RCCL Certificates - be careful!!

[Puffinater]

My RCCL card is from MBNA not BOA

 

BOA bought out MBNA so your card is now in fact with BOA.

 

***sorry about duplicate info*** This info was not here when I started. I guess I must type slow.

[Merion_Mom]

Just FYI, MBNA and Bank of America are now the same institution, so your replacement card will be BofA.

 

For the AT&T Thank You Network certificates, here's what it says on the Thankyounetwork.com website:

 

"Royal Caribbean International Gift Certificate

Certificates must be redeemed through Royal Caribbean International for the U.S. dollar value on the face of the certificate. Certificates cannot be redeemed through travel agencies. Certificates can be used in multiples and can be supplemented with accepted cash or credit. Certificates can be used for deposits and final payments. All reservations are subject to availability. Certificates are not transferable. Certificates are valid for all sailings, ships and cabins, including air/sea cruises. Certificates cannot be applied to existing reservations and can only be used toward new cruise bookings. Certificates cannot be applied to shipboard credit, excursions or gratuities. Call Royal Caribbean International at 1-800-722-5237 to request a brochure or make reservations."

 

Note that it says nothing about using their TA, although maybe it does on the certificate (we have one at home; I'll check it out). Frankly I think that's dirty pool - you don't know that you've committed to a particular TA until after the certificate is issued, and you aren't allowed to re-deposit the points into your account if you don't want to use the TA.

 

 

Jean is exactly right. I was just going to post about this.

 

 

cbabe: I asked about this specifically when I was thinking about cashing in some points for an RCCL gift certificate.

 

They apply the money to your cruisefare, but the reservation is then in the name of the Maritz travel agency. It's only a matter of semantics, but it DOES mean that you no longer control your reservation. You DO have to go through this TA for any changes or information.

 

It's the price you pay for getting the $$$ off, and it IS pretty clearly stated on the certificate itself.

[jrpipe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by takeavacation

Just a guess- but, maybe the certificate the OP sent in wasn't actually issued by RCL -- could have been a promo. from a travel agency - and when it was returned, it had to be transferred to that agency for OP to get the credit.....like I said, just a guess.

 

That sounds like a very logical answer.............

 

To the OP,where did you get the certificate from??:confused:

 

********looks like Maritz deals with corporate travel........http://www.maritztravel.com/travel-who-we-are.html

 

 

I am familiar with Martiz Travel and they deal with business incentives/rewards - this coupon was probably issued through Maritz, but given to you by your bank who has an account with Maritz.

The Bank doesn't have the knowledge of making travel plans, so they partner with maritz to be able to give out these coupons. Maritz Travel is a very reputable business, but it is a rather large company, so being transferred three times is not unusual if you don't know where to start. Sounds like the coupon should have had more information.

Glad to hear that it's all straight now!!! have a great cruise!!

Joyce in St. Louis - home office of Maritz is in St. Louis

[cbabe]

Jean is exactly right. I was just going to post about this.

 

 

cbabe: I asked about this specifically when I was thinking about cashing in some points for an RCCL gift certificate.

 

They apply the money to your cruisefare, but the reservation is then in the name of the Maritz travel agency. It's only a matter of semantics, but it DOES mean that you no longer control your reservation. You DO have to go through this TA for any changes or information.

 

It's the price you pay for getting the $$$ off, and it IS pretty clearly stated on the certificate itself.

 

Well I won't be redeming another one! That's for sure.

But I do beg to differ on one point. It did not state on the gift certificate that you no longer have control over your reservation. Nor that your reservation would be in the name of the above named travel agency. When I called RCCL, they stated that I did have control over my reservation, and that it was a glitch in their system. When I redemed by points with MBNA there was no mention of this TA either.

 

I just feel that if you redeem a certificate, you should not lose your financial access to your reservation, just because you redemed a certificate. I just find that ridiculous. Don't know what they were thinking when they engineered the site, but they really need to fix that.

