NCL Mastercard FAQ

[peg013]

2 hours ago, *Luv2Cruz* said:

Good morning.

 

I can't seem to find a good phone number to redeem my points?🤔 Any help would be appreciate! Thanks.🙂

Last number I have for them is 1-800-954-4077. I haven't called them since covid so I'm not sure if the number changed.

[kjquilts]

4 hours ago, *Luv2Cruz* said:

Good morning.

 

I can't seem to find a good phone number to redeem my points?🤔 Any help would be appreciate! Thanks.🙂

 

The NCL Worldpoints # is 1-866-954-4077.  Use this number to redeem points for Cruise Stateroom Upgrades or  Onboard Credits.

 

The Bank of America number is 1-800-434-8313 if you want to redeem points for cash, statement credit etc or you can log onto your account at bank of america dot com.

 

 

[DTZSCruise]

I redeemed by NCL Mastercard World Points for a $250 on board credit (OBC) on an upcoming cruise. I got a print out confirming the redemption. Is there somewhere on my reservation that I can see the OBC posted also?

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Your OBC should show upmon your statement, but if you don’t see it in a week call NCL.  I never use the OBC option, as I see it as a waste, so maybe others here are more knowledgeable about the nuts and bolts of it

 

[karinad]

I think I found a cruise in September that I could use my double meta upgrade. So far there's a pretty big rate difference between Inside and balcony. My question is if the rate drops on the Inside cabin before final payment can I get that price deduction as long as it's the same category?

 

Also, do I have to book directly with NCL to arrange the upgrade?

[mscdivina2016]

9 hours ago, karinad said:

I think I found a cruise in September that I could use my double meta upgrade. So far there's a pretty big rate difference between Inside and balcony. My question is if the rate drops on the Inside cabin before final payment can I get that price deduction as long as it's the same category?

 

Also, do I have to book directly with NCL to arrange the upgrade?

No you don't need to book direct but I always do, then give it to the TA.

 Price reduction....... maybe.  My last two cruises 6 months ago I called and got the drop in FCC which I am fine with .

 

Glad you see the mega value for the upgrade option.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

I have not had much luck lately (post restart) with getting a reduction after upgrading.  
1) every part of the FAS offer has to be exactly the same.  ie, on a recent cruise I had booked at 40% off all fares, then it went to 50% and I couldn’t qualify for a rate reduction..

2) then my very knowledgeable, long time PCC said, we’ll the rate you booked went down, but the rate you upgraded to (BA) didn’t, so they look at where you land not began.  Huh?   That really doesn’t make sense to me but it’s their ball, their rules.   It’s pretty sly on their part as, we all know, closer to sailing inside and ocean views are more likely to drop than balconies.

 

Now mind you, it used to relay on the reduction of your “paid for” category, but it doesn’t seem to any longer.  But that doesn’t stop me from asking every time I see it 😉

[alwalaska]

19 hours ago, karinad said:

I think I found a cruise in September that I could use my double meta upgrade. So far there's a pretty big rate difference between Inside and balcony. My question is if the rate drops on the Inside cabin before final payment can I get that price deduction as long as it's the same category?

 

Also, do I have to book directly with NCL to arrange the upgrade?

I booked with my TA, then called the number earlier in this thread to do the upgrade. Just be sure to book the highest category interior and make sure there are numerous categories of balconies left to upgrade to since there is no clear documentation of which category interior on each ship maps to which category balcony. Our cruise was way in the future, so there were plenty of cabins to pick from, but it wasn't in the category I had originally been expecting to be offered to me. 

 

As far as price drops go, it seems from others that it is hit or miss and mostly miss.  I would still do the upgrade now if the balcony is important to you because balconies frequently start to sell out before the interior prices start to drop.

 

Good luck.

[karinad]

6 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

I have not had much luck lately (post restart) with getting a reduction after upgrading.  
1) every part of the FAS offer has to be exactly the same.  ie, on a recent cruise I had booked at 40% off all fares, then it went to 50% and I couldn’t qualify for a rate reduction..

