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OBC on Royal Caribbean

didiaust

By didiaust,
in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

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didiaust

didiaust

Posted
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Just wondering about the OBC that some agents offer .

 

Is it in AU$ or US$

 

Your OB account is calculated and itemised in US$ so is it also given in OBC

 

or

 

If your fare is in AU$ then the OBC is AU$

 

Appreciate any recent experience and opinions

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

Posted
Posted
Just wondering about the OBC that some agents offer .

 

Is it in AU$ or US$

 

Your OB account is calculated and itemised in US$ so is it also given in OBC

 

or

 

If your fare is in AU$ then the OBC is AU$

 

Appreciate any recent experience and opinions

 

It should be noted on your documents, maybe check with the TA.

The rate was $25 USD= $32,50 AUD a week ago. If you have amounts such as 25/50/75 etc, chances are it is in USD already.:D

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didiaust

didiaust

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It should be noted on your documents, maybe check with the TA.

The rate was $25 USD= $32,50 AUD a week ago. If you have amounts such as 25/50/75 etc, chances are it is in USD already.:D

 

Yes it is noted on the document from the TA it simply says

 

" Onboard Credit (OBC) $200.00

 

That's why I'm curious

 

Might have to wait till we get onboard ...its not a biggie but thinking of booking a suite and some offers say $500 OBC so I was hoping someone has recently had OBC and could answer

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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Yes it is noted on the document from the TA it simply says

 

" Onboard Credit (OBC) $200.00

 

That's why I'm curious

 

Might have to wait till we get onboard ...its not a biggie but thinking of booking a suite and some offers say $500 OBC so I was hoping someone has recently had OBC and could answer

 

In this case, it would be in $ USD amounts as that is what RCI uses on board.:D

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Lilfrog79

Lilfrog79

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Just off explorer and our $100 OBC was in US dollars. Booked through Aus travel agent it said on the booking $100 and it ended up being in US dollars!

 

Also a handy hint, when u get on and they ask if you want the cruise line to convert your money at the end of the cruise to Aus dollars or your bank, I would recommend letting your bank do it. The current exchange rate was 61c to the dollar which is crap! Just FYI.

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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Thanks Lilfrog79 , just what I was looking for ...recent experience . I take US$ on and settle in cash the night before even though I tick VISA . Lucky enough to put some aside when dollar on parity

 

If you have any OBC left over and it is refundable, they will credit your account at the current conversion rate $0.71 approx.:D

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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

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Yes it is noted on the document from the TA it simply says

 

" Onboard Credit (OBC) $200.00

 

That's why I'm curious

 

Might have to wait till we get onboard ...its not a biggie but thinking of booking a suite and some offers say $500 OBC so I was hoping someone has recently had OBC and could answer

 

With that wording it will be in USD.

 

As for the question generally, it does vary. Most often it will be in the onboard currency, but there are rare exceptions.

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Lilfrog79

Lilfrog79

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Thanks Lilfrog79 , just what I was looking for ...recent experience . I take US$ on and settle in cash the night before even though I tick VISA . Lucky enough to put some aside when dollar on parity

 

No problem. That's usually what I do. I go and get, say $1000 changed over at a currency exchange before the cruise. Then I use my Visa card on the account. A day or two before the end of the cruise I pay off what is owing, and then Whatever is left I let go to my Visa card, making sure I allow my bank to do the conversion, so that I'm not getting 60c to the dollar instead of 70c.

 

Some ppl are concerned about getting charged a conversion fee from their bank however it's usually not that much, and ultimately u will save money by letting your bank convert the money over!

 

Hope you have fun. I'm already depressed and starving hehehe

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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Your OBC will be in US dollars.

Its also handy to know that your OBC wont hit your seapass account until day 2, so don't stress if you don't see it immediately applied to your room account. Both recent cruises have been the same. Enjoy!

 

Welcome to Cruise critic (posting anyway).:D

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KAYTWO

KAYTWO

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Yep, USD is what we had last week. If you are thinking of not using it though (not sure why you wouldn't) make sure of what type of credit you have as some is now non-refundable. Too many people cashing out on it.

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Lilfrog79

Lilfrog79

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X is stopping the cashing out of all OBC(refundable or not) fleet wide, RCI is making it harder, they may well follow X's lead.:(

 

The sneakiest way to get back your money is to go to the casino and withdraw it from your account. As if you were spending it in the casino. They give it to you in US dollars and charge a 5% fee but you will get your money back.

 

RCCL stated in their compass that the credit was non refundable. Well I think it was in the compass, maybe it was somewhere else but I did read that. However you could still get it from the casino cashier.

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cassamanda

cassamanda

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The sneakiest way to get back your money is to go to the casino and withdraw it from your account. As if you were spending it in the casino. They give it to you in US dollars and charge a 5% fee but you will get your money back.

 

RCCL stated in their compass that the credit was non refundable. Well I think it was in the compass, maybe it was somewhere else but I did read that. However you could still get it from the casino cashier.

 

OBC that comes with your cruise booking, eg the current promotion of up to $500 obc is not refundable. Never has been.

OBC that you buy and load onto your account is credited to your cabin and the unspent portion is fully refundable.

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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The sneakiest way to get back your money is to go to the casino and withdraw it from your account. As if you were spending it in the casino. They give it to you in US dollars and charge a 5% fee but you will get your money back.

 

RCCL stated in their compass that the credit was non refundable. Well I think it was in the compass, maybe it was somewhere else but I did read that. However you could still get it from the casino cashier.

 

No longer possible on X, RCI will likely follow.:(

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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RCI only charge the 5% in the casino if you have linked a credit card to your account.

 

If you have loaded cash onboard or have OBC the dont charge at the casino cashier to withdraw.

 

Yes, having a cash account can work until the limit is met, then you cannot take any more out.

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gbenjo

gbenjo

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Just off explorer and our $100 OBC was in US dollars. Booked through Aus travel agent it said on the booking $100 and it ended up being in US dollars!

 

Also a handy hint, when u get on and they ask if you want the cruise line to convert your money at the end of the cruise to Aus dollars or your bank, I would recommend letting your bank do it. The current exchange rate was 61c to the dollar which is crap! Just FYI.

 

Choosing the ship or the bank to do your currency conversion does not have any bearing on what conversion rate is used. If you choose the ship to do your conversion they will charge you three percent of what your final account balance is for doing so. The fee charged by your bank for the currency conversion can vary from zero to whatever each individual bank charges. the actual conversion rate is always a fluctuating number and admittedly the ship " may"use a less favourable number but it is still determined on a daily market number.

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Lilfrog79

Lilfrog79

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Choosing the ship or the bank to do your currency conversion does not have any bearing on what conversion rate is used. If you choose the ship to do your conversion they will charge you three percent of what your final account balance is for doing so. The fee charged by your bank for the currency conversion can vary from zero to whatever each individual bank charges. the actual conversion rate is always a fluctuating number and admittedly the ship " may"use a less favorable number but it is still determined on a daily market number.

 

Yes, it is based on the market rate, but the ship will most certainly have a less favorable exchange rate than most banks or money exchange places. For example, last week the US dollar was at 72c (just going by the news). Money exchange places were selling for about 69cents. My bank was exchanging at 69cents. On board the exchange rate was 61 cents.

 

I use a 28 Degress Mastercard which charges no overseas transaction fee, so I choose to allow my bank to do the conversion. Even getting charged a small fee by my bank, it would work out cheaper. For my bill of about $1200 usd I saved nearly $200 allowing my bank to do the exchange.

 

So yeah, that was my only point that the exchange rate on board isn't really that crash hot. :(

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