NCL Mastercard FAQ

[c breeze]

You had me until the fee...

 

I know, I don't like to pay a fee for a card. They have another one that is identical with no fee, but pays 1.25%. If you use the card frequently, it is well worth the $39/year for the addtional earnings. We don't want to set up another brokerage account, just for a cc.

 

http://www.cardratings.com/frequentflyercreditcards.html

[cliffd64]

I know, I don't like to pay a fee for a card. They have another one that is identical with no fee, but pays 1.25%. If you use the card frequently, it is well worth the $39/year for the addtional earnings. We don't want to set up another brokerage account, just for a cc.

 

http://www.cardratings.com/frequentflyercreditcards.html

 

The thing I liked about it was that they charged no fee, and paid interest on the savings account you set up for them to transfer your 2% back into, so it was kind of a win win... sort of like a vacation club ...

 

2% is 2%, so other than that I assume its fairly identical.

[c breeze]

The thing I liked about it was that they charged no fee, and paid interest on the savings account you set up for them to transfer your 2% back into, so it was kind of a win win... sort of like a vacation club ...

 

2% is 2%, so other than that I assume its fairly identical.

 

I also just found a 2% Discover card called "Escape", which is also the same, except that Discover, like Amex is not accepted everywhere, and they are charging a $60 annual fee!!!

[KevNim]

Hi All,

 

I see this is a long thread and didn't think it was worth spending hours trying to find the answer to my question that any of you would be able to give me a quick answer on. So here goes- we got our cruise certificates and wanted to use them towards the purchase of a cruise sailing on March 28th. I thought the best way would be to book and cruise and then send in the certificates asking for a refund. Is this the best way? I had called Expedia about booking and asked how it would work and I got a very long responses. Basically, the rep said that we should send the certificates to NCL first and then book our cruise because NCL will decide how to reward the points....meaning...whether to give us money off the cruise, or give us an upgrade or some other options she mentioned that didn't seem worth. What should I do to make sure I get the most bang for my buck??

 

Thanks so much! need help urgently.

[c breeze]

Hi All,

 

I see this is a long thread and didn't think it was worth spending hours trying to find the answer to my question that any of you would be able to give me a quick answer on. So here goes- we got our cruise certificates and wanted to use them towards the purchase of a cruise sailing on March 28th. I thought the best way would be to book and cruise and then send in the certificates asking for a refund. Is this the best way? I had called Expedia about booking and asked how it would work and I got a very long responses. Basically, the rep said that we should send the certificates to NCL first and then book our cruise because NCL will decide how to reward the points....meaning...whether to give us money off the cruise, or give us an upgrade or some other options she mentioned that didn't seem worth. What should I do to make sure I get the most bang for my buck??

 

Thanks so much! need help urgently.

 

First of all... what kind of certificates did you get $500 off or 100 point upgrade. If you have both, use all the $500 for this cruise. Save the upgrades for your kitty litter liner - or another cruise!

 

It would be difficult to send them to NCL with no booking to reference, I think. However, since you are in the final payment period, anything you book would have to be paid for in 24 hours. I the past, I have charged the trip to a credit card and then sent the certs with all the reference info (I would overnight it in your case) and then they have credited the charge card for the amount of the certs. The terms state that this is not possible, but it has been done by many of us.... this does not mean they will do it now!!! If you have not booked yet, I would call NCL directly to book, asking them for the Expedia price, and explaining how you would like to use the certs. They are most helpful, and have receieved lots of calls about the certs recently.

[KevNim]

Thanks so much for your quick response c breeze! Yeah we have 2 $500 certificates and 1 worthless 100 upgrade certificate.

 

I will call NCL now and book the cruise and let them know i will send in the certificates in on Monday! I am keeping my figures crossed! Thanks again....i will post and update!

[AFT_LOVER]

No annual fee, 3 points per $1 spent on gas, groceries, drugstore or pharmacy, 5 for Hilton stays (10 for longtime members) for each $1 spent with hotel stays at any Hilton property, restaurants or site purchases. 1 point for all else.