2) then my very knowledgeable, long time PCC said, we’ll the rate you booked went down, but the rate you upgraded to (BA) didn’t, so they look at where you land not began.  Huh?   That really doesn’t make sense to me but it’s their ball, their rules.   It’s pretty sly on their part as, we all know, closer to sailing inside and ocean views are more likely to drop than balconies.

 

Now mind you, it used to relay on the reduction of your “paid for” category, but it doesn’t seem to any longer.  But that doesn’t stop me from asking every time I see it 😉

I'd bet that a lot depends on who you talk to with how they'll do things. We earned the points and shouldn't have to jump through hoops to use them. They want you to book early but it seems like we get punished for booking early. So, I would call NCL World Points to book the cruise but then I could transfer to a travel agent and get what perks they would offer. How long do they give you to transfer the booking? Thank you! I'm thinking that I will be closing this card out when I use all my points.

[karinad]

3 hours ago, alwalaska said:

I booked with my TA, then called the number earlier in this thread to do the upgrade. Just be sure to book the highest category interior and make sure there are numerous categories of balconies left to upgrade to since there is no clear documentation of which category interior on each ship maps to which category balcony. Our cruise was way in the future, so there were plenty of cabins to pick from, but it wasn't in the category I had originally been expecting to be offered to me. 

 

As far as price drops go, it seems from others that it is hit or miss and mostly miss.  I would still do the upgrade now if the balcony is important to you because balconies frequently start to sell out before the interior prices start to drop.

 

Good luck.

I would rather book for 2024 but the fact that the rates seem to be high and the chances of having to change something so far in the future, makes me think that the sooner I am able to use the points, the better. I wanted to to book a Europe cruise for Oct 2024 for our 50th anniversary but the inside rates seem high to me. Thank you!

[alwalaska]

2 hours ago, karinad said:

I would rather book for 2024 but the fact that the rates seem to be high and the chances of having to change something so far in the future, makes me think that the sooner I am able to use the points, the better. I wanted to to book a Europe cruise for Oct 2024 for our 50th anniversary but the inside rates seem high to me. Thank you!

I totally understand that.  Mine is a "bucket list" cruise that frequently increases in price as it gets closer to the sailing date rather than going down like many of them.  I worried about price drops and the possibility of something else like the pandemic happening between now and then, but I decided that I felt comfortable with the price I paid for the interior and I didn't spend any real money getting the points (opportunity costs only), so I decided to go ahead and do it.  Believe me, I went back and forth quite a bit before actually booking it. 

Everyone has their own way of looking at it and everyone needs to do what makes them comfortable.  Booking September could end up being a really good deal for you.  Just play around with fake bookings and see what categories of cabins are open, both for interiors and balconies.

[julig22]

On 4/14/2023 at 11:53 AM, karinad said:

I'd bet that a lot depends on who you talk to with how they'll do things. We earned the points and shouldn't have to jump through hoops to use them. They want you to book early but it seems like we get punished for booking early. So, I would call NCL World Points to book the cruise but then I could transfer to a travel agent and get what perks they would offer. How long do they give you to transfer the booking? Thank you! I'm thinking that I will be closing this card out when I use all my points.

I'm not quite understanding??? You don't book through WP if you are doing an upgrade.  You book through normal means, then apply the points to upgrade at a later date.  So I just book my cruise and then wait until final payment, sometimes after, before doing any upgrades using points.

[mscdivina2016]

8 hours ago, julig22 said:

I'm not quite understanding??? You don't book through WP if you are doing an upgrade.  You book through normal means, then apply the points to upgrade at a later date.  So I just book my cruise and then wait until final payment, sometimes after, before doing any upgrades using points.

Correct.  Book thru whoever then call WP.  You can upgrade as early as you want.  Always book highest then upgrade as you have a larger pool of rooms to chose from.

Depending on ship waiting till final might not be advisable.

[karinad]

5 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Correct.  Book thru whoever then call WP.  You can upgrade as early as you want.  Always book highest then upgrade as you have a larger pool of rooms to chose from.

