Ncl (boa) Credit Card Now Worth Less

[cruisingrandy]

I have had this credit card for several years now and was looking at booking a 10 Hawaii cruise in December. The latitudes deal is for A cateory II gty for only $739 each. A good price but the deposit is $800 so final payment is only $792 with tax. SO YOU LOSE $208 OF CERT.

YOU CANNOT GET ANY REFUND OF YOUR DEPOSIT BY USING $1000 WORTH OF CRUISE REWARDS CERTIFICATES. i HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST. CSR REP SAID THEY CHANGED THE RULES A FEW MONTHS AGO.

I KNOW YOU COULD NOT USE THE CERTS TO PAY FOR YOUR DEPOSIT BUT YOU USED TO BE ABLE TO GET A REFUND FOR THE EXTRA TO YOUR CREDIT CARD AFTER FINAL PAYMENT WAS APPIED.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THE NEW RULES

[cliffd64]

I have had this credit card for several years now and was looking at booking a 10 Hawaii cruise in December. The latitudes deal is for A cateory II gty for only $739 each. A good price but the deposit is $800 so final payment is only $792 with tax. SO YOU LOSE $208 OF CERT.

YOU CANNOT GET ANY REFUND OF YOUR DEPOSIT BY USING $1000 WORTH OF CRUISE REWARDS CERTIFICATES. i HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST. CSR REP SAID THEY CHANGED THE RULES A FEW MONTHS AGO.

I KNOW YOU COULD NOT USE THE CERTS TO PAY FOR YOUR DEPOSIT BUT YOU USED TO BE ABLE TO GET A REFUND FOR THE EXTRA TO YOUR CREDIT CARD AFTER FINAL PAYMENT WAS APPIED.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THE NEW RULES

 

 

As far as I can remember, this has been policy, and I have never had a problem with it. Others may have been successful in navigating around it, but from the beginning, deposits were supposed to be off limits to certificates. If you were able to do it in the past, I'd say you were pretty fortunate. I don't think the program was designed to get you a refund of deposits. Just my opinion of course.

 

One obvious question is... why don't you just use 500 dollars worth of certificates rather than $1000 on this trip?

 

Then you wouldn't "waste" any points and you could use them for another trip.

[Planer's Edge]

I have had this credit card for several years now and was looking at booking a 10 Hawaii cruise in December. The latitudes deal is for A cateory II gty for only $739 each. A good price but the deposit is $800 so final payment is only $792 with tax. SO YOU LOSE $208 OF CERT.

YOU CANNOT GET ANY REFUND OF YOUR DEPOSIT BY USING $1000 WORTH OF CRUISE REWARDS CERTIFICATES. i HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST. CSR REP SAID THEY CHANGED THE RULES A FEW MONTHS AGO.

I KNOW YOU COULD NOT USE THE CERTS TO PAY FOR YOUR DEPOSIT BUT YOU USED TO BE ABLE TO GET A REFUND FOR THE EXTRA TO YOUR CREDIT CARD AFTER FINAL PAYMENT WAS APPIED.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THE NEW RULES

 

My math has $739 ea. for total cost of $1478 less the $800 deposit for a final payment of $678. Using one $500 certificate leaves a final payment of $168 and you use the other $500 certificate for another cruise.

 

All I wanted to really say is that your thread title is VERY misleading.

 

PE

[heelfan94]

All I wanted to really say is that your thread title is VERY misleading.

 

PE

I agree. Don't scare us like that. :(

[debnpaul]

As recently as a month ago, I read something different than this. It said that although you were not permitted to use a certificate as the actual downpayment to hold your reservation, you should initially pay with your credit card. Then when you mail in your certificates it would be applied towards your final payments, and/or credited onto your credit card.

 

For example... a $2000 cruise. Downpayment = $250x2 or $500. You pay $500 at booking. You mail in $2000 in certificates, the $1500 is applied to your final payment, and $500 is credited to your credit card account.

 

There are many on the boards who say they have actually cruised for free this way (my goal is to do so next year!). You just have to pay initially, then wait to get credited back.

 

Hopefully others will agree, and I don't have my wires crossed...:D

[heelfan94]

If I understood the OP, their final payment was between 500 and 1000 dollars, and he/she used $1000 in points. I don't think they refund the difference when your final amt. due is less than a full certificate. He or she should have just used one $500 certificate for this to work, then another $500 on the next cruise. Then no money is lost.

[hotspur]

As far as I can tell, there's no new news here.

 

I can understand why they won't let you use certificates for the down payment. What if you cancel--a not unusual happening? They aren't going to credit your card with a cash refund. What would they do? Return your certificate with the original expiration date? If they moved the expiration date forward in time, you could keep booking and canceling cruises to extend the expiration. Smart policy, I'd say. Just work within it, as others have suggested above. Still a helluva deal, in my opinion. Let's stop knocking it.

[halos]

 

All I wanted to really say is that your thread title is VERY misleading.

 

PE

 

 

 

 

I agree. Don't scare us like that. :(

 

:eek: absolutely! I dang near had a hear attack!

[MagnoliaBlossom]

I am sailing the Pearl in July. Paid my down payment with M/C and sent in 6 certificates. After final payment (4 weeks ago) I sent in 4 more certificates. The $2,000 has been credited back to my card this week. This covered the cost of my deposit and the entire cruise will cost me about $235. Not worth wasting a certificate since you lose the balance.

