Discounted gift cards?

[Cruise Raider]

On 8/28/2024 at 3:27 PM, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

 

Is this the link you are using?

https://wbiprod.storedvalue.com/WBI/lookupservlet?language=en&host=princess.com

 

I just tried it and it works fine for me.

I do know that if you make an error in typing the number, you have to go out and come back in again as it gets confused and doesn't give an error message.

 

If the above link doesn't work, try going at it 'clean' from the main Princess page, scroll to the bottom and click on "Gift Cards" (3rd column/last item)

 

 

I finally got it to work on one card using my log in and on a different device on my DH’s log in,  I found the card.  I would still like the check balance work for than one card at a time .. then, having to check another 2 days later.  But, at least I’m good for now.  I will have to start keeping hand written documents of which have money on them and which ones I pre used and for which cruise.  
I did write to customer support .. not sure what good it will do but it made me feel better. 

[CruisingSandgroper]

On 8/17/2024 at 10:19 AM, lennythenose said:

Is there any other source for discounted cards?  I know NewEgg and a few other places have Carnival cards sometimes but I’ve never seen Princess cards anywhere else. 

I've bought Princess gift cards from Target online and paying with a Target card gives you 5% discount.

[missnd]

FYI - Newegg has $40 off $500 Princess gift cards today 9/6.  It says it's good for another 6 hours as of about 8:30pm ET.

[lennythenose]

3 hours ago, missnd said:

FYI - Newegg has $40 off $500 Princess gift cards today 9/6.  It says it's good for another 6 hours as of about 8:30pm ET.

Thank you!  I almost missed them today. 

[coops]

On 8/17/2024 at 8:05 PM, Thunderbird19 said:

Don’t blame you for not wanting to sign up for AARP.  A friend who works in IT said the amount of junk e-mail one gets from being an AARP member, even if you turn on their meager privacy options, is big.   No one needs even more junk mail and spam sent to their email address.😂

Surprised to hear that as I have been a member for 10 years and rarely get any junk mail from them. 

[coops]

17 hours ago, lennythenose said:

Thank you!  I almost missed them today. 

If you go thru AARP then you will get 50 off of 500

[coops]

On 8/20/2024 at 8:57 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

who wants to get one AARP email every day?

They've been bombarding our household with their mailed invitations years before anyone in this house even got close to 50. 

We have be members for 10 years and not much at all on junk mail from them. Maybe were you live. 

 

[lennythenose]

1 hour ago, coops said:

If you go thru AARP then you will get 50 off of 500

Understand. I was looking for a different option. Thanks though!

[missnd]

1 hour ago, coops said:

If you go thru AARP then you will get 50 off of 500

AARP is now 8% off/$40 off of $500.

[Cruise Raider]

14 hours ago, missnd said:

AARP is now 8% off/$40 off of $500.

Yes!  And I think it’s been like that for about a year.  

[coops]

15 hours ago, missnd said:

AARP is now 8% off/$40 off of $500.

Wow you are right. Very surprised as all the other cruise lines are 10 percent off. Thanks for letting me know. 

[Avalon35]

How do you use the gift cards? Can you pay for deposit etc? Can you use multiple gift cards. Is I best to use on-line or with the Princess planner?

[missnd]

16 minutes ago, Avalon35 said:

How do you use the gift cards? Can you pay for deposit etc? Can you use multiple gift cards. Is I best to use on-line or with the Princess planner?

I booked my cruise myself on Princess.com and was easily able to use gift cards to pay my balance on my cruise.  I had to enter each gift card one at a time ($500 at a time), but it was easy.  I'm not sure if you can easily pay your deposit with a gift card online.  

 

I am planning to purchase some more for excursions and other expenses.  My understanding is that I cannot use them directly on the website as I did for my payments.  I believe I can call in and use them to purchase OBC and then use the OBC to pay for excursions, etc.  I'm planning to give that a try here in the next couple of weeks and hope it isn't too painful.  After a couple of horrible experiences, I'm hesitant to call the 800 number.  Hoping maybe I can use the gift cards to purchase OBC through chat.

[MacMadame]

When you book the cruise and have to put down a deposit, "Gift Cards" is not a payment option. Just CC and PayPal. But when you make any payments after that, "Gift Cards" is an additional option.

