BOA Visa double points ending soon

[greeneg]

Hi Everyone !

 

It's true the program is coming to an end. I believe its for both the Celebrity Amex Card and the Celebrity Visa Card. I cannot offer any insight as to why it's ending.

 

The key points to remember are, you won't be losing the card, nor your points. As the cards are part of the BOA Worldpoints program, I'd expect them to convert to a BOA branded Worldpoints Card, and your points should be able to be used towards Worldpoints Rewards.

 

Both BOA and Celebrity told me the deadline for earning double points for Celebrity purchases is 2/28/11. The last date to redeem points for Celebrity Rewards is 3/31/11. Celebrity Rewards should be available for dates after 3/31/11 as long as you redeem before the 3/31/11 deadline - That's the key.

 

I realize some wont be happy without the Celebrity Rewards feature... but the reality is, you could always redeem the points for Cash, so the Celebrity Rewards weren't that exciting. Remaining in the Worldpoints program is a plus. I plan to keep the cards until we see what Celebrity's future plans are. Let's hope they come up with other options for us !

 

If you have any questions, please let me know, and I will try my best to find answers. I hope this helps !

 

Hi Andy, apparently you are correct, the AMEX card is also affected. I just checked ours and while you can redeem points for Celebrity Perks, the account is now listed in World Points and it appears that BOA's "new" cruise partner is Holland America.

 

Sic Transit, etc

[CruisingChick]

Both BOA and Celebrity told me the deadline for earning double points for Celebrity purchases is 2/28/11. The last date to redeem points for Celebrity Rewards is 3/31/11. Celebrity Rewards should be available for dates after 3/31/11 as long as you redeem before the 3/31/11 deadline - That's the key.

 

I realize some wont be happy without the Celebrity Rewards feature... but the reality is, you could always redeem the points for Cash,!

 

Well this stinks. We only got the cards (both Visa and Amex) so we could earn Celebrity points. Now we will research other cards that give better benefits than BofA and cancel our BofA cards.

 

We have no cruises planned so we cannot cash in our points at this time for OBCs. Oh well.

[greeneg]

I agree, and I should add that I have received no notice of this from BOA at all.

[MJonTravel]

I've yet to hear from BofA either. One thing of note...this has always been a WorldPoints card....they just let you use them for things from Celebrity.... like OBC, cruise upgrades, etc. Last year, I transferred all the points earned on my Celebrity card to my Fidelity Rewards Amex....which earns 2 worldpoints for every dollar you spend.... every 5,000 points you earn, they deposit 50 dollars into your Fidelity account which = 2 percent cash back on all your purchases.

 

Waiting to see if Celebrity does something like RCL and creates its own "points" program.

[Andy]

I agree, and I should add that I have received no notice of this from BOA at all.

 

Hi Ed !

 

I haven't received anything from BOA either, and they should get the message out to cardholders. If & when I receive a copy of the letter, I will post it here.

[CruisingChick]

I also have not received any notice from BofA and we have both the Amex and Visa Celebrity Rewards Card.

 

Anne Maria

[cathy82]

I have the Celebrity American Express Card through B of A and today did receive the letter saying the last day to get double points is 2/28/2011 and must be redeemed by 3/31/2011. That confirms the AmEx card is also affected. I will try to charge and redeem the most I can within that time frame. I am tempted to pay down my next cruise with this card well before final payment but I am not sure I will.

[Andy]

Now we will research other cards that give better benefits than BofA and cancel our BofA cards.

 

 

Hi Anne Maria !

 

If I may be a bit off topic, I strongly suggest never cancelling any Credit card before asking the Financial institution how this might affect your Credit Rating and/or FICO score. It could offer short and long term negative impact, so please be careful. I hope the tip is helpful.

[gracecarmo]

Thanks Andy for your advice. Since we always plan to redeem cash instead of any OBC, I think we will keep the card, since to date, they don't charge any yearly fee.

 

I FINALLY got through via the phone to redeem my points. I called the number on the back of my card and went through their menu of choices. (did not work for me on the website). I was able to talk to a very nice person there, and will redeem my points as soon as I spend another $1000 to get to the highest level.

 

So, if anyone here has an issue with redeeming points, just call the number on the back of your card. (be sure to have the SS# of the primary card holder handy).

