What to do with unused OBC?

[joseph123]

Just wondering if there are any options for cashing in unused OBC on Celebrity. If I am not interested in the spa services, tours, shop purchases and the other obvious choices, I have read that some have been able to somehow get a credit and then cash out at the casino. Any thoughts on if that is a possibility? Hate to sound like a cheapskate, but I would hate to walk away from a several hundred dollar OBC. Any advice would be appreciated.

[hiccups]

We always use ours to provide extra gratuities to our cabin steward--there's a form at guest services you can request.  There is also the option to provide more to other teams such as dining and housekeeping.  If you aren't going to spend it, the staff certainly can use a little extra!

 

You can only cash out your winnings at the casino--you are given promotional chips, from what I've read here.

It is hard to spend it sometimes, but we keep an eye on excursion sales, and I buy things we'll use, but even then, I'm not willing to pay a huge premium.

[cruisestitch]

You can use the money to gamble and then cash out your winnings, if any.

 

Or, if you know anyone on the cruise who will be ending up with a bill, rather than credit, you can pay their bill and then have them pay you back.  
 

otherwise, here is a list of things you can use OBC for

 

Acupuncture

Airport transfers

Alcove Rental (some ships)

Apple products etc. and Ilounge classes

Art Auctions

Babysitting

Barber Shop services (Edge only)

Beverages -- Alcoholic, carbonated soft drinks, specialty coffees and teas, bottled water

Bingo

Bottles of wine

Casino

Chef’s Table

Duty free liquor and cigarettes

Extra cost entrees and other items in Main Dining Room and specialty restaurants

Extend Your Stay program

Fitness classes

Flowers

Gelato

Gift shop souvenirs, purses, cosmetics, clothing, jewelry, etc.

Gratuities, and extra gratuities

Guests dining with you in Luminae (applies to Suite Passengers only)

Guest entertainers' CD's and DVD's

Hair and nail salon

Hollywood hot glass experiences (some ships)

Internet

Laundry/pressing/drycleaning

Luggage Valet

Martini Flights

Medical Center purchases (but not treatments)

Mini bar

Portrait photo sessions

Pay-per-view movies

Persian Gardens passes

Photos & cameras

Room service up charge items, and late night delivery fee

Shore Excursions

Shuttle to town (some ports)

Spa -- massages and treatments

Specialty restaurants

Teeth Whitening

Telephone calls using ship's system

Transfer to another passenger's account

Voyage in Review DVD

Wine and liquor tastings

Zumba

[Bo1953]

All of the excellent advice above are great ways to use it up, if it is NR or if it is R OBC, then it will be credited back to your credit card...

 

bon voyage

[Miaminice]

You can get promo chips (different color) for non-refundable OBC in the casino. If you win, the winnings will be paid out in regular chips which can be cashed in. So if you are lucky, that´s how you get it from the casino...

 

You can also get a form at guest relations to give it to the staff as gratuities.

Edited January 15, 2020 by Miaminice

[TFLG]

29 minutes ago, joseph123 said:

Just wondering if there are any options for cashing in unused OBC on Celebrity. If I am not interested in the spa services, tours, shop purchases and the other obvious choices, I have read that some have been able to somehow get a credit and then cash out at the casino. Any thoughts on if that is a possibility? Hate to sound like a cheapskate, but I would hate to walk away from a several hundred dollar OBC. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

My wife never has a problem spending it   If she doesnt find anything for herself she will ususally buy birthday/christmas gifts for our daughters (purses, jewlery etc).

[Luvcrusn]

39 minutes ago, joseph123 said:

Just wondering if there are any options for cashing in unused OBC on Celebrity. If I am not interested in the spa services, tours, shop purchases and the other obvious choices, I have read that some have been able to somehow get a credit and then cash out at the casino. Any thoughts on if that is a possibility? Hate to sound like a cheapskate, but I would hate to walk away from a several hundred dollar OBC. Any advice would be appreciated.

Is it OBC-N or OBC-R? If it's the latter you can take it with you in cash the last day or it will be credited back to your cc on file.

[chemmo]

With technology moving on as fast as it does our OBC is usually spoken for before we board...One of us usually could do with a better camera or a newer iPad. Failing that there is always your favourite tipples which you are ‘going to put away for Christmas’ until your first bout of post cruise depression kicks in.

 

Buying presents for others is a great idea but remember not easy to return them if they are not suitable!

 

We have also used OBC to ‘gift’ our room attendant and butler, remember you should fill in the forms at least 24 hours before leaving the ship. We always let our butler and room attendant know this and ask them to confirm that they have received the transfer...

[GastroGnome]

We always transfer anything unused and non refundable to the staff as additonal gratuities.

[cruisinsusin]

10 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

 

We have also used OBC to ‘gift’ our room attendant and butler, remember you should fill in the forms at least 24 hours before leaving the ship. We always let our butler and room attendant know this and ask them to confirm that they have received the transfer...

