how do you get OBCs

[doreman]

Without going thru a TA? I

[JVilleGal]

Most OBC come thru the TA.?my TA gave $1400 rebate plus a special $500 OBC. My quote direct from Avalon was nearly $2000 more just for booking thru them....., I'll book with my TA for those figures!

[jeb_bud]

JVilleGal, Can you tell me who your TA is? I'm a MedfordGuy so if your TA is local they are for me too.

 

I booked my upcoming cruise on Scenic through them. It's our first cruise, and if we enjoy it as much as we hope we will take more cruises. It appears that it would behoove us to add a TA to the mix as we shop for our next cruise.

[JVilleGal]

Hi neighbor! Sadly my local TA after years of very expensive trips, only "once" in 20 yrs gave me a single $50 - OBC. Acted like it was the best treat ever, she also charged $25 for every single reservation, never mind the $1000's in commissions she made from cruises such as Regent, etc.

 

No you won't get a cent from a local TA. On your trip speak with fellow travelers about who they use. My TA came from a fellow CC member (in another CC life) a couple years ago.

Google "luxury cruising" several will come up, start there!

[JVilleGal]

I should say "our" :) local TA!

[Host Jazzbeau]

JVilleGal, Can you tell me who your TA is? I'm a MedfordGuy so if your TA is local they are for me too.

 

I booked my upcoming cruise on Scenic through them. It's our first cruise, and if we enjoy it as much as we hope we will take more cruises. It appears that it would behoove us to add a TA to the mix as we shop for our next cruise.

 

jeb_bud: since you're fairly new to CC, I just wanted to make sure you know that we are not allowed to mention TAs by name.

[JVilleGal]

jeb_bud: since you're fairly new to CC, I just wanted to make sure you know that we are not allowed to mention TAs by name.

 

 

Sorry I should have explained to Jeb_bud:)

[CoachT]

Hi neighbor! Sadly my local TA after years of very expensive trips, only "once" in 20 yrs gave me a single $50 - OBC. Acted like it was the best treat ever, she also charged $25 for every single reservation, never mind the $1000's in commissions she made from cruises such as Regent, etc.

 

No you won't get a cent from a local TA. On your trip speak with fellow travelers about who they use. My TA came from a fellow CC member (in another CC life) a couple years ago.

Google "luxury cruising" several will come up, start there!

Do you get money back from your attorney, doctor, dentist or myriad other professionals that you deal with on a daily basis? How much of YOUR income to you give back anyway? What business is it of yours how much she makes as part of her job.

[JVilleGal]

Do you get money back from your attorney, doctor, dentist or myriad other professionals that you deal with on a daily basis? How much of YOUR income to you give back anyway? What business is it of yours how much she makes as part of her job.

 

 

No business at all... No negotiation involved, this just happens to be the business model of a TA who apparently does volume business with a variety of luxury outfits.

Should be noted that she does not give these benefits on every cruise line, but for the resorts, and cruise lines I book she does.

 

And yes I did recently negotiate a better deal with my doctor for a service my insurance would not (in their weird reasoning) cover! Cash was king with this doctor!

 

Come to think of it I do get a credit annually from my CPA due to a really big acct I referred. :)

Edited June 15, 2015 by JVilleGal

[biker1972]

It does not take much to become an internet TA. Many of these are just trip- bookers (and part-timers, at that) who are unable to help other than offering some kind of a rebate. Find a professional TA and you might not expect OBC because they monitor prices, watch for deals, know good cabins from bad, can help in planning flights, getting good trip insurance and help finding good shore excursions booked with recommended guides. A professional TA is always available and can even be helpful if things go south once the trip starts. With all others, get the OBC! ;)

[JVilleGal]

Mine and all her back up team have been real pro's .... Her office is very large, no disappointment in service provided at all. I did get a reduction in price after booking . My experience may be different than yours.

[caviargal]

It does not take much to become an internet TA. Many of these are just trip- bookers (and part-timers, at that) who are unable to help other than offering some kind of a rebate. Find a professional TA and you might not expect OBC because they monitor prices, watch for deals, know good cabins from bad, can help in planning flights, getting good trip insurance and help finding good shore excursions booked with recommended guides. A professional TA is always available and can even be helpful if things go south once the trip starts. With all others, get the OBC! ;)

 

I totally agree. You get what you pay for.

[Mark_T]

Do you get money back from your attorney, doctor, dentist or myriad other professionals that you deal with on a daily basis? How much of YOUR income to you give back anyway? What business is it of yours how much she makes as part of her job.

 

Not really in the same league as the professionals you list though :)

 

If my TA is not offering a rebate or OBC for passing on a booking that I have already researched and decided upon then I will find a new TA who is interested in the extra volume for virtually no extra work.

 

If the TA is providing a full research and support service then I'm sure they can keep clients without the rebates, but when I do the work then yes, I do expect some recognition of that fact ...

[Rebel54]

Whatever "bonus" you get, comes out of the TA's commission, unless the supplier is offering some sort of bennie for booking.