[MJonTravel]

Just got the letter today which says the same thing as others have reported. I haven't used the card in months, so I called to close the account. Not terribly concerned about any short-term impact on my credit score. My credit score and history are excellent, so I'm not terribly concerned with the potential short-term negative impact of closing an account. Don't have any debt other than a mortgage, so should be fine.

[dtagirl]

I have a quick question. We have had the AMEX BOA card and have 31000 points. Since we are sailing in Feb, I redeemed them for OBC. I did it online, have the confirmation etc from BOA. Do I have to call Celebrity to attach to my booking? Or do they apply them automatically? They did ask for the sailing date, but not the confirmation number, so I am confused. I did try to call today, but was on hold over 15 min, so that is my limit! Figured there were smart people on here that could answer. If I have to call then I will wait however long it takes!

Every little bit of credit helps!

 

Pat

[LunaSeaRetreat]

I have a quick question. We have had the AMEX BOA card and have 31000 points. Since we are sailing in Feb, I redeemed them for OBC. I did it online, have the confirmation etc from BOA. Do I have to call Celebrity to attach to my booking? Or do they apply them automatically? They did ask for the sailing date, but not the confirmation number, so I am confused. I did try to call today, but was on hold over 15 min, so that is my limit! Figured there were smart people on here that could answer. If I have to call then I will wait however long it takes!

Every little bit of credit helps!

 

Pat

 

Last time I did it they didn't even ask the sailing date. I was very confused. Iwrote an email to Celebrity asking them to check on the OBC and gave them the booking # I wanted it applied to. They wrote back in about two days confirming.

Cynthia

[floridacruisers]

Call Celebrity at 1-800-760-0654 and follow the instructions to onboard credit. Play it safe that way. I just did my BOA points and that's what I did. It is also a good idea to call a couple of days before the cruise to make sure everything is ok.

Phil

[lightning bolt]

I just received a letter for Bank of America that my Celebrity rewards card will change to a WorldPoints rewards credit card. The celebrity Rewards program will end on March 31, 2011, that is the last day to redeem your celebrity rewards. This is for the American Express credit card. I stopped using my card over a month ago and redeemed my points for my upcoming cruise. It was nice while it lasted.:(

[whirlybird3]

I just received a letter for Bank of America that my Celebrity rewards card will change to a WorldPoints rewards credit card. The celebrity Rewards program will end on March 31, 2011, that is the last day to redeem your celebrity rewards. This is for the American Express credit card. I stopped using my card over a month ago and redeemed my points for my upcoming cruise. It was nice while it lasted.:(

 

I am confused... Bank of America or American Express? :confused:

[lightning bolt]

I am confused... Bank of America or American Express? :confused:

 

I have a Bank of America,Celebrity rewards American Express card.

[hcat]

we redeemed our points just in time to apply them to our upcoming Equinox cruise..

 

The cash rewards are not as favorable as other cards so we will stop using it--maybe re-balance our credit back over to the Royal Card & stick with that for awhile for cruising....juts not a fan of the new Royal ships!!

 

it's a shame the program ended-- it was always a nice perk to use the points for a trip to the spa...

[lightning bolt]

After reading your post, I checked on my Celebrity American Express card rewards. I was able to redeem an OBC with no problem. I don't know if you specifically wanted a Visa card.

 

Others that have a Celebrity American Express card can rest easy. (at least for today :rolleyes:)

 

The letter I received today from BOA said you can redeem your Celebrity amex card till the end of March. You can purchase with it till the end of February. I will cancel as I don't want a Worldspoint reward card.

[hajekfam]

I have a Celebrity American Express card through BOA and have not received a letter. Is it just the Visa that is being changed? I'll keep my eye out for a letter.

Cynthia

 

I have both the Celebrity Amex and Celebrity Visa. I received a letter about the discontinuation for each. Another reason to question the reasons for continuing my loyalty to Celebrity since 1992!

[jackdiamond]

My wife, who handles the money (what else is new) advises that our Celebrity Visa will be cancelled, but that it will be replaced with something.

[Shipofdreamsgirl]

Thank you for entrusting Bank-of America wlth your business.

