Anyone else load up pre cruise gift cards?

[havanadaydreaming]

I think our upcoming cruise has $200 obc.  

 

I have squirreled away $250GC from carnival cc. 

 

Two $100 GC from Go 365. 

 

And bout to get another 100 GC from the grocery this week. 

 

Gives me some worry free onboard spending.  There shall be Alchemy (only have DOU casino) and sailaway dranks! 

[mz-s]

Not me, I used to buy gift cards for trips (Disney, Carnival, whatever) but lost a $250 gift card once. The company was able to replace it, but the experience was stressful enough that I just save my shekels the old fashioned way and pay off the credit card once it's over.

[Indiansbaseball]

I did last cruise. I bought $1200 with me. Grocery was offering 5x perks and it was saving me 10%. I only wish I had bought them in $100 increments so I didn’t have to deal with waiting on a gift card refund. I just put the small balances on my CC and brought home the leftover GC. 

[klfrodo]

Not for me. While the 10% savings may sound great. The negative potential outweighs any positive in my book.

[zipper1]

We have saved hundreds over the course of our cruises. Definitely worth it.

[teknoge3k]

Like Zipper1, we've saved tens of thousands over the course of the years by using gift cards. I am always buying gift cards for Carnival and restaurants we frequent. 

[jb58]

I buy a gift card monthly.  I use it for everything Carnival, on board buying, down payment, pay off, fun shops pre-cruise.  It has worked for us without issue.

[n6uqqq]

1 hour ago, teknoge3k said:

Like Zipper1, we've saved tens of thousands over the course of the years by using gift cards. I am always buying gift cards for Carnival and restaurants we frequent. 

Same here. I pay for entire cruises with the AARP cards. When an Alaska cruise costs 5k that 500 dollar savings isn't chicken feed! I go in with the understanding that if the cruise is cancelled, as happened during covid, all I am getting back is gift card refund and that is fine. Carnival has always made me whole with gift card refunds, much faster now than during covid fun times of course. And on top of the 10 percent I get another 3 percent for using my BofA cash rewards visa for a total of 13 percent off.

[pcvtmom]

I always buy enough through AARP to pay off my cruises and any onboard expenses. We generally have OBC (shareholders), but I still squirrel away enough to pay for everything else.  I've saved thousands over the years.

[Heimey]

4 hours ago, teknoge3k said:

Like Zipper1, we've saved tens of thousands over the course of the years by using gift cards. I am always buying gift cards for Carnival and restaurants we frequent. 

Hello all

 

i am from Canada and would love to take advantage of these gift cards. Are they tied to the purchaser or could I have a friend buy them for.

 

I know enough people in the US and I’m all about saving money. 
 

happy cruising 

 

Heimey

[ngrund]

19 minutes ago, Heimey said:

Hello all

 

i am from Canada and would love to take advantage of these gift cards. Are they tied to the purchaser or could I have a friend buy them for.

 

I know enough people in the US and I’m all about saving money. 
 

happy cruising 

 

Heimey

For the discounted ones, they need to be putchased by an AARP member, and they are e-cards, can be used as long as you have the valid numbers and pin.

[BlerkOne]

I buy as needed while on a cruise. There is a risk AARP will be out, oh well.

[kdr69]

oh to be able to buy a gift card for Carnival up here in Canada lol

[tree.critter]

I’m an AARP gift card user and purchase them to pay off all my cruises, 2% cash back on my CC card that purchases them so that’s a win too. I’ll stop purchasing them when I’m ready to retire from cruising, until then….game on!

 

[StephPS79]

I know this has been explained a few times, but how difficult is it to have gift card applied as OBC?  Does this have to be done at customer service, or kiosk onboard, or can it be done ahead of time on the website?

 

 

[ngrund]

42 minutes ago, StephPS79 said:

I know this has been explained a few times, but how difficult is it to have gift card applied as OBC?  Does this have to be done at customer service, or kiosk onboard, or can it be done ahead of time on the website?

 

 

Very easy to do onboard at the kiosk. You can also purchase cruise cash beforehand on the website, but you would be limited to $500. I just added cards as needed with the kiosk. I bought $100 cards and added a few at a time as needed.

[nascartim]

Just bought 2k dollars worth last week. I never buy cruise cash or anything.  It's so easy to monitor your account at any time using the hub app while on board. Somewhere around the last day or so I use the kiosk or guest services if I notice line isn't long(I'm Platinum, so I get to use the special line). I've never had any issues using the kiosk, I've gotten accustomed to using it, and I apply just what is necessary. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by nascartim

[dacsmom]

Absolutely, I buy a $500 from AARP and immediately put it towards my balance. Saved $600 so far on the family vacation. 

[DukeASUGirl]

I use my Target RedCard to buy cruise line gift cards at 5% off, then immediately apply them to the balance.

[Oldsweets]

Pay part of the cruise fare with certificates and take between $1 & 2 thousand in gift cards for onboard credits.  The Pursers desk makes it seamless with these larger cards.

[cruizinisthebest]

90% of my Carnival spending is done with gift cards. I log them all on a spreadsheet, which is password protected. The only thing you must keep in mind is that once a gift card is purchased, that money is Carnival's forever. Any refunds come in the form of a gift card. Fine with me. It makes planning and paying for my Carnival cruises so easy.

[ngrund]

1 hour ago, cruizinisthebest said:

90% of my Carnival spending is done with gift cards. I log them all on a spreadsheet, which is password protected. The only thing you must keep in mind is that once a gift card is purchased, that money is Carnival's forever. Any refunds come in the form of a gift card. Fine with me. It makes planning and paying for my Carnival cruises so easy.

Yep, only payment I've ever made to Carnival not using a gift card was when I had a credit card offer for cash back that was more than the discount/cash back for purchase of the card

[Mangrove Snapper]

I had no idea AARP had discounted gift cards for cruise lines.  I just hit the age where I started to get invitations to join so I thank you all for this information!  I still need to buy Cheers and now it looks like I can save 10%. 

[john1238]

Thanks for the info-definately buying some cards to take along!

[mz-s]

The mental gymnastics of telling yourself that buying gift cards and keeping track of them on a password-protected spreadsheet and never getting that money back is "so easy" boggles my mind to be honest.

 

Whatever works for you.