Carnival Mastercard

[dcedar]

I tried searching for an answer but I didn't see what I was looking for. 

 

I have the Barclay card. I have roughly 60,000 points. 

 

Would I be better off paying off a $200 charge or getting $200 OBC? The OBC is 20,000 points. How many points would it be to pay the $200 charge? 

 

I never even new about the reward boost thing. Ugh... just thinking about all the lost points! 

 

 

[BandBWCsmom]

I would go into my account and see how many points it is to redeem against the $200 charge. For example, I just redeemed 10,000 points for a $150 credit. But I've redeemed 20,000 for $200. IDK why it's different, but it is. 

[tm_aw_love]

The redemption points remain about the same until you hit 100,000 points.

[xostacylee]

Following. I actually just redeemed 20k points for $200 OBC... wondering if I lost out on any $$.

 

Also what's the rewards boost?

[xostacylee]

It looks like for $50 of payment credit, you can spend 5,000 points. My guess is as tm_aw_love mentioned, there's not a huge difference.

[BandBWCsmom]

3 minutes ago, xostacylee said:

Following. I actually just redeemed 20k points for $200 OBC... wondering if I lost out on any $$.

 

Also what's the rewards boost?

I just did the credit today and thought hey, i'll take it! rewards boost is where you log into your account and then do your online shopping there (i.e., 3x points at macys, etc)

[xostacylee]

1 minute ago, BandBWCsmom said:

I just did the credit today and thought hey, i'll take it! rewards boost is where you log into your account and then do your online shopping there (i.e., 3x points at macys, etc)

 

Ohh! Yeah I have seen that, I just never actually think about it LOL.

 

And right? Anything is better than a stick in the eye as my grandpa would say. The credit card is definitely a good option if you cruise a lot, but there are better rewards credit cards from what I've heard (I'm trying to wrack up points on my American Express SkyMiles card). 

[BandBWCsmom]

1 minute ago, xostacylee said:

 

Ohh! Yeah I have seen that, I just never actually think about it LOL.

 

And right? Anything is better than a stick in the eye as my grandpa would say. The credit card is definitely a good option if you cruise a lot, but there are better rewards credit cards from what I've heard (I'm trying to wrack up points on my American Express SkyMiles card). 

It's worth it in terms of the discount on shore excursions if you buy those though. Ten percent is not bad off and then 2x points. Especially since buying the gift cards at a discount seems so difficult at the moment. 

[Wheels87]

I have 9 years experience with this and have cahsed in hundreds of thousands of points over the years. 

 

If you have over around 20,000 points, you can frequently get 1.5 times cahs back. Meaning that if you cash in 20,000 points, you can get $300 cash back. The trick is to select a more recent charge to your card...one that is expiring the latest. 

 

I have done this numerous times. Just experiment with which charge you are going to pay off. 

 

Good luck! 

[gt1701a]

If you have  a $1500 or more carnival charge you can redeem 10,000 points (or multiples of that amount) for $150 statement credit ( or multiple 100,000 points = $1500)

Edited August 9, 2019 by gt1701a

[Saint Greg]

4 hours ago, xostacylee said:

Following. I actually just redeemed 20k points for $200 OBC... wondering if I lost out on any $$.

 

Also what's the rewards boost?

 

You did. I redeemed 100,000 for $1,500

[Micahs Grandad]

Remember if you do use it for obc, for some reason they call it nonrefundable, use it or lose it

[elcuchio24]

12 hours ago, gt1701a said:

If you have  a $1500 or more carnival charge you can redeem 10,000 points (or multiples of that amount) for $150 statement credit ( or multiple 100,000 points = $1500)

 

I think most people dont realize you get a bigger reward on redemptions on charges over 1500

[ShakyBeef]

The short answer is yes, you are losing out on free money if:

• you are cashing in your FunPoints for anything other than a statement credit for a Carnival purchase of $1500 or more. 
• And if you are cashing in your FunPoints before you have at least 100,000 to go towards that qualifying purchase of $1500 or more (thus giving you the best redemption rate).
• And if you are doing any online shopping with this card without checking RewardsBoost sellers first.

OK, I guess that's not really a short answer.  And it might still be confusing to some.  Let me know if I can help answer any questions about the use of this card.  I have had it since 2005 and have gotten several multi-thousand dollar statement credits over those years.

 

BTW, your FunPoints don't expire.  So if you can resist the temptation of instant gratification with a small OBC or other cash-in, and be patient and accrue them until you have at least 100,000, you'll be doing yourself a favour. 

[Saint Greg]

And I really got more than my $1500. My $1,500 paid for my Vista cruise. I booked it over a year in advance. I got my statement credit to pay it off. And then over the course of that next year I found several price drops that got me OBC. Ended up paying for two nights in the steakhouse, one at cuccina, and one at JiJis.

[xostacylee]

16 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

 

You did. I redeemed 100,000 for $1,500

 

I don't plan on ever getting up to that much money spent on my card lol. I'll take this $200! 

[n6uqqq]

Is there any way to beat the 10 percent I get off by using the AARP/Allstate gift cards by using the Carnival Master card? My 5000 dollar Alaska cruise I saved 500 dollars by paying with the gift cards. That seems pretty hard to beat. 

[cruisegus]

33 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

Is there any way to beat the 10 percent I get off by using the AARP/Allstate gift cards by using the Carnival Master card? My 5000 dollar Alaska cruise I saved 500 dollars by paying with the gift cards. That seems pretty hard to beat. 

