Skid Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Royal Caribbean is running a bonus offer (it says limited time, but I think I see it fairly often) on their Visa card for new accounts . By making just one purchase you get 10,000 bonus points which is good for $100 on board credit. And if you spend $1000 in 90 days you get an additional 5000 points. Tip: Don't put your significant other as an authorized user---get a second card and you could end up with up to $300 OBC. Here is the link to apply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2mybugs Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Are the points fairly easy to redeem? And does that card have a fee? I suppose I could just click on the link lol...! I put all my cruise purchases on my Disney visa usually so I can get Disney trips but I would love to have obc for our summer 12 day trip since I’m not buying the drink pkg. jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen2 Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Points relatively easy to redeem, but be aware that the "best" value is the three or four day cruise - up to $1000 value for 50,000 points, or a 'worth' of two cents per point. The other awards are worth one cent per point, and at a point per dollar, this is pretty low for a credit card. Note, though, that points double on RCL purchases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Yes the points are very easy to redeem now (they used to be a big hassle) and we find the card to be a good resource for cruising. There is no annual fee but beware ! The interest rate is horrible so you can never carry any balance on this card - not that you should ever carry a CC balance, of course. Just be aware that you will need to pay it off every month or pay dearly. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagnew Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 We've had a lot more success recently with the redemption (agree it used to be a... challenge), and it's been a nice way to pay down a balance or have a $500 on board credit waiting when we arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Same offer exists for the Celebrity version of the card. Wish I'd discovered this about two weeks earlier, as I would have had enough time to apply and put the deposit for my Celebrity TA on it for instant qualification of all the bonus points. And then paying off the cruise with it would have given me a good chunk of OBC I could have used to pay for on-board purchases (most likely beverages, since I won't be getting a drink package). I'm guessing this is a big fat "NO", but is a TA authorized to open an account on your behalf at the time of booking? Or if I went on a conference call to do the application, would that work? I know this card is far from the best one to get, but it does seem like a highly effective way to get a fair bit of OBC while still getting the lowest possible booking price (which usually means giving up OBC). Gotta pursue that min-max strategy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 We recently did a podcast episode about credit cards, and highlighted the RC card https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-209-using-credit-cards-save-cruise-vacation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 35 minutes ago, JLMoran said: Same offer exists for the Celebrity version of the card. Joe, I'm curious, why is it too late? I have the Celebrity card, I redeemed for my upcoming RC cruise, it's good for all 3 RC Corp lines. That's what I use for all my cruises. Can't you just apply as I didn't think you already booked, waiting till the 11th? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 22 minutes ago, Boston Babe said: Joe, I'm curious, why is it too late? I have the Celebrity card, I redeemed for my upcoming RC cruise, it's good for all 3 RC Corp lines. That's what I use for all my cruises. Can't you just apply as I didn't think you already booked, waiting till the 11th? It takes 7-10 business days to get your card after getting approved. So no way can I expect to have the card by this Friday when I'm booking. If I could either have the TA apply for me when he does the booking (or I do a conference call with him) and it's instantly approved and charged, then it's still an option. Even if I called to apply and got instant approval, I don't believe they give the card number right then and there with all the relevant info (especially the 3-digit CVV number on the back of the card). I may just call them anyway today and find out if that's a possibility, as it would be really nice to have at least $150 in OBC towards the trip (and probably more than that, since I'd pay the whole trip on that card and it's not a cheap trip by any means). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Just now, JLMoran said: It takes 7-10 business days to get your card after getting approved. I called Bank of America right after I applied and they gave me the number. I got an additional $300 on my Summit trip. JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Just now, Boston Babe said: I called Bank of America right after I applied and they gave me the number. I got an additional $300 on my Summit trip. OK, then I'll give that a shot. Did you apply online or by phone? Could be that applying by phone I can get the number right away. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 11 minutes ago, JLMoran said: OK, then I'll give that a shot. Did you apply online or by phone? Could be that applying by phone I can get the number right away. Online, but it can't hurt to try phone. I then called them that I needed the number to book a cruise. Just tell them you have to put deposit down on a Celebrity cruise Friday is deadline! LOL It can't hurt Joe! JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted January 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 1 hour ago, JLMoran said: It takes 7-10 business days to get your card after getting approved. So no way can I expect to have the card by this Friday when I'm booking. If I could either have the TA apply for me when he does the booking (or I do a conference call with him) and it's instantly approved and charged, then it's still an option. Even if I called to apply and got instant approval, I don't believe they give the card number right then and there with all the relevant info (especially the 3-digit CVV number on the back of the card). I may just call them anyway today and find out if that's a possibility, as it would be really nice to have at least $150 in OBC towards the trip (and probably more than that, since I'd pay the whole trip on that card and it's not a cheap trip by any means). @JLMoran Joe-we recently had a situation when after booking a land vacation with a TA, we realized that we'd have better insurance had we used a different credit card. We called the TA