Buckimion Posted June 2, 2016 #1 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I have $700 in gift cards on the way with a balance of $485-ish on our cruise. :D What else can I pay in advance? I booked through special needs so I don't have a dedicated PVP to deal with. Paying the wife's Bubbles, tips and then anything toward S&S would be preferred, but I'm not sure how to do that without having to hold everything until embarkation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmukid87 Posted June 2, 2016 #2 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Things from the funshops....excursions... That's about it precruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schoifmom Posted June 2, 2016 #3 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I have $700 in gift cards on the way with a balance of $485-ish on our cruise. :D What else can I pay in advance? I booked through special needs so I don't have a dedicated PVP to deal with. Paying the wife's Bubbles, tips and then anything toward S&S would be preferred, but I'm not sure how to do that without having to hold everything until embarkation. Pre-cruise, you can prepay gratuities and excursions. Gift cards can't be used for Fun Shops purchases (including BB). You can hold onto the gift cards and apply them to your sign and sail when you board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tea4ular Posted June 2, 2016 #4 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Just DO NOT throw away the cards themselves, as I have heard that if there is any $ remaining at the end of your trip the remainder will be placed back on to the original card(s) - I've never done the "get cash from them at the casino" that I've read so much about, but a quick search can bring up the "how to" - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schoifmom Posted June 2, 2016 #5 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Just DO NOT throw away the cards themselves, as I have heard that if there is any $ remaining at the end of your trip the remainder will be placed back on to the original card(s) - I've never done the "get cash from them at the casino" that I've read so much about, but a quick search can bring up the "how to" - These cards are NOT reloadable. That means that anything remaining at the end of the cruise will be sent to you on a NEW gift card. Some people have reported getting checks. Personally, I use the casino trick to get my money back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Saint Greg Posted June 2, 2016 #6 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Pre-cruise, you can prepay gratuities and excursions. Gift cards can't be used for Fun Shops purchases (including BB). You can hold onto the gift cards and apply them to your sign and sail when you board. So I guess that means no cheers? pre-cruise or during cruise? Can they be used for internet or gratuity? I need to figure out how many gift cards i need to buy the next time they go on sale. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drazil65 Posted June 2, 2016 #7 Share Posted June 2, 2016 They did not return the funds left over on our cruise this past January to our gift cards (cannot reload). We always go to GS the night before disembark and cash in any credit balance on our S&S acct. They give us cash, if you don't want the cash in hand then they will mail a check for the credit balance to your home address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schoifmom Posted June 2, 2016 #8 Share Posted June 2, 2016 So I guess that means no cheers? pre-cruise or during cruise? Can they be used for internet or gratuity? I need to figure out how many gift cards i need to buy the next time they go on sale. :) You can use it to purchase Cheers on board, but not prior to sailing. Once you load the gift cards to your onboard account, they can be used for anything that you use your sign and sail card for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Saint Greg Posted June 2, 2016 #9 Share Posted June 2, 2016 You can use it to purchase Cheers on board, but not prior to sailing. Once you load the gift cards to your onboard account, they can be used for anything that you use your sign and sail card for. Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deborahjo Posted June 2, 2016 #10 Share Posted June 2, 2016 We add our gift cards to our account. Then we just take money off as we want cash. Plus we use for casino, excursions, drinks and in the shops. Money is not put back onto and of the cards. Cannot be done. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted June 2, 2016 #11 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I don't understand the "gift card" frenzy....if you can buy a card cheaper than it's value...that's great...but if you buy more than you need....not a great idea! Cash is king...buy what you need, but no more than that. Use cash for the rest, if you can't handle a credit card! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Saint Greg Posted June 3, 2016 #12 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I don't understand the "gift card" frenzy....if you can buy a card cheaper than it's value...that's great...but if you buy more than you need....not a great idea! Cash is king...buy what you need, but no more than that. Use cash for the rest, if you can't handle a credit card! I'm trying to figure out how much I need so I don't buy too many cards. But if I did I would probably just use the extra cards on a cruise in February. If I left $85 in savings I don't think it would make $15 in interest between now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cool4school Posted June 3, 2016 #13 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I don't understand the "gift card" frenzy....if you can buy a card cheaper than it's value...that's great...but if you buy more than you need....not a great idea! Cash is king...buy what you need, but no more than that. Use cash for the rest, if you can't handle a credit card! Paid $450 for a $500 gift card, applied it to S&S card on ship, used what I wanted onboard and got over $100 cash back when the cruise ended . . . that cash was king! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckimion Posted June 3, 2016 Author #14 Share Posted June 3, 2016 (edited) I don't understand the "gift card" frenzy....if you can buy a card cheaper than it's value...that's great... Paid $450 for a $500 gift card, applied it to S&S card on ship, used what I wanted onboard and got over $100 cash back when the cruise ended . . . that cash was king! Give the man a kewpie doll. An extra 10%+ on (AARP) gift cards beats rewards cash on my card. (Actually, that's in addition to rewards cash now that I think about it.) I've noted down the cash out procedure for the casino so that shouldn't be a problem. And now that I'm thinking about it, some more bonus cash from gift cards "withdrawn" for port spending sounds good. :cool: Edited June 3, 2016 by Buckimion note Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schoifmom Posted June 3, 2016 #15 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I don't understand the "gift card" frenzy....if you can buy a card cheaper than it's value...that's great...but if you buy more than you need....not a great idea! Cash is king...buy what you need, but no more than that. Use cash for the rest, if you can't handle a credit card! Seriously? If I was to give you $500 and you only had to give me $450, wouldn't you do it? Basically, that is what is happening. We use the gift cards to pay for our cruises, put them on our S&S accounts, and take out whatever is left over in cash. Cash IS king! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mairinmaureen Posted June 3, 2016 #16 Share Posted June 3, 2016 If I was to give you $500 and you only had to give me $450, wouldn't you do it? Yes! Where do you find these gift cards for sale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckimion Posted June 3, 2016 Author #17 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Yes! Where do you find these gift cards for sale? AARP for me. I think Verizon also has them occasionally. Once in a blue moon, a sale pops up on Ebay or other places, that's very rare. Note that AARP and Verizon usually sell out their periodic allotments quickly. You just have to catch them at the right time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcvtmom Posted June 3, 2016 #18 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I've purchased all of mine with Verizon. There are threads on here that update when they're available, but you've got to be quick! Still...I've saved hundreds over the past few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie24 Posted June 3, 2016 #19 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I have about $2000 extra in gift cards than I will need for onboard spending. Why did I buy so much extra? Because where else can I get 10% guaranteed return on my money? I am just going to cash them out in casino at end of cruise and make 10%! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galatz Posted June 3, 2016 #20 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I don't understand the "gift card" frenzy....if you can buy a card cheaper than it's value...that's great...but if you buy more than you need....not a great idea! Cash is king...buy what you need, but no more than that. Use cash for the rest, if you can't handle a credit card! Its very simple to understand. I just paid $85 for my $100 gift card. Lets say I apply $500 but use $400, and they give me $100 back. Well I just made $15 profit, in cash. You wouldn't want to make an easy $15 with no risk, for 30 seconds of time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewAddict Posted June 3, 2016 #21 Share Posted June 3, 2016 If you still haven't found out what you'll do with them, I'll email you my mailing address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cool4school Posted June 3, 2016 #22 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Yes! Where do you find these gift cards for sale? I get mine through Verizon Rewards. They come in $100 or $500 denominations and sell out quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Do-Over Posted June 3, 2016 #23 Share Posted June 3, 2016 5/3 Bank (Cincinnati region) has Carnival gift cards in their reward program. We stumbled across them recently, and got $1,850 in cards that didn't cost us a DIME. Family business checking account racked up points for years that we didn't even know about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janjan3839 Posted June 3, 2016 #24 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I buy mine through Citi Bank rewards. A 10% savings on my cruise, tips sign and sail is a no brainer for me. There is no charge for shipping. They are not available all the time, but I can get what I need, and spread out paying for the cruise. The last cruise I had $27 left on my account. I got a check in the mail the week after we returned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckimion Posted June 4, 2016 Author #25 Share Posted June 4, 2016 If you still haven't found out what you'll do with them, I'll email you my mailing address. Lol! Things got a little sidetracked. Is there a LINK to pay tips or S&S in advance? I don't see it in my cruise manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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