Gift card denied - anyone ever have this issue?

[velmasue]

We recently purchased Carnival Gift Cards from AARP.  I called Carnival to inquire if I could apply those prior to boarding as OBC but was told that was not possible--that it would have to be done at guest services once onboard.  I decided to try purchasing Cruise Cash with the gift cards and that worked!  We leave Sunday so fingers crossed for no problems!

 

[cheer25mom]

25 minutes ago, velmasue said:

We recently purchased Carnival Gift Cards from AARP.  I called Carnival to inquire if I could apply those prior to boarding as OBC but was told that was not possible--that it would have to be done at guest services once onboard.  I decided to try purchasing Cruise Cash with the gift cards and that worked!  We leave Sunday so fingers crossed for no problems!

 

If you have cruise cash it shouldn't be an issue. It should be on your sail and sign immediately at check in. We purchased a small amount for cruise cash just to avoid the long lines the first day at guest services. The only drawback is that it cannot be refunded, so if you don't use it all you lose it. That's why we only did a small amount to get us through the first couple of days. 

[JennKach]

I just used a partially redeemed eCard yesterday on Paradise.  The kiosk said it was invalid, guest services was able to put it in my account in seconds.

[tallyho8]

I use my gift cards in advance to purchase shore excursions online and other incidentals. Then when I get on the ship I go to guest services and have them put the full cards and the partial cards on my account, even though I know I will not spend that much, so I don't have to worry about emptying my account and have them charging to my back-up credit card. 

 

I usually have a few hundred dollars left in my account when I leave the ship and a gift card with that balance will arrive by UPS about 3 days after I get home.

 

If you accidently let guest services put the remaining amount on the card into your account onboard instead of just the small amount for something you are purchasing, this empties your card and then when you disembark you have to wait for them to send you a gift card with the overpayment on it. If you do not receive this card in a week you must call Carnival and report it.

 

I have heard from people before who have emptied their card this way and couldn't figure out what happened until UPS showed up with their new gift card.

 

I love the gift cards because I get them for 10% off at AARP and I buy them with a credit card that gives me a 3% rebate so I actually save 13% on my cruise and they are as good as cash on Carnival for anything, don't expire, and if you don't use the full amount they quickly send you the balance in another card.

Edited May 13, 2022 by tallyho8

[bingo3]

On 5/11/2022 at 12:49 PM, cruisemom2 said:

So can you use gift cards to buy cruise cash prior to a cruise? If so, wouldn't that eliminate the need to deal with it once on board and are there any drawbacks to doing it that way? We've never used gift cards on Carnival so I have no idea.

Cruise cash is non-refundable, so if something happens and you can't cruise or don't sue it all, you lose it. Doesn't seem right, butt hat's the way it is!

[Knights on the Beach]

So all this talk about gift cards has made me see the light.  I logged into AARP and tried to order a $500 gift card to use for our deposit on a cruise I just put on hold but can't it to go through - it keeps saying something went wrong with the payment, try again.  This is the same thing that was happening a few weeks ago when many were trying to buy Cheers, etc on the Carnival site before the prices went up.  For that, I just waited a few hours and tried it again and it went through.  Has anyone ever had this issue on the AARP site?  There is nothing wrong with my CC, in fact I got a text from them asking if the charge was legit and when I confirmed, got another text saying it was approved. 

[babygrljaz]

15 minutes ago, cruisemom2 said:

So all this talk about gift cards has made me see the light.  I logged into AARP and tried to order a $500 gift card to use for our deposit on a cruise I just put on hold but can't it to go through - it keeps saying something went wrong with the payment, try again.  This is the same thing that was happening a few weeks ago when many were trying to buy Cheers, etc on the Carnival site before the prices went up.  For that, I just waited a few hours and tried it again and it went through.  Has anyone ever had this issue on the AARP site?  There is nothing wrong with my CC, in fact I got a text from them asking if the charge was legit and when I confirmed, got another text saying it was approved. 

I have this same problem when i try to use my capital one credit card.  Neither capital one or aarp can figure out why both investigated the issue.  My other cards process just fine, cap one was just the one with cashback rewards.

[Knights on the Beach]

32 minutes ago, babygrljaz said:

I have this same problem when i try to use my capital one credit card.  Neither capital one or aarp can figure out why both investigated the issue.  My other cards process just fine, cap one was just the one with cashback rewards.

 

Thanks!  I was using Discover but if I can't get it to work, I'll try another card.  So frustrating - I can see the pending charges on my Discover account but the AARP site says I can still order 5 cards this month so I know it didn't go through.  😞

 

[babygrljaz]

1 hour ago, cruisemom2 said:

 

Thanks!  I was using Discover but if I can't get it to work, I'll try another card.  So frustrating - I can see the pending charges on my Discover account but the AARP site says I can still order 5 cards this month so I know it didn't go through.  😞

 

You're welcome.  I tried it multiple times for about 2 months.  It would keep the funds on hold for about 1 week.  Allstate though I've never had that problem.  I was insistent with aarp though because i prefer ecards