Paying for your cruise with gift cards - dumb question

[TxTeach79]

Hey y'all! So I'm thinking about booking a new one here, and I have a decent chunk in outstanding gift cards. I heard that I can use gift cards to book my cruise (my gift card amount exceeds the amount of the cruise), but I don't see any way to do it online. Am i missing something? TIA!

[Yehootu]

Are you booked with a TA or directly with Princess? TA gotta do it through them. 

[TxTeach79]

12 minutes ago, Yehootu said:

Are you booked with a TA or directly with Princess? TA gotta do it through them. 

 

Not booked at all yet, but I always book directly. 

[MacMadame]

I don't know if there is an option when you first book (I didn't know about gift cards then so I wasn't looking for it) but once you are booked, when you go to make a payment, there are 3 choices -- CC, Paypal and Gift Cards.

[dockman]

Gift card from what company?

[wallyj]

4 minutes ago, dockman said:

Gift card from what company?

Princess cruises gift cards. You can buy at AARP at a 8% discount and you do not need to have an AARP membership. 

[dockman]

2 hours ago, wallyj said:

Princess cruises gift cards. You can buy at AARP at a 8% discount and you do not need to have an AARP membership. 

I know that but not sure if op was thinking of crackerbarell gift cards or who knows what.

[rick-mke]

Can the gift cards be used to purchase FCC?

 

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, rick-mke said:

Can the gift cards be used to purchase FCC?

 

NO, I don't believe so.  Cannot charge to cabin account either.  I presume you are asking about FCD's.  They require CC AFAIK.  Guests do not purchase FCC - it comes from Princess from cancellation refunds or other recompense to a guest.

[cruzsnooze]

I bought a $500 gift card on AARP and it wasn't loaded. It's been almost two months of frustration with AARP and still no resolution. I finally had to dispute on my credit card. 

  If you buy ant gift cards from any merchant on AARP check immediately to see if was loaded. They had a lot of issue's with Macy's card last year. 

[cruzsnooze]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

NO, I don't believe so.  Cannot charge to cabin account either.  I presume you are asking about FCD's.  They require CC AFAIK.  Guests do not purchase FCC - it comes from Princess from cancellation refunds or other recompense to a guest.

Gift cards are not future cruse deposits. They are like any gift card you buy at various venues. 

[Bollycats]

3 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

I bought a $500 gift card on AARP and it wasn't loaded. It's been almost two months of frustration with AARP and still no resolution. I finally had to dispute on my credit card. 

  If you buy ant gift cards from any merchant on AARP check immediately to see if was loaded. They had a lot of issue's with Macy's card last year. 

What do you mean by not loaded? You mean there was no money on the card?  I'm going to buy a carnival gift card for my cruise later this year to use on board for drinks and such. Is there a way to find out ahead of time how much is on it?

[avonlady6390]

You can also use princess gift cards applied to on board account just go to guest services once on board so for the original poster since after paying for cruise just use the rest for obc.😊

[wallyj]

52 minutes ago, Bollycats said:

What do you mean by not loaded? You mean there was no money on the card?  I'm going to buy a carnival gift card for my cruise later this year to use on board for drinks and such. Is there a way to find out ahead of time how much is on it?

Obviously when u purchase the gift card, the balance should be the amount of the gift card($100 or $500). I know both Princess and Carnival have links on their websites to check gift card balances, so if you have a balance left after using to purchase cruise fare, you can verify how much if left if you did not use the full amount. A quick google will also bring the gift card balance links.

[MacMadame]

4 hours ago, Bollycats said:

What do you mean by not loaded? You mean there was no money on the card?  I'm going to buy a carnival gift card for my cruise later this year to use on board for drinks and such. Is there a way to find out ahead of time how much is on it?

This happened to a friend of mine but with a Carnival GC. She bought some, went to use them to pay for her cruise and Carnival said some of them had a zero balance. It took her two weeks to get it straightened out!

 

It seems to be an issue with cards bought via the AARP website.

[cruzsnooze]

7 hours ago, Bollycats said:

What do you mean by not loaded? You mean there was no money on the card?  I'm going to buy a carnival gift card for my cruise later this year to use on board for drinks and such. Is there a way to find out ahead of time how much is on it?