 

I don't think so, but the carnival card is good for 3 things in my opinion.  The 20k initial bonus after any purchase = a $200 credit or $300 if you use it to charge a >1500 cruise purchase.  Second, currently you can now take 6 months to pay it off.  Finally a 10% discount on Shore excursions, which also includes FTTF purchases.

 

Again it can be different for everyone depending on their perspective.  Just enjoy cruising

[Saint Greg]

40 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

Is there any way to beat the 10 percent I get off by using the AARP/Allstate gift cards by using the Carnival Master card? My 5000 dollar Alaska cruise I saved 500 dollars by paying with the gift cards. That seems pretty hard to beat. 

 

I think its just equal to it. I just use my mastercard for CCL excursions and then there's less gift cards I have to buy...and I get double points.

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Saint Greg

[ShakyBeef]

27 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

Is there any way to beat the 10 percent I get off by using the AARP/Allstate gift cards by using the Carnival Master card? My 5000 dollar Alaska cruise I saved 500 dollars by paying with the gift cards. That seems pretty hard to beat. 

 

It's not quite apples to apples, because I didn't get a discount on my cruise on the front end, but after I return from my cruise in January, I'll be cashing in FunPoints and getting a $3000 statement credit.  That equates to a $3000 discount off my $6000 cruise.  So, a 50% discount.  Which beats 10% by quite a lot.  It only took me a year and a half to accrue those 200,000 FPs.  I paid not a penny in fees or interest to the credit card.  And I was going to be spending the money that earned those points on the items and services I spent it on, anyway.  So it is a completely free $3000 for me. 

 

I know that some people do a combination of the discount gift cards and the Carnival MC for even better savings, but I just don't want to bother with the gift cards.  I use this card for everything that I can (including utilities), I pay it off every month, I use RewardsBoost whenever feasible, and pile up the points practically effortlessly.  This is what works for me.

[n6uqqq]

1 hour ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

It's not quite apples to apples, because I didn't get a discount on my cruise on the front end, but after I return from my cruise in January, I'll be cashing in FunPoints and getting a $3000 statement credit.  That equates to a $3000 discount off my $6000 cruise.  So, a 50% discount.  Which beats 10% by quite a lot.  It only took me a year and a half to accrue those 200,000 FPs.  I paid not a penny in fees or interest to the credit card.  And I was going to be spending the money that earned those points on the items and services I spent it on, anyway.  So it is a completely free $3000 for me. 

 

I know that some people do a combination of the discount gift cards and the Carnival MC for even better savings, but I just don't want to bother with the gift cards.  I use this card for everything that I can (including utilities), I pay it off every month, I use RewardsBoost whenever feasible, and pile up the points practically effortlessly.  This is what works for me.

I guess in my case the discount cards are the way to go. Acquiring 200000 points would take quite a bit of spending. Even if you had a 4x mulitplier for fun points that's 50 grand. So dollar per dollar I think the gift cards work best for me. I can get 3 percent off travel with the Costco visa for other types of travel to complement my gift cards. 

[ShakyBeef]

7 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

I guess in my case the discount cards are the way to go. Acquiring 200000 points would take quite a bit of spending. Even if you had a 4x mulitplier for fun points that's 50 grand. So dollar per dollar I think the gift cards work best for me. I can get 3 percent off travel with the Costco visa for other types of travel to complement my gift cards. 

 

I respect that.  We all have our different preferences, spending habits, perspectives, and perceived values. 

 

Yes, my average RewardsBoost multiplier is probably around 4x, so your 50 grand estimate is pretty accurate.  But I just want to be clear on this point:  I was spending that 50 grand on that stuff anyway.  I didn't spend 50 grand to get 200,000 FPs.  I never spend a dime extra in order to get more FPs.  I spent 50 grand to get the groceries, pet supplies, gas and maintenance for our vehicles, DDs' tae kwon do lessons, electricity service, furnace oil, household supplies, restaurant meals, clothing, etc., etc., etc. that I needed / wanted to buy anyway.   And then, as a totally free and easy bonus, I got 200,000 FPs to turn into $3000 cash back to me, all for spending what I was going to spend anyway.

[n6uqqq]

19 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

I respect that.  We all have our different preferences, spending habits, perspectives, and perceived values. 

 

Yes, my average RewardsBoost multiplier is probably around 4x, so your 50 grand estimate is pretty accurate.  But I just want to be clear on this point:  I was spending that 50 grand on that stuff anyway.  I didn't spend 50 grand to get 200,000 FPs.  I never spend a dime extra in order to get more FPs.  I spent 50 grand to get the groceries, pet supplies, gas and maintenance for our vehicles, DDs' tae kwon do lessons, electricity service, furnace oil, household supplies, restaurant meals, clothing, etc., etc., etc. that I needed / wanted to buy anyway.   And then, as a totally free and easy bonus, I got 200,000 FPs to turn into $3000 cash back to me, all for spending what I was going to spend anyway.

 

I completely understand your point of view. My kids are grown and I don't generate enough credit card spending to make it worthwhile. Like you I also charge whatever I can and never carry a balance either. My utilities will not let me use charge cards without a nice convenience fee and I understand their point of view. CC's cost them money. 

[Jerseygirl1416]

2 hours ago, n6uqqq said:

Is there any way to beat the 10 percent I get off by using the AARP/Allstate gift cards by using the Carnival Master card? My 5000 dollar Alaska cruise I saved 500 dollars by paying with the gift cards. That seems pretty hard to beat. 

The American Express offers they tend to run several times a year beat the 10 off gift cards. Especially if you have more than one card to put the offer on. They give $100 statement credit on $500 charge or I’ve seen $75 on $350.