S&S Account funded 100% by Carnival Cards, Unused funds returned via check?

[bar1068]

We've used discounted Carnival gift cards for years on many cruises to fund our cruise bookings, and onboard S&S account. When we had a remaining balance, even balances less than $100 (but more than amount they donate) those balances were refunded back to gift cards, e-gift cards specifically. This year we've cruised on Jubilee and earlier this month on Venezia, with our S&S funded completely with gift cards, even bought a couple while onboard when our balances were running down. Both cruises we had balances of less than $100 at the cruises end, and both times we received those balances via checks in the mail within a couple weeks of returning from those sailings. Has something changed that I've missed? Not an issue, worry or concern, just curious if other cruisers have seen this.

[hard_eight]

I wish I knew what getting off the boat without a debt was like!🤣

[VentureMan_2000]

I believe balances less than $10 will be donated to St. Jude.  Balances $10 and over are refunded via check.

[cmukid87]

I've always been told original form of payment but that doesn't seem to be the case for you.  I have always funded my S&S with gift cards, too.  I have never wanted to risk getting a gift card back with any balance so I've cashed out my balance at the casino the final night.

[pcvtmom]

We were recently refunded our remaining balance from gift cards.  We received it in the form of an e-gift card a day or so after returning home.

[pellanor]

8 hours ago, bar1068 said:

We've used discounted Carnival gift cards for years on many cruises to fund our cruise bookings, and onboard S&S account. When we had a remaining balance, even balances less than $100 (but more than amount they donate) those balances were refunded back to gift cards, e-gift cards specifically. This year we've cruised on Jubilee and earlier this month on Venezia, with our S&S funded completely with gift cards, even bought a couple while onboard when our balances were running down. Both cruises we had balances of less than $100 at the cruises end, and both times we received those balances via checks in the mail within a couple weeks of returning from those sailings. Has something changed that I've missed? Not an issue, worry or concern, just curious if other cruisers have seen this.

Did you have refundable OBC of more than $100? I wondered if the billing system applied charged to gift cards first, followed by OBC, and refunded remaining refundable OBC. I had that happen on the Celebration where I had $200 OBC and rest of charges funded by gift cards. $120 was returned to me in cash.

[cmptrwiz]

We got a check back about a week when we returned home.  It was less than $50.

[babygrljaz]

In April I got my refund $11 as an e card the she day we got back. Same for my daughter, hers was over $100

[Honolulu Blue]

19 hours ago, bar1068 said:

We've used discounted Carnival gift cards for years on many cruises to fund our cruise bookings, and onboard S&S account. When we had a remaining balance, even balances less than $100 (but more than amount they donate) those balances were refunded back to gift cards, e-gift cards specifically. This year we've cruised on Jubilee and earlier this month on Venezia, with our S&S funded completely with gift cards, even bought a couple while onboard when our balances were running down. Both cruises we had balances of less than $100 at the cruises end, and both times we received those balances via checks in the mail within a couple weeks of returning from those sailings. Has something changed that I've missed? Not an issue, worry or concern, just curious if other cruisers have seen this.

Interesting.  Thanks for sharing.

 

I've never had a balance to refund, so I don't have any insight there.  I wonder which I would prefer - the check or the GC refund.  I suppose if I had only one or two cards to keep track of, or if Carnival sends a new card for the balance, then a refund there would be fine.  But I think it's a PITA to have to keep records of multiple GCs in case Carnival chooses to refund one of their choice, as I've found out when this happened to me on another cruise line (long story).  Then again, a loose check is also a PITA these days - especially when you don't know when it will arrive.

 

I just wish Carnival would stick with one policy and communicate it to its guests.

[bar1068]

Hmmmm....I certainly can't speak to what happened with the "other" cruise, but our experience using Carnivals gc's, particularly the discounted cards has been very good, even when physical cards were first what was used. Using e-gift cards at least limits keeping track of physical cards, although last year we had a larger refund of over $600 to anyone e-gift card that somehow my wife and I completely forgot about! But we did use it on another cruise.

 

As I mentioned our experience with gc's has been good. If we have any refunds, it's usually small, if any at all, and Carnival has always put whatever balance owed backed to us to an e-gift card, which we usually received within days of the cruises end.  Outside of the one we fuggat about, never had an issue, though that one was self inflicted! For us Carnival has been pretty consistent, except for this recent oddity of receiving a check when expecting an o e-gift card,

[n6uqqq]

8 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Interesting.  Thanks for sharing.

 

I've never had a balance to refund, so I don't have any insight there.  I wonder which I would prefer - the check or the GC refund.  I suppose if I had only one or two cards to keep track of, or if Carnival sends a new card for the balance, then a refund there would be fine.  But I think it's a PITA to have to keep records of multiple GCs in case Carnival chooses to refund one of their choice, as I've found out when this happened to me on another cruise line (long story).  Then again, a loose check is also a PITA these days - especially when you don't know when it will arrive.

 

I just wish Carnival would stick with one policy and communicate it to its guests.

 

Carnival does not reload gift cards per their website. I have only received new gift cards as replacement for refunds.