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RCCL VISA


Neesa

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Researching a card that does not assign foreign transaction fees as after my last sailing I was surprised how they added up. ( I wrongly assumed my card didn't charge for this) Anyway, it sure does not look as if there are very many perks accept this and a minimal OBC when getting the RCCL card. Thoughts?  Is there an incentive for maybe getting this card on my next sailing versus applying via the bank? Thanks everyone?

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Just now, Neesa said:

Researching a card that does not assign foreign transaction fees as after my last sailing I was surprised how they added up. ( I wrongly assumed my card didn't charge for this) Anyway, it sure does not look as if there are very many perks accept this and a minimal OBC when getting the RCCL card. Thoughts?  Is there an incentive for maybe getting this card on my next sailing versus applying via the bank? Thanks everyone?

It's garbage. Get a TRUE travel points card. I use Chase Sapphire Reserve and I was one of the first ones to get it when it came out. Still have it and I don't regret it!!

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3 minutes ago, Baked Alaska said:

@princevaliantus how do you the Chase Saphire for OBC? Is it a possibility? How do you use it for cruise perks?

Chase is not affiliated with Royal. You  don't get the cruise perks BUT you apply the points to payment of cruise fare, air fare, etc. While 10,000 Royal Visa ONLY gets you $100.00 of OBC, the Chase Sapphire Reserve gets you $150 for those same 10,000 points which is $50.00 more!! Do the math. It's worth it!! I'm flying Business Class direct flight to Med Cruise in September and the points came very, very handy!!!

Also, not to mention that Chase will reimburse you for TSA Membership !!!

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I have never asked about CFAR.  You don't get any OBC, but you 3 points per dollar spent on any travel, including dining out.  If you use the points through their web site, you get a 25% bump up.  You can also transfer the points to travel partners, but I have never done that.  I did pay for the airline tickets for our cruise in 19 days (not that I'm counting or anything) with the points.  American is about the only option flying out of Charlotte and you cannot transfer the Chase points to them.  I think I came out ahead, though, because I could pick the times I wanted and got the extra 25% value.  

They reimburse delayed luggage after 3 hours which worked out well when our son's bag was delayed flying in for our daughter's wedding.  He was able to grab some clothes for the rehearsal dinner.

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I too have the Sapphire Reserve and love it. One of my favorite perks is that I can combine the points with my two Chase Freedom cards creating a trifecta (Freedom 5% categories, Freedom Unlimited 1.5% everything, Sapphire 3% travel & dining). I agree with @princevaliantus that your first travel rewards card should be something a bit generic. If you want cash back, there are cards that provide that too but Sapphire allows you to redeem for travel, cash, and more.

However, I wouldn't call it "garbage" but apples to apples, you do get more back from Chase; however it can be a good supplemental card. My wife isn't into cards with yearly fees and doesn't care about messing around with rewards. She has her Discover card and uses it for its 5% categories and that's about it. So, for her everyday spend, she runs around with the RCL Card and gets her 1% that we can redeem on-board spending, plus we got the 10k points for nothing.

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I also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve.  The annual fee has increased by $100 but in the end I still think it's worth it. You 3x on dining and travel, $300 every year in travel credits, TSA/Gobal entry free, no foreign fees, and Priority Pass lounge access. Plus a sort of travel insurance that helps when things go wrong. I put everything on this card and then use the points to pay for my hotel stays.

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14 minutes ago, princevaliantus said:

Also, not to mention that Chase will reimburse you for TSA Membership !!!

Also, Priority Pass Access, travel insurance, car rental insurance, $300 back from fee in travel and more.

With the raised fee will come Door Dash, Lyft, and a few other perks.

Plus it is metal ?

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5 hours ago, Neesa said:

Researching a card that does not assign foreign transaction fees as after my last sailing I was surprised how they added up. ( I wrongly assumed my card didn't charge for this) Anyway, it sure does not look as if there are very many perks accept this and a minimal OBC when getting the RCCL card. Thoughts?  Is there an incentive for maybe getting this card on my next sailing versus applying via the bank? Thanks everyone?