Depending on ship waiting till final might not be advisable.

If I don't have enough for the double meta at the time of booking can I do the single and the double when I get the enough points? Also, I would think that's it's best to do your upgrade as soon as possible because the upgrade might not be available later, as you said at the end that it's not advisable to wait.

 

My concern is price drops and if I'd have to cancel and NCL might not redeposit points.

[julig22]

2 hours ago, karinad said:

If I don't have enough for the double meta at the time of booking can I do the single and the double when I get the enough points? Also, I would think that's it's best to do your upgrade as soon as possible because the upgrade might not be available later, as you said at the end that it's not advisable to wait.

 

My concern is price drops and if I'd have to cancel and NCL might not redeposit points.

I don't see any reason why you couldn't do an inside to OV then OV to Balcony later but don't have any actual experience.

I feel the maximum benefit, for me anyway, is usually a single OV to balcony upgrade.  But I do usually wait until final payment just to avoid any problems with price adjustments.  For most cruises I book the cheapest OV initially, then use the onboard upgrade perk to upgrade to an OV picture window so I'm in a room I can certainly live with in the event that I can't get an upgrade (hasn't happened yet). 

For me the risk of waiting is worth it.  But I'm sailing solo and a reduction in the supplement sometimes happens before final payment and I'm not at all picky about my cabin - a balcony is a balcony in my opinion, so the fact that my upgrade is from the lowest OV (what I paid for) doesn't matter. 

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Before you do a double meta upgrade be sure to compare the cost of IN vs OV.   On some cruises the difference is very small.  So it is wise to compare all your IN and OV categories and make sure you’re not spending an extra30K points for a small amount of savings.  Of course, you know your budget and how long it takes to earn your points, so only you can decide.

 

wen to upgrade is a question,  in the past I would upgrade as soon as I booked, but now with NCL being difficult about fare adjustments after upgrading, I am holding off a bit, also since WO added the verbage that points could be surrendered in the event of cancellation it gives me pause about upgrading right away.

 

I am fussy about cabin location so I don’t wait too long, because I want to be assured of a good location.  But not everyone is as concerned about location.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

[karinad]

6 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

Before you do a double meta upgrade be sure to compare the cost of IN vs OV.   On some cruises the difference is very small.  So it is wise to compare all your IN and OV categories and make sure you’re not spending an extra30K points for a small amount of savings.  Of course, you know your budget and how long it takes to earn your points, so only you can decide.

 

wen to upgrade is a question,  in the past I would upgrade as soon as I booked, but now with NCL being difficult about fare adjustments after upgrading, I am holding off a bit, also since WO added the verbage that points could be surrendered in the event of cancellation it gives me pause about upgrading right away.

 

I am fussy about cabin location so I don’t wait too long, because I want to be assured of a good location.  But not everyone is as concerned about location.

 

Enjoy

Thank you for the good advice! I am a little fussy about cabin location, too. I like to be near the elevators and closer to what attractions I might do the most. It seems to be somewhat of a losing game with points depending on how close to sailing and how well the cruise is selling. It could end up to be a loss if booked far off because things change. Of course they could change no matter how close to sailing! If travel insurance would consider the points money or better yet, NCL would allow re-deposit of the points which would only be fair! I'd be sick if I lost 60,000 points! I've noticed that sometimes there isn't a big difference in price between the OV and balcony. Did I read once that unless there's a $600. difference in categories that it isn't worth it to use the points?

[julig22]

1 hour ago, karinad said:

Thank you for the good advice! I am a little fussy about cabin location, too. I like to be near the elevators and closer to what attractions I might do the most. It seems to be somewhat of a losing game with points depending on how close to sailing and how well the cruise is selling. It could end up to be a loss if booked far off because things change. Of course they could change no matter how close to sailing! If travel insurance would consider the points money or better yet, NCL would allow re-deposit of the points which would only be fair! I'd be sick if I lost 60,000 points! I've noticed that sometimes there isn't a big difference in price between the OV and balcony. Did I read once that unless there's a $600. difference in categories that it isn't worth it to use the points?

60,000 points are worth $600 so if the difference is less than that, a statement credit is the better value.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

I had an interesting turn of events - today I chose to change a reservation.  Different ship, date, itinerary.  But was transferring one booking to a new one (yes, everything changed but I requested a transfer).  Wasn’t sure if this would work in the new world order, but they redeposited my points, and transferred certificates, etc to my new booking.  Before I did this I called WP to see if this move would result in forfeiture and they said no, then my PCC checked while we were in process and still no problem.  So I am feeling better about this forfeiture language being a pile of Pooh.   I will need to call in a day or so when points show up in my account to redo my upgrade, but thought I would report in.

Edited April 22, 2023 by MagnoliaBlossom

[karinad]

1 hour ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

I had an interesting turn of events - today I chose to change a reservation.  Different ship, date, itinerary.  But was transferring one booking to a new one (yes, everything changed but I requested a transfer).  Wasn’t sure if this would work in the new world order, but they redeposited my points, and transferred certificates, etc to my new booking.  Before I did this I called WP to see if this move would result in forfeiture and they said no, then my PCC checked while we were in process and still no problem.  So I am feeling better about this forfeiture language being a pile of Pooh.   I will need to call in a day or so when points show up in my account to redo my upgrade, but thought I would report in.

That is good to hear! So, they might not redeposit them but they would transfer to another booking? That makes me feel better! I have FCC, too. Thank you for posting that!

[MagnoliaBlossom]

8 hours ago, karinad said:

That is good to hear! So, they might not redeposit them but they would transfer to another booking? That makes me feel better! I have FCC, too. Thank you for posting that!

From what they told me they will be redeposited and I will have to call and upgrade like normal, but from the start I didn’t let them think it was an outright cancellation, but a rebook.  I don’t know if it would have made a difference but given the new language in the t and c I tried a different approach.

[karinad]

12 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

From what they told me they will be redeposited and I will have to call and upgrade like normal, but from the start I didn’t let them think it was an outright cancellation, but a rebook.  I don’t know if it would have made a difference but given the new language in the t and c I tried a different approach.

Thanks for the tip! It's the fair thing for NCL to do. I'm glad you were able to change with no loss!

[alwalaska]

On 4/21/2023 at 9:14 PM, MagnoliaBlossom said:

I had an interesting turn of events - today I chose to change a reservation.  Different ship, date, itinerary.  But was transferring one booking to a new one (yes, everything changed but I requested a transfer).  Wasn’t sure if this would work in the new world order, but they redeposited my points, and transferred certificates, etc to my new booking.  Before I did this I called WP to see if this move would result in forfeiture and they said no, then my PCC checked while we were in process and still no problem.  So I am feeling better about this forfeiture language being a pile of Pooh.   I will need to call in a day or so when points show up in my account to redo my upgrade, but thought I would report in.

Thanks for reporting in.  I think the new wording is a CYA in a post COVID world and to have wording to cover people who do it so frequently that it causes a burden on the WP staff if a lot of people keep doing it.

 

There are some travel insurances I saw when I was looking that would cover redeposit fees, but not the loss of the points.

[smillerholmes]

On 4/22/2023 at 3:14 AM, MagnoliaBlossom said:

I had an interesting turn of events - today I chose to change a reservation.  Different ship, date, itinerary.  But was transferring one booking to a new one (yes, everything changed but I requested a transfer).  Wasn’t sure if this would work in the new world order, but they redeposited my points, and transferred certificates, etc to my new booking.  Before I did this I called WP to see if this move would result in forfeiture and they said no, then my PCC checked while we were in process and still no problem.  So I am feeling better about this forfeiture language being a pile of Pooh.   I will need to call in a day or so when points show up in my account to redo my upgrade, but thought I would report in.

Oooh, this could be some really good info - can't wait to hear how this turns out.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

2 hours ago, smillerholmes said:

Oooh, this could be some really good info - can't wait to hear how this turns out.

I promise to let you know as soon as those points show back up in my account.