Using OBC for tips

[laurieb]

I know this was discussed before, but we’ve now experienced it ourselves.  Last fall on Quest, we were able to use OBC for tips.  We tried to do it again last month, but we now have a charge on our credit card for the amount of the tip.  So now we know for sure… 

[Leo_On_Geo]

49 minutes ago, laurieb said:

I know this was discussed before, but we’ve now experienced it ourselves.  Last fall on Quest, we were able to use OBC for tips.  We tried to do it again last month, but we now have a charge on our credit card for the amount of the tip.  So now we know for sure… 

Yes it is a recent change, which caught me as well. 

This change makes it difficult to spend your last penny of OBC, because the TV accounts and the guest relations are reporting you have  X amount left to spend, but actually it is X amount plus the tips you have given. So  you really have more OBC to  spend.  This is important to those of us who like to make sure we leave no unspent OBC.

Edited September 16, 2022 by Leo_On_Geo

[lenoirm]

We had the same experience in July. 
Tips (mostly in speciaties restaurants ) we’re not cover by OBC.

It is a bit tricky but remember that the OBC given to you by your travel agency will be refunded  to you if not used.

We had a long discussion with the Customers service because they put all  different kinds of OBC together and charged us separately for the tips on our credit card.

We finally got reimbursed in cash ,  onboard for the amount billed to the credit card..

We were told that the actual program does not allow to separate OBC from Azamara from OBC Travel agent.

So for our Christmas cruise, we will be sure not to spend the travel agent OBC

and ask to be paid back in cash or as a credit to our credit card.

The crew members will be the losers in this way of billing as many passengers will not tip as generously!.

We usually gave the unspent OBC to the Crew Fund, I guess this will be billed the credit card too

The reasoning is that paying tips with Azamara  OBC is equivalent to Azamara giving more money to certain crew members.

 

Wish that things would get sorted out soon , it gave us a headache on an otherwise pleasant cruise to northern Greece!

 

Micheline

 

[ShopperfiendTO]

Can confirm that this was the case on Pursuit in August as well.

[Baynanno1]

Pre-covid and pre-takeover, OBC could not be used for tipping, nor could it be donated to the crew welfare fund.

[uktog]

Pre covid it could be used as gratuity added to a bill in the specialities but you are correct not for the crew fund. I agree staff are the losers here especially towards the cruise end when you might be more generous to use up obc after a meal. 

[florisdekort]

Stating the obvious, they want you to use OBC for on-board products on which they earn a healthy margin. Using esp. non-refundable OBC for tips earns them nothing.
 

When my TA asks me if I want a discount or OBC, I always say discount because that’s 100% value to me. OBC to buy a bottle of wine for $75 that retails for $25 is giving 2/3s of my incentive back to the cruise line. 

[uktog]

Stupidly if they actually had a decent range of merchandise in the shops I would be happy with obc. Our upcoming trip due to a price drop after final payment we’ve a ridiculous amount of OBC now even after booking high end excursions- we don’t want to be on tours every day though so we are still left with more than can be spent on over priced tat.

[crzrr]

5 hours ago, florisdekort said:

Stating the obvious, they want you to use OBC for on-board products on which they earn a healthy margin. Using esp. non-refundable OBC for tips earns them nothing.
 

When my TA asks me if I want a discount or OBC, I always say discount because that’s 100% value to me. OBC to buy a bottle of wine for $75 that retails for $25 is giving 2/3s of my incentive back to the cruise line. 

OBC from your TA is refundable and you get it back on your credit card at the end of the cruise.  We always try and use our non-refundable AZ OBC but usually end up with extra refundable - so it's just like a discount.

[laurieb]

On 9/16/2022 at 4:48 PM, Baynanno1 said:

Pre-covid and pre-takeover, OBC could not be used for tipping, nor could it be donated to the crew welfare fund.

Yes it could be.  We used much of our obc for tips for bartenders, sommeliers and specialty staff.  

Edited September 18, 2022 by laurieb

[Grandma Cruising]

3 hours ago, laurieb said:

Yes it could be.  We used much of our obc for tips for bartenders, sommeliers and specialty staff.  

Was that refundable OBC?

[uktog]

40 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Was that refundable OBC?

We certainly used non refundable obc for specialty restaurant tips for years.  Then after covid, the letter you got sent around day 2 detailing your obc was different and very specific.  It had a new sentence, can’t quite remember it, that emphasised the non refundable could not be used for any gratuities.  I never previously used obc for the crew fund, always cash, so I can’t say on that one.

Leo is right, the television account onboard is very confusing as it infers your obc has been applied to gratuities.  We found out when we checked a printout from guest relations after all the shops were closed, so did not as a result use all our obc and still had a charge to our credit card.

[Riocca]

We normally use cash for the Crew Welfare Fund but earlier this month on Quest we made the donation through our onboard account. First thing we were told at the Passenger Services desk was that we couldn’t use OBC possibly because we still had a large amount left.

Don’t know how they could show it differently on the television as they would have to show two balances with a gratuities section and for a cruise line that includes gratuities that would look wrong, as people may assume gratuities are expected. I realise that currently there is a gratuities line when you sign in the speciality restaurants but the system is Royal Caribbean’s, with Azamara’s new system onboard Onward we just signed on a screen with no opportunity to add gratuities.

 

[laurieb]

8 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Was that refundable OBC?

no, it was not

[Mackdogmolly]

I used refundable OBC to contribute to the crew welfare fund at the end of my June cruise on Quest.

[marinaro44]

3 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I used refundable OBC to contribute to the crew welfare fund at the end of my June cruise on Quest.

Refundable OBC is real money, given to Azamara by your TA to credit to your onboard account.  It's your money, that's why it's refundable to you if not spent onboard.

 

Nonrefundable OBC is funny money credited to your account by Azamara to spend on marked up stuff (excursions, specialty restaurants, shop items, spa , etc.) sold on the ship.  So if you choose to put $nnn into the crew fund, that refundable OBC is real money coming out of your pocket, so dollar-for-dollar or pound-for-pound or whatever it goes at full value to the fund, as if it came straight out of your wallet.  A dollar of nonrefundable OBC is not worth a real dollar.  It's only worth a dollar of overpriced ship's stuff.  If Azamara ever let you give gratuities to a crew member in nonrefundable OBC, I am puzzled as to why.

Edited September 18, 2022 by marinaro44

[uktog]

20 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

Refundable OBC is real money, given to Azamara by your TA to credit to your onboard account.  It's your money, that's why it's refundable to you if not spent onboard.

 

Nonrefundable OBC is funny money credited to your account by Azamara to spend on marked up stuff (excursions, specialty restaurants, shop items, spa , etc.) sold on the ship.  So if you choose to put $nnn into the crew fund, that refundable OBC is real money coming out of your pocket, so dollar-for-dollar or pound-for-pound or whatever it goes at full value to the fund, as if it came straight out of your wallet.  A dollar of nonrefundable OBC is not worth a real dollar.  It's only worth a dollar of overpriced ship's stuff.  If Azamara ever let you give gratuities to a crew member in nonrefundable OBC, I am puzzled as to why.

I think it was only happening in two places (and it still carries on today in one)the "crew benefited from non refundable OBC

1.  The speciality restaurants where the accounting system previously seemed to accept gratuities within the total account and billable to non refundable credit - that has been stopped

2.  The spa where there is the 18% compulsory gratuity and scope for additional gratuities and both of these can still be debited to non refundable credit

I think the whole thing will get clearer when they get the new IT

 

 

[Baynanno1]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

I think the whole thing will get clearer when they get the new IT

 

 

 

One would definitely hope so!