RCCL Visa Point redemption for OBC

[ExPAGirl]

Just wondering if anyone has redeemed points from their RCL credit card for OBC and can share, if you remember, when the OBC was posted to your reservation.  I redeemed points today for a sailing at the end of April and was hoping to use OBC to purchase shore excursions sooner rather than later since it's a TA.  I called the 888 number and was told the OBC would not be posted to my reservation until 1-2 weeks before sailing. Not really happy with the timeline and I was told "that's the policy". The website for redeeming points doesn't provide any indication of that term or condition. TIA for any feedback.

[vacationlover_mn]

It doesn’t seem to show up in your planner till 2 weeks before.  I’m not happy with the timeline either, but do love the OBC.  2 cruises ago, our unspent OBC went back to the cc as a credit 🙂

[nat9511]

I have redeemed points several times and it is usually posted about 2 weeks before each cruise.

[deppong]

we are sailing in march and ours was posted months ago

 

 

[ExPAGirl]

7 minutes ago, deppong said:

we are sailing in march and ours was posted months ago

 

 

Oh wow!  There is hope!!  I'm gonna call again. You can get a different answer each time you call.  So it's worth a try.

[Clarea]

Ours posted about a week before our cruise.

[PedroD]

I redeemed points online and received an email confirmation about a week ago, then called yesterday.  The guy I spoke to said they had to get special approval to post the points early.  I explained that I wanted to use the points to book excursions before they filled up.  Our cruise is mid May.  I was on hold for a bit while he waited on another department, but eventually came back and said they had agreed, and that I would see the points in a few hours.  I saw them in about 10 minutes.

[RickinStl]

I redeemed 15,000 points for our September cruise and it was posted about a week later.. 

 

[JCJR824]

If you transfer points for OBC and don’t use it all will it be returned to the card as points or is it lost?

[Coralc]

It (the OBC) is returned to your card as a cash credit if it is not used, but you will also lose the bonus (double) points that you earned because it was a Royal Caribbean purchase/return. It is possible to have a negative point balance. 

Edited March 2, 2019 by Coralc

[cruiseguy1016]

I redeemed points about 4 weeks before our cruise and they did not show up until 2 weeks before.

[Clarea]

8 hours ago, JCJR824 said:

If you transfer points for OBC and don’t use it all will it be returned to the card as points or is it lost?

 

Points are never returned to the card.

 

If you have OBC left from the points redemption, you can get a cash refund from Guest Services on the last day.  If you don't get the refund, then they will refund the balance to the credit card used to secure your onboard account.

[MNshortie21]

Has anyone redeemed their points for a free companion fare or free cruise? I was curious how that works and if there is a "sale" going on, if you can use it with the sale or is it based on full price?

[SportsFanatic]

Hi, yes I have used it several times. You will get a receipt for your onboard credit when you make the purchase. Just keeps up with you in case there’s any issues. I have never had any problems and no it does not show up till a couple weeks before the cruise

[orville99]

We've redeemed points for OBC, Stateroom  upgrades, and "free" cruises, and the upgrades and free cruises are usually applied immediately. The OBC seems to have no rhyme or reason to when it gets applied. Sometimes it shows up within a matter of days, sometimes a few weeks before the cruise, and sometimes not before we board the actual cruise. We always bring our receipts and other documentation with us when we board, and there's only been one occasion when we needed to use it at guest services to get the obc applied properly.

[Clarea]

56 minutes ago, orville99 said:

 .... The OBC seems to have no rhyme or reason to when it gets applied.  ...

 

I suspect it depends on the backlog that the redemption people have.

[SRF]

It used to be that you could ask BoA and they would credit faster.

 

But recently, it seems that Royal is not putting credit on the account until 2 weeks before, no matter when BoA makes the transfer

 

[ExPAGirl]

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the feedback.

[3eaglesfam]

I redeemed 25000 points back in January for my March 23rd Cruise on Anthem.  This was applied to my planner as of this morning - perhaps over the weekend  as I was not online much over the last 2 days  I am 19 days out...  

[HBE4]

On 3/3/2019 at 11:06 AM, ExPAGirl said:

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the feedback.

 

Last Oct, 2018, I received my BoA OBC about 4 weeks prior to the cruise, less than a week after requesting it.  Spent it all in the Cruise Planner before ever getting on-board.  So I guess it was more like a PCC (Pre-Cruise Credit). lol

[gfargo53]

hi all

is there a website somewhere that tells you how much your points are worth

as I have 30,000 points accumulated but how much in obc are they worth???

[HBE4]

9 minutes ago, gfargo53 said:

hi all

is there a website somewhere that tells you how much your points are worth

as I have 30,000 points accumulated but how much in obc are they worth???

 

A point is a penny. So you have $300 of OBC.

 

Plus, I "think" the smallest denomination of OBC is $50 increments. So if you have 34,500 points ($345), you can only take out $300. The remaining 450 points ($45) remains on the card. Not sure if they still roll off after 5 years.

[gfargo53]

52 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

A point is a penny. So you have $300 of OBC.

 

Plus, I "think" the smallest denomination of OBC is $50 increments. So if you have 34,500 points ($345), you can only take out $300. The remaining 450 points ($45) remains on the card. Not sure if they still roll off after 5 years.

thanks that helps alot

[GJM]

Where can you see your OBC on the cruise planner, I just redeemed points and don't see them

[Clarea]

3 hours ago, GJM said:

Where can you see your OBC on the cruise planner, I just redeemed points and don't see them

 

Visa points OBC redemptions are processed in order of sailing date.  You may have to wait until a few weeks before your cruisise before the OBC shows up.  It will be a pop-up when you enter the cruise planner.