Need opinions-Should I get an NCL credit card?

[RocketMan275]

The big danger of a branded credit card like the NCL card is the temptation to spend more to get more points.  You wind up justifying additional spending because of the points.

[hallux]

10 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

But now you have me thinking (dangerous, I know). How exactly do you apply the points to an NCL reservation to get the upgrade? What's the process like? Do you get to pick your cabin? (Location is very important to us)...

Quite valid considerations.  I'm not sure but I may find out soon enough as I found a trip quite interesting to me and I can book an OV cabin to then upgrade to a balcony.

 

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

The big danger of a branded credit card like the NCL card is the temptation to spend more to get more points.  You wind up justifying additional spending because of the points.

I spend no more than I would normally, I just put as much of what I do spend on THAT card.  It's my default for tap-to-pay on my phone.

[Liljo22]

I have it but its not a good points credit card unless you cruise with NCL a lot.  Get the Chase Sapphire if you are looking for points.  2x points on your travel and if you charge the full amount with their card, you get their travel insurance for free.  

[RocketMan275]

24 minutes ago, hallux said:

Quite valid considerations.  I'm not sure but I may find out soon enough as I found a trip quite interesting to me and I can book an OV cabin to then upgrade to a balcony.

 

I spend no more than I would normally, I just put as much of what I do spend on THAT card.  It's my default for tap-to-pay on my phone.

 

[RocketMan275]

24 minutes ago, hallux said:

Quite valid considerations.  I'm not sure but I may find out soon enough as I found a trip quite interesting to me and I can book an OV cabin to then upgrade to a balcony.

 

I spend no more than I would normally, I just put as much of what I do spend on THAT card.  It's my default for tap-to-pay on my phone.

That's exactly the point.  That NCL card is enticing  you to spend more than what  you would normally.  Those points  you're spending to upgrade are not 'free'.  They could be converted to cash.  While the upgrade might seem to be cost effective, it is still additional spending.

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

@The Traveling ManI've had this card for a few years and I only use it for NCL charges to get the 3%. In the past, I've taken the statement credit, never thinking about doing an upgrade. Sounds like opportunity lost. We've typically always just booked balconies right off the bat without playing the upgrade game.

 

But now you have me thinking (dangerous, I know). How exactly do you apply the points to an NCL reservation to get the upgrade? What's the process like? Do you get to pick your cabin? (Location is very important to us)...

When I call my PCC to make a reservation, I already have done my research on room availability.  I make sure that there are some desirable Balcony staterooms available as well as some OV rooms.  There are several subcategories for each basic room category.  You have to book at least as high a subcategory OV as you want to upgrade to a Balcony.  If you want a BA, for example, you need to book an OA room, then cash in your 30,000 points for the upgrade.  For a BB, you usually need to book either an OA or OB.  To avoid any problems, I always try to do the upgrade during the same phone call in which I make my original reservation.  It usually requires a conference call with both my PCC and the NCL / BOA World Points specialist on the line together.  That way we can avoid any hiccups or disappointments.  We don't commit to the OV until we are sure that we will get our upgrade to an acceptable Balcony during the same phone call.  They always have been very accommodating with us, allowing us to suggest several acceptable Balcony rooms while they agree to reserve a room of our choosing.  If you try to make the OV booking first, then upgrade some time later, you might be in for some difficulty in getting a Balcony room that you like.  Doing it all with one call means we never have been stuck in an unacceptable room, e.g. in a noisy area under the pool deck or directly above the theater, for example.

 

It takes a bit more work and planning to upgrade successfully using points, but I think it is well worth it.  We have cruised quite frequently with NCL and have used World Points to upgrade about every third cruise.  On the others we pay outright, so we pick and choose which cruises are paid in full and which ones get upgraded.  We look for the more expensive cruises, usually longer than a week, where the price differential between OV and Balcony is the most.  Those are the ones where we use the points for an upgrade.  We pay full price only on the less expensive cruises, or when the price difference between OV and Balcony isn't enough to justify using the points.  Overall, we have saved more than $25,000 on cruises over the years, usually with a return on our credit card spending of around 30%, though sometimes even higher.

[schmoopie17]

@The Traveling Man I won't quote your response, but thanks for the thoroughness of it.

It helped a lot. 

 

Yes, it's a bit more legwork when making the reservation, but sounds like it's worth it.

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

That's exactly the point.  That NCL card is enticing  you to spend more than what  you would normally.  Those points  you're spending to upgrade are not 'free'.  They could be converted to cash.  While the upgrade might seem to be cost effective, it is still additional spending.

