Need opinions-Should I get an NCL credit card?

[ngrund]

4 minutes ago, ngrund said:

I believe that there are foreign transaction fees

sorry was thinking about another card

[RocketMan275]

9 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

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.

When  you opted for using the points for the upgrade,  you choose to spend more than you otherwise would have.  Points are cash.

[tcmagnum]

8 hours ago, ngrund said:

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.

That is very true.  Might leave it open if we decide that NCL is our go to cruise line. 

[hallux]

8 hours ago, ngrund said:

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

In fact - some say it's detrimental to you to close or cancel the account rather than leave it dormant and let the issuer close it after a period of inactivity.

[julig22]

4 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

When  you opted for using the points for the upgrade,  you choose to spend more than you otherwise would have.  Points are cash.

You must be using some sort of new math. When I opt to use points for an upgrade, I am using points instead of cash to book the same cabin I would have booked without points. So if a $1,500 upgrade is only equal to $300 when I use points, I'm spending $1,200 LESS.

But if you don't get it, that's fine.

[RocketMan275]

17 minutes ago, julig22 said:

You must be using some sort of new math. When I opt to use points for an upgrade, I am using points instead of cash to book the same cabin I would have booked without points. So if a $1,500 upgrade is only equal to $300 when I use points, I'm spending $1,200 LESS.

But if you don't get it, that's fine.

Regardless, the points have a cash value.  The fact remains that you are spending more.  

[The Traveling Man]

5 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

When  you opted for using the points for the upgrade,  you choose to spend more than you otherwise would have.  Points are cash.

Not at all.  We most likely would have ponied up the additional cash to travel in a Balcony stateroom, anyway.  We simply got a discount.  A huge discount.

 

I think I have done the best job I am capable of doing in laying out the plusses and minuses of using NCL BOA Master Card World Points for room upgrades.  Yes, there are certain limitations and yes, the upgrade option may not be right for some travelers, notably those who prefer Suites or the Haven, which are beyond the scope of this type of upgrade.  For the overwhelming majority of frequent NCL customers, however, a reasonable, rational, thoughtful analysis of the benefits of using World Points for upgrades ought to be compelling.  If I have somehow failed to make that clear, I apologize for my lack of perspicacity.  Otherwise, I think I have contributed everything I possibly can to this discussion, so I will now bow out.

[RocketMan275]

7 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

Not at all.  We most likely would have ponied up the additional cash to travel in a Balcony stateroom, anyway.  We simply got a discount.  A huge discount.

 

I think I have done the best job I am capable of doing in laying out the plusses and minuses of using NCL BOA Master Card World Points for room upgrades.  Yes, there are certain limitations and yes, the upgrade option may not be right for some travelers, notably those who prefer Suites or the Haven, which are beyond the scope of this type of upgrade.  For the overwhelming majority of frequent NCL customers, however, a reasonable, rational, thoughtful analysis of the benefits of using World Points for upgrades ought to be compelling.  If I have somehow failed to make that clear, I apologize for my lack of perspicacity.  Otherwise, I think I have contributed everything I possibly can to this discussion, so I will now bow out.

I've not disputed that using points for an upgrade can be very cost effective.

I have disputed that using points for an upgrade isn't extra spending.

[julig22]

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

Not at all.  We most likely would have ponied up the additional cash to travel in a Balcony stateroom, anyway.  We simply got a discount.  A huge discount.

 

I think I have done the best job I am capable of doing in laying out the plusses and minuses of using NCL BOA Master Card World Points for room upgrades.  Yes, there are certain limitations and yes, the upgrade option may not be right for some travelers, notably those who prefer Suites or the Haven, which are beyond the scope of this type of upgrade.  For the overwhelming majority of frequent NCL customers, however, a reasonable, rational, thoughtful analysis of the benefits of using World Points for upgrades ought to be compelling.  If I have somehow failed to make that clear, I apologize for my lack of perspicacity.  Otherwise, I think I have contributed everything I possibly can to this discussion, so I will now bow out.

