RCCL Pre buying OBC.

[Aussie Jeep]

We're on the Allure of the Seas on B2B Caribbean cruises now and I called the Australian Royal Caribbean number a few weeks before we left and purchased $200 OBC for each of our cruises. They told me it was 1-1 Australian to US Dollars and the receipt showed as you said, with no indication that it was US Dollars.

 

There was a card delivered to our room on the day we boarded saying we had a gift of $200 Onboard Credit. Message: BEST WISHES Compliments of: SDSDF SDSD .

 

The onboard credit showed on our account when I looked on the TV in the room that we had $US200 OBCR (the R means refundable and when I asked on the ship what happens if we don't use it all I was told that it will be refunded to my credit card (not that we'll have any left).

 

So it was certainly a great deal with the $A exchange rate at the moment.

 

Ken

Hi kjen, I hope you are having a wonderful cruise. No one has been able 100% to confirm that you can withdraw cash or the balance in cash. Have you tried this? Thanks

[aussiebrad79]

All sorted, $1200 OBC on the way! :D

[Carol12c]

Hi,

 

See that you bought 1:1 dollars today. What do they say about the balance should there be a balance left on your account at end of tour. What do they give it back to you in? We are cruising in 2 weeks time so this would be fantastic should we get this exchange rate.

 

Await to hear from you.

Thanks

Carol

[aussiebrad79]

Hi,

 

See that you bought 1:1 dollars today. What do they say about the balance should there be a balance left on your account at end of tour. What do they give it back to you in? We are cruising in 2 weeks time so this would be fantastic should we get this exchange rate.

 

Await to hear from you.

Thanks

Carol

 

Indeed I did. According to my TA, RCI said there were 2 choices should any credit be left over:

 

1. Have RCI convert it to AUD and return to the card the OBC was purchased on

2. They instead return the amount in USD to the card and your bank converts it to AUD.

 

However, I've also read that you can cash out your remaining OBC in USD either via the casino (some debate about this) or guest services

[woodyren]

They told me the only way is to have it returned back to my card with the same conversion 1USD-1AUD as it was purchased. They were all over the purchase but seemed to have no idea and had to ask about the options for return.

 

This is the issue as no one has been able to give an example of what really happens.

 

Surely they wouldn't allow you to turn the USD back to AUD at the forex rate.

 

If they did buying a large amount of OBC, not spending much and then cashing it in would net a free cruise.

 

I have 5K OBC racked up on Rhapsody which I plan to reinvest on our39 days aboard Quantum if I can cash out in USD (or the casino). If I can't then nothing lost really as my CC has 60 days interest free.

 

Hard to believe that Royal would have a loophole in which you could make money on the deal.

[Carol12c]

Thanks for your quick response will phone tomorrow and buy obc.

 

Where on Royal site does this show that you get 1:1 dollars. I was made aware of it by an email from cruise critic. Would love to see it stated on RCB website. Any help will be much appreciated.

[Carol12c]

I hear where you are coming from? Sounds too good to be true about exchange rate conversion if not spending all obc. I will ask when phoning tomorrow and see what answer I get.

[woodyren]

As far as I know it does not say anywhere on the RCCL website about this offer.

But it does exist. Eagerly waiting to hear what they tell you about unused.

[MicCanberra]

All sorted, $1200 OBC on the way! :D

 

Cool.:D

[MicCanberra]

They told me the only way is to have it returned back to my card with the same conversion 1USD-1AUD as it was purchased. They were all over the purchase but seemed to have no idea and had to ask about the options for return.

 

This is the issue as no one has been able to give an example of what really happens.

 

Surely they wouldn't allow you to turn the USD back to AUD at the forex rate.

 

If they did buying a large amount of OBC, not spending much and then cashing it in would net a free cruise.

 

I have 5K OBC racked up on Rhapsody which I plan to reinvest on our39 days aboard Quantum if I can cash out in USD (or the casino). If I can't then nothing lost really as my CC has 60 days interest free.

 

Hard to believe that Royal would have a loophole in which you could make money on the deal.