On our recent Summit cruise, we asked guest services for this form -they confirmed that our stateroom attendant would receive the extra gratuities (with his next paycheck -not immediately)  but, as far as the dining room staff, they stated that extra grats would go to the  dining room staff as a whole and could not be directed to specific people. We decided not to go that route...

[Reel Love]

11 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

You can use the money to gamble and then cash out your winnings, if any.

 

Or, if you know anyone on the cruise who will be ending up with a bill, rather than credit, you can pay their bill and then have them pay you back.  
 

otherwise, here is a list of things you can use OBC for

Wow!  That is a great list, cruisestitch!  And a smart idea about using it to pay someone else's bill and then be re-paid.  I guess I never have to think too hard about what to do with OBC since we usually only ever have a couple or few hundred dollars so we can always find some way to spend it without too much thought.

[rboy000]

Can you use PBC for future cruise excursions??

[cruisestitch]

No, and  not for future cruise deposits either.  

[TeaBag]

1 hour ago, rboy000 said:

Can you use PBC for future cruise excursions??

No.

[chemmo]

5 hours ago, cruisinsusin said:

On our recent Summit cruise, we asked guest services for this form -they confirmed that our stateroom attendant would receive the extra gratuities (with his next paycheck -not immediately)  but, as far as the dining room staff, they stated that extra grats would go to the  dining room staff as a whole and could not be directed to specific people. We decided not to go that route...

 

Agree...we use cash for other than room attendant and butler. Whilst the staff may not get the cash until next pay date they can check confirm that it has been posted.

[VitaminSea53]

If the OBC was a perk, is it refundable?

[Luvcrusn]

2 minutes ago, VitaminSea53 said:

If the OBC was a perk, is it refundable?

If you are talking about the $300 from X, and it's showing in your Cruise Planner as available for use for pre-cruise purchases, it's non-refundable. That means it will disappear if unused. If it's given by a TA, it's probably refundable.

[2theship]

If you use any high-end cosmetics, the onboard prices are the same as at home, at least in my experience. You can spend a lot of money very quickly in those shops.

[eel]

On 1/15/2020 at 8:04 AM, Miaminice said:

You can get promo chips (different color) for non-refundable OBC in the casino. If you win, the winnings will be paid out in regular chips which can be cashed in. So if you are lucky, that´s how you get it from the casino...

 

If you are intent on cashing out at the casino, just bet both sides of a more or less 50/50 even money bet.  For example bet half on red and half on black at the roulette table - if it comes up green you are out of luck. You could insure your bet against a zero by placing a small bet on zero at the same time.

[cruisinsusin]

28 minutes ago, eel said:

 

If you are intent on cashing out at the casino, just bet both sides of a more or less 50/50 even money bet.  For example bet half on red and half on black at the roulette table - if it comes up green you are out of luck. You could insure your bet against a zero by placing a small bet on zero at the same time.

On recent Summit one player was not allowed to bet both red and black- but DH could play one and I could play the other

[PBTravelBug]

Some great ideas on this thread! We were on Equinox a week or so ago. Used our OBC for one night at Tuscan Grill, a bottle of liquor, a nice necklace, and my favorite - a bunch of Chanel makeup! It sure was fun spending that fun money.

 

[shipshape sam]

On 1/15/2020 at 9:48 AM, joseph123 said:

Just wondering if there are any options for cashing in unused OBC on Celebrity. If I am not interested in the spa services, tours, shop purchases and the other obvious choices, I have read that some have been able to somehow get a credit and then cash out at the casino. Any thoughts on if that is a possibility? Hate to sound like a cheapskate, but I would hate to walk away from a several hundred dollar OBC. Any advice would be appreciated.

We had about $150 OBC on a Celebrity cruise 2 years ago and decided to go spend it on a Speciality Restaurant and a few more great martinis.  It goes pretty fast once  you start to spend it.  🙂

 

Edited January 17, 2020 by shipshape sam

[shipshape sam]

2 hours ago, PBTravelBug said:

Some great ideas on this thread! We were on Equinox a week or so ago. Used our OBC for one night at Tuscan Grill, a bottle of liquor, a nice necklace, and my favorite - a bunch of Chanel makeup! It sure was fun spending that fun money.

 

Sounds like it.  Fun to think back on a nice memory like that too!  

[theEvilQueen2]

Buy what ever is on sale in the logo shop and re-sell it on ebay. Larger t-shirts, tote bags. glass ware, you can make a few bucks for sure. 

[Miaminice]

5 hours ago, eel said:

 

If you are intent on cashing out at the casino, just bet both sides of a more or less 50/50 even money bet.  For example bet half on red and half on black at the roulette table - if it comes up green you are out of luck. You could insure your bet against a zero by placing a small bet on zero at the same time.

 

5 hours ago, cruisinsusin said:

On recent Summit one player was not allowed to bet both red and black- but DH could play one and I could play the other

yep, that works about one or two times and then they will prohibit you from doing it.

 

We did the same. DW on red and me on black. After the second time they reported it to the supervisor...