 

Once I booked my cruise, I made all my payments with gift cards. I'm about to pay off the cruise with gift cards and since the gift cards will cover more than the remainder I owe, the rest becomes OBC. So that's one way to turn Gift Cards into OBC. It's the only way using the website. No way I'm calling the 800# I'll add GC to my folio on board instead.

 

As mentioned above, you can't use Gift Cards to book excursions either. Not sure why.

Edited September 22 by MacMadame

[rj59]

Value of unused gift cards in the US is currently $23 billion. If a 'deal' encourages you to buy a gift card for something you wouldn't usually buy, then you lose, especially if AARP can sell you something else from its many advertisers trying to get to you. You can't use Princess gift cards through a TA, can you? So then you lose out on cruise discounts or additional OBC. It just takes one cruise you don't really want to take but do so because of gift cards that offer a 'bargain'. I've done it myself with Carnival gift cards, bought in supermarkets with the AMEX Blue cash preferred, but then I didn't really want to go on the cruises I booked. The same goes for NCL offering a 10% off for military, or their scammy cruisenext certificates, they're designed to get you to book more cruises. To the OP, though, another option is to try a credit card with a substantial supermarket cash back, like 6% on AMEX Blue Cash Preferred, especially since last year they had a $250 or so Princess credit for a certain spend, which beats any AARP savings. If you want a free option, the basic free Discover card has 5% at grocery stores, drug stores, and  Amazon/Target/Walmart throughout the year. But of course realize that 5-10% savings on some gift cards pale in comparison to the costs of a cruise, with flights, hotels, onboard spend, buying a balcony/suite, Plus/Premier, etc, which people conveniently ignore because they got a 'deal' on some gift cards. It's how Costco and every credit card makes their money by attracting shortsighted consumers. 

[Arizona Wildcat]

3 hours ago, rj59 said:

Value of unused gift cards in the US is currently $23 billion. If a 'deal' encourages you to buy a gift card for something you wouldn't usually buy, then you lose, especially if AARP can sell you something else from its many advertisers trying to get to you. You can't use Princess gift cards through a TA, can you? So then you lose out on cruise discounts or additional OBC. It just takes one cruise you don't really want to take but do so because of gift cards that offer a 'bargain'. I've done it myself with Carnival gift cards, bought in supermarkets with the AMEX Blue cash preferred, but then I didn't really want to go on the cruises I booked. The same goes for NCL offering a 10% off for military, or their scammy cruisenext certificates, they're designed to get you to book more cruises. To the OP, though, another option is to try a credit card with a substantial supermarket cash back, like 6% on AMEX Blue Cash Preferred, especially since last year they had a $250 or so Princess credit for a certain spend, which beats any AARP savings. If you want a free option, the basic free Discover card has 5% at grocery stores, drug stores, and  Amazon/Target/Walmart throughout the year. But of course realize that 5-10% savings on some gift cards pale in comparison to the costs of a cruise, with flights, hotels, onboard spend, buying a balcony/suite, Plus/Premier, etc, which people conveniently ignore because they got a 'deal' on some gift cards. It's how Costco and every credit card makes their money by attracting shortsighted consumers. 

Have never gone the gift card route for cruises.  Get 5% cash back on purchases.  The issue is if cruise or I cancell the $$ goes back to the cards.  Then need to keep a record of exactly how much is on each card AND each card number.

Local grocery chain offers a $50 card on a $500 purchase of their cards.  Not hard to use a $50 card on each grocery purchase and I get a physical card.  Then add the $25 from my credit card company and a good deal.

[PacnGoNow]

8 hours ago, rj59 said:

You can't use Princess gift cards through a TA, can you?

Yes, I use mine with a TA, NP.
 

 There may be some TA’s that don’t accept them, but I use 2 different TA’s and a CVP on different cruises and not had any problems. 

 

[missnd]

10 hours ago, MacMadame said:

I'm about to pay off the cruise with gift cards and since the gift cards will cover more than the remainder I owe, the rest becomes OBC. So that's one way to turn Gift Cards into OBC. It's the only way using the website.

Please update if this works for you when you make your final payment.  I had hoped it would work that way for me, but it would not take my payment when I tried to do the full $500 on the gift card.  Once I adjusted to the remaining balance $289, it allowed it to go through.  The remaining $211 is still on my gift card.

