AARP Carnival Gift Cards

[mommysoncruiser]

3 hours ago, rempo said:

Thanks to all for the informative thread!  Just signed up for Allstate Rewards.  Here's the non-recent codes I was able to load.

 

WELCOMECOUPONS    1,000
WELCOME2WINNING    2,500
WELCOME2AR    1,000
WELCOME2OFFERS    1,500
WELCOME2DEALS    1,500
WELCOMEBACK    1,000

WELCOMEBIDS    1,000
WELCOME2SAVINGS    1,000
WELCOME2REWARDS    1,000
WELCOMEREWARD    1,000
WELCOMEBRANDS    1,500
WELCOMEPRIZES    2,500
WELCOMELOCAL    1,500
10KANNIVERSARY    10,000
5KANNIVERSARY    5,000

 

Joining + Login was 6,800, so this will get you ~40,000 quickly.

I was able to use half of these but already had redeemed the other half. Thank you so much because this put me so much further ahead. I will be saving a lot on my upcoming cruises. This list is great! Thanks, thanks, and thanks!!

[Organized Chaos]

On 11/21/2021 at 6:46 PM, n6uqqq said:

On the Miracle now and can finally say I was able to load e gift cards at the kiosk for the first time ever.

 

Nice! Maybe the kiosks have gotten a long awaited software update or the settings adjusted to accept gift cards on more ships now. The option has been there, so they're obviously capable. Has probably been a glitch or setting.

[Organized Chaos]

On 11/21/2021 at 8:51 PM, SNJCruisers said:

Cruise cash...the only time it should ever be used is if you can buy it at a discount, like the short time that Carnival offered it at 20% off and you could buy up to 500.00.  Otherwise, you lose it if you don't use it. And there is really nothing positive about having cruise cash instead of regular cash.

And of course a credit card always trumps cash if you use it properly.  Have had a few over the last 40 years and have never carried a balance....ever.  Zero cc debt. Don't live beyond my means.

 

As Calnev pointed out, buying Cruise Cash with our discounted cards is buying the CC at a discount. But yeah, I also took advantage of the 20% discount they gave us. I first started using it just to try to prevent them from sending me to Guest Services in the terminal, but it didn't work. And as someone who uses a cash account, it has been kind of handy having some CC on there up front so I didn't have to go add gift cards right away. The use it or lose it stipulation didn't bother me in the past because of the casino trick to cash out. But I've heard that they've stopped allowing that, at least temporarily. It makes sense, given all the OBC they've been giving away and don't want people cashing it out.

 

I haven't owned a credit card in years. I've always preferred cash, haven't really needed a credit card. For certain instances, I have a debit card. Before anyone says it, I'm aware of the risks of using a debit card. It's not the same as a credit card, I know. I'm a savvy person who's aware of security concerns using a debit card. I pay very close attention to my privacy & security, and my cautious methods have served me well. I wouldn't really have a problem using my debit card on my S&S account. I trust in Carnival's security enough, and I don't spend beyond my means, so it would work, but I've always used a cash account (with gift cards & some Cruise Cash) and been happy with it. Admittedly, in the last year or two, I've been using less & less cash in everyday life, so I might get a credit card again in the near future.

Edited December 2, 2021 by Organized Chaos

[Organized Chaos]

On 11/22/2021 at 1:15 AM, Calnev1 said:

Perhaps it doesnt make sense . . . but the reason I want to try an account without a credit card backing it is to find out if there are any limits to what OBC and gift cards can buy on the ship.   With a credit card behind the account, maybe I won't know until after the cruise whether a particular charge (for example, a casino slot charge) was covered by the OBC, the gift cards, or the credit card.  But with no credit card on file, I will know in fact while onboard whether the OBC/gift card was accepted by the ship for the particular charge.   It's kind of an experiment.   Maybe a dumb one.

 

If their system works as it should, there's an order as to which payment method gets charged. It should first deduct any non-refundable OBC, then refundable OBC. After that, gift cards, cash, and finally credit/debit card. BUT, whether you use it or not, adding a credit/debit card to the account will activate the hold on your bank account (either $100 or $200 depending on length of cruise). So people need to be aware of that.

 

I get what you're saying though. Without, let's say, going to the kiosk on a regular basis to check the spending log, or keeping careful track of your spending, a person could use up OBC/gift cards/cash and it'll begin pulling from the credit card without realizing it.

