On board credit how to apply it

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

Hope someone help us with this question.  We have some obc and wanted to book the enclave before we board.  I am able to select it however when I go to pay it wants to use my credit card is this normal.  Our credit more than covers the cost any help or suggestions would be great.

 

[nini]

OBC can be used when you are actually ON the ship. One of the exceptions is booking shore excursions. Booking a specialty restaurant is another item that can only use OBC when ON the ship.

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

5 minutes ago, nini said:

OBC can be used when you are actually ON the ship. One of the exceptions is booking shore excursions. Booking a specialty restaurant is another item that can only use OBC when ON the ship.

awesome thank you so much i thought i was losing it looking everywhere. 

[Daniel A]

5 hours ago, nini said:

OBC can be used when you are actually ON the ship. One of the exceptions is booking shore excursions. Booking a specialty restaurant is another item that can only use OBC when ON the ship.

I am so used to Princess' policies.  I have our first HAL cruise scheduled for next Spring.  I have beaucoup OBC for this through my TA.  On Sunday, DW & I selected our excursions for the cruise and planned it out to use up the OBC on the excursions we really wanted instead of what will still be available next Spring.  At the checkout screen, there was no option showing for using OBC, (just CC or gift cards) so we put them on AMEX planning to move it over to OBC on Monday, when the excursions office would be open.  NOPE!  All OBC can only be used onboard...  Oh well...  Somebody gave me the idea of putting the OBC through the Casino but then I can only use refundable OBC there and I can't find out if it is refundable OBC until I am on board.  🤷‍♀️

 

Lots of Princess bashing going on lately, but the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.  At least Princess' OBC policy re: excursions is fair.

[JF - retired RRT]

42 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I am so used to Princess' policies.  I have our first HAL cruise scheduled for next Spring.  I have beaucoup OBC for this through my TA.  On Sunday, DW & I selected our excursions for the cruise and planned it out to use up the OBC on the excursions we really wanted instead of what will still be available next Spring.  At the checkout screen, there was no option showing for using OBC, (just CC or gift cards) so we put them on AMEX planning to move it over to OBC on Monday, when the excursions office would be open.  NOPE!  All OBC can only be used onboard...  Oh well...  Somebody gave me the idea of putting the OBC through the Casino but then I can only use refundable OBC there and I can't find out if it is refundable OBC until I am on board.  🤷‍♀️

 

Lots of Princess bashing going on lately, but the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.  At least Princess' OBC policy re: excursions is fair.

Check the Carnival boards...maybe experienced Carnival cruisers will know some "secret" work arounds.

[geoherb]

The good news is that if you do pay with a credit card, it will show up on your statement as refundable OBC. They will use up any nonrefundable OBC credit first. I had a similar experience when booking an excursion before my shareholder OBC had shown up. I received a check after the cruise for the amount I had left in my refundable OBC. 

[Phantom of the Seas]

I have non refundable OBC thru my TA, so if I book excursions before boarding with my credit card, will Princess  use the OBC or reimburse me for the excursions or should I book excursions AFTER boarding....very confusing......

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, geoherb said:

The good news is that if you do pay with a credit card, it will show up on your statement as refundable OBC. They will use up any nonrefundable OBC credit first. I had a similar experience when booking an excursion before my shareholder OBC had shown up. I received a check after the cruise for the amount I had left in my refundable OBC. 

Was that on Princess or HAL?

[JF - retired RRT]

30 minutes ago, Phantom of the Seas said:

I have non refundable OBC thru my TA, so if I book excursions before boarding with my credit card, will Princess  use the OBC or reimburse me for the excursions or should I book excursions AFTER boarding....very confusing......

Hmmm. If you wait until you're on the ship, the excursions could be full or cost more $. Of course, if they cost more, you'd be using non-refundable OBC, so who cares. If you book using credit card and ask to switch to OBC once on board, not sure if they'd give you refundable or non-refundable.

[robinbtigger]

3 hours ago, geoherb said:

The good news is that if you do pay with a credit card, it will show up on your statement as refundable OBC. They will use up any nonrefundable OBC credit first. I had a similar experience when booking an excursion before my shareholder OBC had shown up. I received a check after the cruise for the amount I had left in my refundable OBC. 

