Are financial strategies allowed to be discussed here?

[Stowaway LFC]

In my planning process for the Alaska trip next year I have done alot of research on the best way to make the money I will spend work for me. Including a new rewards card I found.  And also to find out tips and advice that others use. Are we allowed to discuss stuff like that here? No personal info of course, just some possible recommendations for planning a big cruise on a working woman's budget lol.  Figured there were others out there like me... Don't wanna get in trouble so I wanted to ask first!  Thank you!

[ColeThornton]

11 minutes ago, Stowaway LFC said:

In my planning process for the Alaska trip next year I have done alot of research on the best way to make the money I will spend work for me. Including a new rewards card I found.  And also to find out tips and advice that others use. Are we allowed to discuss stuff like that here? No personal info of course, just some possible recommendations for planning a big cruise on a working woman's budget lol.  Figured there were others out there like me... Don't wanna get in trouble so I wanted to ask first!  Thank you!

 

 

You won't get in to trouble.   The mods are very good about moving non-Carnival threads to the appropriate forums.

[mz-s]

Just always consider the source when you're soliciting financial advice.

[Essiesmom]

There is actually a board here for this, under Cruise Discussion Topics.  Saving Money on Your Cruise:  Tips and Advice.  EM

[jsglow]

You're fine.  What you can't do here is recommend specific TAs or PVPs as CC runs its own travel agency.

[ninjacat123]

Have you checked out gift cards from AARP (need membership) or AllState (don't need to have insurance through them, just sign up) so you can buy a $1,000 gift card for $900?  Good way to pay off cruises, excursions, practically anything cruise-related.  Here is a link to a CC thread about it.  The last ten pages or so can give you an overview.

 

 

[Tapi]

- Book as early as possible

 

- Carnival (and other cruise lines) allows you to make monthly payments so that the cruise is paid in full by final payment date. The earlier you book, the smaller the monthly payments will be

 

- Don’t be afraid to try other cruise lines. Although Carnival is usually the price leader in the Caribbean, that’s not always the case in Alaska. Other cruise lines have so many ships and inventory up there, that many times their fares are lower. And it’s not uncommon to see last minute price drops either. 

 

- Resesrch, research, research. One of the good things about booking way in advance is having plenty of time to check out each port and figure out what to do on a budget. When we did Alaska, we didn’t book a single excursion through the cruise line. And everything we did was super budget friendly. Granted, we didn’t ride a helicopter or go dog sledding on a glacier, but what we did was still wonderful in its own right. We saw glaciers, we hiked through a national forest, we saw bald eagles up close at a rescue center, we took a land and sea tour, we took a tram up to the top of a mountain, and we did a lot of exploration on our own. All for less than what one excursion through the cruise line would’ve cost.

- Seattle round trip itineraries usually mean considerably cheaper airfare than doing a one way from/to Vancouver. 
 

Applying all of these rules, we did Alaska for not much more than what we have normally spent on Caribbean cruises. But even if it costs you more, it’s an experience we’ll worth it. Easily one of my favorite cruises. 

Edited April 9, 2023 by Tapi

[Stowaway LFC]

3 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

There is actually a board here for this, under Cruise Discussion Topics.  Saving Money on Your Cruise:  Tips and Advice.  EM

Good to know. Thank you!

[ldubs]

There are frequent discussions here about things like credit card cash-back and travel insurance benefits.  Also savings from use of a travel agent as opposed to booking directly.  I think the forum recommended by Essiesmom is a good bet.    

[Host Kat]

On 4/9/2023 at 11:43 AM, jsglow said:

You're fine.  What you can't do here is recommend specific TAs or PVPs as CC runs its own travel agency.

 

@jsglow

 

Actually, not true regarding the Cruise Critic website running a travel agency.

 

Please note the following from the Do you sell cruises? Are you sponsored by the cruise lines? Do the cruise lines pay you to say good things about them? section in the Guidelines we all agree to follow when registering for our free Cruise Critic memberships: 

 

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As a non-paid volunteer Cruise Critic message board Host, just wanted to put the record straight here on the boards. Hope this will be informative to all reading this thread.

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

 

[sparks1093]

15 hours ago, Tapi said:

 

 

- Don’t be afraid to try other cruise lines. Although Carnival is usually the price leader in the Caribbean, that’s not always the case in Alaska. Other cruise lines have so many ships and inventory up there, that many times their fares are lower. And it’s not uncommon to see last minute price drops either. 

 

 

Just to re-emphasis this. I just happened to go to the Celebrity website and did a faux booking for a 2025 cruise to the southern Caribbean. They have a fare that includes the drink package, WIFI and tips (along with a couple of other amenities). When I did a faux booking with Carnival (this thread did start out on that forum) for a similar cruise and added in what I would have to pay for those three things the total was a little bit more than what Celebrity would cost, so I pulled the trigger and booked Celebrity for 2025. This wouldn't necessarily work for everyone since many don't get a drink package or WIFI, but it is something to consider when booking a cruise.