 

Then exchange points for airline miles, or any other listed exchange if not for free nights at a resort or freeway hotel during a trip. You are a SILVER members so cheap rates freebies for you. Justs for the free night give them your Silver card & they call to exchange points for the free night. Hilton is great with that. We have shown unexpected during bad weather, with a missed flight or cruise.

 

So for free we love it! They also have free companion air for the first year, but rumor has it that is may stay for members.

 

I know, I don't like to pay a fee for a card. They have another one that is identical with no fee, but pays 1.25%. If you use the card frequently, it is well worth the $39/year for the addtional earnings. We don't want to set up another brokerage account, just for a cc.

 

http://www.cardratings.com/frequentflyercreditcards.html

[c breeze]

No annual fee, 3 points per $1 spent on gas, groceries, drugstore or pharmacy, 5 for Hilton stays (10 for longtime members) for each $1 spent with hotel stays at any Hilton property, restaurants or site purchases. 1 point for all else.

 

Then exchange points for airline miles, or any other listed exchange if not for free nights at a resort or freeway hotel during a trip. You are a SILVER members so cheap rates freebies for you. Justs for the free night give them your Silver card & they call to exchange points for the free night. Hilton is great with that. We have shown unexpected during bad weather, with a missed flight or cruise.

 

So for free we love it! They also have free companion air for the first year, but rumor has it that is may stay for members.

 

Yes.... but if you don't use hotels or air very much and want to be able to use the "points" for cruises only, or cash back, this is not the best card. We have air miles for years that we have yet to use. Almost all of our vacations are cruises out of ports within 100 miles of our home. If you fly frequently or stay at hotels frequently, then this may be a better card.

[KevNim]

Hey C Breeze!

Thanks for your help. I just booked and paid in full for my cruise directly through NCL and will be mailing in the certificates in on Monday. You are right...the rep was very nice and helpful. Also, she gave me a different address to send the certificates via certified mail. Here it is in case anyone on this thread needs it:

 

Norwegian Cruise Line

Attn: Payment Applications Department

7665 Corporate Center Drive

Miami, FL 33126

 

Will update once they do credit me for my 1000 points.

[c breeze]

Hey C Breeze!

Thanks for your help. I just booked and paid in full for my cruise directly through NCL and will be mailing in the certificates in on Monday. You are right...the rep was very nice and helpful. Also, she gave me a different address to send the certificates via certified mail. Here it is in case anyone on this thread needs it:

 

Norwegian Cruise Line

Attn: Payment Applications Department

7665 Corporate Center Drive

Miami, FL 33126

 

Will update once they do credit me for my 1000 points.

 

Thank you for the address! I am glad it seems that things have worked out for you. Don't forget, if you want insurance you have to purchase it at final payment - now -or you won't be able to get it! Now I am jealous - you are sailing in a month, and we have to wait until Octber! Hope you have a wonderful trip! (You can check your credit card by phone or onlline next week to see if the $,000 was credited back, and of course you can call the NCL agent too, once you know the certs have been delivered!

[judyf]

No annual fee, 3 points per $1 spent on gas, groceries, drugstore or pharmacy, 5 for Hilton stays (10 for longtime members) for each $1 spent with hotel stays at any Hilton property, restaurants or site purchases. 1 point for all else.

 

Then exchange points for airline miles, or any other listed exchange if not for free nights at a resort or freeway hotel during a trip. You are a SILVER members so cheap rates freebies for you. Justs for the free night give them your Silver card & they call to exchange points for the free night. Hilton is great with that. We have shown unexpected during bad weather, with a missed flight or cruise.

 

So for free we love it! They also have free companion air for the first year, but rumor has it that is may stay for members.

 

How easy is it to exchange points for other things? Also is there a website to see what other things are offered?

 

I might go with this card as the Disney one I'm using I get 1 point for every $100 spent. which is the same as money in the Disney store of at a Disney Park.

 

I would like to compare.

