AARP Carnival Gift Cards

[Calnev1]

43 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

You can buy alcohol and tobacco. 

Yes, you are right, I have bought wine on many occasions with the Albertsons GCs.  Just had a brain fart!

[Organized Chaos]

 

On 5/31/2023 at 9:50 AM, travelingtink said:

Yes, the spam I got was not from AARP directly, but old age related, pain, mobility, car insurance for older drivers, etc. basically anything that could target the normal AARP audience. It all started the day after giving AARP my email. 

 

That's odd, the only emails I got were from AARP itself, but we're able to go into our account settings and choose to eliminate those. I use an alternate email account that I use for things I sign up for, that way if I get spam, it's not going to my primary email. You could create one and change it over in your AARP account settings.

 

On 6/1/2023 at 10:17 AM, travelingtink said:

Finally but the bullet and got AARP. I had cards from Allstate that were supposed to be delivered 5/22. UPS kept updating my delivery date, then finally just said we don’t know when it will be delivered. Have an open case with UPS and with Allstate. I suspect my delivery driver is going on a cruise soon smh. Even though we buy from Allstate, they are shipped by National Gift Card Corporation, clearly tempting to any unscrupulous delivery person.

 

AARP's normal fee is $16/yr. Even at that price, getting the discount on 2 Carnival cards pays for the membership, and then some. We also use our AARP to rent cars & hotels. The discounts on those two things cover more than the membership fee, so it really is a pretty good deal.

 

AARP & Allstate use a third-party company to operate their rewards programs. They used to both use the same company, then AARP revamped their program and switched to a different one. Since then, Allstate has switched to a new one, too. It's hard to say how much control they (AARP & Allstate) have over things like the discount amount & shipping fees. Allstate's shipping fee used to be 59 cents per card (no matter the card amount). That was a pain, but to raise it to $1.75 is ridiculous. And to go up to $5 for $500 cards is robbery, because no matter the denomination, THEY ALL WEIGH THE SAME.

[travelingtink]

5 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

 

That's odd, the only emails I got were from AARP itself, but we're able to go into our account settings and choose to eliminate those. I use an alternate email account that I use for things I sign up for, that way if I get spam, it's not going to my primary email. You could create one and change it over in your AARP account settings.

 

 

AARP's normal fee is $16/yr. Even at that price, getting the discount on 2 Carnival cards pays for the membership, and then some. We also use our AARP to rent cars & hotels. The discounts on those two things cover more than the membership fee, so it really is a pretty good deal.

 

 

 

So far so good on no SPAM, maybe it was just a coincidence last time. 
 

I know the AARP fee is nominal, it’s just the principle if why pay when you can get the discount for free from Allstate. But then the new shipping fees makes it ridiculous. Lesson learned, if it’s too good to be true …..

 

Allstate has issued a refund on the missing cards, so as soon as it posts I’ll go buy from AARP. 

[Organized Chaos]

On 6/3/2023 at 1:40 PM, travelingtink said:

So far so good on no SPAM, maybe it was just a coincidence last time. 
 

I know the AARP fee is nominal, it’s just the principle if why pay when you can get the discount for free from Allstate. But then the new shipping fees makes it ridiculous. Lesson learned, if it’s too good to be true …..

 

Allstate has issued a refund on the missing cards, so as soon as it posts I’ll go buy from AARP. 

 

I understand your point about the AARP fee vs. free on Allstate. When AARP changed their rewards program and made Carnival cards for members only, it angered a lot of people. We had already been paying members by then, but I still thought it was a dirty move to do that to people. Their old way used points just like Allstate, except on AARP, we could take quizzes to earn points (plus some in emails). But this thread made it much easier to earn points on Allstate. I'm coming up on 900,000 points. Partly because I've been doing it for 6 years now and also because we don't take many cruises, so I've been racking them up. If by some chance Allstate Rewards does go belly-up, it'll be a shame to have wasted all those points, but it's not like it cost me anything except a little of my time. This thread has definitely made it a fun ride.

