$200/PP on board credit from casino comp deposits - What can it be used for?

[6045pjp]

I recently did a tier match with the casino that resulted in them offering a free inside cabin on cruises up to 10 days.

They require a $200 per person deposit that is returned in on board credit.

My question is,what is this good for? We don't do excursions, don't do specialty dining, purchase few drinks, don't do spa treatments - We cruise a lot, and what's included has always been more than enough for us.

 

I don't want $400 that we really have nothing to spend it on.

Can it be used at the casino? Towards gratuities? Those are about the only uses I can see that we would actually find beneficial to us. Any other ideas for it?

Thanks for any info.

[memoak]

8 minutes ago, 6045pjp said:

I recently did a tier match with the casino that resulted in them offering a free inside cabin on cruises up to 10 days.

They require a $200 per person deposit that is returned in on board credit.

My question is,what is this good for? We don't do excursions, don't do specialty dining, purchase few drinks, don't do spa treatments - We cruise a lot, and what's included has always been more than enough for us.

 

I don't want $400 that we really have nothing to spend it on.

Can it be used at the casino? Towards gratuities? Those are about the only uses I can see that we would actually find beneficial to us. Any other ideas for it?

Thanks for any info.

The $200 pp show up as standard OBC. If you charge casino slots or table chips to your cabin in will come out of that   If you are on a standard rate and have gratuities billed to your folio I believe it will  over that as well. Basically any charges you have onboard 

[karatemom2]

Yes, the onboard credit you get for your $200 deposit on a casino booking can be used for any onboard expense - gratuities, excursions, specialty dining, drinks, wifi, shops onboard, etc. and of course can also be used for casino play. I'm sure you will have no problem using it up!

[azbirdmom]

To pile on in the unlikely event that you don't use it all onboard it is refundable and you'll get a check for the remaining balance a few weeks after the cruise is over.  It is your $$ after all, not a gift from Princess or a TA.

[Mike45LC]

I have gotten a check from Princess [it comes in an envelope from a strange company (Bottomline Technologies), so you need to open all of your mail to find it!] when I did not use up all of my refundable onboard credits.  And this $400 is refundable.

 

I've used the OBC for the steakhouse, for excursions, for purchases from the shops, for drinks and for gratuities.  I try not to think "it's free money" as I spend it, because it is my $400 that I paid to Princess.  

[6045pjp]

Thanks for all the info. Makes me feel better.

 

I did see the following text on their website. Makes the deposit seem non refundable.

My offer email didn't state any of this information (didn't even mention the deposit), but I found it on their website.

 

"Free stateroom offer EXCLUDES Taxes, Fees, Port Expenses (“TFPE”) and deposit. Offer can only be booked by Invited Member, who will be responsible for all TFPE for free stateroom (which range from approx. $95 to $460 for all cruises in this ad), as well as any other charges or expenses. A non-refundable, non-commissionable deposit of $200 per guest is required (deposit applies to first two guests in stateroom only); PCL will return deposit as an onboard credit once Invited Member boards cruise. Approximate value of free stateroom varies from $99 to $8,499. For more specific approx. values, please call PCL at 888-772-6697, your Cruise Vacation Planner or contact your Travel Advisor. Stateroom may be shared with one guest. Invited Member must be booked and stay in the free room and sail on entire cruise. If, for any reason, the Invited Member does not sail but the guest does, guest will be charged the full cruise fare. There is no guarantee of availability at time of booking. If the stateroom type offered is unavailable, then offer may be applied to the next available lower stateroom type, in PCL’s sole discretion. Limit: Invited Member may redeem this offer on three (3) separate cruises for total of 3 free staterooms (1 per cruise)."

[azbirdmom]

40 minutes ago, 6045pjp said:

Thanks for all the info. Makes me feel better.

 

I did see the following text on their website. Makes the deposit seem non refundable.

My offer email didn't state any of this information (didn't even mention the deposit), but I found it on their website.

 

"Free stateroom offer EXCLUDES Taxes, Fees, Port Expenses (“TFPE”) and deposit. Offer can only be booked by Invited Member, who will be responsible for all TFPE for free stateroom (which range from approx. $95 to $460 for all cruises in this ad), as well as any other charges or expenses. A non-refundable, non-commissionable deposit of $200 per guest is required (deposit applies to first two guests in stateroom only); PCL will return deposit as an onboard credit once Invited Member boards cruise. Approximate value of free stateroom varies from $99 to $8,499. For more specific approx. values, please call PCL at 888-772-6697, your Cruise Vacation Planner or contact your Travel Advisor. Stateroom may be shared with one guest. Invited Member must be booked and stay in the free room and sail on entire cruise. If, for any reason, the Invited Member does not sail but the guest does, guest will be charged the full cruise fare. There is no guarantee of availability at time of booking. If the stateroom type offered is unavailable, then offer may be applied to the next available lower stateroom type, in PCL’s sole discretion. Limit: Invited Member may redeem this offer on three (3) separate cruises for total of 3 free staterooms (1 per cruise)."

