On Board Credit - UK Passengers

Quite right Solent Richard, and Grateful Thanks should also go to the original poster ' FormbyLife' who gave us the heads up.

Nothing gets past us Scousers, Liverpool the home of Cunard. ;);):D

Thanks for top tip and we purchased a wine package at the 1.53 rate. Yay! I cannot see it on my VP though so how do we know it's purchased and will be ready and waiting in a couple of weeks time (apart from the bank statement) :rolleyes:

Thanks for top tip and we purchased a wine package at the 1.53 rate. Yay! I cannot see it on my VP though so how do we know it's purchased and will be ready and waiting in a couple of weeks time (apart from the bank statement) :rolleyes:

It does not get shown on your VP.

You receive a card in your stateroom advising you of the' gift', that has been applied to your statement.

You should have asked for the reference number when purchasing, just in case

Obviously this thread has a silver lining not just for those pre-purchasing their wines and OBC.

 

With so much money pouring in this last week the share price jumped 52p on Tuesday.

Dropped 4.12% this weekend on UK Market

Dropped 4.12% this weekend on UK Market

Buy low, sell high.

Easy innit

I've just tried, and failed :(

I started by saying I was interested in buying onboard gift credit and how much would $600 be. And she replied that they would only charge in dollars so the price would be whatever my bank rate is. I explained what I was looking for, based on the information here, and she even checked with someone else while I was on hold and said that they only charge in dollars and never have done otherwise.

I'll try again another time but I can't see how I'll get a different outcome. Frustrating!

Just tried again and got an even worse response! I asked "Please can you tell me how much $100 of on board credit would be please". The telephone representative was immediately confused and clearly he wanted to just say $100 back to me! So then he said you can't buy it in advance and offered to Google the exchange rate for me! Annoying!

We tried today too and got a similar response -we both tried different tacks and got nowhere fast. We were told 'at your card providers rate' and 'standard exchange rate' by two different operatives.

Having said that, we also tried our TA who didn't know anything about gift credit!! Very frustrating!

See my post #69

It is there in their system, just need the correct representative to know about what you require. Must be done within 72 hours of sailing. Presently about $1.54 to the £ about £64.95 for $100 Gift credit

Just tried again and got an even worse response! I asked "Please can you tell me how much $100 of on board credit would be please". The telephone representative was immediately confused and clearly he wanted to just say $100 back to me! So then he said you can't buy it in advance and offered to Google the exchange rate for me! Annoying!

see, don't mention on board credit!

It is a Gift Credit you want to place on a booking. :D

I tried asking for "gift credit" the first time [emoji17] the first conversation was all about adding gift credit to my booking but the rep said they only ever charge in dollars and she even checked with a supervisor.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

As we're sailing Friday I was just completing the Cunard cruise personaliser and saw this:

 

 

 

You may credit your account with any major currency, which will then be converted at the ship’s current exchange rates into USD; this will then be applied to your account in USD. We are unable to accept either Personal Cheques or Traveller’s Cheques. We are also unable to accept €500 notes at any time, this includes the Casino.

 

 

 

Which seems to suggest that it is in fact not your credit/debit rate (1.26+) that is used but Cunards ship rate (1.53)

I didn't mention 'gift' anything I asked for on board credit - see above from Cunard website

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Thanks. I'll give it one more go :)

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks. I'll give it one more go :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Inform them that you want to pay them some dosh in £ but want $ prior to embarking.

The dollar rate is something like $100 for £64.95

you get multiples of dollars then ask the amount, then pay in £ keying in your debit card details when asked.

Unfortunately not all staff know about this.

Its only due to the bad exchange rate that this has become popular, but not with all Cunard staff it seems !

Many thanks for this thread. I have just purchased a Captains 12 bottle wine package AS A GIFT for £321.50 A saving of £56 if the current USD to GBP exchange rate was used. Incidentally freephone number for Cunard is 0800 0523841:)

Finally got around to doing this today, spent 40 minutes 'queuing' before having to give up. Looking forward to losing my whole lunch break doing the same tomorrow until I eventually get through! Any suggestions of a direct number for the gift department?