 

As far as biting the bullet and paying for an AARP membership, it helps to look over all the other benefits they offer, too. If anyone's on the fence about joining and think you'll get some use out of any of the other benefits, in addition to Carnival cards, it makes it that much better of a deal.

[tw67]

Don't forget to day is Tuesday and you can get your 1K points on the matching game!

 

I have always found the Allstate Rewards page easier to use than the AARP one.  Even when they don't have the cards in the right category, they are easy to find and purchase.  I just don't want to pay and wait for hard cards to be sent to me.  We are going on a cruise Labor Day weekend with my in laws.  Our final payment is coming up, my husband went to AARP and ordered our GC and I sent the screen shots to my TA to apply.  I realized that my in laws must also have AARP, so I had my husband call his father so he can do the same thing on his side.  My father in law while in his 80's still has a few clients he works for as a computer consultant. He is a highly intelligent man, but listening to my husband work through getting him onto the AARP website to buy the cards was painful.  I don't think AARP website is the most user friendly.  Maybe it is just me, since I am not the one going up and buying them very often.  

 

I am hoping that Allstate Rewards gets it's act together with the cards and goes digital again, but I am not holding my breath.  In the meantime, I enjoy the games every day, even though I rarely win, but at least unlike the casino on the ship, I am not actually losing money!!  

[ninjacat123]

10 hours ago, tw67 said:

Don't forget to day is Tuesday and you can get your 1K points on the matching game!

 

I have always found the Allstate Rewards page easier to use than the AARP one.  Even when they don't have the cards in the right category, they are easy to find and purchase.  I just don't want to pay and wait for hard cards to be sent to me.  We are going on a cruise Labor Day weekend with my in laws.  Our final payment is coming up, my husband went to AARP and ordered our GC and I sent the screen shots to my TA to apply.  I realized that my in laws must also have AARP, so I had my husband call his father so he can do the same thing on his side.  My father in law while in his 80's still has a few clients he works for as a computer consultant. He is a highly intelligent man, but listening to my husband work through getting him onto the AARP website to buy the cards was painful.  I don't think AARP website is the most user friendly.  Maybe it is just me, since I am not the one going up and buying them very often.  

 

I am hoping that Allstate Rewards gets it's act together with the cards and goes digital again, but I am not holding my breath.  In the meantime, I enjoy the games every day, even though I rarely win, but at least unlike the casino on the ship, I am not actually losing money!!  

I agree!  AARP's website is difficult to navigate. I go to an old email from AARP, access my rewards from there and it is much easier for me.

[CruizinSusan70]

Bit the bullet and paid the 45.00 for the 5 year membership on AARP.  Sitting on close to 800 K points on Allstate that will be wasted.  It's a shame that they let a good thing go down the drain. 😔

[tw67]

TRAVELIN23   1K points

[Organized Chaos]

I get the feeling that Carnival cruisers play a big role in keeping Allstate Rewards going. As a whole, we've kept their Carnival cards in very high demand for years. I'd love to see their stats for Carnival cards sold over the years vs. all the other gift cards.

 

I wish other companies/websites would get in on the action. Several years ago, PayPal owned a subsidiary that ran an eBay store that sold gift cards. On a couple different occasions, they sold Carnival cards for 15% off and they sold out within a few hours both times. Around the same time, the U.S. Travel Association was running a summertime promotion that partnered with many companies to offer discounts & such to promote travel. They, too, sold Carnival cards for 15% off one year and they sold out very quickly. The following year, they advertised that they had partnered with Carnival again, but the cards never showed up. If companies realized how in-demand discounted Carnival cards actually are, they could take advantage. **ghostly whisper** If you sell them, we will come. 😁

[Calnev1]

2 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

Around the same time, the U.S. Travel Association was running a summertime promotion that partnered with many companies to offer discounts & such to promote travel. They, too, sold Carnival cards for 15% off one year and they sold out very quickly. The following year, they advertised that they had partnered with Carnival again, but the cards never showed up. If companies realized how in-demand discounted Carnival cards actually are, they could take advantage. **ghostly whisper** If you sell them, we will come. 😁

