TA, we booked when the rate was high - if I log in now and buy some certificates now can I use them to purchase 4 x dining package or would I get that rate for the package anyway.

 

Thank you

 

The rate that you have for online purchases is the same, whatever you are buying (except for the prepayment of DSC as discussed above), so to do what you are saying you may as well just buy the dining package online. Same for shore excursions etc.

 

However, I'm not sure whether this applies to you anyway if you booked via the US. When you go into myncl what currency are things like the dining packages shown in? If it is in dollars then this doesn't apply to you.

[huskypup]

Thank you, I thought as much, we see things in $ unless I log in from home and it insists on taking me to the UK site but from work the US site.

[sandancer]

Why would you want it refunded if you're buying dollars at $1.51? Tell you what, anything you have left over I will take off your hands at $1.51 for crisp twenty pound notes, so you don't even have to wait a month for the cheque from NCL!!!

 

 

We can discuss this at the final meeting of the Coffin Dodgers if I have anything left. Haha. Leftover OBC is not much good to me during the following 3 weeks we plan to spend in Florida. Now if you were offering 1.51 in greenbacks I would be very interested. Those 3 weeks are getting more expensive by the minute!!

 

 

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[Froggitt]

Oh in that case, you'll want to fill your own boots with the maximum $1,000 dollars at $1.51, and take the 3% hit withdrawing into greenbacks in the casino on the last day, giving you a rate of about $1.46 into cash. Its like buying tenners for about eight pounds each.

[Burney555]

Thanks for the heads up regarding the gift certificates. We are on the Epic this weekend, so that helps soften the blow from the current exchange rates we are getting.

[sha32]

I purchased my max of $1000 for £655, more than happy [emoji2]

 

 

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