[FreesiaE]

Book what you feel comfortable affording. I would never pay thousands more for a suite, but others would and that’s their prerogative. I would never want a joyous trip to make me feel nervous or upset because I’ve overspent.  I also research ports ahead of time and see if there are any excursions we want to take or if we can just walk around ourselves. It’s hard for me to justify $100 a person for a looped tour around a city on a coach bus. I feel better for that amount being driven to a waterfall or private beach. I won’t do specialty dining either. There’s a ton of good food on the ships that I’ve already paid for.  I will never save money on tips though—I may be frugal, but I’m not cheap.

[no1racefan1]

On 4/9/2023 at 9:37 AM, Stowaway LFC said:

In my planning process for the Alaska trip next year I have done alot of research on the best way to make the money I will spend work for me. Including a new rewards card I found.  And also to find out tips and advice that others use. Are we allowed to discuss stuff like that here? No personal info of course, just some possible recommendations for planning a big cruise on a working woman's budget lol.  Figured there were others out there like me... Don't wanna get in trouble so I wanted to ask first!  Thank you!

Hi @Stowaway LFC I actually started a cruise planning/review thread for my May 2024 trip. I have it on the Alaska board because I am not just discussing finances, I am discussing all aspects of the trip planning and research, and I will also review the trip once it finally comes. However I am sharing budget and financial information in that thread because it's the kind of thing I would find extremely helpful! I'm hoping to share some information/research that is helpful to others. I haven't been kicked out yet so I think it's okay? Haha.

 

[Stowaway LFC]

2 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

Hi @Stowaway LFC I actually started a cruise planning/review thread for my May 2024 trip. I have it on the Alaska board because I am not just discussing finances, I am discussing all aspects of the trip planning and research, and I will also review the trip once it finally comes. However I am sharing budget and financial information in that thread because it's the kind of thing I would find extremely helpful! I'm hoping to share some information/research that is helpful to others. I haven't been kicked out yet so I think it's okay? Haha.

Very cool!  I'll visit that!  Here's a link to the financial post I made for cruise saving if you are interested. I need all the help and advice I can get!

 

 

[SPacificbound]

If you know you will be carrying a credit card  balance month to month, go to Nerd Wallet and apply for a credit card that gets you 15 months with zero interest.

[Stowaway LFC]

10 hours ago, SPacificbound said:

If you know you will be carrying a credit card  balance month to month, go to Nerd Wallet and apply for a credit card that gets you 15 months with zero interest.

Excellent advice!  I have a low rate one I keep for emergencies only.

[Joebucks]

This is a broad topics that could go on forever. Since you mentioned travel credit cards, I would really recommend looking into it. Especially looking into what category the bulk of your purchases currently fall into and match it up with a card that will get you a good return. Many scared or irresponsible people will tell you a credit card is going to ruin your life. However, making purchases I was already going to make, I ballpark about $1k+ of "cash back rewards" each year. Let alone the other perks. It certainly is a nice bonus when you are looking to book a trip. I've booked entire cruises from my reward balance.

[Stowaway LFC]

8 hours ago, Joebucks said:

This is a broad topics that could go on forever. Since you mentioned travel credit cards, I would really recommend looking into it. Especially looking into what category the bulk of your purchases currently fall into and match it up with a card that will get you a good return. Many scared or irresponsible people will tell you a credit card is going to ruin your life. However, making purchases I was already going to make, I ballpark about $1k+ of "cash back rewards" each year. Let alone the other perks. It certainly is a nice bonus when you are looking to book a trip. I've booked entire cruises from my reward balance.

Say it louder for those in the back!!! Spot on!  The thing is to not carry a balance as reward cards usually have a higher interest rate. I use Walmart for grocery pickup so I use the Cap 1 WM card for 5% back, and then a Chase Amazon card for 5% on Amazon and gas.  Usually for other stuff I use the PayPal Mastercard at 2%. I hate annual fees, so I avoid those. I also avoid ones that the points might expire. Learned that the hard way lol.

