[Targeted] New AMEX Offer - Spend $1,000 with Celebrity get 35,000 Membership Rewards Points

[jameslee]

On 1/8/2023 at 4:42 PM, Cruise Gopher said:

You can purchase OBC. It posts as Celebrity Cruises. I did it earlier this week and already got Points awarded in my account. Works just fine. 

can we purchase the OBC credit online or do we need to call in for that in order for the amex special offer to trigger?

[Cruise Gopher]

1 minute ago, jameslee said:

can we purchase the OBC credit online or do we need to call in for that in order for the amex special offer to trigger?

Either is fine. But if you want to purchase a large amount then it’s easiest to just call them. 

[jameslee]

On 1/8/2023 at 4:42 PM, Cruise Gopher said:

You can purchase OBC. It posts as Celebrity Cruises. I did it earlier this week and already got Points awarded in my account. Works just fine. 

 

I was trying to purchase OBC for my Celebrity Cruise but can't seem to find it, I went thru all sections of cruise planner on www.celebritycruises.com.  I see other items like wifi and chocolate but not obc. Where is it?

[Cruise Gopher]

3 hours ago, jameslee said:

 

I was trying to purchase OBC for my Celebrity Cruise but can't seem to find it, I went thru all sections of cruise planner on www.celebritycruises.com.  I see other items like wifi and chocolate but not obc. Where is it?

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/gifts

 

Scroll down and click on onboard credit. 

[jameslee]

12 hours ago, Cruise Gopher said:

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/gifts

 

Scroll down and click on onboard credit. 

Thanks. Very helpful. I think they manually have to approve purchases I just purchased but no debit from card yet

[jameslee]

On 3/11/2023 at 6:18 AM, kwokpot said:

There's a loophole to avoid a clawback of bonus points from AMEX if the purchased OBC is refunded at the end of the cruise;use a different credit card onboard than the AMEX account you used to purchase the OBC. If the OBC is refunded to a different credit card AMEX will have no idea that the transaction has occurred, thus no chance of a clawback of bonus points. 

Is it possible to use the OBC to play slots then withdraw the remaining balance as cash from slot machine? 

[jameslee]

On 2/26/2023 at 6:24 AM, wrk2cruise said:

 

@kwokpot  Did you eventually get statement credit for it.    I had a similar situation when I used my Amex for my onboard account on Summit.   Got this email but then several days later got another saying it didn't qualify for the credit due as the charge eventually came through as SummitOnboard or something like that.

Did you get credit for it eventually? Did you purchase the onboard credit from the celebrity.com website by logging into your account?

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, jameslee said:

Is it possible to use the OBC to play slots then withdraw the remaining balance as cash from slot machine? 

No, you can only cash out winnings. So for example you have $20 in the machine and spin $1and win $2. You can cash out the $2 but you must play out the remaining $19

[jameslee]

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

No, you can only cash out winnings. So for example you have $20 in the machine and spin $1and win $2. You can cash out the $2 but you must play out the remaining $19

oh I see. Do you know if I purchase $1000 in obc by calling in then I don't use the obc, can i get it back out as cash from guest services? 

[kwokpot]

3 minutes ago, jameslee said:

Did you get credit for it eventually? Did you purchase the onboard credit from the celebrity.com website by logging into your account?

Yes, I did. I purchased pre-cruise slot credits which gives you a 10% bonus. The pre-cruise slot credits purchase did qualify and I received the extra membership points literally 2 days after the charge went through, way before I got on the ship. 

[kwokpot]

2 minutes ago, jameslee said:

oh I see. Do you know if I purchase $1000 in obc by calling in then I don't use the obc, can i get it back out as cash from guest services? 

Not sure about that, so I can't advise you. 

[TheMiz]

15 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

No, you can only cash out winnings. So for example you have $20 in the machine and spin $1and win $2. You can cash out the $2 but you must play out the remaining $19

 

 

When did they change that ?

 

[kwokpot]

16 minutes ago, TheMiz said:

 

 

When did they change that ?

 

I'm talking specifically about purchased slot credits, not about charging your account for slot money. Sorry for the confusion. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by kwokpot

[chamima]

11 hours ago, jameslee said:

oh I see. Do you know if I purchase $1000 in obc by calling in then I don't use the obc, can i get it back out as cash from guest services? 

 

Yes. On the last full day of your cruise.

[MisterBill99]

On 3/22/2023 at 7:32 PM, jameslee said:

oh I see. Do you know if I purchase $1000 in obc by calling in then I don't use the obc, can i get it back out as cash from guest services? 

 

You don't even need to do that if you don't want to walk around with that much cash. They'll just credit back to your card on file whatever refundable OBC you have on your account at the end of the cruise. Just make sure it isn't the AMEX card you used this offer on, or they'll claw back the points. You also don't want to send the money back to a credit card that offers cash/points because you'll be "charged" whatever percentage you'd get on a purchase. What I know that I have money being refunded at the end of a cruise, I use a debit card for my shipboard account, so it goes back without costing me anything. It shows up really quickly, a day or two after the cruise.

[jameslee]

5 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

You don't even need to do that if you don't want to walk around with that much cash. They'll just credit back to your card on file whatever refundable OBC you have on your account at the end of the cruise. Just make sure it isn't the AMEX card you used this offer on, or they'll claw back the points. You also don't want to send the money back to a credit card that offers cash/points because you'll be "charged" whatever percentage you'd get on a purchase. What I know that I have money being refunded at the end of a cruise, I use a debit card for my shipboard account, so it goes back without costing me anything. It shows up really quickly, a day or two after the cruise.

oh I don't mind walking with the cash, it is better then getting from atm. I was wondering though I read the obc online it says "Please note that a 5% handling fee will be assessed if the credit is redeemed in the casino." so for the obc if I buy $1000 i cannot use it at casino otherwise they charge me $50? but at the end of the cruise if I don't use the obc I can completely cash out it without paying the fee?