[cbabe]

To clear a few things up here. You went to www.rccl.com to book the cruise. Then you state you used a RCCL certificate. How did you get this. From the RCCL Platinum Plus Visa card for points earned on spending? Was this a market research incentive? Was this a Discover, Mastercard, or other credit card free cruise certificate (which is for an inside cabin only).

 

 

I went to http://www.royalcaribbean.com. I redeemed my cc points for it. No market incentive, not work related or anything.

Unfortunately, I probably will end up calling back again, to straighten this out.:(

 

When I logged on to the rccl website, this is what I see instead of my financial info

 

If any information is incorrect or you'd like to change something, please contact your Travel agent

*TA Name*

1395 N Highway Drive

St Louis MO 63099

[AFT_LOVER]

They were sold to Bank of America 1/1/2006, they took over everything October 2006. So the Royal Caribbean Platinum Plus that was MBNA is now B of A. B of A even has now started issuing Royal Caribbean International Signature Visas, as I got a phonecall telling me I was upgraded to one with all the nice perks including a concierge.

 

Yep, AT&T card that uses Maritz for the rewards on the card, so yes they are your TA without knowing it, but it has to reflect it on the certificate that you are using them.

 

I hope you made a copy of it so you can scan & copy both side for us to see.

 

 

 

It was a AT&T Universal Card.

My RCCL card is from MBNA not BOA

[cbabe]

They were sold to Bank of America 1/1/2006, they took over everything October 2006. So the Royal Caribbean Platinum Plus that was MBNA is now B of A. B of A even has now started issuing Royal Caribbean International Signature Visas, as I got a phonecall telling me I was upgraded to one with all the nice perks including a concierge.

 

Yep, AT&T card that uses Maritz for the rewards on the card, so yes they are your TA without knowing it, but it has to reflect it on the certificate that you are using them.

 

I hope you made a copy of it so you can scan & copy both side for us to see.

 

 

I was wrong, it was my citibank card, not mbna. citibank uses the "ThankYou" rewards network, I checked the website, nothing about them being a TA either, not even a mention of the name.

 

I wished I had made a copy.. didn't think it would turn into such an issue. Although I wouldn't have been able to scan it anyway, I don't have a scanner!

[Shiba]

I have a Citibank cc that also uses the ThankYou Network that the AT &T card does...in 2005 I redeemed points for a $100 Royal Caribbean gift certificate. Prior to that, I spoke with a rep at ThankYou Network to ask a bunch of questions about how and when the certificate could be used - I was told it could be used for an existing reservation, it just had to be sent into Royal's offices in Miami. So, I mailed it in, and my balance was adjusted. At the time, I didn't look at my reservations under "My Cruises" on RCCL.com so I was not aware of the Maritz travel piece until I called to make my final payment. I was told I needed to go through my TA - I had booked the cruise on board Majesty, so I had no idea what they were talking about!! On that call I had a rather rude customer service rep who basically told me I was out of luck, no explanation as to how or why Maritz was on my reservation. I eventually got someone who explained that by redeeming that certificate, it put Maritz on the reservation. But, they took my payment information and assured me that my cruise docs would be mailed to my address and not to Maritz...which they were. Everything worked out fine in the end, but I won't redeem my points for one of those again. Now I use my points for Marriott cheques for pre/post cruise stays!

[cbabe]

Thanks Shiba. I feel a bit better about the whole thing, but like you I will not redeem my points for another certificate. Sounds like you had the same experience on the phone with RCCL like I did today.

I like your idea about the hotels though. Tell me, were they on you hotel reservation?

[Shiba]

Nope - no Maritz anywhere! They are issued by Marriott for use as cash at any of their properties - I've ordered quite a few of them in the past few years and haven't had any trouble with them. I just turn them in at the desk when I check out and they adjust my balance accordingly.

 

I am saving up my points for our pre/post Seattle stays for our May cruise.