The USTA still runs the "Daily Getaways" summer promotion.  The promotion no longer includes any cruise deals, but some of the hotel deals are really good (hint:  Choice hotel points for European Travel).  The next Daily Getaways promotion starts in just three days.   https://dailygetaways.ustravel.org/Calendar/Index/2

 

And there are some other retailers that offer discounted gift cards, including discounted Carnival cards.  Specifically, Raise.com and the Kroger 4x fuel points program.  As discussed on other threads in this forum, some cruisers prefer to get their Carnival gift cards through these methods.  Still, I personally think the (old) Allstate and the (new) AARP were/are the best ways to get Carnival GCs.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Calnev1

[Calnev1]

On 6/6/2023 at 5:02 PM, ninjacat123 said:

I agree!  AARP's website is difficult to navigate. I go to an old email from AARP, access my rewards from there and it is much easier for me.

This is the link I use to log in to  AARP Rewards.  Have never had any trouble.  See if it works for you.

https://www.aarp.org/rewards/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aarp.org%2Frewards%2Fdiscover

[Organized Chaos]

16 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

The USTA still runs the "Daily Getaways" summer promotion.  The promotion no longer includes any cruise deals, but some of the hotel deals are really good (hint:  Choice hotel points for European Travel).  The next Daily Getaways promotion starts in just three days.   https://dailygetaways.ustravel.org/Calendar/Index/2

 

And there are some other retailers that offer discounted gift cards, including discounted Carnival cards.  Specifically, Raise.com and the Kroger 4x fuel points program.  As discussed on other threads in this forum, some cruisers prefer to get their Carnival gift cards through these methods.  Still, I personally think the (old) Allstate and the (new) AARP were/are the best ways to get Carnival GCs.

 

Daily Getaways, that's the name of it. I couldn't think of it. 👍 Looks like they have almost all hotel deals. If I remember right, they used to have a lot more variety.

 

I see a lot of people talk about the Kroger fuel program, but all of our Kroger stores closed around here. The couple we did have didn't have gas stations. I forgot, Newegg .com offers 8% off Carnival cards once in a while. I sure wish companies would bring back those 15% off cards once in a while. The ones that did it back then were always limited to a few per person, but they were still nice. And it wasn't hard to double the limit with another person.

[tw67]

I get some Marriott GC from the Daily Getaways each summer.  Might try for the IHG points to put towards Intercontinental in Miami. I love staying there as a treat before a cruise!  

[Calnev1]

36 minutes ago, tw67 said:

I get some Marriott GC from the Daily Getaways each summer.  Might try for the IHG points to put towards Intercontinental in Miami. I love staying there as a treat before a cruise!  

Yes, the Marriott GC deals are very good too.  I think 20% off?  The IHG point sales are pretty good at 0.5 cents a point.  I also will be buying a few IHG points.

[disneyfan551]

Thanks for the info on the daily getaways! I have never heard of it, but have already set alarms to try to purchase some Marriott points when they go on sale! 

[tw67]

3 minutes ago, disneyfan551 said:

Thanks for the info on the daily getaways! I have never heard of it, but have already set alarms to try to purchase some Marriott points when they go on sale! 

 

For the Marriott it is gift cards, not points.  

[disneyfan551]

20 minutes ago, tw67 said:

 

For the Marriott it is gift cards, not points.  

You're right!  Hope to score on the gift cards...

[deesully]

It seems they may have updated the site for the better.  I've been able to get to the page without the blank white screen and play games.  I hit the spinner for 2K points!

 

Now, if they would just improve the gift cards.  Actually, my budget won't be ready to buy my Carnival cards until about September for my February cruise, so I'll just sit back and collect points. Worst case, I can use my AARP account.

[tw67]

50 minutes ago, deesully said:

It seems they may have updated the site for the better.  I've been able to get to the page without the blank white screen and play games.  I hit the spinner for 2K points!

