Gift Card in Casino??

[ULCajunCruiser]

Does anyone know if I can use a gift card in the casino??  Or do I have to add it to my onboard account first??  And if I do that, can I then cash it out.   Basically I want to turn my gift cards into cash??   

[DallasGuy75219]

3 minutes ago, ULCajunCruiser said:

Does anyone know if I can use a gift card in the casino??  Or do I have to add it to my onboard account first??  And if I do that, can I then cash it out.   Basically I want to turn my gift cards into cash??   

You'd have to apply the gift card to your S&S account, then when you charge your room on a slot machine that will post as a charge on your S&S account.  Carnival will apply your S&S charges against any credits on your S&S account (OBC, refund of excess port taxes, any cash or gift cards you've applied to your S&S account) before charging the credit card you guaranteed your S&S with.

 

But be careful about withdrawing too much too often and cashing out without playing some it on the slots.  The casino can systematically identify people doing this to get no-fee cash advances or like you cashing out gift cards and automatically block you from charging more on the slots, in addition the the scolding you may get when you try to cash out at the cage.

[dbrucern]

28 minutes ago, ULCajunCruiser said:

Does anyone know if I can use a gift card in the casino??  Or do I have to add it to my onboard account first??  And if I do that, can I then cash it out.   Basically I want to turn my gift cards into cash??   

I take my gift cards to guess services and they have given me the cash.

[ULCajunCruiser]

2 minutes ago, dbrucern said:

I take my gift cards to guess services and they have given me the cash.

Really??   I didn't know they would do that??

[dbrucern]

Just now, ULCajunCruiser said:

Really??   I didn't know they would do that??

I've done 36 cruises and have done it each time.

[Calnev1]

33 minutes ago, dbrucern said:

I've done 36 cruises and have done it each time.

So do you cruise for free?

[MsTabbyKats]

On a similar topic....OBC and casino.  Forenote....I play the slots alot.  Nothing will go unused, but I just want to know the rules.

 

I go to the casino....I charge $100 to my cabin.  It's on the card.  Let's say I play $50 worth (hopefully some winnings)....and my card now shows a balance of $75.  Can I cash that out?  Or only the winnings? Or do I have to go thru the entire $100 to cash out "whatever the balance is" on my card?

[Schoifmom]

3 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

On a similar topic....OBC and casino.  Forenote....I play the slots alot.  Nothing will go unused, but I just want to know the rules.

 

I go to the casino....I charge $100 to my cabin.  It's on the card.  Let's say I play $50 worth (hopefully some winnings)....and my card now shows a balance of $75.  Can I cash that out?  Or only the winnings? Or do I have to go thru the entire $100 to cash out "whatever the balance is" on my card?

Once you have charged to your S&S account, that money now sits in your Player's Bank, which is separate.  In your scenario, you can cash out the $75 without running through the entire $100 charged to your room.  I do it all the time when I have non-refundable OBC or gift card amounts that cannot be cashed out. 

 

 

 

[DallasGuy75219]

3 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

On a similar topic....OBC and casino.  Forenote....I play the slots alot.  Nothing will go unused, but I just want to know the rules.

 

I go to the casino....I charge $100 to my cabin.  It's on the card.  Let's say I play $50 worth (hopefully some winnings)....and my card now shows a balance of $75.  Can I cash that out?  Or only the winnings? Or do I have to go thru the entire $100 to cash out "whatever the balance is" on my card?

Yes. The part about being able to cash out only the winnings only applies to promotional play uploaded by the casino to your promotional bank, e.g. the $25 Platinum/Diamond FreePlay they're giving since there are no tournaments, if you won FreePlay in a casino drawing or promotion, or if you booked a casino rate that includes FreePlay.

[CruizinSusan70]

15 hours ago, dbrucern said:

I've done 36 cruises and have done it each time.

How much per cruise?

[dbrucern]

22 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

So do you cruise for free?

I usually have a good Casino offer

8 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

How much per cruise?

My children usually give me as Christmas, Birthday and anniversary gifts. I cashed $500 on our last cruise

[rondl1]

We buy our GC on AARP and apply it all to OBC.  

 

Last time we didn't use it all and never moved it onto our cards.  3 weeks after the cruise we received a GC from Carnival in form of a refund.

[joeyboy_m]

So, I'm pretty new to cruising I did a Royal Caribbean last year and this year i am trying Carnival. I have been buying gift cards throughout the year with the intention of using them at the Casino. How ever i have never been a fan of slots I prefer table games. This trip I plan on trying my hand at Craps. So my question is how can i use my gift cards at the casino. I see people saying i can apply them to my S&S account then charge to your room at the table. but I'm also reading they charge like a 5% fee to do this(some locations say 3%) Which blows my mind. I have about $2500 worth of gift cards and I really don't want to start off down $150 before I ever place my first bet. Is there anyway to avoid this? This just seems greedy to me I mean they are already making money with the house edge and reading this feels like they are trying to nickel and dime players. I wish I had just saved cash now but this was a way to lock in the funds for onboard activities.

[hard_eight]

I've never tried to cash them in at Guest Services. May try that this weekend.

18 minutes ago, joeyboy_m said:

So, I'm pretty new to cruising I did a Royal Caribbean last year and this year i am trying Carnival. I have been buying gift cards throughout the year with the intention of using them at the Casino. How ever i have never been a fan of slots I prefer table games. This trip I plan on trying my hand at Craps. So my question is how can i use my gift cards at the casino. I see people saying i can apply them to my S&S account then charge to your room at the table. but I'm also reading they charge like a 5% fee to do this(some locations say 3%) Which blows my mind. I have about $2500 worth of gift cards and I really don't want to start off down $150 before I ever place my first bet. Is there anyway to avoid this? This just seems greedy to me I mean they are already making money with the house edge and reading this feels like they are trying to nickel and dime players. I wish I had just saved cash now but this was a way to lock in the funds for onboard activities.

