RC VisA rewards...

[springmac]

I am cruising next month on the Brilliance. I cashed in my RC Visa points online for onboard credit. How do I redeem and have added to my account with Royal Caribbean? Thanks in advance!

[Clarea]

I am cruising next month on the Brilliance. I cashed in my RC Visa points online for onboard credit. How do I redeem and have added to my account with Royal Caribbean? Thanks in advance!

Use this website:

 

https://www.managerewardsonline.com/RMSapp/Ctl/entry?pid=grprwd&mc=RCCL

[VaCruzers]

If you already cashed in and redeemed for OBC, it will appear on your account once onboard.

[skis2]

We did this for our upcoming Navigator cruise. You can call the rewards number within 14 days of your sailing and verify the OBC has been applied.

Apparently, if you booked online with RCCL, the OBC is viewable in your online reservation within 14 days of the sailing. We used an online TA for this cruise so we can't see the OBC online.

Fingers crossed that the OBC shows up onboard!

Edited February 25, 2016 by skis2

[Paulette3028]

We did this for our upcoming Navigator cruise. You can call the rewards number within 14 days of your sailing and verify the OBC has been applied.

Apparently, if you booked online with RCCL, the OBC is viewable in your online reservation within 14 days of the sailing. We used an online TA for this cruise so we can't see the OBC online.

Fingers crossed that the OBC shows up onboard!

 

Even if you book directly with Royal it is not viewable in your online reservation. If you did the redemption for the OBC prior to printing your documents it will be listed in your documents but it won't be visible via the online reservation website.

 

Just the way it was for our most recent cruise (last week).

[Janet524]

I always call RC a few weeks prior to my cruise and have them verify that the redeemed OBC is showing on my res. And I always bring a copy of the redemption confirmation along nust in case.

[MattInFLL]

Call at least a week before and verify it was added. Definitely cannot be viewed on line and will not show up on your invoice like all your regular pre cruise purchases and regular OBC. But it will show up in your cruise docs. Ask them to be "reissued". Takes a day. Then print them and you have your proof. They credit the Visa card credits to your onboard account on day 2. I just did all this yesterday for my anthem cruise. The Visa card credits have no cash value and cannot be used in the casino. Must be used onboard for that cruise.

Edited February 25, 2016 by MattInFLL

[Clarea]

Call at least a week before and verify it was added. Definitely cannot be viewed on line and will not show up on your invoice like all your regular pre cruise purchases and regular OBC. But it will show up in your cruise docs. Ask them to be "reissued". Takes a day. Then print them and you have your proof. They credit the Visa card credits to your onboard account on day 2. I just did all this yesterday for my anthem cruise. The Visa card credits have no cash value and cannot be used in the casino. Must be used onboard for that cruise.

Maybe things have changed, but I can see my Visa points OBC on my booking invoice. It does take a while to show up though. I wait until about two weeks before the cruise and request a new invoice then.

[molly361]

Maybe things have changed, but I can see my Visa points OBC on my booking invoice. It does take a while to show up though. I wait until about two weeks before the cruise and request a new invoice then.

 

I can also see them on our booking invoice. This was for a cruise that was 2 weeks ago

[Bdchili]

I have found that the best way to maximize your point use is to call the number on your card. I have always found that they will take the time to help you find ways to skin the cat.

A really cool thing I learned the other day BTW, is if you use your points for some OBC you can go to the purser and get CASH for that credit. It is really the only type of OBC that you can do that with. Its great for use if you want to do things on a port of call or apply to a shore excursion that isn't set up through RCCL.

 

I personally use as much as I can towards cruise discounts and apply them as payments toward the cruise, then if there is a random allotment left over then use twoard OBC. Must mention though don't apply until you are 100% sure you are taking the cruise because once applied they are gone (no refunds).

 

You can use all the way up to 15 days before the cruise toward cruise discounts and even if you have paid in full for your cruise they will credit your Vise back on next statement for the amount. So use your card to pay for the cruise, GET DOUBLE POINTS, to maximize you point total, then have Discount applied. Depending on what type of accommodations it may not add up to much but heck, why not maximize the value of the points.

