OBC From Travel Agent

[gubby]

How have you received OBC from your agent? We switched a booking from the cruise line to an agent. My sister said if we had given our booking to a big box store we would have gotten 2% in gift cards on our return. Should we ask the TA for some OBC or switch again to the big box store. What commission do agents receive from the cruise line? This is for a grand voyage so is a lot of money. 

[Fouremco]

34 minutes ago, gubby said:

How have you received OBC from your agent? We switched a booking from the cruise line to an agent. My sister said if we had given our booking to a big box store we would have gotten 2% in gift cards on our return. Should we ask the TA for some OBC or switch again to the big box store. What commission do agents receive from the cruise line? This is for a grand voyage so is a lot of money. 

Cruise lines will allow you to switch your booking to a TA. A subsequent switch to a different TA will generally require their permission, while you are unlikely to get without some cost, if at all. The exception might be if you can prove to the cruise line that the TA was grossly negligent, and the failure to offer you some OBC would not fall into that category.

 

You can always ask the TA, but don't be surprised if they are unwilling. You knew the terms and conditions when you transferred the booking to them. Of course, depending on the pricing for your existing booking, you might want to consider cancelling the cruise and making a new booking through the big box store. We have used them ever since they opened their travel arm here in Canada, and I'd say that the perks have been in the 8-10% range when you take into consideration both the cash cards you will receive after the cruise, plus the 2% annual cash back on purchases, including travel.

 

Do a dummy booking on line to see exactly what value cash card you would receive and what 2% of the booking fee would amount to.

[gubby]

Thanks Fouremco. I did a dummy booking as you suggested. The shop card would be in the 4-6 k region per person and the 2% works out to over 1k. It seems a no-brainer to cancel and rebook through the big box store. And this  is a brand new ( to us) TA. Need to see if she can offer us some OBC. We are not greedy and would settle for  around 500. The perks  are good, but I do not like the impersonal service from big agencies. Need to sort out what is best for us. Money is always good, but not all there is. What a dilemma!

[Russ Lomas]

1 hour ago, gubby said:

How have you received OBC from your agent? We switched a booking from the cruise line to an agent. My sister said if we had given our booking to a big box store we would have gotten 2% in gift cards on our return. Should we ask the TA for some OBC or switch again to the big box store. What commission do agents receive from the cruise line? This is for a grand voyage so is a lot of money. 

AT first we always booked directly with RCCL.  Then we learned we could get a cash back after the cruise by switching to the big box store you are likely talking about.  While it was a nice perk, I always ran into trouble having to call the big box travel agent to ask any questions or request any changes.  I was often on hold for an hour or so trying to get through to a live agent.

 

I switched to a travel agent working for a large company since, who is great to work with.  I email him and usually within minutes have a response (regardless of the day of the week or time).  I do not get the cash back after the cruise, but he is usually able to offer some OBC since the organization is large and often has group space.  On top of that, the rates he can get are often group rates, which saved me money up front.  For example, he was able to get us our March 2023 cruise on the Oasis moved from the original booking of inside cabins to neighbourhood boardwalk cabins for no extra charge and also get us a savings of around $1000 in total for two cabins from what we originally booked the interior cabins for.  He spends the hours on the phone with RCCL in our interests, so we do not have to waste time on the phone on hold with them.  A good travel agent like this is worth their weight in gold in my opinion and we will not be switching back to the big box travel agent in the future.

[iancal]

Cannot remember ever not receiving OBC from our on line TA.  Anything from a few percentage up to ten percent (of the commissionable fare).  The US on line TA's were typically more generous than our big box TA in Canada. 

 

Moreover, on our last Caribbean cruise our US based on line TA attached us to a group.  Better fare plus a slight upgrade, and a tour w/lunch at a stop in Barbados.  Never did meet or see anyone else attached to that group.  We have enjoyed excellent service from our TA over the years.  Much more personal service that our one time using the big red box store service.

 

Not to mention feedback from her other customers on ships, etc.

 

One thing though.  We buy most of our cruises in the US from US on line TA.  But....most are purchased inside the final payment window.  That means we pay for the cruise when we book and  know what the exchange rate will be.  We also use a credit card that does not charge that hidden 2.5-3 percent admin charge on FX transactions.