 

That language just means that if you cancel the cruise you don't get it back.  But if you do go on the cruise you'll get it in the form of onboard credit.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Feel free to just send me that refund check if it is causing you any concerns!  😄

[Torfamm]

On 11/23/2023 at 1:05 PM, 6045pjp said:

I recently did a tier match with the casino that resulted in them offering a free inside cabin on cruises up to 10 days.

They require a $200 per person deposit that is returned in on board credit.

My question is,what is this good for? We don't do excursions, don't do specialty dining, purchase few drinks, don't do spa treatments - We cruise a lot, and what's included has always been more than enough for us.

 

I don't want $400 that we really have nothing to spend it on.

Can it be used at the casino? Towards gratuities? Those are about the only uses I can see that we would actually find beneficial to us. Any other ideas for it?

Thanks for any info.

It can be used for any charges to your room, including casino charges and crew appreciation

[6045pjp]

I booked today for a 10 night and paid the $400 deposit.

They told me I can't use the OBC in casino or for gratuities - I get the feeling that isn't accurate, but will check once I board. Hopefully I can, if not, we'll make do.

 

[karatemom2]

15 minutes ago, 6045pjp said:

I booked today for a 10 night and paid the $400 deposit.

They told me I can't use the OBC in casino or for gratuities - I get the feeling that isn't accurate, but will check once I board. Hopefully I can, if not, we'll make do.

 

There appears to be a lot of misinformation coming out of the Princess call center these days. I think a lot of these reps are new and probably hastily trained. Also, it appears they may be heavily incentivized to upsell the new packages so there may be a tendency to mislead people about how onboard credits can be used. 
 

Rest assured you can use your casino booking deposit credit for any onboard expense charged against your account, including casino charges. 

Edited November 25, 2023 by karatemom2

[Musky Ike]

30 minutes ago, 6045pjp said:

I booked today for a 10 night and paid the $400 deposit.

They told me I can't use the OBC in casino or for gratuities - I get the feeling that isn't accurate, but will check once I board. Hopefully I can, if not, we'll make do.

 

The rep may be confusing casino onboard credit with casino freeplay. Two very different things.

[azbirdmom]

1 hour ago, 6045pjp said:

I booked today for a 10 night and paid the $400 deposit.

They told me I can't use the OBC in casino or for gratuities - I get the feeling that isn't accurate, but will check once I board. Hopefully I can, if not, we'll make do.

 

 

Another fine example of the phone reservation folks sharing misinformation.  The deposit that turns into OBC is refundable if not entirely used on the ship and can be used for ANYTHING onboard.  Who knows what that phone rep may have been thinking, maybe shareholder OBC which states in the fine print that it can't be used in the casino?

[trbarton]

I’ve taken OBC before & loaded it onto my Medallion & went up to the casino window & cashed it out. I’m going on a cruise soon with a lot of OBC that I will never use & I plan to do the same thing bit by bit. 
 

Tom😀

[roxievegas]

13 hours ago, 6045pjp said:

I booked today for a 10 night and paid the $400 deposit.

They told me I can't use the OBC in casino or for gratuities - I get the feeling that isn't accurate, but will check once I board. Hopefully I can, if not, we'll make do.

 

Our previous offers were for a free cabin, plus package, casino free play money.

currently our offers are for the free cabin, no plus package, so we have to pay the gratuities and the wifi.

on our last cruise, I booked the cabin, and did not pay the gratuities upfront.  Once on board, we had the $200 per person deposit money on our account (total of $400) and I let them bill us for the gratuities to our cabin daily.  So we used the deposit money to pay the gratuities and our coffee and soft drink purchases.

[jinnni]

I was wondeirng did Pricess do the same as Holland america which refunds the remaining stateroom balance aka obc to the credit card on file? With HA ,we pretty much got it back to ur credit card 2-3 hrs after we arrived.

[phabric]

12 hours ago, jinnni said:

I was wondeirng did Pricess do the same as Holland america which refunds the remaining stateroom balance aka obc to the credit card on file? With HA ,we pretty much got it back to ur credit card 2-3 hrs after we arrived.

On the Island in November, I had a refundable $ on my cabin account from a cancelled excursion.  I asked 3x at Guest Services with 3 different people, being Canadian I didn’t want an US cheque. I was told by all 3 people it will be on your credit card.    My cabin mate received her US cheque 2 weeks later after leaving the ship.  I did not receive my cheque at the same time.  I had to call Princess - 1x) told to call Princess Vacation Protection company,  2x) told it was mailed out,  3x) found out Princess did not put my unit # in the address on the cheque.  My profile shows my unit # in my address.  I finally received my US cheque 2 months after leaving the ship.

[Nelsj099]

I have used mine for the past 3 cruises in the casino.