 

Just my thoughts

 

B-

[Paulette3028]

I can also see them on our booking invoice. This was for a cruise that was 2 weeks ago

 

We were not able to and we cruised last week. But the OBC was on our account when we boarded, so all was well. Does it make sense that some can see it and others can't on their reservation -- no.

[tribeagle]

So can OBC from the Visa card be combined with the OBC from Royal's various promotions?

[Clarea]

...A really cool thing I learned the other day BTW, is if you use your points for some OBC you can go to the purser and get CASH for that credit....

Are you saying you can go to Guest Services on days other than the last day of the cruise and get cash for your OBC without any service fee?

[Paulette3028]

I have found that the best way to maximize your point use is to call the number on your card. I have always found that they will take the time to help you find ways to skin the cat.

A really cool thing I learned the other day BTW, is if you use your points for some OBC you can go to the purser and get CASH for that credit. It is really the only type of OBC that you can do that with. Its great for use if you want to do things on a port of call or apply to a shore excursion that isn't set up through RCCL.

 

I personally use as much as I can towards cruise discounts and apply them as payments toward the cruise, then if there is a random allotment left over then use twoard OBC. Must mention though don't apply until you are 100% sure you are taking the cruise because once applied they are gone (no refunds).

 

You can use all the way up to 15 days before the cruise toward cruise discounts and even if you have paid in full for your cruise they will credit your Vise back on next statement for the amount. So use your card to pay for the cruise, GET DOUBLE POINTS, to maximize you point total, then have Discount applied. Depending on what type of accommodations it may not add up to much but heck, why not maximize the value of the points.

 

Just my thoughts

 

B-

 

You are going to hear from plenty of people that the BofA RC reward program pales in comparison to other credit card reward programs. Our feeling is, it works well for us, and we don't want a credit card that has an annual fee, no matter how much or little it is.

 

We get the best price we can for our cruises, redeem points to be subtracted from the overall cost prior to final payment, redeem for OBC's as we want and in the end, it works for us.

[Paulette3028]

So can OBC from the Visa card be combined with the OBC from Royal's various promotions?

 

The OBC from the Visa card you are redeeming because of points that you earned using the credit card. It should have absolutely nothing to do with any promotion that gave you an OBC. We have had several different OBC's on a cruise booking.

[Clarea]

So can OBC from the Visa card be combined with the OBC from Royal's various promotions?

Yes, so far, Visa Points OBC can be combined with other OBC.

[RocketMan275]

I have found that the best way to maximize your point use is to call the number on your card. I have always found that they will take the time to help you find ways to skin the cat.

A really cool thing I learned the other day BTW, is if you use your points for some OBC you can go to the purser and get CASH for that credit. It is really the only type of OBC that you can do that with. Its great for use if you want to do things on a port of call or apply to a shore excursion that isn't set up through RCCL.

 

I personally use as much as I can towards cruise discounts and apply them as payments toward the cruise, then if there is a random allotment left over then use twoard OBC. Must mention though don't apply until you are 100% sure you are taking the cruise because once applied they are gone (no refunds).

 

You can use all the way up to 15 days before the cruise toward cruise discounts and even if you have paid in full for your cruise they will credit your Vise back on next statement for the amount. So use your card to pay for the cruise, GET DOUBLE POINTS, to maximize you point total, then have Discount applied. Depending on what type of accommodations it may not add up to much but heck, why not maximize the value of the points.

 

Just my thoughts

 

B-

 

There is a reason you will hear about better rewards cards. The cruise line credit cards offer poor rewards.

 

Even cruise critic says: "If you want to get the best return on investment from a credit card, cruise credit cards aren't the way to go. With most charges yielding just a 1 percent effective rebate on a limited catalog of awards, cruise credit cards aren't top-of-the-class in terms of value or rewards flexibility." See link below:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1453

 

 

Get a cash back card. No need to jump through hoops. All the cash back is cash. It can be combined with all other promotions. You are not limited to RCCI. You can get credit for purchases on any line and you can use your cash back on any line. You can do much better than the 2% you get with RCCI Visa.

 

Our card pays 3% on all travel, ie, hotels, dining, rental cars, airlines (even those we book ourselves), cruise lines, etc. It pays 5% on gasoline and 1% on all else. We have other cards for the "all else".