Same here. Too much fuzzy logic (or lack therof) to wrap my mind around how using points for an upgrade I'd be paying for anyway, at more than 5x the return I'd get if I just cashed in the points for a statement credit, is extra spending. They didn't address that in any of my math or accounting classes.

[RocketMan275]

4 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Same here. Too much fuzzy logic (or lack therof) to wrap my mind around how using points for an upgrade I'd be paying for anyway, at more than 5x the return I'd get if I just cashed in the points for a statement credit, is extra spending. They didn't address that in any of my math or accounting classes.

They did address that in the marketing classes where it is taught that the easiest sale is to convince the buyer they are getting something for nothing.  

Question:  if this feature is saving you so much money, why is the cruise line making this offere that costs them revenue?

[julig22]

59 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

They did address that in the marketing classes where it is taught that the easiest sale is to convince the buyer they are getting something for nothing.  

Question:  if this feature is saving you so much money, why is the cruise line making this offere that costs them revenue?

Why does NCL allow me to reprice my cruise if the price drops - isn't that costing them revenue? Other cruise lines charge re-booking/cancellation fees.

Your definition of getting something for nothing is just as fuzzy as thinking that getting a 5x return on my "investment" is somehow spending more. Yea, I took marketing.

Obviously it's not the card for you.

 

[RocketMan275]

10 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Why does NCL allow me to reprice my cruise if the price drops - isn't that costing them revenue? Other cruise lines charge re-booking/cancellation fees.

Your definition of getting something for nothing is just as fuzzy as thinking that getting a 5x return on my "investment" is somehow spending more. Yea, I took marketing.

Obviously it's not the card for you.

 

Does not that 'investment' require you to spend more?

I'm not saying that 'investment' is a bad 'investment'.  But it is additional spending.

It's one thing if  you intended to book a balcony. It's something else if you intended to book an ocean view but because of the 'return on investment', you choose to spend extra to book a balcony.

It's like my ex-wife saving all that money on sales.

Edited June 6 by RocketMan275

[julig22]

6 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Does not that 'investment' require you to spend more?

I'm not saying that 'investment' is a bad 'investment'.  But it is additional spending.

Wash, rinse, repeat. NO, my investment is the rewards of spending that I would do anyway, regardless of what credit card I choose to use. And I use the rewards to pay for something that I would have to pay for otherwise. Aside from sometimes using my NCL card while I'm traveling (no foreign fees) I only use the NCL card for NCL purchases that I would normally make. And it's free, no annual fees. Do I use it to buy airfare, pay for hotels, etc - absolutely not. I use other cards, depending on their "rewards" program. 

[hallux]

@julig22 I think I see a LITTLE of @RocketMan275's logic.  Some of it really depends on the cruise and what the fares are.

 

In my case - I'd book an OV and upgrade to a BA.  That upgrade is 30,000 points.  30,000 points redeemed in another way such as a statement credit is worth $300, but on some cruises the difference in cost from OV to BA is not even $300 (speaking strictly of guarantee cabins, lowest price for the category), extrapolated because there is no 30,000 point redemption except for the stateroom upgrade unless you do the statement credit.

 

There are other things to consider in that example though, I think...

[julig22]

48 minutes ago, hallux said:

@julig22 I think I see a LITTLE of @RocketMan275's logic.  Some of it really depends on the cruise and what the fares are.

 

In my case - I'd book an OV and upgrade to a BA.  That upgrade is 30,000 points.  30,000 points redeemed in another way such as a statement credit is worth $300, but on some cruises the difference in cost from OV to BA is not even $300 (speaking strictly of guarantee cabins, lowest price for the category), extrapolated because there is no 30,000 point redemption except for the stateroom upgrade unless you do the statement credit.

 

There are other things to consider in that example though, I think...

And if the difference between an OV and a balcony isn't significant, I pay the difference, save my points for the next cruise. Worst case scenario would be that I take a statement credit. Still NO extra money spent.