Ihere was a zero balance. Carnival buyers are complaining on the AARP community board about not receiving their cards at all. Once you get the card via email go to the cruise site and do a balance inquiry.

[Bollycats]

3 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

Ihere was a zero balance. Carnival buyers are complaining on the AARP community board about not receiving their cards at all. Once you get the card via email go to the cruise site and do a balance inquiry.

Thanks, I will do that. I'm not using it for advanced purchases only for on the ship and I don't want a big surprise when I get on the ship!

[PacnGoNow]

3 minutes ago, Bollycats said:

Thanks, I will do that. I'm not using it for advanced purchases only for on the ship and I don't want a big surprise when I get on the ship!

When I first buy them for a PCL cruise, I open the email and each card, go onto the website and check the balance.

 

Princess.com/giftcard

 

Then, for those I am using OBC once OB, I check those just before the cruise.  NP

Make sure to print out the card that you are using OB, with the card no and pin, as they will want a paper copy.

 

[Bollycats]

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

When I first buy them for a PCL cruise, I open the email and each card, go onto the website and check the balance.

 

Princess.com/giftcard

 

Then, for those I am using OBC once OB, I check those just before the cruise.  NP

Make sure to print out the card that you are using OB, with the card no and pin, as they will want a paper copy.

 

Good to know, thanks. I found the page on Carnival's website to check the balance so I'm ready.

[Thrak]

I have purchased more than 60 gift cards through AARP and have immediately checked the balance on each one. I have had zero issues using them to pay for cruises and EZ Air.

[bjkTX]

On 1/14/2024 at 4:56 PM, cruzsnooze said:

I bought a $500 gift card on AARP and it wasn't loaded. It's been almost two months of frustration with AARP and still no resolution. I finally had to dispute on my credit card. 

  If you buy ant gift cards from any merchant on AARP check immediately to see if was loaded. They had a lot of issue's with Macy's card last year. 

I use Princess gift cards pretty much every cruise - and I was lucky enough to get them when they were still 10% off (like they still are for the other cruise lines..).  I always check them as soon as I get them and before I send them to my TA but still had one $500 card get rejected (input by my TA) and it took a good month or longer of getting Princess, AARP and my TA involved.  About the time I was going to give up and pay from another source I received a message from my TA saying the gift card had processed...

[lennythenose]

On 1/16/2024 at 5:09 PM, Thrak said:

I have purchased more than 60 gift cards through AARP and have immediately checked the balance on each one. I have had zero issues using them to pay for cruises and EZ Air.

To the OPs question, when you have used them to pay for cruises did you pay the deposit with them also?  Did you book directly or with a TA?

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, lennythenose said:

To the OPs question, when you have used them to pay for cruises did you pay the deposit with them also?  Did you book directly or with a TA?

 

I booked directly using a Future Cruise Deposit. Love the free OBC. 😁

I immediately transferred the cruise(s) to my TA and, when final payment was getting near, I gave him a bunch of gift cards. (I didn't want him to have to do a bazillion all at once as I know it's a pain in the neck dealing with Princess. As final payment came around I gave him more gift cards. He paid for all of the cruises and the EZ Air (it was listed on the booking so it was one "payment" due). We just did this for 6 cruise segments totaling 63 days.

 

We are currently booked on the 10 day Mexico Total Solar Eclipse cruise. Again, I booked myself using FCD and then transferred the cruise to our TA. I took him a bunch of Princess Gift Cards from AARP to pay for the cruise and the airfare. I didn't have the right amount of gift cards so I asked if he could use "part of one" and "have the rest applied as OBC". He didn't think that would be an easy thing to do so I said I would just hang onto the last $500 card and asked him to charge the rest to my credit card. The next day I got a "Paid in Full" booking receipt as he had just covered the rest of the cost himself. I will go to Guest Services (why did it have to change from the Purser's Desk?) and apply that last gift card as OBC.

 

Between the 63 days on Grand Princess and the upcoming 10 days on Discovery Princess I have save what is sometimes known as a "buttload" of money by using the gift cards from AARP. All of the cards for our 63 day trip were purchased at 10% off. The cards for our upcoming 10 day cruise (plus the planned OBC) were purchased at "only" 8% off. Too bad, so sad. I still saved a bunch of money with the cards purchased through AARP. I have absolutely zero issues or regrets.