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I know that paying ahead is not always the best solution financially but I'd rather pay it off early or even pay a few $$$ in interest for a month and not risk loosing out on my certificate. :D

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Do you get just even point amounts or do they get issued in partial amounts? If you have $300 in purchases you would get 9 points, if you charge $250 do you get 7.5 ??? Or do you just get 6 points?

 

Even point amounts, no partial amounts. They probably round up/down, depending upon the amount.

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If you book through a travel agency do you send the certifcates to the TA or do you send them to NCL directly?

 

Thanks!

 

I believe you can send to either (make copies no matter who you send to). Probably easier to send directly to NCL yourself though. If you send to your TA, they will then have to forward to NCL and they (the TA) may get 'confused' about what they are for and how to handle them. Plus, that would be an extra set of hands on them, thus more likely to get lost and/or delayed.

 

The 2nd post has NCL's street address (used for signature/confirmation deliveries) and the certs. have NCL's PO box. Most people recommend using the street address and some type of delivery receipt.

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To All Savy NCL Compass Reward Point Users...

After reading through all of the "sticky" thread, I haven't found my answer...so please help with your advice and previous knowledge...

 

I've finally acrued 767 points. I've made a deposit on my cruise for May '08. My points will start expiring as I've been acruing them for almost three years. I've had two different BoA customer service reps give me two different stories...one said that I can redeem my Compass Reward Points in increments of $500 and $100 (now that I've reached the 500 point mark)...so that would mean that I can get certificates for $500 and $100 or enough to get me $700 off of our cruise. Today, another BoA customer service rep said that I can only get a certificate for $500 and that the remainder of my points could be used for an upgrade...but it is my understanding that upgrades are not available for Penthouse Categories (we're currently booked in an AD on the Spirit).

 

Could a knowledgeable CC'er tell me what exactly I should expect to get for my 767 Compass Reward Points? That way, I'll know what to ask for when I redeem the points. By the way, one BoA customer service representative asked me if I wanted the points redeemed in "cash". I thought they could only be redeemed in "certificate" form...certificates that can be used same as cash when making final payment.

 

Debjo

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To All Savy NCL Compass Reward Point Users...

After reading through all of the "sticky" thread, I haven't found my answer...so please help with your advice and previous knowledge...

 

I've finally acrued 767 points. I've made a deposit on my cruise for May '08. My points will start expiring as I've been acruing them for almost three years. I've had two different BoA customer service reps give me two different stories...one said that I can redeem my Compass Reward Points in increments of $500 and $100 (now that I've reached the 500 point mark)...so that would mean that I can get certificates for $500 and $100 or enough to get me $700 off of our cruise. Today, another BoA customer service rep said that I can only get a certificate for $500 and that the remainder of my points could be used for an upgrade...but it is my understanding that upgrades are not available for Penthouse Categories (we're currently booked in an AD on the Spirit).

 

Could a knowledgeable CC'er tell me what exactly I should expect to get for my 767 Compass Reward Points? That way, I'll know what to ask for when I redeem the points. By the way, one BoA customer service representative asked me if I wanted the points redeemed in "cash". I thought they could only be redeemed in "certificate" form...certificates that can be used same as cash when making final payment.

 

Debjo

 

You can get the $500 for cash and upgrades for less than 500(I think the first is 200 and not 100) Tell them to send you the cash...I think they mean the upgrade issue....as opposed to cash. If your awards are about to expire get the cash $500 now its good for a year(it must be used on a cruise that is complete within that year)

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Debjo...I agree. Take out $500 now and try to get that balance back up to $500 for another certificate. That about where I stand with my certificates too. We are also booked on the Spirit....May 3rd and May11th. I decided that I really needed something to look forward too. :D

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UPDATE...

First of all thanks for those of you who've quickly responded.

Second...I phoned BoA again and finally got a rep that was most helpful. After hearing her explanation, it seems that all the other reps were partially correct. Namely...the certificates in increments of $500 are to be turned in to NCL and used the same as if they were cash...the certificates in increments of 100 are for points used toward upgrades. In addition, she said I could transfer my NCL Compass Reward Points (and credit card) into their BoA "World Point" program (& credit card) and redeem my points as a "cash back", but the benefits wouldn't be as good in using the "World Point" program toward a cruise. My guess is that the dollars spent using that card don't translate into reward points as well as they do with the NCL BoA credit card.