 

My suggestion to the OP is to call the accounting department rather than Customer Service, since I've found that the CSR's have varying (often pitiful) degrees of expertise in dealing the certificate issues.

 

If they have changed the program it's happened in the last 4 weeks.

[cruisingrandy]

I am sailing the Pearl in July. Paid my down payment with M/C and sent in 6 certificates. After final payment (4 weeks ago) I sent in 4 more certificates. The $2,000 has been credited back to my card this week. This covered the cost of my deposit and the entire cruise will cost me about $235. Not worth wasting a certificate since you lose the balance

 

My suggestion to the OP is to call the accounting department rather than Customer Service, since I've found that the CSR's have varying (often pitiful) degrees of expertise in dealing the certificate issues.

 

If they have changed the program it's happened in the last 4 weeks.

 

Yes this is what I was referrimg to that I had also done in the past. But CSR implied it had changed in the last couple of months. I will call accounting and see tomorrow

[melissa6675]

We recently sailed on the Sun in a mini-suite. We paid a $500.00 deposit, and owed somewhere around $1500.00 at final payment. We sent in $2000.00 in reward certificates and received a credit on our credit card for $492.00. My thinking is if we'd had $2500.00 in points we would have received over $900.00 in credit back.

 

My understanding is that you can't use the certificates as your downpayment. That must be made by credit card or cash. You can, however, use as many certificates as you'd like toward final payment. If you have more certificates than balance owed, they promptly refund your credit card. We've done this twice with no problems.

[vespagirl]

I am wondering if this will work. I plan to book an august cruise soon. Since I am so close to the departure date I assume they will charge my card the entire price of the cruise instead of just a deposit. Can I then just send in all my certificates to cover the cruise?

[pajammies]

I am wondering if this will work. I plan to book an august cruise soon. Since I am so close to the departure date I assume they will charge my card the entire price of the cruise instead of just a deposit. Can I then just send in all my certificates to cover the cruise?

 

To my knowledge you can not send in certs. after final payment is made (anyone...??) Last time we went however we were able to book with a down payment and send certs. in overnight mail. Final pymt. was due right away because of how late we booked, but the lady we talked to said they usually give customers 24-48 hours to pay. Did I make that clear?:o

[smeyer418]

To my knowledge you can not send in certs. after final payment is made (anyone...??) Last time we went however we were able to book with a down payment and send certs. in overnight mail. Final pymt. was due right away because of how late we booked, but the lady we talked to said they usually give customers 24-48 hours to pay. Did I make that clear?:o

 

 

I do this all the time. They always credit the amount in Certs back to my credit card. I pay with the Credit card and then send in the certs which are then credited back. I always book when I have to pay in full.

[Cosmopolitan]

I do this all the time. They always credit the amount in Certs back to my credit card. I pay with the Credit card and then send in the certs which are then credited back. I always book when I have to pay in full.

 

Is that the way to get better pricing?:)

[pajammies]

I do this all the time. They always credit the amount in Certs back to my credit card. I pay with the Credit card and then send in the certs which are then credited back. I always book when I have to pay in full.

 

That's a very cool thing to know! Are you given 24-48 hours then to send in your cert.

 

Cosmopolitan asked if you wait to get better deals I'm wondering that myself also. Thanks

[smeyer418]

That's a very cool thing to know! Are you given 24-48 hours then to send in your cert.

 

Cosmopolitan asked if you wait to get better deals I'm wondering that myself also. Thanks

 

 

No you pay in full and mail the certs in. I almost never order them until I book and then its about 10 days before you get the certs anyway.

 

As to better pricing sometimes yes and sometimes no.

[halos]

Ok..is this pushing it???

 

Say I have final payment due in August, then I send in certificates to NCL in September...will they accept that long after final payment? (cruise is in November)

[snorklinbarb]

halos,

 

My experience mirrors smeyer's. Book and pay in full if within final payment period, followed by ordering and sending in the certs. They did not give a time limit but obviously urged it be done right away (it was). I was told by my PCC that the cert. had to be received and processed prior to my sail date. For the Pearl TA trip, I cut it rather close but everything worked out fine.

 

Realize you will be waiting a couple of billing cycles for all of this to be credited back.

[smeyer418]

Ok..is this pushing it???

 

Say I have final payment due in August, then I send in certificates to NCL in September...will they accept that long after final payment? (cruise is in November)

yes.in my experience at least it takes anywhere from 2-4 weeks to get them in and two more weeks for the credit to get posted.

[vette]

Could someone give me the phone number to call to get my Certificates. I have enough points to put toward our next cruise, but I don't have the phone # to call to get it in process.

 

Vette

[donsuej]

Hi,

Call the 1-800 number on the back of your Bank of America Norwegian credit card. Very simple. They will send you your certificates.

Sue

[MrLee]

Could someone give me the phone number to call to get my Certificates. I have enough points to put toward our next cruise, but I don't have the phone # to call to get it in process.

 

Vette

 

It's on the back of your card. (customer service)

[cruisingrandy]

So if My total fare is $1592 including tax you can send in 3-$500 certs. They can also be applied to the total price including the taxes?

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Correct. You will owe $92 for your cruise. Not bad, eh?