 

I believe you are right in that when it is returned to your card it will be at the rate you bought, however cashing out in the casino is another story, reports are that you can but it costs 5%. I am skeptical and feel people should not be seeing this as a way to profit but a way to get a good deal on OBC that they plan to spend anyway.:D

[aussiebrad79]

I am skeptical and feel people should not be seeing this as a way to profit but a way to get a good deal on OBC that they plan to spend anyway.:D

 

Agreed.

 

Personally, for me it is a significantly reduced price for my intended drinks package + some fun money for a massage, shore excursion or casino splurge if needed. If there's any left over, I'll take the USD back onto the card option which will offset a tiny amount of my expenses with the positive exchange rate

Edited February 9, 2015 by aussiebrad79

[aussiebrad79]

Thanks for your quick response will phone tomorrow and buy obc.

 

Where on Royal site does this show that you get 1:1 dollars.

 

It is not shown, but I can confirm the 1:1 is legitimate, my TA is actually an old friend and checked into it thoroughly with RCI, she had me on one line while talking with RCI on the other and relayed their responses to questions. The 2 options I listed above are their official response.

 

The Casino & guest services avenues I mentioned are conjecture based on what I've read here.

 

(Sorry for the double post)

Edited February 9, 2015 by aussiebrad79

[Tara Jane]

Does anyone know if we can get cash from the customer relations? I withdrew through the casino last trip and was happy to pay the 5% rather than spend for the sake of spending.

I have been thinking that those who don't give a credit card for on board purchases have to give a cash deposit so how different is this scenario of purchasing OBC through credit card?

Just opening this up for comment as I am totally undecided what I will do.

Have $100 OBC already and wont be doing ships excursions, don't drink alcohol so will just let that go towards grats and thinking I might purchase the extra at 1:1 to cover rest of grats.

[ladysail2]

I'm in Canada and have been buying up OBC at a great rate for us. We have to pay 10%, but that beats the bank rate of over 20% plus the cc fees and charges. I was told that the OBC that I was buying is totally refundable which means you can withdraw it at Guest Relations in US currency. Don't pay the 5% to the Casino for your own money!!

 

OBC given to you from the cruise line is usually non-refundable. That is the money you have to withdraw from the Casino if you want to spend it off the ship.

 

I have some huge OBC from the cruise line for my 4 Australian cruises next year. I'll never spend it all so I intend to withdraw a good portion of it for port shopping, etc.

 

So when you buy your OBC at your great rate, simply ask if it is refundable. It should be because it comes from you, not the cruise line.

 

Hope that helps! :D

[cruisine21]

I have some huge OBC from the cruise line for my 4 Australian cruises next year. I'll never spend it all so I intend to withdraw a good portion of it for port shopping, etc.

 

 

 

So when you buy your OBC at your great rate, simply ask if it is refundable. It should be because it comes from you, not the cruise line.

 

 

 

Hope that helps! :D

if you withdraw the money it will be in $US. Then you will have to exchange it into $AUS to spend so you will lose a bit there because the money changes charge a fee.

[Koz1]

Hi ken, I hope you are having a wonderful cruise. No one has been able 100% to confirm that you can withdraw cash or the balance in cash. Have you tried this? Thanks

 

Yes the cruise has been wonderful thanks and the Allure of the Seas is an awesome ship.

 

We sailed on the Celebrity Century in December and had around $110 of OBC provided by Celebrity from booking on board another cruise left over and I went to the Casino on the final day (you must do it before the Casino closes on the final night of the cruise) and withdrew $105 and $110.25 (including the $5.25 commission) was charged to my cruise account. Since this was non refundable it was a choice of spending it on board or paying 5% to the casino and withdrawing $105 in US notes which was handy for our current trip. I had a final charge on my account of around 85 cents.

 

Since Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have the same parent Company things should work the same on Royal. I've just called in to the Casino on the Allure of the Seas and asked about withdrawing cash and it works the same as Celebrity - there is a 5% charge on cash withdrawals and a minimum withdrawal of $20 and it's all charged to your sea card.