[c breeze]

How easy is it to exchange points for other things? Also is there a website to see what other things are offered?

 

I might go with this card as the Disney one I'm using I get 1 point for every $100 spent. which is the same as money in the Disney store of at a Disney Park.

 

I would like to compare.

 

http://hhonorscard.com/us/cards/cardserv/hhilton/home.jsp

I think this is the card that Aft Lover likes. It is good if you want air travel or hotel stays. Not good if you want to use rewards for cruising or credit/cash back.

[AFT_LOVER]

we have the Road card for 3 years since they phoned us to change from the regular card for 20 years to a 5% cashback for gas purchases or maintenance to the car. So we change, spent $1800 on the car & get $50 cashback. They tell me it is $100 max a month. Then the cashback is 1% after you have spent $3000 on the card, same with AMEX cashback.

 

Too bad stores take them as their charge card, so we are not cancelling the, but we love the free Blockbuster movies but it akes 6 months to get $20 cashback to get 7 of them. So gas went to Visa Signature for 3 points per dollar.

 

So we have international roundtrip ticket for a cruise & hotel for the night before all for FREE. That is the major money for a TA cruise

 

 

Yes.... but if you don't use hotels or air very much and want to be able to use the "points" for cruises only, or cash back, this is not the best card. We have air miles for years that we have yet to use. Almost all of our vacations are cruises out of ports within 100 miles of our home. If you fly frequently or stay at hotels frequently, then this may be a better card.

Edited February 22, 2009 by AFT_LOVER

[c breeze]

we have the Road card for 3 years since they phoned us to change from the regular card for 20 years to a 5% cashback for gas purchases or maintenance to the car. So we change, spent $1800 on the car & get $50 cashback. They tell me it is $100 max a month. Then the cashback is 1% after you have spent $3000 on the card, same with AMEX cashback.

 

Too bad stores take them as their charge card, so we are not cancelling the, but we love the free Blockbuster movies but it akes 6 months to get $20 cashback to get 7 of them. So gas went to Visa Signature for 3 points per dollar.

 

So we have international roundtrip ticket for a cruise & hotel for the night before all for FREE. That is the major money for a TA cruise

 

Again, if you want air/hotel, then the Signature Visa is a great card. If you want more flexibility, then Capital One No Hassel Miles for Ultra Professional MC is the best deal around. If you want cash back only, Amex Blue Cash is probably best, although not accepted everywhere. If you have or want a Schwab brokerage account, then the Schwab card is best. The Discover Escape card is very similar to the Capital ONe NHM for UP, but with a higher fee and less aceptable than Visa/MC. It is a relatively new card. There are several web sites to help compare all the cards, but it is quite a task, as they all use different formulas. If anyone is interested in a cash back only card, there is a cash back calculator to help you decide which is best for you. It is very helpful: http://www.askmrcreditcard.com/cashbackcreditcardcalculator.html

 

Other sites:

http://www.cardratings.com/

http://www.lowcards.com/

 

 

Everyones' spending habits and what they are looking for as far as rewards is different, so no one card is best for everyone. We all loved the MBNA MC Compass Rewards program, because we love to cruise, and were able to accumulate trips relatively quickly. Of course, I have a friend who is terrified to cruise (go figure), so that MC would be useless to her. The main things that I like about the above Capital One MC are: 1. "Miles' can be used for ANY travel, including CRUISES, or for cash back. That is big, because we rarely fly or use hotels, and try to cruise once a year. If we would not be able to cruise or travel/we can use the "miles" as a credit on our credit card bill (same as cash back). 2. The return is better than most cards (that offer the rewards we are looking for). We would use this card for everything EXCEPT GAS, RESTARAUNTS, AND COSTCO (only take Amex) PURCHASES. For those three expenditures, we plan to get this card :

 

At present the best cash back and gas credit card in today's market is the TrueEarnings® Business Card from Costco and American Express. It is the only credit card today that pays 5% rebates on gasoline (with no spending tier requirements or limits), 3% on restaurants and 2% on any travel items. There is also no annual fee with this card (though you need to be a costco member). Due to the credit crisis, most cards have scaled back on their rewards. This is the only card today that pays 5% on gas without any tiers or limits. Note - you do not need to be a business owner to get this card. Just apply as a sole proprietor.