[Organized Chaos]

On 11/24/2021 at 11:10 AM, thewynn said:

For those who have been doing this awhile. I joined about 2 weeks ago and currently have about 51,000 points but most of those have been by going through this post history and finding old codes that still worked. I figure I'm going to need another 30,000-50,000 points over the next year to cover a couple cruises. How likely is it that I will get enough points? 

I'm trying to determine if I will get enough points through Allstate or if I should join AARP to augment my points?

 

Thanks

 

I've done Allstate Rewards for just over 4 1/2 years now. I'm just over 715k points, more than I'll ever use. I did some quick math and it comes out to about 13,000 points per month. Your mileage may vary, of course.

 

Granted, it was probably a little easier to rack up more points for the first few years because they used to make multiple codes that only had a slight adjustment with the year. For example, if they released a code to some users that was "Christmas2021," other people would get "2021Christmas." There would often be 4 different variations to the same basic code, totaling 3k-4k points. At some point within the last year, they stopped doing it. Maybe they caught on that we figured it out. Now that little trick doesn't work anymore. But it's still pretty easy to rack up a ton of points.

 

AARP uses a different system now. They revamped their program in 2019, I think. If you want to buy Carnival gift cards, you no longer have to accrue points, but you DO have to be an AARP (paid) member. You don't have to be 50 yrs. old anymore (I'm not) and the membership fee is, on average, $16 a year, but they sometimes run deals for around $10-$12 a year. If you take advantage of any of their other member benefits, it can make the fee worth it, so you may want to look into it. For example, we use it to get discounts on rental cars and hotels. The money we save on those two things more than pays for our membership fee. They only offer Carnival ecards, no physical cards, and they limit theirs to 5/month.

[wgeddings]

I do not use Allstate insurance but I was about to download the Drivewise app to take advantage of the discounted cruise gift cards.  I am still concerned though that the app will be tracking my location all the time.  That will provide Allstate with all types of information I do not want public (I know other things probably track me) but most importantly having the GPS in my phone always active means it will drain my battery pretty quick, won't it?  

 

To those that have and use the app, can you use it even if you turn off the "allow tracking"?  Can I use BlueStacks to install a version of the app on my computer and still be able to enter the codes?  I assume I have to have the app to input the codes so just installing it on a windows machine (absent using BlueStacks) would not work but please tell me if that is incorrect. 

 

Thanks. 

[tm_aw_love]

9 minutes ago, wgeddings said:

I do not use Allstate insurance but I was about to download the Drivewise app to take advantage of the discounted cruise gift cards.  I am still concerned though that the app will be tracking my location all the time.  That will provide Allstate with all types of information I do not want public (I know other things probably track me) but most importantly having the GPS in my phone always active means it will drain my battery pretty quick, won't it?  

 

To those that have and use the app, can you use it even if you turn off the "allow tracking"?  Can I use BlueStacks to install a version of the app on my computer and still be able to enter the codes?  I assume I have to have the app to input the codes so just installing it on a windows machine (absent using BlueStacks) would not work but please tell me if that is incorrect. 

 

Thanks. 

I only used the app to initially set up an account. From there I have completely removed the app from my phone and exclusively accessed the website... but as a non customer you have to use the correct URL:

https://myaccountrwd.allstate.com/anon/account/login?campaign=145

 

Otherwise you will probably get an error saying you need to upgrade.

[Organized Chaos]

On 11/24/2021 at 11:52 AM, SNJCruisers said:

Because the FTTF people bought the opportunity to stand in the roped off line that we earned through our loyalty. 👿

 

I'm one of those evil FTTF people who often get accused on this forum of basically making the Platinum/Diamond perks feel less special. To be perfectly blunt, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Compared to some, we're not able to reach Platinum as quickly as others, so I'm grateful Carnival gives us a chance to enjoy some of the perks. We don't get all of the P/D perks, and it's not like we get it for free. We pay for the service, and it's not all that cheap, I might add. Not to mention, many of us FTTF users are loyal customers, as well. We simply haven't been on as many cruises.

 

The number of FTTF onboard any given cruise is very limited when compared to overall passengers, and it is dependent on the number of Platinum/Diamond cruises onboard each cruise. There will always be more P/D's than FTTF, and I'm guessing by quite a bit. No joke, the most people I've ever had ahead of me in the VIP Guest Services line was maybe a couple. Even during busy periods. FTTF don't clog up GS lines. Besides, I have no idea who's ahead of me in line. Whether they're FTTF, Platinum, or Diamond. I don't look at their cards because I don't care what they are.