We want to update you on irnportant changes to your

 

 

Celebrity Rewards account

. The Bank of America Celebrity Rewards card program will end on March

 

31,2011.

 

As a Result, your Celebrity Rewards credit card will be replaced by a new Bank of America!!)Visa Signature!!) credit card with WorldPoints(j) rewards. We regret any inconvenience and will do everything we can to make the transition easy for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What this means for you:

 

 

 

• Your Celebrity Rewards Visa(j)credit card ending in

 

 

**** will be replaced by a new Bank of America Visa

 

 

 

 

 

Signature credit card with WorldPoints rewards.

 

 

 

 

Don't worry - you are not losing any accumulated points as

 

 

 

part of this change and you may redeem your points for unlimited cash, gift cards and general travel options

 

 

at any time - even after your new card arrives.

 

 

 

 

• You will enjoy exciting benefits with your new card, including the ability to earn up to 20% cash back at

 

 

participating online retailers through the Add It Up0 program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

• The last day to earn double WorldPoints for Celebrity Cruise purchases is February

 

 

 

 

28, 2011 (transactions

 

 

 

must post by this date).

 

 

 

 

The normal earn rate for WorldPoints rewards of 1 point for each net dollar in retail

 

 

 

spend will continue without interruption.

 

 

 

• The last day to redeem your WorldPoints rewards for Celebrity Rewards Program Redemptions is March 31,

 

 

2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To access your Celebrity Rewards redemptions options log in with your credit card number at

 

 

 

www.bankofamerica com/worldpoints.

 

 

• After March

 

 

 

 

 

31,2011 any unused points will be available for redemption through the WorldPoints Program.

 

 

 

 

 

You are not losing any accumulated points as part of this change. Points are redeemable for unlimited cash,

 

 

travel, gift cards and more.

 

• Your account number will change. When your card(s) arrive in April

 

 

 

 

 

2011, please keep your new account

 

 

 

 

 

number in mind when setting up recurring payments. Until then, continue to use your existing card(s).t

 

 

 

Please retain this letter for your records. If you have any other questions, please call1.S00. 732.9194 to speak to a

 

 

Bank of America customer service representative.

 

 

 

Thank you for being a valued Bank of America customer.

Sincerely,

Mike Simpson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senior Vice President

 

[ecslady]

I have the Celebrity Rewards Amex card as well, and I'm very disappointed in this news too! I really got used to adding up those points for some extra OBC. The points I have remaining on the card won't be worth as much when it transfers to the new program. I'm also wondering if the Royal Caribbean Visa card will be next! Guess that Discover card will be getting more business.

[dtagirl]

Call Celebrity at 1-800-760-0654 and follow the instructions to onboard credit. Play it safe that way. I just did my BOA points and that's what I did. It is also a good idea to call a couple of days before the cruise to make sure everything is ok.

Phil

Phil and Cynthia...

Thank you for your help. I called them and I guess they have to send an email requesting the points/OBC. She told me it would take about a week, so I guess I will check next week, since we sail the 29th! Hopefully it will be there. Now I just have to decide how to spend it!! :D

Pat

[LunaSeaRetreat]

• Your account number will change. When your card(s) arrive in April [/font][/size]

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Well, I will cancel too. I have a lot of auto payments on it and thought I wouldn't have to go through that trouble. Since I have to notify everyone anyway I might as well look around for something better.

Thanks for the update.

Cynthia

[ChucktownSteve]

The letter I received today from BOA said you can redeem your Celebrity amex card till the end of March. You can purchase with it till the end of February. I will cancel as I don't want a Worldspoint reward card.

 

Hi Gail,

 

If you don't mind a suggestion...I'd recommend keeping the BOA card but not use it. I have two BOA cards that aren't used at all. They can't charge you a non usage fee any longer. I haven't used them for over two years.

 

Here's the thinking...closing it negatively affects your credit report and FICA score. They look at how much total available credit you have and what percentage of it you use. So if you have them with available credit but not used, you get a little better score. They also look at the length of time the account has been open. The longer the average age of all the cards, the better the score. If you cancel the card, they actually deduct some more points for recently closed accounts.

 

Just some food for thought that you may not have known.

 

The other thing is having the card but not using it will cost BOA money.