Using e-giftcard to prepurchase spa bookings?

[consmarci]

Hi. I tried to purchase a spa booking using a gift card, but the checkout offers credit card or paypal. Any idea why I can't use a gift card to prepurchase? Internet wifi package also? 

[Rick&Jeannie]

They treat it like specialty dining...unless you have a "credit" from loyalty level or booking promotion you must pre-pay.  If you booked through a TA the *maybe* they can slide it in "behind the scenes"...IDK.

[consmarci]

I just got off the phone with the rudest agent I've ever experienced. I was nice, calm, and just asked if they could take my e gift card payment over the phone for spa treatments since there is no button to click to check out that way. He put me on hold 3 times and each time came back with a different story. I read to him the paper that the ecard is on and it clearly states  "Giftcards can be used before sailing or once onboard, on everything from shore excursions and spa treatments to a cruise itself." I read it to him and he says I'm wrong. So, I ask if I can speak to a supervisor. He says he is as good as a supervisor and I requested that I have time and please let's try anyway. Then he puts me on hold and says he can't hear me...and hangs up. So, any ideas? I bought this 500.00 card to use now, not onboard. The prices are cheaper now and the spa sometimes sells out. I could use the name of a good agent or someone else, as we booked our cruise online with a special deal to click through. 

[Torfamm]

I have never tried using one for a spa service but I have often used them for shore excursions where there is no option to pay with a gift card online. Many agents don't seem to know how to apply the payment, but it is possible.  My advice is to hang up and call back if you get an agent who says that gift cards can't be used and can bear the hold time.  Otherwise I'd ask to be transferred to guest relations.

[Rick&Jeannie]

20 hours ago, consmarci said:

I just got off the phone with the rudest agent I've ever experienced. I was nice, calm, and just asked if they could take my e gift card payment over the phone for spa treatments since there is no button to click to check out that way. He put me on hold 3 times and each time came back with a different story. I read to him the paper that the ecard is on and it clearly states  "Giftcards can be used before sailing or once onboard, on everything from shore excursions and spa treatments to a cruise itself." I read it to him and he says I'm wrong. So, I ask if I can speak to a supervisor. He says he is as good as a supervisor and I requested that I have time and please let's try anyway. Then he puts me on hold and says he can't hear me...and hangs up. So, any ideas? I bought this 500.00 card to use now, not onboard. The prices are cheaper now and the spa sometimes sells out. I could use the name of a good agent or someone else, as we booked our cruise online with a special deal to click through. 

I would try again via phone.  You just happened to get hold of a jerk.  You'll probably (hopefully) have better luck on the second go-round.

[consmarci]

2 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I would try again via phone.  You just happened to get hold of a jerk.  You'll probably (hopefully) have better luck on the second go-round.

It only got worse today and the agent now put the gift card funds on my account as OBC and it can't be used to purchase anything before the cruise. I was on hold for 1 hour 20 minutes and then got disconnected. She then raised the price of my cruise 500.00 and I'm holding now trying to get this handled. It was paid in full and now the summary says if I don't pay, my cruise will be cancelled. I will never buy a gift card for Princess again. It isn't worth the savings to do it with AARP. My time is worth alot more than 50.00. I don't even know how to find someone to call who can help at this point. 

[consmarci]

I was told to call the gift card line again. I did and they are 3rd party and say to call Princess customer service. Princess customer service says to call the gift card line. I am not a quitter, but I can't do this anymore. I warn anyone reading this. DO NOT BUY A GIFT CARD to use for SPA services pre cruise.  I am not a "coder", but a simple button the checkout screen would solve this problem. Their personnel is untrained and just say anything they feel like saying. I'd really love anyone's advice, but I don't think this can be handled, unfortunately, as this has tainted my impression of Princess. This is our 30th cruise with the Carnival Corporation. Princess needs to figure out their customer service issues. 

 

[CruiserN1]

Sorry you are having to deal with this. It's super frustrating that Princess can't just let you use the gift card to pay online. I cruised with HAL a few months ago and their website has the option to use a gift card. It was so much easier.

 

I ended up using Princess gift cards to pay off my cruise (though my TA, who handled it with Princess) but based on CC reports of unhelpful Princess agents such as those you encountered, I didn't try using them to book shore ex or spa or dining in advance. I have $200 in GCs to put on my cruise account when on board. Between that and using the GCs to pay my cruise fare, I'll have saved $520. But I agree with you that it isn't worth the hassle to try to get them applied over the phone.

 

Hope it all works out for you in the end, OP, and that your cruise is fabulous enough to make you forget this debacle.

[consmarci]

Well, just an update that it didn't work out. I spoke to someone who runs the giftcard area and she said that even though it says giftcards can be used for prepurchasing shore excursions, internet, they can't and won't be usable for spa. That the verbage on the site is a bit ambiguous and perhaps a comma is needed, but it clearly states that. Well, it clearly states they can be used for precruise spa, but arguing was not going to get me anywhere and although disappointing, not the end of the world. There are definitely real world problems larger than this.  I told her that a few people on cruisecritic said they successfully had an agent do it and she said to send her proof of that! Not worth my time to look up the old posts, but when I told her that as a CCL loyalist, we know that HAL accepts gift cards for anything and she wondered about that. I believe Carnival does as well. Anyway, no discounted spa unless we use a credit card, so beware if you are considering gift cards. Yes, you can save alot of money, but if the goal is to get a precruise discount in the spa with a giftcard, it won't happen. Very unfortunate as it is an easy fix for Princess to hire anyone who codes for computer systems. (not me) 

 

Just on a sidenote, having spoken to several employees in customer service and on chat, my experience was that these people are clueless for the most part and send you on a goosechase to an email or phone number that ultimately doesn't work. Many were hired during the pandemic and don't really know much and look up answers on a wikipage, so any difficult or nuanced problem won't have answers on the wiki and that's where the difficulty lies. Then, they call a supervisor who also has no clue how to assist if they want to. There are many employees that do a great job for basic questions, but very few specialists who can figure out the tough stuff. 

 

Happy cruising and thanks for input. Always appreciate good perspectives and helpful ideas, as that's what these boards are truly for in my opinion.