 

It doesn't matter if there is OBC on your account or not, any charges from the Casino go onto your account along with any other purchases - drinks, photos, shops etc so this is a good way to use up any non refundable OBC that was given to you by the cruise line when you booked. If you didn't have any OBC to offset the cash you get from the Casino it would all be charged to your credit card as part of your final bill. You don't mention at the Casino that you are using OBC - you just ask for the amount that you want. They don't look at what you might have available in your account, they just swipe your card and ask you to sign the receipt, just like any other charge you make on the ship. On the Celebrity cruise there was a sign saying the maximum withdrawal is $2000 a day but there was no sign here on the Allure and I didn't ask about that.

 

If you have OBC you've purchased, like a lot of us have done recently, it is refundable and shows on my account on the Interactive TV as "OBCR - ROYAL SELECTIONS" so would be better not to get it from the Casino and lose 5%.

 

I also called in to the Guest Services and asked how I get any of my refundable OBC I don't spend back and asked if I can get cash from there. I was told no, it would be refunded to the credit card you register for your on board cruise account. I'll call in later in the week and ask again to see if I get the same answer. If we have any left I'll see how much is refunded to my credit card.

 

I think it would be refunded back at the conversion rate on the day because when it's put onto your ship on board account it comes as a gift (I got a gift card in the room on the first day of each cruise) and is then part of your on board account and any charges you put on your account will be offset by any OBC and you will then be charged for any extra you spend to the credit card you register on board so any refunds should also go to that card, even if it different to the one you used to purchase the OBC. The gift of OBC could have been purchased by anyone and sent to you for your cruise as a gift so I think once it's in your account that's what would happen. I'll post back here after our cruise finishes on Sunday if we had any OBC left and it has to be refunded.

 

Ken

Edited February 9, 2015 by Koz1

[MicCanberra]

I'm in Canada and have been buying up OBC at a great rate for us. We have to pay 10%, but that beats the bank rate of over 20% plus the cc fees and charges. I was told that the OBC that I was buying is totally refundable which means you can withdraw it at Guest Relations in US currency. Don't pay the 5% to the Casino for your own money!!

 

OBC given to you from the cruise line is usually non-refundable. That is the money you have to withdraw from the Casino if you want to spend it off the ship.

 

I have some huge OBC from the cruise line for my 4 Australian cruises next year. I'll never spend it all so I intend to withdraw a good portion of it for port shopping, etc.

 

So when you buy your OBC at your great rate, simply ask if it is refundable. It should be because it comes from you, not the cruise line.

 

Hope that helps! :D

 

Good plan, converting USD to AUD will still leave you in front.:D

[aussiebrad79]

I think it would be refunded back at the conversion rate on the day

 

Thanks Ken, look forward to hearing your outcome.

 

What is their conversion rate like on the ship? Is it reasonable compared to the forex rate (currently 0.7808, 78c) and do we know if they hit you with an added conversion fee?

[MicCanberra]

Yes the cruise has been wonderful thanks and the Allure of the Seas is an awesome ship.

 

We sailed on the Celebrity Century in December and had around $110 of OBC provided by Celebrity from booking on board another cruise left over and I went to the Casino on the final day (you must do it before the Casino closes on the final night of the cruise) and withdrew $105 and $110.25 (including the $5.25 commission) was charged to my cruise account. Since this was non refundable it was a choice of spending it on board or paying 5% to the casino and withdrawing $105 in US notes which was handy for our current trip. I had a final charge on my account of around 85 cents.

 

Since Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have the same parent Company things should work the same on Royal. I've just called in to the Casino on the Allure of the Seas and asked about withdrawing cash and it works the same as Celebrity - there is a 5% charge on cash withdrawals and a minimum withdrawal of $20 and it's all charged to your sea card.