 

Do I understand this correctly?  You buy OBC with your credit card and book your excursions with it.  Then, when you get your non-refundable OBC later on, that OBC is automatically swapped in and used first.  OBC purchased with your credit card is refundable, so it is returned to you at the end of your cruise via a check.

[Phantom of the Seas]

Just got off “live chat” with Princess & can book excursions online with non refundable OBC.....

[geoherb]

1 hour ago, robinbtigger said:

 

Do I understand this correctly?  You buy OBC with your credit card and book your excursions with it.  Then, when you get your non-refundable OBC later on, that OBC is automatically swapped in and used first.  OBC purchased with your credit card is refundable, so it is returned to you at the end of your cruise via a check.

 

Not exactly. I paid for an excursion with my credit card. It shows up on the onboard statement as "Prepaid Shorex." It's not paying for OBC ahead of time but for the excursion. But the net effect is the same. Your nonrefundable credits will be used first.

[robinbtigger]

40 minutes ago, geoherb said:

 

Not exactly. I paid for an excursion with my credit card. It shows up on the onboard statement as "Prepaid Shorex." It's not paying for OBC ahead of time but for the excursion. But the net effect is the same. Your nonrefundable credits will be used first.

 

I paid for an excursion with partially with OBC from Princess and partially with my credit card. I'll get additional $250 OBC from my TA when I board which is more than I paid with my credit card.  Will that be automatically applied to the excursion?  Sorry!  This is my first Princess cruise.

[geoherb]

25 minutes ago, robinbtigger said:

 

I paid for an excursion with partially with OBC from Princess and partially with my credit card. I'll get additional $250 OBC from my TA when I board which is more than I paid with my credit card.  Will that be automatically applied to the excursion?  Sorry!  This is my first Princess cruise.

 

It depends on the type of OBC you're receiving from your TA. If it's nonrefundable, it will be used first. If it's refundable, it won't matter which Princess uses first. 

[robinbtigger]

1 hour ago, geoherb said:

 

It depends on the type of OBC you're receiving from your TA. If it's nonrefundable, it will be used first. If it's refundable, it won't matter which Princess uses first. 

 

Thank you!  That would be perfect.  I'll be happy as long as I'm not stuck with non-refundable OBC on the books at the end of the cruise without needing to go on a shipboard shopping spree.

[TahitiSun]

Can you use non refundable OBC in the Princess casino?

[Murray's Pop]

23 minutes ago, TahitiSun said:

Can you use non refundable OBC in the Princess casino?

Cant use shreholder OBC for casino.  See below:

 

This benefit is available to shareholders holding a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation or Carnival plc. Employees, travel agents cruising at travel agent rates, interline rates, tour
conductors or anyone cruising on a reduced-rate or complimentary basis are excluded from this offer. This benefit is not transferable, cannot be exchanged for cash and, cannot be used for
casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account.

[Redwing55]

3 hours ago, TahitiSun said:

Can you use non refundable OBC in the Princess casino?

Shhhh.  Read between the lines. 😉

[caribill]

On 6/21/2022 at 12:52 PM, robinbtigger said:

 

Do I understand this correctly?  You buy OBC with your credit card and book your excursions with it.  Then, when you get your non-refundable OBC later on, that OBC is automatically swapped in and used first.  OBC purchased with your credit card is refundable, so it is returned to you at the end of your cruise via a check.

 

Yes.

 

It sorta works this way:

a) You book in advance and pay for the excursion when you book it. You could have used any OBC that was posted to the account (refundable or non-refundable) or a credit card.

b) When you get on board your account will show the excursion as paid for, but the way it does it is it pretends that it had not been paid for before the cruise and looks to available OBC to pay for it. As others posted, when it does this, it will use non-refundable OBC first, so in effect, if the non-refundable OBC can cover the cost of the excursion, then your refundable OBC is still available to be used, either for on board purchases or to be refunded after the cruise.

 

Question for someone: Above covers shore excursions. What if you had pre-purchased something else (examples: specialty restaurant, Spa services) with a credit card. Does it work the same as with excursions in that it pretends it has not been paid for and will utilize non-refuncable OBC instead?

[EllieinNJ]

I am wondering about purchasing an Internet package in advance too with unrefundable OBC.  I definitely know that it is more money to purchase when you get on board.