 

When I finally do reach Platinum, nothing's going to change. I'm there for the cruise, not the perks, those are just a bonus. If P/D's are angry at FTTF users because they think it makes their perks feel less special, that's not on us. We're simply taking advantage of a service Carnival offers. Be mad at them, not us.

[MeganGC1983]

39 minutes ago, tm_aw_love said:

I only used the app to initially set up an account. From there I have completely removed the app from my phone and exclusively accessed the website... but as a non customer you have to use the correct URL:

https://myaccountrwd.allstate.com/anon/account/login?campaign=145

 

Otherwise you will probably get an error saying you need to upgrade.

Same

[Organized Chaos]

Well, it's official. I cancelled our March '22, Sailabration cruise a couple days ago. 😞 If it had been a normal cruise, it wouldn't be so bad, but with some of the unique things they were doing for their 50th anniversary cruises, this one's a bit more disappointing.

 

On a sad note, I discovered that my PVP passed away a few months ago. With the shut down, I hadn't talked to him for over a year. I wish I would've talked to him one last time. He had been with Carnival for almost 30 years, was a phenomenal PVP, and even though I didn't know him personally all that much, from the times we talked, I could tell he was an outstanding person. Kind enough to give his clients his personal cell phone number, and was always happy to help, even after hours and on weekends. Regardless of how many times I told him it could wait, he'd always insist. Farewell, Glen. Carnival lost a great one. 🙁

[cruisingguy007]

16 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Same

 

Me also. I only click through the emails to add points but don't have the app installed on any devices. 

[n6uqqq]

9 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Me also. I only click through the emails to add points but don't have the app installed on any devices. 

Ditto for me also. I did use the app for a time but I have so many points it doesn't matter now and it stopped working on my older Galaxy S5 so I deleted it. 

 

As I mentioned in a previous post I was able to load my e gift card at the kiosk for the first time. I loaded 500 dollar gift card but only used about 100 of it on a 5 day cruise. As I have aged to 55 years my desire to drink a lot has gone way down 😉 . On the last night of cruise I went to the casino and loaded the rest into a player bank on slots and then cashed it out no questions asked. I didn't want to wait for Carnival to FEDEX me another gift card, just wanted my account settled.

 

My buddy had the 600 dollar credit from a cancelled cruise and was able to use it for whatever he wanted but didn't try to cash it out at casino. He went to cherry on top and bought a gift card to use on a future cruise. 

[canes20]

36 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

Well, it's official. I cancelled our March '22, Sailabration cruise a couple days ago. 😞 If it had been a normal cruise, it wouldn't be so bad, but with some of the unique things they were doing for their 50th anniversary cruises, this one's a bit more disappointing.

 

On a sad note, I discovered that my PVP passed away a few months ago. With the shut down, I hadn't talked to him for over a year. I wish I would've talked to him one last time. He had been with Carnival for almost 30 years, was a phenomenal PVP, and even though I didn't know him personally all that much, from the times we talked, I could tell he was an outstanding person. Kind enough to give his clients his personal cell phone number, and was always happy to help, even after hours and on weekends. Regardless of how many times I told him it could wait, he'd always insist. Farewell, Glen. Carnival lost a great one. 🙁

Also our PVP, he was the best and like you said, he always took care of us immediately, no matter the day or time. We did get to talk to him as he was fighting his fight and if you did not know something was wrong, you would not know by the way he still did his job. He handled all of our cancelled COVID cruises and took care of all the re-booking and never missed a beat. 

[Organized Chaos]

On 11/25/2021 at 5:33 AM, BamaMomRollTide said:

How long does it take for Allstate to email the cards to you?  We’re cruising soon.

 

Did you ever get your cards? Sometimes they get sent to your spam folder.

[Organized Chaos]

On 11/28/2021 at 7:40 PM, Calnev1 said:

The extent of these limits is not clear until someone tries multiple purchases of different denomination cards over different time periods.

 

And you yourself said that you bought thirty  $100 Princess cards in one go several months ago.  It would now be a major hassle to do that same thirty card purchase, having to spread it out using multiple purchases over many weeks.  In fact, if you have a cruise coming up in the near future, you might also be concerned that the denomination you want might disappear for a time before you could complete those purchases.