 

I started looking around and found a Discover miles card. I have an old Discover I don't use much but it's my oldest card, so I keep it.  The Discover miles is only 1.5% but the kicker is that at the end of the first year Discover will match you 100%.  So technically it's 3%.  I'm going to use that for everything I don't have 5% on.  Since my cruise is over a year from now, I am hoping to earn enough to pay for the flights + whatever is left.  Have the Carnival Card to book the excursions since it's 10% back and plan on the AARP gift cards for onboard spending.  Prob just carry miminal cash in ports. I do have rewards already collected but I like to leave them be in case of emergency or eventually draw funds out for savings. I splurge every now and then and get something I really want. The last thing was my Blackstone 🙂

[no1racefan1]

7 hours ago, Stowaway LFC said:

Say it louder for those in the back!!! Spot on!  The thing is to not carry a balance as reward cards usually have a higher interest rate. I use Walmart for grocery pickup so I use the Cap 1 WM card for 5% back, and then a Chase Amazon card for 5% on Amazon and gas.  Usually for other stuff I use the PayPal Mastercard at 2%. I hate annual fees, so I avoid those. I also avoid ones that the points might expire. Learned that the hard way lol.

 

I started looking around and found a Discover miles card. I have an old Discover I don't use much but it's my oldest card, so I keep it.  The Discover miles is only 1.5% but the kicker is that at the end of the first year Discover will match you 100%.  So technically it's 3%.  I'm going to use that for everything I don't have 5% on.  Since my cruise is over a year from now, I am hoping to earn enough to pay for the flights + whatever is left.  Have the Carnival Card to book the excursions since it's 10% back and plan on the AARP gift cards for onboard spending.  Prob just carry miminal cash in ports. I do have rewards already collected but I like to leave them be in case of emergency or eventually draw funds out for savings. I splurge every now and then and get something I really want. The last thing was my Blackstone 🙂

 

Amazon Chase that I only use on Amazon for 5%--mine says 2% on gas. No annual fee.

Discover It that is 5% on rotating categories (kind of a pain) but also has occasional special offers--like the current one for 6% back on Paypal. No annual fee.

Citibank Double Cash--2% back on everything; I should use this as my default card but it's stuffed in safe that's hard to get to and I've been too lazy to dig it out. No annual fee.

United Chase--I mostly just keep this to get free bags on United because that's the only airline that flies my local airport. It's a $95 annual fee but if DH and I take 1 flight/year that pays for itself in checked bag fees. There are Chase special offers on here so I keep an eye on those to score cash back. Right now it has 10% back on certain fast food places I think.

Alaska Airlines BofA--I just got this so we could get the companion fare to use for our Alaska trip next year. We will also get free checked bags. I'm currently using this as my main spending card because I'm hoping to bank enough miles to cover at least one way for free! It has a $95 annual fee. I plan on getting rid of it after our Alaska trip since I'm unlikely to use Alaska Airlines very often. BofA also has Bank Amerideals similar to Chase offers. Right now I'm earning 10% cash back at Holiday gas stations.

Cabelas Cap One--Usually only use this at Cabela's (3%) and Cenex gas stations (2%). DH is an avid outdoorsman so the rewards we earn he is able to use to replace gear when needed. There is no annual fee. We used to have the black version which was 5% and 3%, respectively, but our spend isn't high enough. Oh well. Rule #392 of using rewards credit cards--never spend more than you normally would just to chase rewards!

Walmart Cap One--I only use at Walmart; we do grocery pickup which counts as an online purchase, so 5% back. No annual fee.

 

I'm not new to the credit card rewards game but I still feel like I have a lot to learn to really maximize its potential, LOL. I've had other cards here and there that I have cancelled because I don't like having too many cards open at once. We don't have big spending so we mostly just earn rewards during sign up bonus periods. If I'm planning to get a new card, I'll wait until we have a big expense coming up so we can easily meet the sign up bonuses.

 

Hotel credit cards can be pretty lucrative. I don't have any right now, but my favorite is Hyatt. You can get a few free nights out of Hyatt's sign up bonuses if you use your points wisely. Several years ago I got the Fairmont credit card (which I don't think they offer any more) and I was able to get 2 free nights at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Banff using the sign up bonus. That was a $700/night room--I NEVER would have been able to afford that!

 

[capriccio]

Warning:  My sister and brother-in-law would advise you (based on personal experience) not to count on using a Discover card overseas.  It may be accepted in the country(ies) being visited but that doesn’t mean most merchants accept it. https://wallethub.com/answers/cc/where-is-discover-card-accepted-2140658736/ 

[no1racefan1]

2 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Warning:  My sister and brother-in-law would advise you (based on personal experience) not to count on using a Discover card overseas.  It may be accepted in the country(ies) being visited but that doesn’t mean most merchants accept it. https://wallethub.com/answers/cc/where-is-discover-card-accepted-2140658736/ 

Agree-thanks for the reminder. I also always review my cards to remember which ones have no foreign transaction fees if I am traveling outside of the US.