 

Now, if they would just improve the gift cards.  Actually, my budget won't be ready to buy my Carnival cards until about September for my February cruise, so I'll just sit back and collect points. Worst case, I can use my AARP account.

2K is a good win!  I got 1K on scratch off yesterday and that was the first win I had in awhile.  

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

So it now says that "gift cards ends in 6 days."

 

Will be interesting to see what that entails, exactly.  Maybe no gift cards at all? Maybe switch to ecards? Maybe no change at all?

 

 

[tw67]

17 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

So it now says that "gift cards ends in 6 days."

 

Will be interesting to see what that entails, exactly.  Maybe no gift cards at all? Maybe switch to ecards? Maybe no change at all?

 

 

I know it has said that before, but who knows what it means.  I know we would all love to see it switch to e-cards!!

[travelingtink]

My ongoing saga with gift cards continues. After switching from All State to  AARP, I successfully purchased and applied 2 gift cards to my reservation. Got my refund from my missing All State cards so I went to purchase more from AARP, but kept getting an error. I had just received my new credit card since my previous one expired so I thought maybe I needed to wait a day or so after activating it. Couldn’t figure out any other reason why the transaction wouldn’t go thru.

 

Tried again 2 days later and still getting an error. Called my bank, they see the request coming across as a CVV error, so I try again, carefully entering every number correction, but no go. Called AARP, they don’t see any issues. I tried 3 different browsers, 2 different devices, 2 different cards, but got the same error every time.  AARP said they would open a case because they couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t letting me purchase. I had only bought 2 cards so I hadn’t reached the monthly limit.

 

After hanging up I decided to try again but this time with PayPal and it went through. It was so soon after opening my case I know they didn’t have time to work on it. Still waiting on AARP tech support to figure out why I couldn’t but with credit cards but at least I finally got enough cards to pay off my balance which is due 6/17.

 

What a pain! But ultimately I guess I saved money, but the time, effort and frustration I put in to it is making me question using gift cards again. 

 

 

[tw67]

17 minutes ago, travelingtink said:

My ongoing saga with gift cards continues. After switching from All State to  AARP, I successfully purchased and applied 2 gift cards to my reservation. Got my refund from my missing All State cards so I went to purchase more from AARP, but kept getting an error. I had just received my new credit card since my previous one expired so I thought maybe I needed to wait a day or so after activating it. Couldn’t figure out any other reason why the transaction wouldn’t go thru.

 

Tried again 2 days later and still getting an error. Called my bank, they see the request coming across as a CVV error, so I try again, carefully entering every number correction, but no go. Called AARP, they don’t see any issues. I tried 3 different browsers, 2 different devices, 2 different cards, but got the same error every time.  AARP said they would open a case because they couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t letting me purchase. I had only bought 2 cards so I hadn’t reached the monthly limit.

 

After hanging up I decided to try again but this time with PayPal and it went through. It was so soon after opening my case I know they didn’t have time to work on it. Still waiting on AARP tech support to figure out why I couldn’t but with credit cards but at least I finally got enough cards to pay off my balance which is due 6/17.

 

What a pain! But ultimately I guess I saved money, but the time, effort and frustration I put in to it is making me question using gift cards again. 

 

 

Travelingtink it shouldn't be that difficult!  I am so sorry you have had to go through all this.  So weird that it isn't accepting your card.  Is your card working elsewhere?

Edited June 12, 2023 by tw67

[tw67]

Daily Getaways are live.  Today was the IHG points.  Not sure it is really worth it, but I did buy points to put towards the Intercontinental for a stay before a cruise.  Buying them was weird, told me it didn't go through, then rejected when I tried it again.  It actually went through the first time, and the second time my card blocked it as a duplicate try.  So that was good!!  I looked and I had the email that it went through.  It might take 10 days to get into my IHG account.  

[deesully]

5 hours ago, tw67 said:

2K is a good win!  I got 1K on scratch off yesterday and that was the first win I had in awhile.  

Doesn't do me much good if they don't have ecards. LOL But I'll still keep racking up points.