 

It doesn't matter if there is OBC on your account or not, any charges from the Casino go onto your account along with any other purchases - drinks, photos, shops etc so this is a good way to use up any non refundable OBC that was given to you by the cruise line when you booked. If you didn't have any OBC to offset the cash you get from the Casino it would all be charged to your credit card as part of your final bill. You don't mention at the Casino that you are using OBC - you just ask for the amount that you want. They don't look at what you might have available in your account, they just swipe your card and ask you to sign the receipt, just like any other charge you make on the ship. On the Celebrity cruise there was a sign saying the maximum withdrawal is $2000 a day but there was no sign here on the Allure and I didn't ask about that.

 

If you have OBC you've purchased, like a lot of us have done recently, it is refundable and shows on my account on the Interactive TV as "OBCR - ROYAL SELECTIONS" so would be better not to get it from the Casino and lose 5%.

 

I also called in to the Guest Services and asked how I get any of my refundable OBC I don't spend back and asked if I can get cash from there. I was told no, it would be refunded to the credit card you register for your on board cruise account. I'll call in later in the week and ask again to see if I get the same answer. If we have any left I'll see how much is refunded to my credit card.

 

I think it would be refunded back at the conversion rate on the day because when it's put onto your ship on board account it comes as a gift (I got a gift card in the room on the first day of each cruise) and is then part of your on board account and any charges you put on your account will be offset by any OBC and you will then be charged for any extra you spend to the credit card you register on board so any refunds should also go to that card, even if it different to the one you used to purchase the OBC. The gift of OBC could have been purchased by anyone and sent to you for your cruise as a gift so I think once it's in your account that's what would happen. I'll post back here after our cruise finishes on Sunday if we had any OBC left and it has to be refunded.

 

Ken

 

Thanks Ken for clarifying a few queries. BTW, I am loving all the photos of your trip. Just wonderful.:D

[Koz1]

Thanks Ken, look forward to hearing your outcome.

 

What is their conversion rate like on the ship? Is it reasonable compared to the forex rate (currently 0.7808, 78c) and do we know if they hit you with an added conversion fee?

 

It would be the conversion rate used by your credit card provider. When you board you have the choice to have a Visa or Mastercard converted by the cruise line or by your card provider, but I always choose the card provider as I've read that you will get a better rate than having the cruise line do it, although it's something I've never tried.

[Ned49]

Thank you for all the help you have all provided. I have just bought $1000 us for $1000 aud for my upcoming cruise on ROTS. I was informed that any unused money would be put back on my credit card.

 

Thank you xx

[aussiebrad79]

Thank you for all the help you have all provided.

Thank you xx

 

Glad to help, that's what these forums are for :D

[MicCanberra]

Glad to help, that's what these forums are for :D

 

That's right, sharing the joy of cruising and all that goes with it.:D

[tangogulf]

Rang up my TA today to try and buy some OBC. He advised that certainly they can do this for me but he didn't recommend it.

 

The reason is they have had so many instances where upon boarding the ship passengers have found no record of their OBC in the system and RCI advise to chase up with your TA. Not an easy thing to do once at sea.

 

He also advised it has sometimes taken weeks for the matters to be sorted out and a refund made to clients after returning from the cruise.. Apparently the TA has to ring RCI and if they get someone on the other end who doesn't add the OBC to your booking correctly then it just doesn't appear at the Ships end of things.

 

He wasn't trying to scare me off doing it, only pointing out the risks. I opted not to proceed.. Yes I know I'm chicken when it comes to these kinds of issues.

[cruisine21]

Rang up my TA today to try and buy some OBC. He advised that certainly they can do this for me but he didn't recommend it.

 

The reason is they have had so many instances where upon boarding the ship passengers have found no record of their OBC in the system and RCI advise to chase up with your TA. Not an easy thing to do once at sea.

 

He also advised it has sometimes taken weeks for the matters to be sorted out and a refund made to clients after returning from the cruise.. Apparently the TA has to ring RCI and if they get someone on the other end who doesn't add the OBC to your booking correctly then it just doesn't appear at the Ships end of things.

 

He wasn't trying to scare me off doing it, only pointing out the risks. I opted not to proceed.. Yes I know I'm chicken when it comes to these kinds of issues.

 

 

I booked with a TA but I rang Royal direct and purchased the credit. I received an email confirmation so I have it in writing.