 

The only confusion that now exists in my mind, relates to the explanation she tried to give me with regard to using asn additional 200 of my points toward an upgrade. She said that the "upgrade" doesn't take place in a physical "upgrade" on the ship...she said that we should book the cabin catagory that we want, and when the "upgrade" certificates are redeemed, we would be "credited back" to the next catagory below what we booked. I asked her if that applied to the "suite" catagories, as I seem to recollect that the "upgrade" certificates didn't apply to the "suite" catagories. It would be a HUGE savings if they did, because it would mean that my AD Penthouse Suite (which we booked) would be credited back to the BA Balcony price...the 200 point "upgrade" for two persons in the cabin would translate into a "credit back" of $200 for each of us ($400 total). At that point, I thought that the "upgrade" certificates might only be applicable to a different level cabin within a "catagory" (i.e. BA to BB or AC to AD...not AD to BA). She checked with her supervisor and said that it would be AD to BA. Now I began to think she was as confused as I, and thought I'd run this past the wisdom filled Cruise Critic members, who've always said that it is better to redeem the points for the "cash" certificates than the "upgrade" certificates!

 

In short, I requested my $500 certificate and asked her if I could redeem the 200 points in a few days after I thought things over (and got some pearls of wisdom from you folks who've gone through these redemption processes already). She said I could...so here we are...what have your experiences been with the "upgrade" point redemptions??? Can the "upgrade" redemptions cross, for example, from the lowest priced balcony booked and be credited back to the highest oceanview price (BE to CC) -or- are you limited to staying within the balcony cabin pricing (BA to BE) (or the oceanview CC to H pricing)? In my way of thinking...if the "suite" catagories can be applied to this "upgrade" program...why wouldn't everyone book the AA cabins and be credited back to the AB cabin prices when they redeemed their 200 point certificate??? That savings would be enormous!

 

Well, I'm hoping you've been able to wade through these questions and examples and still have an idea of what I'm confused about and questioning. I look forward to your responses...especially since those at BoA don't fully seem to have a handle on it. I would hate to redeem my extra 200 points for the "upgrade" certificates and then not have them be applicable and lose the points altogether!

 

As always, many thanks!

Debjo

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It's my understanding that the points expire 3 years from the MONTH they were earned. So all of your 700+ points will not expire at the same time.

 

The first thing I'd do is check your monthly credit card statements for all of the 700+ points & prepare a month-by-month chart showing how many points were accumlated in which month. For example:

50 points in 2/05

21 points in 3/05

11 points in 4/05 etc.

 

Make a subtotal when you earned your $500 certificate, which you've already requested. Those first 500 points earned are now "safe".

 

Then check to see how many months you really have left for each of the individual 200+ points. Worst case you'd lose some points month-by-month, depending on which month you actually earned the individual points that will "drop off" at the end of 3 years.

 

Like a previous post, try to earn enough points to finish out a 2nd $500 certificate before you lose any (or very many) of the 200+ points difference. Use your points for cash back instead of the upgrades if you're in suites. I've always found that the cash value far exceeds any upgrade.

 

I'd also contact NCL (not BofA) to get information on what you can get for the upgrade certificates since NCL will be doing any crediting and/or upgrading, not BofA. BofA only sends you the cash/upgrade certificates but it's up to NCL to honor them according to NCL's rules.

 

Good luck.

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I have a question regarding the two different expiration rules. I understand that points expire after 3 years. I also understand that the certificates that you get with the points expire one year after they are issued, and that you must SAIL by this 1 year expiration date. However, does my sailing need to be before the 3 year points expiration deadline as well?

 

Example: I started earning points on my card in April of 2006. I max out the points each year with my spending, so sometime in late 2008 or early 2009 I will have 3000 points to spend. In February of 2009 I will request $3000 worth of certificates. Can I apply these certificates (even the one bought with the oldest points) to a later sailing (like October/November 2009)? or do they need to be used before the 3 year POINTS expiration deadline?

 

I hope my question is clear... :D

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debjo...I would call NCL and ask them about the upgrade certificates. :confused: I would also hesitate to send the $500 certificates after final payment. With my luck I would get the person that read the instructions and dosen't bend the rules!

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Your question was clear - I think that you have 3 years to redeem the points into certificate form and then 1 year on the certificate that you have but you have to SAIL within that year as you mentioned. That seems to mean you have 4 years to sail...

 

BUT I hope everyone realizes that this was and MBNA program and they got bought out by B of A. So I'm not real sure how long they will keep the program as it sounds like from some of the posts they are trying to stear you to their World program. Personally I use them as I get them in $500 increments. Carnival didn't give too much time to cash out points and use them when they dumped their program from Capital One a couple of years ago and I learned about it first on these boards so watch the fine print that comes with your statement or sent separate...:eek: :rolleyes:

 

Debbie

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If they had plans to do away with the NCL points through BOA do you think that they would be still issuing the NCL credit cards? We got our second one in hubby's name a month or two ago. The link to it was hard to find but someone posted it for me. Should I start spending more $$$ fast? :D

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debjo...I would call NCL and ask them about the upgrade certificates. :confused: I would also hesitate to send the $500 certificates after final payment. With my luck I would get the person that read the instructions and dosen't bend the rules!

I have sent them after final payment with no problem. They just credit back your credit card. I can't say how long after final payment mine has always been weeks not months...

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quote=Pred

 

Caveats

- Cardholder or authorized user must reside in the cabin to use the certificates

 

 

There appears to be a change to this requirement.....