Yes, you can convert the points to OBC to spend on your next cruise or to cash to reduce your credit card balance.  Either way, the best rate of return you can get is 3%.  If you were planning on cruising with NCL again anyway, though, and would enjoy traveling in a Balcony, you can convert those credit card points to an upgrade that could represent as much as a 30% return on the money you have spent on your card.  It boils down to two things - were you planning on taking another cruise with NCL and would you be happy sailing in a Balcony.  If the answer to both questions is yes and you have managed to accumulate 30,000 points, it seems to me that the choice is a no brainer.  Take the 30%, leave the 3% on the table.

[Langham1865]

5 hours ago, hallux said:

Quite valid considerations.  I'm not sure but I may find out soon enough as I found a trip quite interesting to me and I can book an OV cabin to then upgrade to a balcony.

 

I spend no more than I would normally, I just put as much of what I do spend on THAT card.  It's my default for tap-to-pay on my phone.

I am doing the same thing... going to look into booking the OV and upgrade to the Balcony... but not spending more than usual, just use this card in the lead up on things I buy anyway.  

 

I do wonder about the turnaround on getting points credited.  Like if I book the cruise with the card, how long will it take for those points to be credited so I can use them for the upgrade...

[FFTB]

16 minutes ago, Langham1865 said:

...I do wonder about the turnaround on getting points credited.  Like if I book the cruise with the card, how long will it take for those points to be credited so I can use them for the upgrade...

 

Points are credited after your card's billing cycle closes.

[The Traveling Man]

35 minutes ago, Langham1865 said:

I am doing the same thing... going to look into booking the OV and upgrade to the Balcony... but not spending more than usual, just use this card in the lead up on things I buy anyway.  

 

I do wonder about the turnaround on getting points credited.  Like if I book the cruise with the card, how long will it take for those points to be credited so I can use them for the upgrade...

The points are posted to your account each month when your credit card billing cycle closes out.  Any purchases made during the month since the last close out will appear on your next credit card monthly statement.

[julig22]

6 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

The big danger of a branded credit card like the NCL card is the temptation to spend more to get more points.  You wind up justifying additional spending because of the points.

Spending more to get points - not really, at least I don't. But there's a caveat to that. I do charge my casino play (which isn't excessive) - so I charge $100, I get 309 points, which covers the $3 service fee, plus some. So basically a wash if I took a statement credit. But I use my points for upgrades - my OV to balcony upgrade cost me $300 in points, current price difference is about $1,500.

No annual fee, no foreign transaction fees don't hurt the value to me either. But I'm leaving soon for NCL cruise #23, not too hard to build up points. And I pay my card off monthly, so no worries about interest rates.

[stinkyharriet]

5 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

If you were planning on cruising with NCL again anyway, though, and would enjoy traveling in a Balcony, you can convert those credit card points to an upgrade that could represent as much as a 30% return on the money you have spent on your card.  It boils down to two things - were you planning on taking another cruise with NCL and would you be happy sailing in a Balcony.  If the answer to both questions is yes and you have managed to accumulate 30,000 points, it seems to me that the choice is a no brainer.  Take the 30%, leave the 3% on the table.

Do you have any idea if using points to upgrade would be possible if you book a solo cabin?  If I booked a solo OV am I eligible to use points to upgrade to a balcony?  And would both/either have to be designated as a solo cabin?  I usually sail with my sister but I’ve done two solo cruises on NCL that I thoroughly enjoyed.  My sister loves the casino and we’ve done a couple of “free” cruises she got through CAS.  They are inside cabins only.  Wondering if I’d be able to upgrade one of those to an OV although it seems like a waste of points.

[RocketMan275]

25 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Spending more to get points - not really, at least I don't. But there's a caveat to that. I do charge my casino play (which isn't excessive) - so I charge $100, I get 309 points, which covers the $3 service fee, plus some. So basically a wash if I took a statement credit. But I use my points for upgrades - my OV to balcony upgrade cost me $300 in points, current price difference is about $1,500.

No annual fee, no foreign transaction fees don't hurt the value to me either. But I'm leaving soon for NCL cruise #23, not too hard to build up points. And I pay my card off monthly, so no worries about interest rates.

Regardless of how it’s justified, the card encourages extra spending. Sure it is cost effective to use points to upgrade but that is extra spending. 
 

 

[Wayward Son]

7 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

Get the Chase Sapphire if you are looking for points.  2x points on your travel and if you charge the full amount with their card, you get their travel insurance for free.  

 

We seem to be the only ones that care that the NCL card is not the best option, but, that's fine.

