NCL Mastercard Rewards Poll

This question is directed to those who attempted to use NCL Mastercard Rewards certificates to get all or part of their deposit reimbursed. Please respond only if you sent in certificates for the partial or total amount of your deposit.

After reading through the many posts on using Rewards Certificates for free cruises, it appears as though some were able to use the certificates to get all or part of their deposit reimbursed, while others were not. I'd like to see if the majority of people who attempted to use the rewards on their deposit were allowed to do so.

Since I had to limit the number of characters in my poll options, I'll clarify them here with an example. You bought a cruise that cost $1500 and put a $500 deposit down, leaving an outstanding balance of $1000. When you paid your balance, you sent in $1500 in certificates. If you received a credit of $500 (your deposit amount), you would pick option 1. If you did not receive a credit for your deposit, pick option 2.

I've used my certs twice, on separate cruises.

1st Cert: cert was applied to payment not yet made ($500. was credited to the trip),

2nd, 100% payment was already made & upon sending the cert in; my CC was credited with $500.

So, if I book with NCL for 1000 dollar cruise and charge the 250 dollar deposit...then submit 1000 in certificates when I owe the 750 balance for final payment...I get credited the original 250 payment on my card?

Coka

So, if I book with NCL for 1000 dollar cruise and charge the 250 dollar deposit...then submit 1000 in certificates when I owe the 750 balance for final payment...I get credited the original 250 payment on my card?

 

Coka

That's correct. That has been my experience on three cruises. The deposit is refunded to the credit card after NCL receives the certificates.

I called twice and was told that I could not use points for my deposit. I did pay the deposit with my MBNA card. I was told they would not credit my card when I sent in the points. Any suggestions?

Thanks!!

I called twice and was told that I could not use points for my deposit. I did pay the deposit with my MBNA card. I was told they would not credit my card when I sent in the points. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!!

Here is my understanding. You can not use the points to make the deposit but when you make final if the points cover more then the balance they will credit your card.

Thank you jmcdon! I never knew that. It makes sense that they would do it. Let's hope the accounts receivable department knows more than the customer service department! My final payment is due this summer so I will let you know what happens.

Coka

Does anyone offer travel insurance for MBNA points?

Thanks!

Does anyone offer travel insurance for MBNA points?

 

Thanks!

No, they are considered cash and will be refunded to you directly by NCL in case you cancel your cruise. Although this is not my personal experience, it is what I have seen posted on these boards.

It is my understanding that you cannot use the MBNA certificates toward port charges or taxes.

We booked an NCL cruise that cost $2221 total with taxes and fees. Since there were 3 of us, we put down the $750 deposit. Which left a balance of $1471. We submitted $1500 in MBNA certificates and we did get a credit back for the difference. However, I was told that we could not apply a full $2000 in vouchers since they could not cover the taxes.

For our upcoming cruise, we booked within 75 days of the sailing, so we had to pay in full rather than only putting down a deposit. I submitted our certificates to NCL and they placed a credit back on our credit card.

Has anyone else been told that the certificates cannot cover port and taxes? From the examples already given, it looks like they are showing that they did receive credit back for the deposit which implies to me that if the certificates are covering the full amount that they are covers the taxes and fees as well -- unless I am misunderstanding.

cosmo1027, I have the same question.

Has anyone else been told that the certificates cannot cover port and taxes? From the examples already given, it looks like they are showing that they did receive credit back for the deposit which implies to me that if the certificates are covering the full amount that they are covers the taxes and fees as well -- unless I am misunderstanding.

I have read of people ending up paying $100 (or similar negligable amounts) for their cruises after their certificates are applied. How can this be, if port charges and taxes are not allowed to be included in certificate payment?

I would love to submit as many certificates as possible, but do not want to lose a considerable portion of one if it can not be applied to port & taxes.

Anyone paid less than the port & fees for their cruise, using MBNA points?

I am booked for the Jewel on Oct. 10th. I was told I could not pay for the depost, the insurance, or the TA,s commission with the certificates. So I paid with my NCL mastercard. I will however be able to pay the rest of the balance with certificates, which I plan on doing. That includes all port charges and taxes. Personally I think it depends on who your dealing with. They want to make it as easy as they can on themselves. If I read this board right, there are way to many different rules as to what you can pay for and what you can't, and it depends on what the person handling your money wants to do.

I don't recall ever hearing from anyone that the Rewards cannot be used for taxes & port charges or travel agent commissions. Since my original posting, I have received a Reward certificate. The only thing it lists as not covered is the deposit. The fine print says absolutely nothing about any of the other things folks here say they were told aren't covered, although I would understand if insurance was not covered--it's technically not part of the cruise. That is, you could purchase your cruise without buying NCL's insurance, but you could not purchase a cruise without paying the port fees.

I have been in contact with both NCL and MBNA trying to get answers to several questions about the Rewards. Neither could answer my questions, and both said the other is the correct source for the info. Now that I have a certificate, the accompanying letter comes from NCL and has Colin Veitch's signature (electronic, of course). The certificate also answers another question I had that neither NCL nor MBNA could answer. It states right on the certificate that the travel agent's commission is based on the fare BEFORE the certificate is applied. Hard to understand why no one could answer that question for me!