 

We would use our Capital One No Hassel Miles MC for Ultra Profesionals for travel, since the return would be the same, and since you need to use that card if you decide to cash in the "miles" for a cruise!

 

At least that's our plan today.... I miss Compass Rewards already!!!

[candydane]

. . . At present the best cash back and gas credit card in today's market is the TrueEarnings® Business Card from Costco and American Express. It is the only credit card today that pays 5% rebates on gasoline (with no spending tier requirements or limits), 3% on restaurants and 2% on any travel items. . .

Does anyone know how the 2% travel credit works? Do you have to book through Costco Travel? Or can you book directly with hotels and airlines and cruise lines? How about with a TA?

 

I tried calling but the rep didn't know the answer.

[c breeze]

Does anyone know how the 2% travel credit works? Do you have to book through Costco Travel? Or can you book directly with hotels and airlines and cruise lines? How about with a TA?

 

I tried calling but the rep didn't know the answer.

 

The Costco Amex card does NOT earn travel credit. It is strictly a rebate card - rebates which must be spent at Costco. You earn 2% on any travel booked. This is only a good card if you shop at and live near a Coscto.

 

If you are looking for an Amex card with travel rewards there are several, such as Amex Blue Sky, Amex Starwood, or Amex Hilton Honors http://www.askmrcreditcard.com/americanexpresscreditcards.html

[Britt23]

The Costco Amex card does NOT earn travel credit. It is strictly a rebate card - rebates which must be spent at Costco. You earn 2% on any travel booked. This is only a good card if you shop at and live near a Coscto.

 

If you are looking for an Amex card with travel rewards there are several, such as Amex Blue Sky, Amex Starwood, or Amex Hilton Honors http://www.askmrcreditcard.com/americanexpresscreditcards.html

 

cbreeze,

Can you tell me how you redeem the capital one points for a cruise? Does it work like the airlines where you can pick any cruise line?

[c breeze]

cbreeze,

Can you tell me how you redeem the capital one points for a cruise? Does it work like the airlines where you can pick any cruise line?

 

Book your cruise any way you want - throught the cruise lines, travel agent, online agency, etc. Then within 90 days (I think it is 90 days, but you should check the terms yourself) you call Capital One and have them creidt your credit card for the travel charges. You can do this for any type of travel. It seems pretty simple, and is very flexible, compared to most travel cards.

[candydane]

The Costco Amex card does NOT earn travel credit. It is strictly a rebate card - rebates which must be spent at Costco. You earn 2% on any travel booked. This is only a good card if you shop at and live near a Coscto.

No, the Costco rebate is fine since we shop there regularly. $ is $ as long as it can be spent!

 

So how do you earn the 2% travel Costco rebate? Do I have to book through Costco or AMEX travel? If I can buy directly from a TA, airline or hotel, do I have to call the representative once the travel charge hits my acctount to let them know it was for travel?

[AFT_LOVER]

who pay hundreds into thousands for airfare, arriving day of cruise to save on hotel stay. It is only 10% towards air miles, but with 100K of points in a month it is worth it. Amex is 1 point per $1 and that is miles for BLUE on any airline. We get BOGO on domesic air for this year & hope it stay permanent.

 

Cruising is great if you live near a port, but Midwest has no ships. Driving is too far and so air eats the money.

 

 

http://hhonorscard.com/us/cards/cardserv/hhilton/home.jsp

I think this is the card that Aft Lover likes. It is good if you want air travel or hotel stays. Not good if you want to use rewards for cruising or credit/cash back.

[c breeze]

No, the Costco rebate is fine since we shop there regularly. $ is $ as long as it can be spent!