After purchasing $300 obc a couple of weeks ago I realised I had been charged my bank rate so rang them to complain. Spoke to a really nice young lady who completely understood and offered me a refund and the chance to purchase again in £'s which I was really happy to do. The refund was back in my bank in about 5 days and was only about £10 difference. It really is a case of talking to the right person.

Spoke to two different agents this morning first time asked for gift credit second time asked to purchase dollars in pounds and both said they would charge my card in dollars and the bank decides rate :(

Anybody got any other suggestions of how to word it or the name of a specific agent who knows how to deal with this?

I finally managed this on my third try and after a long conversation working out what it was that I was trying to buy. In essence they can only sell you the on board credit in $100 amounts. They can sell multiple $100 amounts (so I bought 6 lots of $100 credit).

This is roughly what I said: "Hello, I hope you can help me. I am wanting to buy some credit for my account. I know that other customers have been able to buy some credit and be charged in £ but I have rung twice already and not managed to access this. I've only been offered on board credit to be charged in dollars at my bank rate. So I'm not exactly sure what I am asking for - it might be that I need to credit my account with sterling or buy some gift vouchers or buy some gift credit - what ever the product is, it is definitely chargeable in sterling. Can you help me work out what it is I'm trying to buy?"

She went and spoke to her supervisor, came back, asked me how much I wanted, I said $600 or £400, she went off to speak to the supervisor again and finally came back and said that the only way they can do it is by selling me $100 gift credit. I said that's great, can I buy 6 lots of that? Yes you can! Brilliant! Sold! $600 at £389.70.

I even had to decide on what the message I wanted to send to myself on the gift credit. (The telephone agent decided that I should wish myself "Bon Voyage"!).

The agent said that she wasn't sure if it would just be in my cabin on arrival and then would need applying to my account, or if it would be applied to my account. But either way I had the credit to spend on my trip.

It took some effort but I got there.

Madness! I didn't mention gift anything and was not on a card in my room - was just added to my onboard account which it clearly says on website

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Thanks to everyone who has pointed this out. I have just put some dollars onto the on board account at an excellent exchange rate. It was really easy to do, person I spoke to seemed to know all about it!

If I might just add my experience last week on QM2.

I too managed to pre purchased US$ OBC at Cunard's good rate (but what a saga,however, in the end managed to speak to someone who understood )

I would advise anyone who has been successful, to also take with you a copy of an up-to date bank statement ( if paid by debit card) and highlight the amount of sterling you have been debited by Cunard.

It took two days for the US$ OBC gift to appear on my onboard statement, I had expected it to appear on day one/embarkation. The Purser's department had no knowledge of it, I was beginning to think shoreside had not put it through.

Fortunately I had a copy of a bank statement with the amount highlighted, within hours everything was rectified.

I had also pre purchased a wine package, the wine coupons were not in the stateroom on the first day of embarkation, (I had been advised they would be) Another saga ;)however, in the end the wonderful sommelier managed to locate them half way through dinner the first evening.

Just spoken to a lovely lady called Helen who sorted this out, she knew exactly what she was doing. Saved me around £50 from the local post office rate. GBP324.75 for USD500 :) Roll on the 22nd October!!

If I might just add my experience last week on QM2.

 

I too managed to pre purchased US$ OBC at Cunard's good rate (but what a saga,however, in the end managed to speak to someone who understood )

 

I would advise anyone who has been successful, to also take with you a copy of an up-to date bank statement ( if paid by debit card) and highlight the amount of sterling you have been debited by Cunard.

 

It took two days for the US$ OBC gift to appear on my onboard statement, I had expected it to appear on day one/embarkation. The Purser's department had no knowledge of it, I was beginning to think shoreside had not put it through.

 

Fortunately I had a copy of a bank statement with the amount highlighted, within hours everything was rectified.

 

I had also pre purchased a wine package, the wine coupons were not in the stateroom on the first day of embarkation, (I had been advised they would be) Another saga ;)however, in the end the wonderful sommelier managed to locate them half way through dinner the first evening.

Good advice, although I received no card informing me. The obc was added.

I was unable to check on boarding and had to wait 1 night to verify it had been added

It does seem to be very hit and miss....my husband has just spoken to three different people but no dice......all very helpful, the last chap even going as far as to say they are aware of this thread but don't know how it can be done.........we've decided to stop trying now, too time consuming, you. choose your battles as they say.

Well done to those of you who have succeeded