 

I forgot about the travel insurance. It is incredibly generous compared to any of my other cards. And, if I recall correctly, you get the insurance if you pay any portion of the cruise with the card. The evacuation and medical needs to be supplemented with other insurance, but the cancellation and trip interruption is exceptional.

 

 

[Liljo22]

2 minutes ago, Wayward Son said:

 

We seem to be the only ones that care that the NCL card is not the best option, but, that's fine.

 

I forgot about the travel insurance. It is incredibly generous compared to any of my other cards. And, if I recall correctly, you get the insurance if you pay any portion of the cruise with the card. The evacuation and medical needs to be supplemented with other insurance, but the cancellation and trip interruption is exceptional.

 

 

It could be any portion.  I had a death in the family 2 days before we were leaving on a Europe trip and they refunded every non refundable dollar without having to jump through many hoops.  

[RocketMan275]

44 minutes ago, Wayward Son said:

 

We seem to be the only ones that care that the NCL card is not the best option, but, that's fine.

 

I forgot about the travel insurance. It is incredibly generous compared to any of my other cards. And, if I recall correctly, you get the insurance if you pay any portion of the cruise with the card. The evacuation and medical needs to be supplemented with other insurance, but the cancellation and trip interruption is exceptional.

 

 

I believe you're referring to the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card and not the NCL master card.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card travel insurance alone pays for the high annual fee which at my age would be almost $1000 for a seven day cruise in the Haven.

The Geo Blue is an excellent travel health supplemental.

[Wayward Son]

13 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I believe you're referring to the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card and not the NCL master card.

 

Definitely not talking about the NCL card, but a better option. We have Sapphire Preferred. Not as as good as Reserve, but also not nearly the cost.

 

[tcmagnum]

I decided to get the cc.  My sis and I have a Haven trip coming up.  Then there are 5 of us on another balcony trip in February.  I’ll be putting most of the charges for all cabins on my credit card which is extra points (get reimbursed from them) and then will get statement credits.  It was worth it to me.  If after these 2 cruise, we enjoy NCL, I will keep the cc.  If not, I will cancel it.

[The Traveling Man]

5 hours ago, stinkyharriet said:

Do you have any idea if using points to upgrade would be possible if you book a solo cabin?  If I booked a solo OV am I eligible to use points to upgrade to a balcony?  And would both/either have to be designated as a solo cabin?  I usually sail with my sister but I’ve done two solo cruises on NCL that I thoroughly enjoyed.  My sister loves the casino and we’ve done a couple of “free” cruises she got through CAS.  They are inside cabins only.  Wondering if I’d be able to upgrade one of those to an OV although it seems like a waste of points.

The upgrade is per stateroom, not per person.  I have no personal knowledge of using it on a single, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.  You woud only save the price difference for one person, though, not for two, so your relative per person benefit would be half as much that for a room for two.

[The Traveling Man]

5 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Regardless of how it’s justified, the card encourages extra spending. Sure it is cost effective to use points to upgrade but that is extra spending. 
 

 

The same can be said about any form of financial incentive.  Coupons, BOGO offers, etc. all can be enticing to anyone who lacks economic discipline, encouraging them to spend more than they otherwise would.

[The Traveling Man]

5 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Sure it is cost effective to use points to upgrade but that is extra spending. 
 

 

Not really.  We would have taken the same cruises anyway, we just got to enjoy the benefits of nicer rooms.  We didn't spend any more than we otherwise would have, we just got more bang for our buck.

[ngrund]

4 hours ago, tcmagnum said:

I decided to get the cc.  My sis and I have a Haven trip coming up.  Then there are 5 of us on another balcony trip in February.  I’ll be putting most of the charges for all cabins on my credit card which is extra points (get reimbursed from them) and then will get statement credits.  It was worth it to me.  If after these 2 cruise, we enjoy NCL, I will keep the cc.  If not, I will cancel it.

really no reason to close/cancel it-there is no annual fee.

 

If you are concerned about unauthorized use, you can lock the card on B of A's website.

[ngrund]

7 hours ago, julig22 said:

Spending more to get points - not really, at least I don't. But there's a caveat to that. I do charge my casino play (which isn't excessive) - so I charge $100, I get 309 points, which covers the $3 service fee, plus some. So basically a wash if I took a statement credit. But I use my points for upgrades - my OV to balcony upgrade cost me $300 in points, current price difference is about $1,500.

No annual fee, no foreign transaction fees don't hurt the value to me either. But I'm leaving soon for NCL cruise #23, not too hard to build up points. And I pay my card off monthly, so no worries about interest rates.

I believe that there are foreign transaction fees

[julig22]

Just now, ngrund said:

I believe that there are foreign transaction fees

Nope.