 

But am I worried about these new limits?  Not yet.  We will see.

 

I'm the same way, I don't want it tracking me because I have no use for it. And yes, it will decrease battery life. Like a few others have said, create your account then just uninstall the app. Everything can be done on the website, using the link that tm_aw_love shared.

 

Here's some tips on creating an account as a non-customer from the app. Be warned, I haven't gone through the process for quite some time, so this should be very close, if not still the same.

 

Run the app and accept their terms of service. Click on Create an Account under the orange Log In button. On the next screen, non-customers need to choose Drivewise Only (No Allstate policy). That part is the most important. It'll then probably ask you to turn on location tracking. The app won't function without it, but you can turn it on, create your account, then delete the app. You'll probably have to agree to another terms of service. Then fill out your information (name, address, etc.). From there, I can't remember where it takes you, but it should be self-explanatory from that point. Good luck, and let us know if you have any problems.

[Organized Chaos]

41 minutes ago, canes20 said:

Also our PVP, he was the best and like you said, he always took care of us immediately, no matter the day or time. We did get to talk to him as he was fighting his fight and if you did not know something was wrong, you would not know by the way he still did his job. He handled all of our cancelled COVID cruises and took care of all the re-booking and never missed a beat. 

 

It's nice you got to talk to him. I tried to call him about a month ago and got a message he was out of the office. Thought maybe he was on vacation. I wasn't in a hurry, so I waited and called again this week. Got the same "out of office" message. That's when I thought it was strange, but it never crossed my mind he had passed. I thought maybe he left Carnival. So I called the other PVP from the message and he told me. I was shocked. I doubt most of their executives have been with the company anywhere near as long as Glen. I hope Carnival honored him well. The PVP team will never be the same without him.

[Denverdonkeys]

3 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

I've done Allstate Rewards for just over 4 1/2 years now. I'm just over 715k points, more than I'll ever use. I did some quick math and it comes out to about 13,000 points per month. Your mileage may vary, of course.

 

Granted, it was probably a little easier to rack up more points for the first few years because they used to make multiple codes that only had a slight adjustment with the year. For example, if they released a code to some users that was "Christmas2021," other people would get "2021Christmas." There would often be 4 different variations to the same basic code, totaling 3k-4k points. At some point within the last year, they stopped doing it. Maybe they caught on that we figured it out. Now that little trick doesn't work anymore. But it's still pretty easy to rack up a ton of points.

 

AARP uses a different system now. They revamped their program in 2019, I think. If you want to buy Carnival gift cards, you no longer have to accrue points, but you DO have to be an AARP (paid) member. You don't have to be 50 yrs. old anymore (I'm not) and the membership fee is, on average, $16 a year, but they sometimes run deals for around $10-$12 a year. If you take advantage of any of their other member benefits, it can make the fee worth it, so you may want to look into it. For example, we use it to get discounts on rental cars and hotels. The money we save on those two things more than pays for our membership fee. They only offer Carnival ecards, no physical cards, and they limit theirs to 5/month.

you should use some points to do points only auctions for gift cards. it will feel like you are wasting the points, but a $10-25 gift card for free is pretty cool. I was very high like you and watched the auctions a bit and got to a point where I received like $100 worth of random (but usable) gift cards for these otherwise worthless points.

 

[Calnev1]

2 hours ago, n6uqqq said:

 

 

As I mentioned in a previous post I was able to load my e gift card at the kiosk for the first time. I loaded 500 dollar gift card but only used about 100 of it on a 5 day cruise. As I have aged to 55 years my desire to drink a lot has gone way down 😉 . On the last night of cruise I went to the casino and loaded the rest into a player bank on slots and then cashed it out no questions asked. I didn't want to wait for Carnival to FEDEX me another gift card, just wanted my account settled.

 

My buddy had the 600 dollar credit from a cancelled cruise and was able to use it for whatever he wanted but didn't try to cash it out at casino. He went to cherry on top and bought a gift card to use on a future cruise. 

N6uqqq you are full of good  news!!  I assume all this activity was on the Carnival Miracle?  And it looks like it makes sense to wait until the last day or two of the cruise if you  need to liquidate a gift card (in the casino) or you need to liquidate some OBC (from the cherry on top).