[RocketMan275]

15 minutes ago, julig22 said:

And if the difference between an OV and a balcony isn't significant, I pay the difference, save my points for the next cruise. Worst case scenario would be that I take a statement credit. Still NO extra money spent.

Points are real money.  Anything except redeemng for cash is spending real money.

[julig22]

9 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Points are real money.  Anything except redeemng for cash is spending real money.

Duh. And if I can spend $300 in "real money" to get a $1,500 credit, that's what I'm going to do. And if the difference in fare is not significantly more than $300, I don't use points, I pay the difference with the card (and get more points)

I guess you don't understand how spending $125 on a cruise next gets you $250 towards another cruise either. Sheesh.

There is NO extra spending involved anywhere, anyway, anyhow.

[RocketMan275]

12 hours ago, julig22 said:

Duh. And if I can spend $300 in "real money" to get a $1,500 credit, that's what I'm going to do. And if the difference in fare is not significantly more than $300, I don't use points, I pay the difference with the card (and get more points)

I guess you don't understand how spending $125 on a cruise next gets you $250 towards another cruise either. Sheesh.

There is NO extra spending involved anywhere, anyway, anyhow.

Except for the $300 in "real money".

[9tee2Sea]

Can I be excused from Math Class today?....I have a HORRIBLE HEADACHE.

[The Traveling Man]

This discussion puts me in mind of a scene from the movie City Slickers.  Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, and Bruno Kirby are on horses, driving a herd of cattle.  To pass the time, Billy's character is attempting to explain to Daniel's character how VCRs work.  For the younger members of this forum, please ask your parents what a VCR is.  So Billy keeps telling Daniel how to record one program while at the same time watching a different program live on the TV.  Stern just doesn't get it.  He keeps saying that it isn't possible, that you only can watch the same program that you are recording.  Finally Bruno Kirby's character interrupts, saying "Enough!  He doesn't get it!  He'll never get it!  By now even the cattle can program a VCR."  I feel like Bruno Kirby.

[RocketMan275]

2 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

This discussion puts me in mind of a scene from the movie City Slickers.  Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, and Bruno Kirby are on horses, driving a herd of cattle.  To pass the time, Billy's character is attempting to explain to Daniel's character how VCRs work.  For the younger members of this forum, please ask your parents what a VCR is.  So Billy keeps telling Daniel how to record one program while at the same time watching a different program live on the TV.  Stern just doesn't get it.  He keeps saying that it isn't possible, that you only can watch the same program that you are recording.  Finally Bruno Kirby's character interrupts, saying "Enough!  He doesn't get it!  He'll never get it!  By now even the cattle can program a VCR."  I feel like Bruno Kirby.

Yes, it does.  I'm surprised that you still don't get it.  If  you spend $300 for any reason,  you've spent $300.  Even if that saves  you $1200, you've still spent $300.

[zqvol]

Never understood why anyone would ask a cruise message board about a personal financial decision. That’s what your financial planner is for. 

[slidemaster5]

I just did the simple math approach: I am taking several NCL cruises and have status with BOA. That means I automatically get a 5.25% credit on all NCL trip related expenses without addressing other perks. Getting the card does not entice me to spend more since my trips are long planned out.

[julig22]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Yes, it does.  I'm surprised that you still don't get it.  If  you spend $300 for any reason,  you've spent $300.  Even if that saves  you $1200, you've still spent $300.

That's another DUH. Nowhere has anyone said you aren't "spending" $300 for your upgrade. But you seem to have forgotten your catch phrase of "additional spending" this time.

 

In case you've forgotten...

 

On 6/5/2024 at 6:32 AM, 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.

 

On 6/5/2024 at 7:12 AM, 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.

 

[EllieinNJ]

On another note, I had an NCL credit card that expired back in 2017.  Would I be eligible to apply again, pay the $1000 toward my booked cruise, get the 20,000 credits and then use it either as statement credit toward final payment on the same cruise? Never knew you can use it to upgrade.  I'm booked with a TA so does she have to contact NCL to upgrade?