Paying with RC Certificates

[ArkTraveler82]

Has anyone who has made a payment using RC Certificates lost the ability to see their invoice, amount paid, amount due and payment due date? I booked through RCI, paid my deposit and was able to access my invoice online up until I made the payment with a certificate. Now when I log on, I see this instead:

"Travel Agency: Deluxe Rewards Certificate Program. Please contact your travel agency partner for any questions, or servicing needs, you might have with your reservation."

I can still see everything else about the cruise just not the payment side of my account. I've spent too much on the phone with RC getting different answers from different reps as to why I'm unable to access my invoice now. The last rep said the Rewards Program was trying to take ownership of the reservation and its in the middle of transference (going on 2 months now). I told him that didn't sound right because when I made payments to Carnival with gift cards purchased through the same group, they never tried to take ownership then.

Also, I realize that the rules stated on the certificate say they are not good for existing reservations but that is not true because I researched it on Cruise Critic and confirmed with RC before purchasing. I asked for a copy of my invoice and it shows that the last certificate I mailed them was applied. My question is whether anyone else is experiencing this problem and have you received a legitimate answer from RC as to what the problem is? I plan to send in gift certificates 4 more times over the next few months and I hate to have to call in and request an emailed invoice every time.

Other than that, can't wait for my cruise on the Oasis... just 190 more days!!!! :D

Thanks in advance!

[DrinkinsinceCharlotte]

I did the exact same. You do have to call since your are now booking with a "travel agent". I just had to track how much I owed on my own and I called two to three days before final payment to make sure everything was applied. Also, they run those certificates through the payment system once a month, so if your balance doesn't change as soon as they arrive, give it until the end of the month. When I called, it was suggested to me to keep copies of the certificates and also mail them certified mail, so I sent all the certificates at the same time to reduce my mailing costs. Hope this helps.

[ArkTraveler82]

I did the exact same. You do have to call since your are now booking with a "travel agent". I just had to track how much I owed on my own and I called two to three days before final payment to make sure everything was applied. Also, they run those certificates through the payment system once a month, so if your balance doesn't change as soon as they arrive, give it until the end of the month. When I called, it was suggested to me to keep copies of the certificates and also mail them certified mail, so I sent all the certificates at the same time to reduce my mailing costs. Hope this helps.

Thank you. It doesn't seem that any of the RCI reps understand what is going on with the certificates. I asked the rep could I log into that travel agency then but technically the booking is still in their system; so I said, "then RC sets it up to where I can't see my invoice just because I'm paying with certificates?" Poor guy. Every time he came up with what he felt was an answer, I stumped him with a logical response. So basically, RCI has an antiquated system. :-( Thanks for sharing your experience and for the suggestion to make copies, that's an excellent idea!

 

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[DrinkinsinceCharlotte]

Also, on the website, or on the certificate itself, I found that there is a separate number to call to track all of this. What you will find is, if you call the RCCL "normal" number, they look at the screen and wonder if they can actually "get into" the booking. I found calling the special number is much faster. You should be able to use the cruise planner as normal, but you won't see a balance for your cruise, as you already know.

[ArkTraveler82]

Also, on the website, or on the certificate itself, I found that there is a separate number to call to track all of this. What you will find is, if you call the RCCL "normal" number, they look at the screen and wonder if they can actually "get into" the booking. I found calling the special number is much faster. You should be able to use the cruise planner as normal, but you won't see a balance for your cruise, as you already know.

I didn't realize that either! Good to know since I'll probably call each time. Thanks so much, you've been very helpful.

 

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[ArkTraveler82]

Also, on the website, or on the certificate itself, I found that there is a separate number to call to track all of this. What you will find is, if you call the RCCL "normal" number, they look at the screen and wonder if they can actually "get into" the booking. I found calling the special number is much faster. You should be able to use the cruise planner as normal, but you won't see a balance for your cruise, as you already know.

 

Hi DrinkinsinceCharlotte! Sorry to bother you again but was wondering if you could answer another question since you've had experience with paying with the RC certificates. When you mail yours, do you usually insure them? Also, do you wait and mail them all at once after you purchased them or do you mail them as you buy them?

Thanks so much in advance!!!

[mikelaw11017]

I found it much easier to scan the certificates and email them to RCCL. I redeemed 16 that way and had a pretty quick response from them.:)

[ArkTraveler82]

Mikelaw, I had no idea they would accept scanned certificates. What kind of response did you receive? I never received notification of any kind when they posted the certificate I mailed in. Did you use a particular email that got it to the accounting department? Thanks for sharing how this worked for you.

 

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[CRUSINGFAMILY]

I used some last fall when I booked the cruise on line with RCCL when I got to the payment section there was a place to add the certificate number and they just credited them to my cruise.

[ArkTraveler82]

I found it much easier to scan the certificates and email them to RCCL. I redeemed 16 that way and had a pretty quick response from them.:)

 

Hi Mikelaw!

Thanks for your response. I didn't know you could email copies and I think that is a great idea! I've tried to email a couple of times today and each time, was unsuccessful. I receive a message that says...

"We are currently unable to complete your request. Please try again later."

Did you ever have any issues emailing your certificates? I just wanted to check with you before spending 30 minutes on the phone with them. :rolleyes: