NCL Mastercard FAQ

[c breeze]

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.

 

Look at the Capital One No Hassel MC for Ultra Professionals or see if you can get the Amex changed to a Blue Sky (return in not as good) since those miles can also be used for any type of travel. Go to their websited and check them out.

 

Good luck!

[Geobugs]

The best card is the Citi American express. 3% Thank You points.

[c breeze]

The best card is the Citi American express. 3% Thank You points.

 

http://www201.americanexpress.com/getthecard/home

 

I cannot find that specific program......

[c breeze]

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.

 

Another poster on this thread likes a card affiliated with Schwab brokerage. Check back several posts.

[parrothead0918]

I received two "Corrected Balance" envelopes with the four $500 certificates I know is the correct amount earned. Now, the in the original mailing I received one $500 certificate. Does anybody know if the first $500 certificate is valid, or has it been voided upon the mailing of the "Corrected Balance" certificates. The language on the letter with the "Corrected Balance" is "Enclosed please find the additional Compass Rewards certificates you have earned based on your corrected balance." Just wondering if anyone has had a similar situation before I follow up with BOA. It sure would be nice ....

[c breeze]

I received two "Corrected Balance" envelopes with the four $500 certificates I know is the correct amount earned. Now, the in the original mailing I received one $500 certificate. Does anybody know if the first $500 certificate is valid, or has it been voided upon the mailing of the "Corrected Balance" certificates. The language on the letter with the "Corrected Balance" is "Enclosed please find the additional Compass Rewards certificates you have earned based on your corrected balance." Just wondering if anyone has had a similar situation before I follow up with BOA. It sure would be nice ....

 

I am not sure about this one.......... We received one upgrade originally, and then two $500 corrected balance certs, and were owed all of them based on our final balance. I seriously doubt you are going to get a straint answer from BOA on this one.

 

If no one can give you an answer, I would use the corrected ones first and then use the other one (two seperate mailing prior to final payment, if you are spending that much on one cruise, or two seperate cruises) before your final payment is due. If they don't count the last $500, then just know that you may have to pay that $500. This is just my advice... certainly not official. Maybe there are a lot of folks with the same issue who alread have the answer!

[OceanDreaming2]

I received two "Corrected Balance" envelopes with the four $500 certificates I know is the correct amount earned. Now, the in the original mailing I received one $500 certificate. Does anybody know if the first $500 certificate is valid, or has it been voided upon the mailing of the "Corrected Balance" certificates. The language on the letter with the "Corrected Balance" is "Enclosed please find the additional Compass Rewards certificates you have earned based on your corrected balance." Just wondering if anyone has had a similar situation before I follow up with BOA. It sure would be nice ....

 

I'll let you know in a couple of weeks. I sent in some of each last week. We shall see!

[alwayssingin]

We decided just to go with the Southwest VISA card. It's not as good as when he had it before, but with the bonus credits earned when we started using it last October, we only need one more credit for a free flight (which we'll get on our next statement). Of course, we live midway between two SW airports (Nashville & Louisville), so it's an easy choice for us. If something changes with that card, we'll look elsewhere.

[c breeze]

We decided just to go with the Southwest VISA card. It's not as good as when he had it before, but with the bonus credits earned when we started using it last October, we only need one more credit for a free flight (which we'll get on our next statement). Of course, we live midway between two SW airports (Nashville & Louisville), so it's an easy choice for us. If something changes with that card, we'll look elsewhere.

 

Good luck and happy travels!

[alwayssingin]

Good luck and happy travels!

 

Thanks! You too! I agree with what you said, everyone's needs/uses for rewards is different. Some may prefer cash back, some hotels, some discounts on cruises - for us the airline credits just make good sense, since we are not close to any port. :)

[judyf]

Another poster on this thread likes a card affiliated with Schwab brokerage. Check back several posts.

 

Thanks, I need to take a day off to do all the searching :D I'm just home for lunch so no time now. :( But I do need to find the time, so I can get a new card asap.

 

Thanks for everyone posting and sharing what you have found.

 

Thanks!!!!

[judyf]

The best card is the Citi American express. 3% Thank You points.

 

3% sounds good, A lot of places don't take amex, I prefer Master Card as that's the only card Sam's club here takes. Not even Visa.:confused:

Edited February 23, 2009 by judyf

[c breeze]

Thanks, I need to take a day off to do all the searching :D I'm just home for lunch so no time now. :( But I do need to find the time, so I can get a new card asap.

 

Thanks for everyone posting and sharing what you have found.

 

Thanks!!!!

 

Here's the Schwab link: http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/banking_lending/credit_card?cmsid=P-990780&lvl1=banking_lending&lvl2=credit_card

[Lyman713]

c breeze --

 

Before the Compass Rewards, I used the Cap. One card with the no hassle rewards. One thing I noticed was that points were applied to complete purchases. So, if you booked a cruise for $1000, you needed enough points to cover the entire amount. Do you know if this is still the case?

 

One thing to do, is that when you apply the reward online, you pick and choose which travel-related charge to apply your rewards. Once you pick it, you can tell the system how many days or people or something like that, so it breaks the total down into bite-sized chunks (so you can apply your rewards).

 

So, you can tell the system that your $1000 cruise is for 7 nights, and it will break it out for $xx / night and you can apply less rewards... (yes, you can get cash also, but I think that cost more points per dollar).

 

Ok, that probably didn't make much sense, and is really off topic, but I thought I'd put it out there.

 

More on topic -- Is anyone thinking of staying with BOA? I don't want to admit it, but I might. The bonus point merchants are quite a few and, if you buy a lot online, it can be th same (or, in a few select cases, better) than the Compass Rewards. (I can't believe I just said that!!)

 

Of course, for everyday purchases, it doesn't compare to the old program.

[judyf]

Here's the Schwab link: http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/banking_lending/credit_card?cmsid=P-990780&lvl1=banking_lending&lvl2=credit_card

 

Thanks

[c breeze]

c breeze --

 

Before the Compass Rewards, I used the Cap. One card with the no hassle rewards. One thing I noticed was that points were applied to complete purchases. So, if you booked a cruise for $1000, you needed enough points to cover the entire amount. Do you know if this is still the case?

 

No, I do not... From what I have read, after you book travel and charge it to your card, you call Capital One (within 90 days I think) and have them credit whatever points you have that you want to apply to that travel. It makes sense that this could be done online as well.

[c breeze]

Is anyone thinking of staying with BOA? I don't want to admit it, but I might. The bonus point merchants are quite a few and, if you buy a lot online, it can be th same (or, in a few select cases, better) than the Compass Rewards. (I can't believe I just said that!!)

 

Of course, for everyday purchases, it doesn't compare to the old program.

 

Where are you finding the bonus point merchents? All I see posted is the NCL cruise reward chart for World Points, which is not impresive (or flexible).

[judyf]

Where are you finding the bonus point merchents? All I see posted is the NCL cruise reward chart for World Points, which is not impresive (or flexible).

 

I was wondering the same thing. Thought it was just me.

[AFT_LOVER]

Financial folks talking about the massive drop of of the Dow today & then they were talking about what credit cards are doing to poor Americans who are making minimum payments. So read this & see what is happening:

 

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/personal-finance/credit-card-companies-raising-rates-consumers/

 

 

Then they had via phonecall from American Express that their cashback cardholders are to get $300 to send their cards back in. AMEX has too many cardholders that are not paying their balances off & they cannot afford them, so they are paying them to return their cards. Not sure if the good folks will send theirs in also for the money?

[c breeze]

This is a must read for all of us looking for a better credit card: http://www.cnbc.com/id/29284620

 

Here is also a related video: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1040687250&play=1

Edited February 24, 2009 by c breeze
Add video

[Lyman713]

Where are you finding the bonus point merchents? All I see posted is the NCL cruise reward chart for World Points, which is not impresive (or flexible).

 

If you sign into your credit card account, there are four tabs on the page when you click on your account. One of them is rewards (the fourth one). If you click here and go into the Worldpoints Mall for shopping, there are many merchants that give 2-10 bonus points per dollar (2 bonus points, plus the one original point, if I'm thinking right, would give the same 3% as Compass Rewards).

 

Ok - Just found it...

 

https://rewardsshoppingmall.bankofamerica.com/worldpoints/jsp/home.jsp

 

This is the Worldpoints shopping mall. If you buy through the links here, you are supposed to earn bonus points. I tried a couple last month and I'm curious whether they will get the bonus points right (should know next week!).

[c breeze]

If you sign into your credit card account, there are four tabs on the page when you click on your account. One of them is rewards (the fourth one). If you click here and go into the Worldpoints Mall for shopping, there are many merchants that give 2-10 bonus points per dollar (2 bonus points, plus the one original point, if I'm thinking right, would give the same 3% as Compass Rewards).

 

Ok - Just found it...

 

https://rewardsshoppingmall.bankofamerica.com/worldpoints/jsp/home.jsp

 

This is the Worldpoints shopping mall. If you buy through the links here, you are supposed to earn bonus points. I tried a couple last month and I'm curious whether they will get the bonus points right (should know next week!).

 

Thank you for the link. This could be worthwile if you shop online a lot... The bulk of our charges are utilities, groceries, gas, drugstore, restaurant, and that sort of thing, with some brick and mortar store purchase and travel once a year. When we do any online shopping, we tend to use Amazon. I am not sure if we would get that much value from the World Points Mall. For online shoppers, though, the points could add up!

[Lyman713]

Thank you for the link. This could be worthwile if you shop online a lot... The bulk of our charges are utilities, groceries, gas, drugstore, restaurant, and that sort of thing, with some brick and mortar store purchase and travel once a year. When we do any online shopping, we tend to use Amazon. I am not sure if we would get that much value from the World Points Mall. For online shoppers, though, the points could add up!

 

It just goes to what you mentioned several posts (pages?) before - there is no one good card for everyone. Sometimes an annual fee is well worthwhile, or Costco rewards, or hotel stays, or airline miles, etc...

 

Sadly, for NCL cruisers, Compass Rewards was an excellent program which will be missed!

 

Happy sails!

[c breeze]

 

Sadly, for NCL cruisers, Compass Rewards was an excellent program which will be missed!

 

Happy sails!

 

If anyone finds a program that is comparable to the Compass Rewards (which I doubt, in this economic climate), please post here!!

 

Thanks, Lyman, and everyone for their helpful posts and tips!!

[judyf]

If you sign into your credit card account, there are four tabs on the page when you click on your account. One of them is rewards (the fourth one). If you click here and go into the Worldpoints Mall for shopping, there are many merchants that give 2-10 bonus points per dollar (2 bonus points, plus the one original point, if I'm thinking right, would give the same 3% as Compass Rewards).

 

Ok - Just found it...

 

https://rewardsshoppingmall.bankofamerica.com/worldpoints/jsp/home.jsp

 

This is the Worldpoints shopping mall. If you buy through the links here, you are supposed to earn bonus points. I tried a couple last month and I'm curious whether they will get the bonus points right (should know next week!).

 

Thanks for the info but this is way to hard for me. If and when I shop online I just search the product I need and find a good deal. This would be too much work for me. :D

 

I looked at all the cards last night and STILL don't know what to do :o I checked out Sam's Club as we don't have a Costo here and I would go with that one EXCEPT it's a Discovery Card and I know you can't use them everywhere. :rolleyes: So still searching to see what is beat for us.

 

C breeze, our purchases are like your home utilities bills, home and car Ins. groceries, dept. stores, drugstore, and travel. I'm leaning towrds that no hassel card, I just HATE the annual fee. If it doesn't increase, which I'm sure it will, in 10 years I will have given them $390,:eek: that doesn't sit well with me. :rolleyes:

 

So I'm still searching to decide if the annual fee is worth it in the long run. I hope to have decided by the weekend, so I can move on. :D