 

Good luck - and enjoy your cruise.:)

[irb33785]

We had citicard certificates which we weren't able to use on our first cruise because we turned it over to our TA. On the second we told our TA were were going to use these and book on board. We sent certificates in and the next thing I knew we were with a TA in MO. I immediately called and complained and they gave it back to RCCL but said later that if certificates were used they always went through the TA that was showing on our reservation. In removing the TA, the cabin got changed (to a worse location on the same deck) and the price got bumped up and i had to raise my voice several times to get it changed. When the air is cleared make sure you have the correct cabin and price.

[critterchick]

Citibank owns the AT&T credit cards, too. Which is relevant to nothing, I just like to show off how many little bits of only marginally useful information are rattling around in my brain.:rolleyes:

[aqhacruiser]

Wow! This is confusing for the OP! I would be upset also if this happened to me. Fortunately I haven't had a problem and just faxed in C & A savings certificates and received the credit for my cruises and I've also redeemed my RCCL VISA ( BOA now ) with no problem. Still have complete control over my reservations. The only cruise that I do not control online is the one I booked onboard. If you book onboard you must call RCCL directly for any changes you want to make. I just switched a cabin last night for that cruise and called RCCL and it was taken care of right away. There was no other travel agent involved. When you book onboard you are dealing directly with RCCL just like you would do if you booked online or called to reserve. Best of luck to the OP and I hope you get it straightened out! :)

[MomeeToEm]

I had the same thing happen to me. I sent in the certificate (from Citibank Thank You Rewards) and later found a TA listed on my reservation when I checked online. I had booked directly with RCCL on the phone. I called and was told that Maritz is one of their partners and when the certificate code is entered it automatically becomes listed with Maritz. I still called RCCL to make future payments, ask questions, etc. They would ask me if I booked through a TA and I'd say no. Luckily it was close to final payment when I discovered this so not a big deal. Documents were sent directly to me from RCCL. (Leaving for our first cruise in 2 weeks - woohoo! :D ) I figure in the future I'll just hoard the certificates until it's close to final payment and then send them in. To me it's worth the extra $100+, but I was freaked out in the beginning, too.

Janice

[BearySweet2Cruise]

that is very weird to say the least. I always use the rccl website and have never had the problem you describe. I also have used 3 cruise certificate discounts that I recieved as a 50% refund of a cruise that had a serious issue I was on awhile back. Each in our party recieved a 50% of paid cruise fare refund in the form of cruise certificates. I applied each on to different reservations using the rccl website. I simply emailed the info to coupons@rccl.com and they immediately applied each certificate appropriately to each reservation in which it applied. I still have always been able to view the reservation, make any changes as desired including choosing a different cabin if desired and etc. Something is really wrong here. You need to call back, speak to resolution department and get it all straightened out. You will get a diff answer every time you call. (at least that has been my experiance.)It may take several calls, and it may take several hours all in all. but you need to find out what happened and get it straigntened out. You will have a difficult time doing anything you need to do with your reservation if they assigned you to a TA (especially one you do not know) You will want the ability to call in and get a credit if your cruse fare drops in cost, etc.

Good Luck!

 

Monica

[cbabe]

Hi,

From what I'm reading, it seems to be the certificates issued from the Thank You rewards network are the ones you need to look out for.

 

Yes MomeeToEm, I was freaked when I saw that. I'm calmer now, but I know better for the future.

 

I think I'll do Shiba's idea and use my points to book pre or post hotels stays.

[AFT_LOVER]

Bank of America wrote me a letter that I got today stating that there is no such credit card as the RCCL Signature Visa. It was a misunderstanding with their clerk who told me I was being upgraded to it. But they did send me an application for the B of A Signature Visa which is not connected to RCCL for double points.

 

They have really lost interest with me, so only RCCL charges goes on their card that has no perks............ AMEX wins the rest.

 

They were sold to Bank of America 1/1/2006, they took over everything October 2006. So the Royal Caribbean Platinum Plus that was MBNA is now B of A. B of A even has now started issuing Royal Caribbean International Signature Visas, as I got a phonecall telling me I was upgraded to one with all the nice perks including a concierge.