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, capriccio said:

Warning:  My sister and brother-in-law would advise you (based on personal experience) not to count on using a Discover card overseas.  It may be accepted in the country(ies) being visited but that doesn’t mean most merchants accept it. https://wallethub.com/answers/cc/where-is-discover-card-accepted-2140658736/ 

Many places overseas also do not accept American Express cards. And even some places in the USA do not.

[Stowaway LFC]

18 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

 

Amazon Chase that I only use on Amazon for 5%--mine says 2% on gas. No annual fee.

Discover It that is 5% on rotating categories (kind of a pain) but also has occasional special offers--like the current one for 6% back on Paypal. No annual fee.

Citibank Double Cash--2% back on everything; I should use this as my default card but it's stuffed in safe that's hard to get to and I've been too lazy to dig it out. No annual fee.

United Chase--I mostly just keep this to get free bags on United because that's the only airline that flies my local airport. It's a $95 annual fee but if DH and I take 1 flight/year that pays for itself in checked bag fees. There are Chase special offers on here so I keep an eye on those to score cash back. Right now it has 10% back on certain fast food places I think.

Alaska Airlines BofA--I just got this so we could get the companion fare to use for our Alaska trip next year. We will also get free checked bags. I'm currently using this as my main spending card because I'm hoping to bank enough miles to cover at least one way for free! It has a $95 annual fee. I plan on getting rid of it after our Alaska trip since I'm unlikely to use Alaska Airlines very often. BofA also has Bank Amerideals similar to Chase offers. Right now I'm earning 10% cash back at Holiday gas stations.

Cabelas Cap One--Usually only use this at Cabela's (3%) and Cenex gas stations (2%). DH is an avid outdoorsman so the rewards we earn he is able to use to replace gear when needed. There is no annual fee. We used to have the black version which was 5% and 3%, respectively, but our spend isn't high enough. Oh well. Rule #392 of using rewards credit cards--never spend more than you normally would just to chase rewards!

Walmart Cap One--I only use at Walmart; we do grocery pickup which counts as an online purchase, so 5% back. No annual fee.

 

I'm not new to the credit card rewards game but I still feel like I have a lot to learn to really maximize its potential, LOL. I've had other cards here and there that I have cancelled because I don't like having too many cards open at once. We don't have big spending so we mostly just earn rewards during sign up bonus periods. If I'm planning to get a new card, I'll wait until we have a big expense coming up so we can easily meet the sign up bonuses.

 

Hotel credit cards can be pretty lucrative. I don't have any right now, but my favorite is Hyatt. You can get a few free nights out of Hyatt's sign up bonuses if you use your points wisely. Several years ago I got the Fairmont credit card (which I don't think they offer any more) and I was able to get 2 free nights at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Banff using the sign up bonus. That was a $700/night room--I NEVER would have been able to afford that!

 

Wow! We are so alike!  You are correct Gas is 2% on Amazon, glad you pointed that out so I can use the miles card instead.  I have the Citi Double cash card too.  I usually use it and my PayPal Mastercard for routine expenses since they are both 2%.  I need to look into the Alaskan Airlines card, one of our flights is on Alaskan airlines. What is the companion fare and did you have to pay the 95 in the first statement or is it billed at the end of the year? I'm hesitant to open another card right now since I just got the Carnival and the Discover Miles but if Alaskan is really good, I might get it and suffer the credit rating temporary decrease. Like you I would prob dump it before the first year is up. I have two Chase cards. The amazon and the Freedom, thanks for bringing the offers up bc I have never looked for them! If you can you might look into the AARP travel section I found I could get flights for 200 less and save over 100 on the hotel if I book through AARP's site.  You can pay with whatever card you like. And Rule # 392 strictly stands here!  However, I did discover a lot of things I had wrote checks for in the past could be paid for with a rewards card, like my electricity bill which runs 350 a month here in Texas. My Rule #1 is never carry a balance. I don't have any hotel cards either. When we do fly, I usually choose the hotel for its location to the cruise terminal or wherever we are going.  We really don't fly very much unless it's a work trip but the company schedules all that. Thanks for your post, very informative! 

[Stowaway LFC]

12 hours ago, capriccio said:

Warning:  My sister and brother-in-law would advise you (based on personal experience) not to count on using a Discover card overseas.  It may be accepted in the country(ies) being visited but that doesn’t mean most merchants accept it. https://wallethub.com/answers/cc/where-is-discover-card-accepted-2140658736/ 

Thanks for the info!  Since my cruise is over a year out I was going to retire the Discover Miles as soon as it matches my points at the end of the first year.  I only plan to carry a bit of cash in the ports plus a Mastercard or Visa for anything I can't leave without lol.  

[Stowaway LFC]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Many places overseas also do not accept American Express cards. And even some places in the USA do not.

I have encountered that here in the US. You would think, since they are so picky , you could use it anywhere. But noooo....