 

Also, I have some free onboard credit from TA. Is the non-refundable obc used first before the refundable? 

Edited March 24, 2023 by jameslee

[chamima]

1 hour ago, jameslee said:

oh I don't mind walking with the cash, it is better then getting from atm. I was wondering though I read the obc online it says "Please note that a 5% handling fee will be assessed if the credit is redeemed in the casino." so for the obc if I buy $1000 i cannot use it at casino otherwise they charge me $50? but at the end of the cruise if I don't use the obc I can completely cash out it without paying the fee?

 

Also, I have some free onboard credit from TA. Is the non-refundable obc used first before the refundable? 

 

 

We had the same question and it seems, yes, if you get it from the casino they will charge 5%. Non-refundable OBC is used first (and also disappears at the end of the cruise if not used on board). Sometimes OBC from the travel agent is refundable, sometimes not. Check your account when you board.

 

 

7 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

You don't even need to do that if you don't want to walk around with that much cash. They'll just credit back to your card on file whatever refundable OBC you have on your account at the end of the cruise. Just make sure it isn't the AMEX card you used this offer on, or they'll claw back the points. You also don't want to send the money back to a credit card that offers cash/points because you'll be "charged" whatever percentage you'd get on a purchase. What I know that I have money being refunded at the end of a cruise, I use a debit card for my shipboard account, so it goes back without costing me anything. It shows up really quickly, a day or two after the cruise.

 

The problem with doing this is that if you book another cruise while on board they will charge it to the credit card on file. Our Amex is our oldest and most steady card so we like future cruise deposits to be on it. That way if we cancel we know the deposit won't get lost on a cancelled card.

[MisterBill99]

5 hours ago, jameslee said:

oh I don't mind walking with the cash, it is better then getting from atm. I was wondering though I read the obc online it says "Please note that a 5% handling fee will be assessed if the credit is redeemed in the casino." so for the obc if I buy $1000 i cannot use it at casino otherwise they charge me $50? but at the end of the cruise if I don't use the obc I can completely cash out it without paying the fee?

 

Also, I have some free onboard credit from TA. Is the non-refundable obc used first before the refundable? 

 

First, my experience is that OBC from TA's has always been refundable. Only OBC from the cruise line is non-refundable.

 

Similarly, I don't think they're not going to charge you 5% to access your refundable OBC that you have on your account. I believe that would only be if you had no credit and pulled more on your account, which would be charged to a credit card. People have even reported being able to access non-refundable OBC from slot machines and then cashing out, and I've never heard anyone talk about a surcharge.

 

As for getting cash, if I am flying home, I prefer not to have to carry a lot of money in my wallet if there is a good option. If I drove to the port, it's a different story, although I'd still need to get to an ATM to deposit the cash since I charge everything I can and would have no use for that much cash.

Edited March 24, 2023 by MisterBill99

[MisterBill99]

3 hours ago, chamima said:

 

 

We had the same question and it seems, yes, if you get it from the casino they will charge 5%. Non-refundable OBC is used first (and also disappears at the end of the cruise if not used on board). Sometimes OBC from the travel agent is refundable, sometimes not. Check your account when you board.

 

The problem with doing this is that if you book another cruise while on board they will charge it to the credit card on file. Our Amex is our oldest and most steady card so we like future cruise deposits to be on it. That way if we cancel we know the deposit won't get lost on a cancelled card.

 

I have never had TA OBC that is not refundable. Obviously, it's possible, and as you said, check when on board. 

 

I covered the casino 5% in my other reply. Bottom line, I don't believe it is charged if you have a credit in your account. Someone is free to correct me based on their personal experience (not what the fine print says). As with the AMEX offer, things often do not work the way the fine print would lead you to believe.

 

As for the issue of booking a future cruise, you can give them a different card to use when you book it. Did that on my latest cruise. If you do not give them a card, it will default to your card on file. I used a Bank of America card where I get 5.25% back on travel. Obviously, I did not want to use that for my large refund of refundable OBC.

Edited March 24, 2023 by MisterBill99

[cruisemover]

Do MoveUp upgrades qualify for the Amex Offer?

[Cruise Gopher]

6 hours ago, cruisemover said:

Do MoveUp upgrades qualify for the Amex Offer?

No, I don’t believe so. 

[TheMiz]

8 hours ago, cruisemover said:

Do MoveUp upgrades qualify for the Amex Offer?

 

 

As long as it is charged through Celebrity 

 

One important thing to remember don't way until last day to use your offer 

you could get screwed

 

Last year I took advance of a Hilton offer think it was for $75 back and the last day was Jan 1st 2022

We stayed at a Hilton Embessy Suites per cruise , I never got my $75  so I contacted Amex

they looked into the charge well their answer was the actual charge didn't post until Jan 2nd so they would not honor it.   My charge went in on a Dec 30th stay for a Dec 31st NYE cruise .   Allow a few days to be safe.

[cruisemover]

6 hours ago, TheMiz said:

As long as it is charged through Celebrity 

Thanks for the advice. Do you know if the purchase is charged through Celebrity? I read a third-party handles the bids.

[chamima]

2 minutes ago, cruisemover said:

Thanks for the advice. Do you know if the purchase is charged through Celebrity? I read a third-party handles the bids.

 

i wouldn't count on that qualifying.

[jameslee]

I tried calling today at8002426374 to buy $1000 obc and rep told me make sure you have someone in mind otherwise it is non refundable is this true? Or are all purchasable obc refundable at end of cruise?