 

Yep, AT&T card that uses Maritz for the rewards on the card, so yes they are your TA without knowing it, but it has to reflect it on the certificate that you are using them.

 

I hope you made a copy of it so you can scan & copy both side for us to see.

[cruisenfever]

Bank of America wrote me a letter that I got today stating that there is no such credit card as the RCCL Signature Visa. It was a misunderstanding with their clerk who told me I was being upgraded to it. But they did send me an application for the B of A Signature Visa which is not connected to RCCL for double points.

 

They have really lost interest with me, so only RCCL charges goes on their card that has no perks............ AMEX wins the rest.

Brenda, go over and read what I posted on the RCI Visa Card thread and you will see that there are, indeed, perks with the card.

[AFT_LOVER]

after having a Hilton Honors Signature Visa, with all the fabulous perks, they decide one day to charge folks for using it. We bought a lawn mower for $500 but the landscaper promised us in writing a great warranty on it. It died 3 times later after I used it. We took it back to the location we bought it at &they are GONE! So I phone Citibank and they stated that the purchase was over 3 months ago & they no longer keep records more than 90 days. They refused to assist. SO the Atty Gen'l got involved & got us our money back.

 

We closed all Citibank cards (The Visa & Sears). No more with them! Now I see this freaky rewards system they have & all I can say is CLOSE IT & go elsewhere. A TA that is assigned when you didn't use one is ridiculous!

[critterchick]

We have one of those certificates & we're taking it onboard Monarch with us and asking the LA to apply to coupon and transfer the booking to our TA, not to Maritz. If anybody can do it, Danney can!

[cbabe]

sorry for the double post! dumb white screen of death!

[cbabe]

We closed all Citibank cards (The Visa & Sears). No more with them! Now I see this freaky rewards system they have & all I can say is CLOSE IT & go elsewhere. A TA that is assigned when you didn't use one is ridiculous!

 

Amen to that!

[MIcruiser99]

Hi,

From what I'm reading, it seems to be the certificates issued from the Thank You rewards network are the ones you need to look out for./quote]

 

That is good to know.

 

I have used a C & A coupon and redeemed my points from RCCL Visa and not had any problems.

 

I was glad to realize that it is a different card and not something new!

[w&k]

I went through the wringer with this one - I had $400 in certificates from Sprint. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!

 

As it was explained to me, Maritz Travel is a 'captive' agency of RCCL, and RCCL makes the assignment automatically for bookkeeping purposes on certificates that originate from outside RCCL.

 

The booking will still be serviced by RCCL or Crown and Anchor representatives, but you will not be able to view the specifics on the RCCL website. (good luck Critterchick - our LA got instructions from head office not to accept the certificates on-board for deposit - we tried that as well)

 

I tried to reassign the cruise to my TA, but the certificate value was then removed. I had a very difficult time getting the certificates back on the reservation, and my on-board booking credit reinstated.

 

For all the time I spent figuring all this out, I would have been better just paying for the cruise, and taking my $400 in gift cards.

 

We use Holiday Inn Priority Club for our point system, and have been very happy with it.

 

Good luck!

 

Wendy

[critterchick]

I went through the wringer with this one - I had $400 in certificates from Sprint. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!

 

As it was explained to me, Maritz Travel is a 'captive' agency of RCCL, and RCCL makes the assignment automatically for bookkeeping purposes on certificates that originate from outside RCCL.

 

The booking will still be serviced by RCCL or Crown and Anchor representatives, but you will not be able to view the specifics on the RCCL website. (good luck Critterchick - our LA got instructions from head office not to accept the certificates on-board for deposit - we tried that as well)

 

I tried to reassign the cruise to my TA, but the certificate value was then removed. I had a very difficult time getting the certificates back on the reservation, and my on-board booking credit reinstated.

 

For all the time I spent figuring all this out, I would have been better just paying for the cruise, and taking my $400 in gift cards.

 

We use Holiday Inn Priority Club for our point system, and have been very happy with it.

 

Good luck!

 

Bummer! Well, there's no harm in trying - all they can say is no.