I am booked for the Jewel on Oct. 10th. I was told I could not pay for the depost, the insurance, or the TA,s commission with the certificates. So I paid with my NCL mastercard. I will however be able to pay the rest of the balance with certificates, which I plan on doing. That includes all port charges and taxes.

Hi gemini g. Deposit and insurance makes sense with what the coupons say, but TA commission is between the TA and the cruise line, so I am surprised that someone would bring this up to you. Curious:confused: .

SueSea

Thank you for this insight. I thought I had read about port taxes and fees not being included, but maybe this was 2nd hand info or an assumption (since it seems to be standard procedure to exclude these in offers).

So true that the certificate says nothing about any of these exclusions, except the deposit. That explains how people are paying $100 after everything for their cruise, when part of the deposit is refunded. However, as the OP and subsequent posters have pointed out, it is unclear whether this refunding of part (or all) of the deposit is the guaranteed way that it will go. That's a lot of points to risk sending in without knowing for sure.

I agree that MBNA does not have reliable information at our disposal. The first rep I talked to insisted that the certificates would be sent from NCL, not MBNA. Not true. There were other misinformations, one of which he went to his supervisor to get, so it wasn't just him. The rep I talked to the next day knew her stuff. I am glad we can ask these questions from people who have actually gone through the process. Hopefully there will be more information regarding the original question of whether people have had their deposits re-imbursed when submitting coupons for final payment.

The first rep I talked to insisted that the certificates would be sent from NCL, not MBNA. Not true.

Perhaps the rep wasn't wrong after all. I called MBNA to have them send out the certificates, so I guess one could say MBNA sent them. But the letter that was attached to the certificates was from Colin Veitch, so I guess one could say that NCL sent them.

NCL figures prominently in the Rewards mailing, and MBNA barely rates a mention. Judging solely on the mailing, I would have guessed they came from NCL.

However, as the OP and subsequent posters have pointed out, it is unclear whether this refunding of part (or all) of the deposit is the guaranteed way that it will go. That's a lot of points to risk sending in without knowing for sure.

Even if everyone says they used points for their deposit, that still wouldn't be a guarantee. The certificates themselves say they can't be used for deposit. So even if in practice NCL usually lets folks use them for deposits, they could change their minds at any time and point to the verbiage on the Rewards. I'll still send in 'extra' Rewards hoping to get part of my deposit refunded. If that doesn't happen, and I can't get any of those points back (which I don't expect to), I will simply upgrade my cabin until all the points are used. At least that way I won't feel my Rewards were entirely wasted!

Going by the return address on the envelope, the certificates were mailed by MBNA.

Where and how can you apply for the card? I am assuming from all of these posts that the rewards are well worth getting and using the card?

Going by the return address on the envelope, the certificates were mailed by MBNA.

I understand that. But the rep may have thought you were asking who the Rewards were from (NCL based on the letter attached to the certificate) rather than who was physically mailing them out (MBNA based on the envelope and the fact that you have to call MBNA to request the rewards). In other words, MBNA could have been mailing them out on behalf of NCL.

Where and how can you apply for the card? I am assuming from all of these posts that the rewards are well worth getting and using the card?

Go to www.ncl.com. You will see a link on their home page to the NCL Mastercard Credit Card. Click on it to go to the application. If you want to check out the reward levels before you apply, scroll past the application form and read the fine print (just past the Submit My Application button).

No, the rep knew that I was asking who was physically mailing them out because we were discussing express service and he said MNBA could not mail them FedEx, because MBNA did not mail the certificates at all, NCL did. No biggie, he just didn't know. I agree that the inside looks as if it came from NCL.:)

Thanks SueSea, I will check it out.

We used 2000 NCL points to cover a 9-day cruise on the NCL Spirit in February. The points also covered the cost of insurance minus $7. Since we booked less than 2 months before the cruise, I put the entire amount on the NCL Mastercard. I got the points, but then they were taken away the following month when I got the $2,000 credit.

thanks Natasha487,

If I understand this correctly, your cruise, including all costs and insurance was $2007.00? Coupons paid for $2000 and you had to pay $7.00?

thanks Natasha487,

If I understand this correctly, your cruise, including all costs and insurance was $2007.00? Coupons paid for $2000 and you had to pay $7.00?

That is correct!!! We did book our flights on our own, though since we wanted to spend a few days in Florida.

We used 2000 NCL points to cover a 9-day cruise on the NCL Spirit in February. The points also covered the cost of insurance minus $7. Since we booked less than 2 months before the cruise, I put the entire amount on the NCL Mastercard. I got the points, but then they were taken away the following month when I got the $2,000 credit.

So you are saying that in February of this year the certificates covered the port charges and taxes also?

I couldn't remember if the port charges and taxes were covered on our Sun cruise in March of 2004, but I believe they were.

So you are saying that in February of this year the certificates covered the port charges and taxes also?

 

I couldn't remember if the port charges and taxes were covered on our Sun cruise in March of 2004, but I believe they were.

Yes, it did. We booked directly with NCL, since the price was about the same as going with an online agency.