 

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by iancal

[gubby]

Thanks for your insights, Russ. You mentioned exactly the concerns I have about the big box Agency. Is your current agency referenced by a certain area in eastern Canada?

 

 

[gubby]

3 minutes ago, iancal said:

Cannot remember ever not receiving OBC from our on line TA.  Anything from a few percentage up to ten percent (of the commissionable fare).  The US on line TA's were typically more generous than our big box TA in Canada. 

 

Moreover, on our last Caribbean cruise our US based on line TA attached us to a group.  Got us a small discount, a slight upgrade, and a tour w/lunch at a stop in Barbados.

We liked to be able to book in Cdn dollars and save the 2-4% add on fee. It would be  quite high on this fare. We do now have a CC that saves us this fee. I did not know there was such a thing until a couple of years ago. It is relatively easy to convert from US dollars for our knowledge using online app. So that concern is no longer apt.

[iancal]

We are low maintenance.  We have booked everything up to and including an African Safari by dealing direct or shopping internationally.   On our pre covid Mexico snowbird trip we booked two five day AI's though an agency in the UK because of price.  Not unusual for us to do this when traveling.   

 

We booked an Australian/NZ cruise directly by calling RCI in Sydney because their late booking price was so much better (30 percent) than our on line TA quote.   Did the same for domestic air in Argentina.

 

Cruises are a non issue for us.  We typically only need someone to key in the order and provide us with OBC's.  Very infrequently a re-price.  We view buying a cruise as a commodity buy.

 

Our  on line TA  emailed us on an Xmas cruise to tell us she had a move over offer from Princess for us.   Essentially we had a booked SA cruise in Feb.   In return for cancelling it we got a full refund, a free 14 day cruise on any Princess itinerary, upgrade from balcony to mini suite and a payment of $175. or so to offset the cost of changing our award air tickets.   Our TA arranged a three way call between us, Princess, and her to review the details of the offer when we returned home.

Edited February 12, 2022 by iancal

[gubby]

It seems a number of you have received good deals from various agencies. We mostly booked directly with the  cruise lines and had OBC and low deposits from taking advantage of online booking. Learning about the  no FX cards encourages us to once again check with online agencies in the US. Spouse and I are talking about cancelling and looking for a better price online. We have bòoked last minute and saved money. This cruise is partly a circumnavigation of Australia and they usually sell out fast. This one listed on Feb 1, not sailing until Jan. 2024, and a CC member tells us it is 1/3 sold already, so not likely any last minute deals. I certainly appreciate the tips I have received from fellow Canucks. I will let you know how we make out.

[lots-of-km2]

13 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

I like to do my own research and planning and effectively only need the TA to action my requests.

 

1 hour ago, iancal said:

Cruises are a non issue for us.  We typically only need someone to key in the order and provide us with OBC's.  Very infrequently a re-price.  We view buying a cruise as a commodity buy.

 

Me too, for the vast majority of travel purchases, but unique intel from travel agents on pricing and availability can be really helpful ---- accurately anticipating when price drops and release of cabins will occur, and steering customers to good opportunities. 

 

@Fouremco, you're making a compelling case for Big Box.  Their pricing couldn't compete at all with the US agencies I've dealt with so far (even taking into account a rebate and gift cards) but I'll keep them in mind next time. 

Edited February 12, 2022 by lots-of-km2

[Fouremco]

6 minutes ago, lots-of-km2 said:

 

 

Me too, for the vast majority of travel purchases, but unique intel from travel agents on pricing and availability can be really helpful ---- accurately anticipating when price drops and release of cabins will occur, and steering customers to good opportunities. 

 

@Fouremco, you're making a compelling case for Big Box.  Their pricing couldn't compete at all with the US agencies I've dealt with so far (even taking into account a rebate and gift cards) but I'll keep them in mind next time. 

We typically book cruises well in advance, usually when they first become available. Consequently, not knowing what the exchange rate might be a couple of years down the road when final payment is due, we've shied away from using US-based TAs. 

[iancal]

19 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

We typically book cruises well in advance, usually when they first become available. Consequently, not knowing what the exchange rate might be a couple of years down the road when final payment is due, we've shied away from using US-based TAs. 

Understand the currency issue.  We typically book 6 weeks to 3 days out so not an issue for us.

 

More the once when emailing our on line TA to book a cruise she had brought a more competitive offer to our attention that we were not aware of.