[papa B me]

One way to get additional OBC's is with a Platinum American Express. I had avoided doing this in the past due to the cost for the card itself. But as I researched this last year and began looking at the large number of benefits I'm about to take advantage of with my business travel it really made alot of sense. I received $300 OBC from American Express for each of my two booked Uniworld cruises.

[Host Jazzbeau]

One way to get additional OBC's is with a Platinum American Express. I had avoided doing this in the past due to the cost for the card itself. But as I researched this last year and began looking at the large number of benefits I'm about to take advantage of with my business travel it really made alot of sense. I received $300 OBC from American Express for each of my two booked Uniworld cruises.

 

It's still a good card -- particularly in the first year when you can get the refund for Global Entry -- but not as good as a few years ago. Thankfully Uniworld still participates -- cruise lines keep dropping like flies [bad analogy :D] -- so if you sail Uniworld once a year it would be a good choice. If you don't sail Uniworld regularly, the Barclay Arrival Plus card is a good alternative -- lower annual fee, big rewards earned on all expenses, and easy to redeem the points for full value (it was also one of the first cards to come with a Chip, and there are no foreign fees).

[caviargal]

One way to get additional OBC's is with a Platinum American Express. I had avoided doing this in the past due to the cost for the card itself. But as I researched this last year and began looking at the large number of benefits I'm about to take advantage of with my business travel it really made alot of sense. I received $300 OBC from American Express for each of my two booked Uniworld cruises.

 

 

Using the OBC provided by AMEX Platinum Cards (I have one and love it) often means your reservation cannot be part of a group that would entitle you to other benefits. I had this happen with Oceania and the group perks were substantially better than the OBC AMEX would have provided.

[sharkster77]

Isn't the Barclay Card Jazzbeau mentions one of the few chip and PIN cards that is easily obtained in the US? Everyone else is issuing chip and sign cards and telling folks "no problem if used outside of US". May be true until you get to an unmanned kiosk for train tickets, etc.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Isn't the Barclay Card Jazzbeau mentions one of the few chip and PIN cards that is easily obtained in the US? Everyone else is issuing chip and sign cards and telling folks "no problem if used outside of US". May be true until you get to an unmanned kiosk for train tickets, etc.

 

You are correct.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The problem on a river cruise is using OBC! My TA gave me $300 and when I checked the only things I can use it on a gratuities (which shouldn't come to that much on a 7-day cruise), drinks (not much opportunity thanks to free wine and beer), the gift shop (last time I bought one book about the Rhine castles), and the spa (nada). I guess I may have one fancy bottle of wine the last night!

[caviargal]

The problem on a river cruise is using OBC! My TA gave me $300 and when I checked the only things I can use it on a gratuities (which shouldn't come to that much on a 7-day cruise), drinks (not much opportunity thanks to free wine and beer), the gift shop (last time I bought one book about the Rhine castles), and the spa (nada). I guess I may have one fancy bottle of wine the last night!

 

We always book a massage or two while on AMA. Not quite a spa but we have had some great massages. :)

[JVilleGal]

Laundry!!! And an optional excursion :)

[Host Jazzbeau]

Laundry!!! And an optional excursion :)

 

Laundry may be necessary -- we will board the ship after a week of driving through France, and still have several days in Paris after the cruise ends. Optional Excursions -- one of the great things about AMA is there are no extra-cost excursions! We are already booked on several of the Limited Edition excursions -- all are included in the cruise fare. Even the Chef's Table specialty restaurant is included. Such a terrible problem to have: how to spend money on board!!!

[tribbs1]

If your TA is part of a consortium (Signature, Ensemble, etc.) and she can book you into one of their groups on the cruise you can get OBC. I got $350 OBC for my upcoming AMALyra Legendary Danube in October. If you are getting $1400 off your cruise from a TA, he/she is likely rebating which is frowned upon by the river cruise companies. And, after doing all the work, why in the world would he/she rebate their commission?

[JVilleGal]

If your TA is part of a consortium (Signature, Ensemble, etc.) and she can book you into one of their groups on the cruise you can get OBC. I got $350 OBC for my upcoming AMALyra Legendary Danube in October. If you are getting $1400 off your cruise from a TA, he/she is likely rebating which is frowned upon by the river cruise companies. And, after doing all the work, why in the world would he/she rebate their commission?

 

 

I imagine that is exactly what they are doing and I am fine with that. I did the research and they simply booked the trip. I have gotten the names of 4 different agencies from fellow CC members who I met on some of my earlier Regent cruises. This seems to be the business model of these agencies.

When googling each, they came up under "Luxury" agencies and all advertised when reading their websites that certain benefits apply depending on the cruise line being booked.

 

To repeat I never negotiated these rebates but they appeared on quotes given to me when comparing different travel agencies.

The agent I booked with told me her agency does a huge volume with 5 Star cruise lines (including various River Cruise lines) and due to volume sales they are able to share this with there clients as a booking incentive. Other agents gave me pretty much the same explanation.

 

For these types of benefits why wouldn't I book this way? By the way I do get great service when I have some thing I need or questions plus 24 hr emergency if needed.