It's 3% unless you're on a casino deal. Or you can do the play the slots for a bit, and cashout to your bank and get chips that way. 

Edited Wednesday at 08:08 PM by hard_eight

[PayneAS]

5 minutes ago, hard_eight said:

I've never tried to cash them in at Guest Services. May try that this weekend.

It's 3% unless you're on a casino deal. Or you can do the play the slots for a bit, and cashout to your bank and get chips that way. 

I'm not a tables player so I'm genuinely clueless about the transaction charge. I have a question though: Is the transaction fee only for charging from your player bank or card on file? That was always the impression I got when reading about it. I'm curious if he couldn't just deposit his gift cards into his S&S and then pull it out as cash at the casino desk. Then use that cash at the tables in exchange for chips. Would that avoid the fee?

[joeyboy_m]

Wow yall are quick to respond lol I mean if I'm reading it correctly they even charge the fee if you are giving them cash at the table. Looks like this might just be unavoidable I know places are getting away from table play but I have always just enjoyed the camaraderie you build with people at the table(typically i have played blackjack) where its everyone against the dealer and its makes it more fun IMO. Guess, they are justifying the fee by having to pay employees and buy the chips. you you do find anything out let me know I sail in AUG. thanks

[weezal]

40 minutes ago, joeyboy_m said:

So, I'm pretty new to cruising I did a Royal Caribbean last year and this year i am trying Carnival. I have been buying gift cards throughout the year with the intention of using them at the Casino. How ever i have never been a fan of slots I prefer table games. This trip I plan on trying my hand at Craps. So my question is how can i use my gift cards at the casino. I see people saying i can apply them to my S&S account then charge to your room at the table. but I'm also reading they charge like a 5% fee to do this(some locations say 3%) Which blows my mind. I have about $2500 worth of gift cards and I really don't want to start off down $150 before I ever place my first bet. Is there anyway to avoid this? This just seems greedy to me I mean they are already making money with the house edge and reading this feels like they are trying to nickel and dime players. I wish I had just saved cash now but this was a way to lock in the funds for onboard activities.

https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1146

There is no charge at the slot machines to access funds, but any transactions done at a table game or the Casino Cashier’s Desk will incur a nominal service fee of 3% each transaction. The 3% service fee for table play is also charged on all casino promotional or added OBC. 

[weezal]

2 minutes ago, joeyboy_m said:

Wow yall are quick to respond lol I mean if I'm reading it correctly they even charge the fee if you are giving them cash at the table. Looks like this might just be unavoidable I know places are getting away from table play but I have always just enjoyed the camaraderie you build with people at the table(typically i have played blackjack) where its everyone against the dealer and its makes it more fun IMO. Guess, they are justifying the fee by having to pay employees and buy the chips. you you do find anything out let me know I sail in AUG. thanks

there's no fee, if you use cash at the tables. fee is only for room charges.

 

[joeyboy_m]

Just now, weezal said:

https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1146

There is no charge at the slot machines to access funds, but any transactions done at a table game or the Casino Cashier’s Desk will incur a nominal service fee of 3% each transaction. The 3% service fee for table play is also charged on all casino promotional or added OBC. 

Yea, I saw this too after doing some more digging just feel like there should be away to avoid it. I guess I was originally looking at it like ok they are penalizing you for doing the transaction at the table so I was thinking ok then what's the correct way to do it where they don't punish you. and it doesn't look like there is one or at least not that i can find.

[joeyboy_m]

1 minute ago, weezal said:

there's no fee, if you use cash at the tables. fee is only for room charges.

 

OK, I can work with that in the future at least. But just throws me off because it says 3% fee on any transaction done at the table. Just wondering what's your source? or do you just know this first hand? Thanks btw feel like that statement is challenging you and that's not the intent just want to make sure what I'm walking into.

[weezal]

2 minutes ago, joeyboy_m said:

OK, I can work with that in the future at least. But just throws me off because it says 3% fee on any transaction done at the table. Just wondering what's your source? or do you just know this first hand? Thanks btw feel like that statement is challenging you and that's not the intent just want to make sure what I'm walking into.

from personal experience on ship casinos.
"transactions" refers to room charges

 

[totz808]

Charge the $2500 to your player bank at a slot machine.  Play slots for a couple of minutes, spin it a few times.  Then go to the cashier, cash out, take the cash and go play table games.

[Colorado Beach Bum]

4 minutes ago, totz808 said:

Charge the $2500 to your player bank at a slot machine.  Play slots for a couple of minutes, spin it a few times.  Then go to the cashier, cash out, take the cash and go play table games.

My son did this last month and on the second time they scolded him and said he couldn’t do it.  YMMV. 

[totz808]

9 minutes ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

My son did this last month and on the second time they scolded him and said he couldn’t do it.  YMMV. 

 

If you only do it once, you'll get away with it.  They won't hold your cash hostage.  Just don't do it a second time, they don't want to be used as ATMs so they might lock your sail and sign card out of further charges to the casino, but if you only do it once then you already got the cash.

[joeyboy_m]

54 minutes ago, weezal said:

from personal experience on ship casinos.
"transactions" refers to room charges

 

Awesome thank you!