 

We're leaving in a couple of weeks. We received our cash back check ($500) last month. We cashed it. Put the cash in an envelope. We'll use this cash to pay for incidentals like meals on the way to the port, supplemental tips, etc. If we don't spend it, then we'll bring it home. No need to try to figure out a way to get it from the cruise line.

Edited February 25, 2016 by RocketMan275

[Ivana Cruise]

Mine showed up on my Invoice on my Granduer cruise last week. I do book directly through website. It also showed on the second day while on the ship.

Also we had two other forms of OBC it combined with. A Next Cruise credit and a promotional credit.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Ivana Cruise

[MattInFLL]

Maybe things have changed, but I can see my Visa points OBC on my booking invoice. It does take a while to show up though. I wait until about two weeks before the cruise and request a new invoice then.

 

 

I thought they would. But they have not. At least in my case. The OBC was applied to my reservation about 10-12 days ago. It was not reflecting on newly generated invoices. The only place it would show up on documents was the cruise docs.

 

But if it works for others, great.

Edited February 25, 2016 by MattInFLL

[nyc12345]

 

Our card pays 3% on all travel, ie, hotels, dining, rental cars, airlines (even those we book ourselves), cruise lines, etc. It pays 5% on gasoline and 1% on all else. We have other cards for the "all else".

 

 

What card offers 3% on travel and 5% on gas? :confused: That's very good...

[Clarea]

What card offers 3% on travel and 5% on gas? :confused: That's very good...

Sounds like a Sam's Club card. I believe the cashback on gas is limited to $6000 in gas purchases.

Edited February 25, 2016 by clarea

[RocketMan275]

What card offers 3% on travel and 5% on gas? :confused: That's very good...

 

Sam's Club Master Card. You don't have to have a local Sam's Club to get one. You do have to buy a membership, about $50 per year. Even if you don't use the club, the rewards are worth it.

 

You can get other cards that offer comparable rewards. Just need to do the research. Google is your friend.

[Clarea]

Sam's Club Master Card. You don't have to have a local Sam's Club to get one. You do have to buy a membership, about $50 per year. Even if you don't use the club, the rewards are worth it.

 

You can get other cards that offer comparable rewards. Just need to do the research. Google is your friend.

If I remember correctly, the cash back is via check that you can only cash at Sam's Club.

[Paulette3028]

There is a reason you will hear about better rewards cards. The cruise line credit cards offer poor rewards.

 

Even cruise critic says: "If you want to get the best return on investment from a credit card, cruise credit cards aren't the way to go. With most charges yielding just a 1 percent effective rebate on a limited catalog of awards, cruise credit cards aren't top-of-the-class in terms of value or rewards flexibility." See link below:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1453

 

 

Get a cash back card. No need to jump through hoops. All the cash back is cash. It can be combined with all other promotions. You are not limited to RCCI. You can get credit for purchases on any line and you can use your cash back on any line. You can do much better than the 2% you get with RCCI Visa.

 

Our card pays 3% on all travel, ie, hotels, dining, rental cars, airlines (even those we book ourselves), cruise lines, etc. It pays 5% on gasoline and 1% on all else. We have other cards for the "all else".

 

We're leaving in a couple of weeks. We received our cash back check ($500) last month. We cashed it. Put the cash in an envelope. We'll use this cash to pay for incidentals like meals on the way to the port, supplemental tips, etc. If we don't spend it, then we'll bring it home. No need to try to figure out a way to get it from the cruise line.

 

Everyone has their own opinions of what is the best credit card for them.....and that will never change. As already in this thread it has been mentioned that if the credit card you get that gives you a check to redeem and it only can be redeemed in their location -- that would be just as limiting as another card might be.

 

We like to redeem our points towards our cruise price and have a smaller out of pocket amount to pay. We work hard to find the best deal on the cruise itself and the redemption works fine for us, or as an OBC or in combination. We are not heavy credit card users in the first place, but we do funnel whatever possible through our credit card to earn the points we want.

[RocketMan275]

Sounds like a Sam's Club card. I believe the cashback on gas is limited to $6000 in gas purchases.

 

That's correct, but at today's pricing, $6000 should buy you over 3000 gallons which is a lot of driving. You do get 1% cash back on gas on amounts over $6000. I do not believe there is a limit on travel but there is a $5000 limit on cash back total.

 

It's not for every one but it is worth considering.