 

So how do you earn the 2% travel Costco rebate? Do I have to book through Costco or AMEX travel? If I can buy directly from a TA, airline or hotel, do I have to call the representative once the travel charge hits my acctount to let them know it was for travel?

 

You just use the card, and if you use if for gas you earn 5%, restaraunts 3%, travel 2% and everything else 1% (we only plan to use this card for gas, restaraunts and Costco charges). You can book travel any way you want. You will get the appropriate rebate in the form of a check once a year, which can only be used at Costco. It is a good suppemental card, but not the best for a main card IMHO.

[c breeze]

Plenty of folks like us,who pay hundreds into thousands for airfare, arriving day of cruise to save on hotel stay. It is only 10% towards air miles, but with 100K of points in a month it is worth it. Amex is 1 point per $1 and that is miles for BLUE on any airline. We get BOGO on domesic air for this year & hope it stay permanent.

 

Cruising is great if you live near a port, but Midwest has no ships. Driving is too far and so air eats the money.

 

Which is why I said that EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT NEEDS FOR THEIR CREDIT CARD SELECTIONS. If you want to use the point for cruises, and do not fly, the Capital One No Hasssel Miles MC for Ultra Professionals is best. If you fly and use hotels, the HH Visa Signature is best. If you cannot travel, a cash back or rewards card would be better, although the Captial One card miles can currently be used as a credit on the card.

 

I am glad you are happy with your HH Signature Visa. We are all missing the great Compass Rewards program and trying out which card makes the most sense for each of us.

[chezbo99]

I just got this Costco card last week. The rep who signed me up said I'd get a rebate check that can be cashed like any check, not just at Costco. I'll have to check that out...

[judyf]

http://hhonorscard.com/us/cards/cardserv/hhilton/home.jsp

I think this is the card that Aft Lover likes. It is good if you want air travel or hotel stays. Not good if you want to use rewards for cruising or credit/cash back.

 

Thanks for the link. I've been reading here trying to decide what to go with.

 

We don't fly much have miles in AMEX that I'm not able to cash in and I get great deals on hotels with priceline and hotwire, plus we own a timeshare so mabe this is not the card for me.

 

I want to be able to use the points towards a cruise like the compass awards or cash back or even good gift cert. are okay with me, as long as I get something for using the card.

 

I do not want an annual fee card.

 

I need to do some research. I just want to get a card to start using asap.

[judyf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by c breeze

This is about the same. 2% return on all purchases. "Miles" can be used for any travel, or can be credited back to your card for any other purchases. There is no need to have a brokerage account with this one.

 

Capital One No Hassle MilesSM Ultra for Professionals

Annual fee-$39

2 miles per $1 spent on purchases

Miles Redemption Info for Travel:

Simply add two zeros to the price of your travel purchase, then trade in that number of miles to pay for it.

 

Examples: $180 flight = 18,000 miles

 

$100 hotel room = 10,000 miles

 

Travel easy with No Hassle MilesSM

Book your travel any way you choose

Use your card for airfare, cruise tickets, hotel stays, or rental cars from ANY website or travel agency.

 

Redeem your miles

Redeem your miles online or by phone to get reimbursed for your purchase.

 

Receive a statement credit

Your account will be credited for the purchase, and you will see that credit on your statement.

 

The choice is yours. Redeem your miles for:

Travel: Enjoy using your miles for flights, hotel stays, cruises, car rentals, and all other travel purchases.

Merchandise: Get name-brand electronics, sporting equipment, and more.

Charitable Donations: Donate your miles—it always feels good to help.

Statement Credit: You can also use your miles to pay for other non-travel purchases you've made with your Capital One® Card.

 

ALMOST ANY REWARDS/CASH BACK CARD IS BETTER THAN THE "NEW AND IMPROVED WORLD POINTS WITH BOA!

 

You had me until the fee...

 

Me too.

 

cliffd64 What is the other card with the brokerage?

 

I need to get a new card. Everytime I have to buy anuthing I hate the fact that I'm not earning points. Disney is okay but not what I want to use all the time.