 

I booked two cabins for my family with the idea that I would use $2000 in certificates towards the $1150 balance on each cabin.

 

My wife, an authorized card user, was booked in one cabin, I'm the card holder in the other. Mailed all certificates together, following the suggestions on this board, with a cover letter explaining the whole thing (booking#s, agent, cabins, ect).

 

I call my agent yesterday to pay the $150 balance on each cabin and only my cabin has the $1000 credit.

 

My agent calls NCL is told that the certs for my wife are back in the mail (to me) as her name is not on the certificate. They did this without talking to anyone. They tell my agent there is nothing they can do. My agent tells me I should call the cruiseline directly - why I would have more "juice" than the agent is beyond me, but I call and of course they tell me they only want to talk to my agent.

 

I yell that whole thing down and finally get a supervisor who suggests that I call the points people and have the certificates issued in her or both names. As I'm right at my due date, I ask for an extension, and they say that only my agent can modify my booking.

 

So I call the agent back, she gets a "10 day rolling extension." Of course the points folks are not open on weekends - I have no idea if they will change the name on the certificates or if I have to send the originals back (of course I don't have them yet) before they will. All the while, I'm rolling past my refund dates - and I'm not going on that cruise w/o the $1000 discount.

 

WHAT A PAIN IN THE A$$.

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Call BOA (or whoever is involved) and if they say that the certificates can be changed to your wife's name, call NCL and ask if you will be reimbursed the $1000 when the certificates arrive and throw the balance due on a credit card. My certificate came very quickly last time so you might be able to get everything straightened out before your MC bill is due? If this can be done and I don't see why they would say no, and you end up paying a few dollars in interest, it's still a good deal because you will be saving $1000! :D Sometimes we need to play the game by their rules and since they are giving us a $500 or $1000 award for spending money we take whatever we can get and say thank you very much. ;)

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Call BOA (or whoever is involved) and if they say that the certificates can be changed to your wife's name, call NCL and ask if you will be reimbursed the $1000 when the certificates arrive and throw the balance due on a credit card. My certificate came very quickly last time so you might be able to get everything straightened out before your MC bill is due? If this can be done and I don't see why they would say no, and you end up paying a few dollars in interest, it's still a good deal because you will be saving $1000! :D Sometimes we need to play the game by their rules and since they are giving us a $500 or $1000 award for spending money we take whatever we can get and say thank you very much. ;)

I don't look at it as if they are "giving" us anything. We could choose to rack up GM dollars, Discover dollars or FF miles (before you say it... I agree that using miles is an even bigger pain). I appreciate your suggestions. I have a workable solution with the 10 day rolling extension - provided I can get the certificates re-issued expeditiously.

 

The point of my post was two-fold:

 

1) Make sure other members understand that they should get the certificates issued in more than one name if they are booking more than one cabin.

2) Complain that NCL just put the certificates back in the mail instead of callling my agent and coming up with a workable solution. Instead I ended up as the middleman, between my agent and NCL,two weeks later - that is messed up.

 

Its very easy to say "call whoever" - but you need to understand the time and frustration of figuring out who to call, getting the right numbers, and explaining the situation over and over again. It stops being "a gift" when you have to work that hard at it.

 

I do appreciate your sugggestions and hope this update helps other members make better use of the program.

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2) Complain that NCL just put the certificates back in the mail instead of callling my agent and coming up with a workable solution. Instead I ended up as the middleman, between my agent and NCL,two weeks later - that is messed up.

quote]

 

 

....Rome Season 1 Disk 3, Sponge Bob the Movie.

 

All of these DVDs have made round trips from and to Netflix since NCL says they mailed my certificate! But the certs they insist they mailed back have not made a one way trip yet.

 

Bank of America will reissue the certs in my wife's name, but they want the originals. Still don't have them back from NCL and I'm getting short on time.

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We received our last statement expecting to earn over 300 points and only had 18!:( I know what happened, just didn't expect it. We had earned our maximum points for the year. When I called BOA to make sure this was the case and to find out when points would begin again they said they would start back up in October. I should have asked for more specifics; does anyone know if that means with the October statement or with October purchases? If not, I'll call and wait on hold again...:rolleyes:

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Thanks for all the info on this board. I just got a $500 certificate today and read that it was to be mailed by our TA with our final payment, which was paid last week via my NCL credit card.

 

I had called NCL last week to ask what to do about booking my cruise after final payment was due and using a voucher. They told me to use my credit card to pay for the cruise in full and then send in the voucher and they will refund my credit card when they get the certificate.

 

I mailed in the certificate today and hope to see the $500 refund on my credit card soon.

 

I did see that there is an expiration date on the certificate of September 2008, which is exactly one year from the date of issue.

 

I am thinking or requesting another $500 voucher to use for a weekend cruise in December. Now that I know that I have one year to use it, I think I will keep one on hand for my next booking.

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