and she cheerfully refunded our payment and then charged it to the card we wanted. I don't know if there is a time constraint for that (we did it on the third day I think) but talk to your TA. Let her know up front that you'll want to switch the card used for payment. Can't hurt to ask. JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pima1988 Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 You also can just place the deposit and when you get the card pay the balance using that card. Additionally, I don't know if the RCL card does balance transfers, but if they do than you can transfer it and get the points that way. We also use a TA and they did exactly what Skid stated. JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Did the application by phone. Asked if I'd be able to get the card number and other info once the application was complete due to timeline, they said they would expedite mailing of the card so it was delivered by Thursday. BUT... I found out at the end that while I might have the card, I may not necessary have everything approved and credit limit set up by that point. Doubtful that'll be a real issue, but who knows... with all the questions I was asking about approval times and getting the card info, they may have immediately flagged it as a potential identity theft! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Just now, JLMoran said: Did the application by phone. Asked if I'd be able to get the card number and other info once the application was complete due to timeline, they said they would expedite mailing of the card so it was delivered by Thursday. BUT... I found out at the end that while I might have the card, I may not necessary have everything approved and credit limit set up by that point. Doubtful that'll be a real issue, but who knows... with all the questions I was asking about approval times and getting the card info, they may have immediately flagged it as a potential identity theft! I think you'll be fine Joe. That is awesome!! and remember too, anything you use that card for (i.e Anthem of the Seas cruise), you get double points for RC or Celebrity or Azarmara. Even if it's Voom or Drink Package, shore excursions etc.. It adds up fast, especially when final payment rolls around. So happy for you!! JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 3 minutes ago, Boston Babe said: Even if it's Voom or Drink Package, shore excursions etc.. It adds up fast And on this transatlantic I'll be doing, with all the excursions we'll be looking to do, it will probably add up even faster!! The "Blue Lagoon" spa / hot springs that my wife and girls want to do is anything but cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted January 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 @JLMoran @mom2mybugs and all. Make sure that your application was put in with the bonus promotion--THAT is what makes getting the card worthwhile (10,000 points after just one purchase). From a financial standpoint, you would fare much better with other cards. The Royal card does pay double points on what you spend with them, but 1% on everything else. Other cards, Citi Double Cash for example, end up paying you 2% on EVERYTHING (and no annual fee). Get that cash back every month and your interest on it throughout the year. You'll get way more rewards back and THEN spend it on the ship (or anything else). Also, if it works like it used to a few years ago, the on board credit won't show up until day 2 of the cruise so you would not be able to use it for pre-cruise purchases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Just now, Skid said: @JLMoran @mom2mybugs and all. Make sure that your application was put in with the bonus promotion--THAT is what makes getting the card worthwhile (10,000 points after just one purchase). Yes, when I applied on the phone the rep I spoke with listed that promotion right up front when giving the details of the card (including the fact it's no annual fee). Believe me, if she had left that off I wouldn't have applied! The interesting part was the version of the card with an annual fee -- in addition to the same promo, it came with $300 future cruise credit for any Celebrity sailing 7 nights or longer. She almost had me going for that until she noted that it was only available for bookings in a Concierge Class room or higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 On 1/5/2019 at 9:06 PM, Skid said: Royal Caribbean is running a bonus offer For a limited time you get 15,000 points for signing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 2 hours ago, Skid said: Also, if it works like it used to a few years ago, the on board credit won't show up until day 2 of the cruise so you would not be able to use it for pre-cruise purchases. They have vastly improved the availability of the OBC. It will now show up prior to your cruise, and as with other types of OBC, it is available to use prior to the cruise. Much better than the old days. Skid 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 One follow-up question on this card -- If I purchase my air travel through Air2Sea (Royal) or Flights by Celebrity, does that qualify for double points? I did read the terms and conditions to better understand what qualifies for earning double points, and if I 'm understanding it correctly then any purchase that's either directly to Royal / Celebrity / Azamara, or a purchase that includes the names Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, or Azamara will qualify. Seems to me that Air2Sea / Flights by Celebrity should qualify under those rules; but would be great if someone here can confirm based on personal experience. I was already planning to book my return flight from Dublin through Flights by Celebrity, given that Air2Sea is already noted as being pretty darned good for international flights. If I can get double points for this, I'll put that on this card rather than my Amazon Rewards card. I did a mock airline booking for August 2019 a couple weeks ago, just to get a rough idea (2020 flights won't be out for months yet); the cheapest flights I found at the time were about $500 per person for one-way on Aer Lingus to EWR. Getting 4,000 points for buying four airline tickets is nothing to sneeze at! Like @Boston Babe said, it really can add up fast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted January 9, 2019 Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 15 hours ago, JLMoran said: If I purchase my air travel through Air2Sea (Royal) or Flights by Celebrity, does that qualify for double points? Yes, double points. Anything RC Corp will give you double points. I would use Flights by Celebrity for sure! Even a Refreshment package will give it to you. I am so excited for you!! JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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