AAA has a card that isn't supposed to have foreign transaction fees and offers double or triple points on vacations, but check the latest promotions from them.  Most airline cards don't charge the transaction fees.  I haven't noticed a problem with my RCI card, but most expenses are prepaid in the US so no extra $$.  Value added tax is another issue overseas...But if I buy something expensive overseas, I use my Chase-backed airline card not the B of A card from Royal.

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We don’t have the Chase Sapphire Reserve but have a close friend who loves it for the travel- I believe it gets him into airport lounges as well.

We have the Delta Amex.  I’m not sure what the foreign transaction fees are but we always paid cash.  We travel with kids a lot and the free checked bags (I’m not a light picker) and yearly companion ticket are worth it for us. 

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We just got the RCCL card and immediately redeemed the 10k sign-on bonus points for OBC. With no annual fee, there didn't seem to be a lot of downside to getting the card. 

Does anyone know how long point redemption usually takes to process? We redeemed ours a couple of days ago, but it hasn't shown up on the cruise planner.

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2 minutes ago, DiracDelta said:

We just got the RCCL card and immediately redeemed the 10k sign-on bonus points for OBC. With no annual fee, there didn't seem to be a lot of downside to getting the card. 

Does anyone know how long point redemption usually takes to process? We redeemed ours a couple of days ago, but it hasn't shown up on the cruise planner.

It didn't show up for me until two weeks prior to boarding (I redeemed it in January, it showed up in June).  I have heard that if you call RCCL Visa and ask them to apply it immediately, they will do so.  

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1 hour ago, DiracDelta said:

Does anyone know how long point redemption usually takes to process? We redeemed ours a couple of days ago, but it hasn't shown up on the cruise planner.

From experience, using the online redemption approach can take some time. I was told, after asking, that it will be posted as late as week prior to sailing. Also from experience, if you call and request that it be expedited (for an upcoming black friday sale for example)  it can post immediately. 

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5 hours ago, DiracDelta said:

We just got the RCCL card and immediately redeemed the 10k sign-on bonus points for OBC. With no annual fee, there didn't seem to be a lot of downside to getting the card. 

Does anyone know how long point redemption usually takes to process? We redeemed ours a couple of days ago, but it hasn't shown up on the cruise planner.

You need to call and tell them that you want your points transferred right away so you can purchase things on the cruise planner.. I had them put my points on the cruise planner about a year in advance.. 

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4 hours ago, Cruisegirl1976 said:

You need to call and tell them that you want your points transferred right away so you can purchase things on the cruise planner.. I had them put my points on the cruise planner about a year in advance.. 

And once the 10,000 points are gone for just a mere $100.00 OBC, time to start spending approximately $10,000.00 worth on non-RCCL cruise items for 1 point per $1 spent OR spend $5,000 worth RCCL items for 2 points per per $1 spent just to get an additional $100.00 OBC!!   RCCL sure knows how to "reel them in"!!  ?  

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On 2/14/2020 at 3:23 PM, princevaliantus said:

And once the 10,000 points are gone for just a mere $100.00 OBC, time to start spending approximately $10,000.00 worth on non-RCCL cruise items for 1 point per $1 spent OR spend $5,000 worth RCCL items for 2 points per per $1 spent just to get an additional $100.00 OBC!!   RCCL sure knows how to "reel them in"!!  ?  

yeah.. it takes me a few years to get some cruise points.. but I am not going to complain.. I saved enough to have both my husband and mine's booze package paid for and even had credit leftover at the end of the cruise which they just put back on my cc. 

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Having just done a weeklong trip to the UK, I went through all my credit cards looking for the ones with no foreign transaction fees and ended up using my Hilton AmEx, Royal Caribbean VISA, and Delta AmEx while I was overseas.  My Amazon VISA also doesn't have foreign transaction fees.  

All of those cards I only signed up for the sign-up bonuses and rarely use them for normal spending.  Other than cruises I really didn't need to worry about foreign transaction fees before this trip, but now I'm going to look more closely at ones that will give me the extra bonus for category spend plus no foreign transaction fees!

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