[n6uqqq]

2 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

N6uqqq you are full of good  news!!  I assume all this activity was on the Carnival Miracle?  And it looks like it makes sense to wait until the last day or two of the cruise if you  need to liquidate a gift card (in the casino) or you need to liquidate some OBC (from the cherry on top).

Yes it was all on the Miracle November 18th 5 day to Cabo and Ensenada. Carnival would have refunded to another gift card but then I have to make sure I get that card when they leave it on my porch. Much easier to just cash out and save Carnival the FEDEX 2nd day air package they always use to refund me gift cards.

[RidgebackKing]

Does that URL still work?
https://myaccountrwd.allstate.com/anon/account/login?campaign=145

 

I registered for an Allstate account, installed the app on my phone and logged in. I don't see anywhere on the app to enter any codes and whenever I login to that URL, it takes me to a customer_upgrade page telling me to download and install the mobile app.  Did I miss a step?

[tm_aw_love]

14 minutes ago, RidgebackKing said:

Does that URL still work?
https://myaccountrwd.allstate.com/anon/account/login?campaign=145

 

I registered for an Allstate account, installed the app on my phone and logged in. I don't see anywhere on the app to enter any codes and whenever I login to that URL, it takes me to a customer_upgrade page telling me to download and install the mobile app.  Did I miss a step?

If you created the account as a non-customer through the app, that URL should work. 

 

Possible suggestion would be to use that URL in an In-Private or Incognito browser session. 

[RidgebackKing]

9 minutes ago, tm_aw_love said:

If you created the account as a non-customer through the app, that URL should work. 

 

Possible suggestion would be to use that URL in an In-Private or Incognito browser session. 

 

I created the account on my desktop as a non-customer. I then installed the app and logged in with that same userid/pw.  I've tried the url in an incognito window and even in a different browser, get the same result 😞

 

Edit: I just tried to create a Drivewise Only account through the app with a different email, userid, etc and the app is telling me there's a glitch and to try again. I don't think they want me to sign up, lol!

Edited December 3, 2021 by RidgebackKing
Additional info

[tm_aw_love]

15 minutes ago, RidgebackKing said:

 

I created the account on my desktop as a non-customer. I then installed the app and logged in with that same userid/pw.  I've tried the url in an incognito window and even in a different browser, get the same result 😞

Based on instruction that I have seen in this thread several times (and personal experience), a non-customer account needs to be created on the app first for some reason. 

 

You may need to call Allstate and have the account deleted, or just create a new one using a different e-mail address following the other process. 

 

That being said, post number 4007 has a screenshot of how to enter codes on the app, and post number 4162 describes the process of signing up for an account without being an Allstate customer well. 

 

Good luck. 

 (edit - corrected post number)

Edited December 3, 2021 by tm_aw_love

[wgeddings]

20 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

I'm the same way, I don't want it tracking me because I have no use for it. And yes, it will decrease battery life. Like a few others have said, create your account then just uninstall the app. Everything can be done on the website, using the link that tm_aw_love shared.

 

Here's some tips on creating an account as a non-customer from the app. Be warned, I haven't gone through the process for quite some time, so this should be very close, if not still the same.

 

Run the app and accept their terms of service. Click on Create an Account under the orange Log In button. On the next screen, non-customers need to choose Drivewise Only (No Allstate policy). That part is the most important. It'll then probably ask you to turn on location tracking. The app won't function without it, but you can turn it on, create your account, then delete the app. You'll probably have to agree to another terms of service. Then fill out your information (name, address, etc.). From there, I can't remember where it takes you, but it should be self-explanatory from that point. Good luck, and let us know if you have any problems.

Thanks everyone!  I did as advised and it worked great.  I was a little concerned because I could not figure out where to enter codes but if anyone else ever has that problem, after you create an account, you go to allstaterewards.com and that is where you enter codes (a place right at the top of the page).  

 

Again, thank you everyone and happy cruising and saving!

 

Merry Christmas too. 

[wgeddings]

39 minutes ago, RidgebackKing said:

Does that URL still work?
https://myaccountrwd.allstate.com/anon/account/login?campaign=145

 

I registered for an Allstate account, installed the app on my phone and logged in. I don't see anywhere on the app to enter any codes and whenever I login to that URL, it takes me to a customer_upgrade page telling me to download and install the mobile app.  Did I miss a step?

I had the same problem and just posted the answer.  You go to allstaterewards.com, sign in and the place to enter codes is at the top.