[dreaminofcruisin]

10 hours ago, rj59 said:

If a 'deal' encourages you to buy a gift card for something you wouldn't usually buy, then you lose, especially if AARP can sell you something else from its many advertisers trying to get to you. You can't use Princess gift cards through a TA, can you? So then you lose out on cruise discounts or additional OBC. It just takes one cruise you don't really want to take but do so because of gift cards that offer a 'bargain'. I've done it myself with Carnival gift cards, bought in supermarkets with the AMEX Blue cash preferred, but then I didn't really want to go on the cruises I booked. 

 

You have a really interesting 'take' on gift cards. I ONLY  buy Princess gift cards AFTER I book the cruise.....so they are definitely cruises I want to take! You do you, but I'll take the 8% off I get buying the AARP cards.....

I don't use a TA usually, but have read many posters who do and they take their gift cards. 

[cruzsnooze]

I use a big box TA and they take the Princess gift cards.

[lennythenose]

15 hours ago, rj59 said:

Value of unused gift cards in the US is currently $23 billion. If a 'deal' encourages you to buy a gift card for something you wouldn't usually buy, then you lose, especially if AARP can sell you something else from its many advertisers trying to get to you. You can't use Princess gift cards through a TA, can you? So then you lose out on cruise discounts or additional OBC. It just takes one cruise you don't really want to take but do so because of gift cards that offer a 'bargain'. I've done it myself with Carnival gift cards, bought in supermarkets with the AMEX Blue cash preferred, but then I didn't really want to go on the cruises I booked. The same goes for NCL offering a 10% off for military, or their scammy cruisenext certificates, they're designed to get you to book more cruises. To the OP, though, another option is to try a credit card with a substantial supermarket cash back, like 6% on AMEX Blue Cash Preferred, especially since last year they had a $250 or so Princess credit for a certain spend, which beats any AARP savings. If you want a free option, the basic free Discover card has 5% at grocery stores, drug stores, and  Amazon/Target/Walmart throughout the year. But of course realize that 5-10% savings on some gift cards pale in comparison to the costs of a cruise, with flights, hotels, onboard spend, buying a balcony/suite, Plus/Premier, etc, which people conveniently ignore because they got a 'deal' on some gift cards. It's how Costco and every credit card makes their money by attracting shortsighted consumers. 

I appreciate your perspective. I do not use a TA (nothing against them just haven’t used them). I only buy gift cards for cruises I’ve booked or know I will book. And I use a credit card that gives me great points on my purchase so I take advantage of both credit card perk and discount gift card. 

Edited September 22 by lennythenose

[cruzsnooze]

3 hours ago, lennythenose said:

I appreciate your perspective. I do not use a TA (nothing against them just haven’t used them). I only buy gift cards for cruises I’ve booked or know I will book. And I use a credit card that gives me great points on my purchase so I take advantage of both credit card perk and discount gift card. 

I triple the rewards by buying the gift card on my visa for which I get points, which is from a big box company and then book with the big box company and get a shop card when I get home from my cruise for the same big box company. 

[Retired-N-Happy]

I've saved thousands of dollars over the years using the discounted cards.  First it was 10% on multiple Carnival cruises using it towards 100% of all cruise related purchases.  Then it was 10% on Princess and now 8% on Princess.  The benefits far outweigh the negatives.  The only negative is that refunds on Princess come back onto the individual card you used, unlike Carnival, whose refunds come back on a brand new card.

[MacMadame]

11 hours ago, missnd said:

Please update if this works for you when you make your final payment.  I had hoped it would work that way for me, but it would not take my payment when I tried to do the full $500 on the gift card.  Once I adjusted to the remaining balance $289, it allowed it to go through.  The remaining $211 is still on my gift card.

Yikes. People on CC told me that it wouldn't work that way. I think I'll buy $100 cards instead of $500 for the last bit so I haven't got hundreds on a card. Even though I *will* spend it. LOL

 

20 hours ago, rj59 said:

I've done it myself with Carnival gift cards, bought in supermarkets with the AMEX Blue cash preferred, but then I didn't really want to go on the cruises I booked. 

That sounds like a personal problem to me. 🤷‍♀️

[bjkTX]

13 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Yes, I use mine with a TA, NP.
 

 There may be some TA’s that don’t accept them, but I use 2 different TA’s and a CVP on different cruises and not had any problems. 

 

Same here - I have used gift cards with our TA on the last 5 cruises with no issues.