Chase or Citi - Onboard Spend Travel

Taking my first cruise in January on Celebrity. Trying to figure out which card to use for onboard spend.

Can anyone confirm if Celebrity onboard spend is treated as travel for Citi or Chase and if it, therefore, qualified for extra reward points?

(Sorry if this question is answered somewhere on here, I searched but could not find it).

Probably be best to check with Chase and Citi.

Probably be best to check with Chase and Citi.

Gave this a shot but they were non-committal. Said it depends on how the merchant codes the charges.

Hoping to leverage any first hand knoweldge.

Taking my first cruise in January on Celebrity. Trying to figure out which card to use for onboard spend.

 

Can anyone confirm if Celebrity onboard spend is treated as travel for Citi or Chase and if it, therefore, qualified for extra reward points?

 

(Sorry if this question is answered somewhere on here, I searched but could not find it).

I am not sure anyone can answer - there are so many variations in "special" reward deals" within a given provider like Chase or Citi and across the offers from different providers. Really depends on the details of your agreement. I can say that I have a Chase card that is co-branded with an airline, and I received 7x miles for $ spent on a cruise (cost of cruise, onboard spending included). (The cruise was booked through their subsidiary travel agency...) I have a Bank of America Card co-branded with a cruise line that provides 2x rewards on all $ spent for and during a cruise. Including acupuncture treatments, drink packages, etc. There are many variations on these "special deals."

I think your best bet (unless you get a definitive answer from someone else here) would be to figure which card rewards you would most like to receive. Use that card and hope for the best.

Stan

 

Agreed with everything you said, but above is quite helpful. Gives some hint. Thanks!

Having recent cruise charges... I took a look at my Citi card and each individual charger on Navigator is listed as "steam ship/cruise line".

I don't have any cruise charges on my Chase card so don't know about that one.

FWIW, I paid for my final booking and a couple of shore excursions with my Chase card (Sapphire Reserve if it makes a difference) and got 3Xs points for these.

RK

I used my Chase to prebook an excursion $90 directly in Celebrity website earned me 180 ultimate reward points so my assumption is Chase will give us multiple points 😃

RK - are you happy with your Chase Shaphire Reaerve? We have been looking into it. We like that it includes travel insurance (?). Thanks.

Vicky

Love my reserve! There are definitely a lot of benefits :)

How is the travel insurance benefit ( medical, cancellation). From the information I have reviewed it covers the same as the policies we always buy. That itself would be a big savings.

Vicky

I have the Chase Reserve and LOVE that card! I have the Citicard Prestige but am cancelling it before annual renewal as I don't need both. My Citicard travel benefit only applies to airline fares whereas the Chase Reserve gives you anything travel related for the credit. Unfortunately I had already used my travel credit this year when Celebrity hit my Chase card but it was categorized as "travel-other" on my statement so that is hopeful!

I love this card and have always gotten my money back for the annual fee and then more.

Also don't forget if you're docking/shopping in any foreign ports to bring the card(s) that have no foreign transaction fees.

Love my reserve! There are definitely a lot of benefits :)

I concur! The Chase reserve reward point benefits are the best of any credit card for travel and dining.

Straight from the Chase Reserve card benefit brochure - Trip Insurance (you must pay for the trip with your card)

Trip Cancellation insurance reimburses you or your Immediate Family Members for up to ten thousand ($10,000.00) dollars for each Covered Trip if a Covered Loss prevents you or your Immediate Family Members from traveling on or before the departure date and results in cancellation of the travel arrangements.

If any or all of the Covered Trip was paid for using redeemable Rewards, the Company will reimburse the Insured Person for Rewards used. The Company’s reimbursement shall equal the monetary value of the redemption through the Common Carrier, Tour Operator, Travel Agency, or Travel Supplier up to the Bene t Amount. If the monetary value of the redemption does not appear on the Insured Person’s itinerary or redemption con rmation issued by the Common Carrier, Rewards program manager, Tour Operator, Travel Agency, or Travel Supplier the Company will reimburse the Insured Person ($.01) per point redeemed up to the Insured Person’s Benefit Amount.

Covered Trip means any pre-paid tour, trip or vacation when some portion of the cost for such travel arrangements less any redeemable frequent flyer miles, points, coupons or certi cates, or other types of redeemable Rewards has been charged to your Account:

• while the insurance is in effect

• to a destination of greater than one (1) mile from your primary residence

• and is for a time period that doesn’t exceed sixty (60) days in duration

Rewards means points, miles, cash Rewards, or any other type of redeemable Rewards, provided that all Rewards have been accumulated through use of a Rewards program sponsored by Chase Bank USA, N.A. and/or its af liates.

Covered Loss means one of the following events that occur when you or an Immediate Family Member is insured under the policy and the event causes cancellation of the travel arrangements:

• Accidental Bodily Injury, Loss of Life, or Sickness experienced by

you, a Traveling Companion, or an Immediate Family Member of you

or a Traveling Companion

• Severe weather, which prevents a reasonable and prudent person

from beginning or continuing on a Covered Trip

• Change in military orders for you, your Spouse, or your

Domestic Partner

• A terrorist action or hijacking

• A call to jury duty or receiving a subpoena from the courts, neither

of which can be postponed or waived

• Finding your or your Traveling Companion’s dwelling to be

uninhabitable

• Quarantine imposed by a Physician for health reasons

• Financial insolvency of the Travel Agency, Tour Operator, or Travel

Supplier whose services you booked

If a trip cancellation occurs, the Company will reimburse you or an Immediate Family Member for the non-refundable amounts paid up to Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Maximum limit of Insurance per Occurrence of ten thousand ($10,000.00) dollars for each claim on a Covered Trip. Reimbursement is subject to the following:

• Cancellation provisions in effect at the time the Travel Supplier is notified of a cancellation.

• If a Physician has advised that making the Covered Trip is medically inadvisable, you must immediately notify the appropriate Travel Supplier that you are cancelling your travel arrangements. If you don’t notify the supplier, the Company’s reimbursement will not exceed the cancellation penalties imposed during the period by

the supplier and in effect forty-eight (48) hours immediately following your receipt of advice from your Physician that travel is not advisable.

Thanks everyone! Very helpful information.

Vicky

Chase Sapphire Reserve and Preferred both have primary car rental insurance, too.

Travel Medical, Evac Insurance are separate benefits from Cancellation & Delay

Summary: https://www.chase.com/card-benefits/sapphirereserve/travel

Downloadable benefits PDF with coverage conditions, details, and contacts: https://www.chasebenefits.com/sapphirereserve

"Emergency Evacuation & Transportation

If you or a member of your immediate family are injured or become sick during a trip far from home that results in an emergency evacuation, you can be covered for medical services and transportation up to $100,000.2"

"Emergency Medical and Dental Benefit

If you’re 100 miles or more from home on a trip, you can be reimbursed up to $2,500 for medical expenses if you or your immediate family member become sick or injured.2"

Most medical travel insurance policies (or even a domestic one with international coverage) should cover more than $2,500. Evac also has some shortcomings on the hospital (nearest qualified, after hospital to residence if medically necessary, or both) and doesn't seem include coverage for a travel partner needs transportation & lodging while injured is in hospital. It will transport a caretaker if hospitalized over 8 days. Not sure if this is included in another portion of travel interruption. Trip duration is 5-60 days so not great for those who do short cruises. Again, I'd look for a paid medical travel insurance which would cover some of the travel partner cost and put it on my checklist when comparing plans. I would consider MediJet via AARP pricing if I was taking expedition cruises, safari's, or to some regions with less than stellar average medical coverage/accessibility.

I think it is worth comparing policies since emergency medical & evac can be such exorbitant costs & potentially different care impacting resulting quality. It could end up being a poor fit for you and penny wise, pound foolish. Or it might be the correct fit. It seems buying insurance is always in the details and administration.

Adding the link was much easier idea!!

RK - are you happy with your Chase Shaphire Reaerve? We have been looking into it. We like that it includes travel insurance (?). Thanks.

 

Vicky

Hi Vicky. Yup, will concur with others here. I have heard people say the annual fee was high but the first time you charge something specifically travel related (i.e. hotel, airline flight), you get a $300 rebate instantly. And I should be able to use the Prestige Pass (access to airline lounges) enough to make the fee more than pay for itself.

Plus with everything else that was listed, at least for me it is definitely the credit card for, well, me!

RK

I LOVE the chase reserve, having just cancelled the sapphire and Barclays world elite card. I don't use the insurance, though, because it doesn't cover pre-existing conditions, which I need. But I highly recommend the card.

On another note (and I called and got nowhere), is there a different card needed for the airport lounges? The chase rep said to just show my CC but somehow that doesn't sound right-- can anyone confirm this from experience?

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Same here - Taking full advantage of all its perks - Global Entry, Priority Boarding Lounges, Cash back ($300 in 2016; another $300 in 2017), lots of signup points, travel insurance perks, etc.

LOVE IT

I LOVE the chase reserve, having just cancelled the sapphire and Barclays world elite card. I don't use the insurance, though, because it doesn't cover pre-existing conditions, which I need. But I highly recommend the card.

On another note (and I called and got nowhere), is there a different card needed for the airport lounges? The chase rep said to just show my CC but somehow that doesn't sound right-- can anyone confirm this from experience?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

When I first got my Chase Reserve card, I was poking around the benefits page and there was a link to Priority Pass which i used to set up my Priority Pass account. They sent me their card. They also have a phone app i use which has a display card feature so I don't have to carry the PP card around. This is good for Priority Pass lounges only.

The Citi card let you show your credit card at AA lounges and get access but I have since cancelled that card.

Love Chase Reserve. Yearly fee is high, but the benefits are awesome, making the fee totally worth it, IMHO. You only have to pay for part of your trip with the card to trigger the insurance. Be sure to read the brochure very carefully.

https://www.chase.com/card-benefits/sapphirereserve/travel

Betsy

I can confirm a recent Celebrity cruise booking with a Chase SR card posted as travel and earned 3x rewards. I don't see why the OB spending would be any different.

Here's the part about only having to book part of your trip with the Reserve card in order to receive travel benefits:

Covered Trip means any pre-paid tour, trip or vacation when some

portion of the cost for such travel arrangements less any redeemable

frequent flyer miles, points, coupons or certificates, or other types of

redeemable Rewards has been charged to your Account.

Complete guide to benefits here:

https://www.chasebenefits.com/sapphirereserve

Betsy