Easy way to add OBC to your own sailing?

[ScottD]

I just sailed another cruise line and something I found pretty useful was the ability to purchase OBC and add it my account. I basically bought $25-50 a week of OBC for the few months leading up to the cruise, then when we got on board we had $500 toward our onboard purchases (basically covering the packages we bought on board).  Yes, it's still the same amount of money- but doing it in little bits instead of just dumping $500 into the package or charging it to the credit card the same day we cruised made it feel MUCH less painful, almost like it was gifted.  Is the only way to do this with RC by buying the digital gift cards and redeeming them on the ship?  I don't think there is a way to buy actual OBC, but at least with the new GC rules, I can save a bunch up and apply them to my onboard account, correct?  

[smokeybandit]

Using a gift card is essentially buying yourself OBC since you can redeem them there.

[ScottD]

That's what I figured...I know the gift cards were a pain before,  but they're just redeemable now, so I guess that's the way to do it 

[LTR]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

Using a gift card is essentially buying yourself OBC since you can redeem them there.

I like this idea, do you know if you can keep loading the same card, or would you have a handful of digital cards to redeem at guest services?

[Ampurp85]

I thought, and this may not be the case or no longer the case, you could call and add OBC to a reservation. Of course, this can be annoying and cumbersome, but if the goal is to have OBC and not worry about a big bill, it might make sense. 

[LTR]

27 minutes ago, LTR said:

I like this idea, do you know if you can keep loading the same card, or would you have a handful of digital cards to redeem at guest services?

Looks like you can't, so you would be there adding 20 digital cards to your account, that's a shame.

[TessFromFlorida]

Love this idea! I hate to say this, but given my experience with billing and credit errors, I would never trust RC to process this correctly. I learned a hard lesson with Black Friday bookings that tooks many months to resolve because they apparently use two payment systems- one for cruise planner purchases and one for the actual cruise fare.

[FionaMG]

It's not exactly the same as buying OBC but the end result is effectively the same: cruise planner purchases that you cancel on board are initially "refunded" as refundable onboard credit.

To exemplify, I'm just off Anthem. I had two pre-purchased voom packages, one of which I didn't need. I didn't want to cancel it inside final payment for fear of that glitch with the payment systems. So I waited and got the voom person onboard to cancel it as soon as I boarded.

It shows up instantly in your account as refundable OBC. If I hadn't used it all, the remainder would have been refunded to the original form of payment after the cruise.

If you did want to do this as a way of "purchasing" OBC, the voom package is a good option as it doesn't block space in a restaurant or on an excursion for someone else who might want it and you don't need to be mindful of cancellation deadlines as long as you cancel it as soon as you board.

[USCG Teacher]

I use...an envelope next to my nightstand.  About 6-8 months before I sail, every Friday whatever cash I have leftover in my wallet I put in the envelope.  The interest rate is terrible, but the hours are terrific.

[ScottD]

1 hour ago, USCG Teacher said:

I use...an envelope next to my nightstand.  About 6-8 months before I sail, every Friday whatever cash I have leftover in my wallet I put in the envelope.  The interest rate is terrible, but the hours are terrific.

I do this with spare change. I hate carrying change so it all goes in a can or whatever then I cash it in for some extra tip money before I cruise

[Southern Waters]

15 hours ago, ScottD said:

I do this with spare change. I hate carrying change so it all goes in a can or whatever then I cash it in for some extra tip money before I cruise

I do the same thing. If I use cash to buy anything, I only pay with bills and save up the change to cash in later and use for tips, etc. on my next cruise.

[J3N]

Hi scottd we were gifted e gift certificates for our upcoming cruise on Indy so would I go to guest services on boarding day and use that to offset any charges?  I still have a credit card on file. What if I don't redeem the full value can I transfer that to 2nd leg?  I'm on B2B 

Thanks 

[Ampurp85]

7 minutes ago, J3N said:

Hi scottd we were gifted e gift certificates for our upcoming cruise on Indy so would I go to guest services on boarding day and use that to offset any charges?  I still have a credit card on file. What if I don't redeem the full value can I transfer that to 2nd leg?  I'm on B2B 

Thanks 

Not @ScottD but since each sailing is treated as its own, I think they may add the value back on your GC or turn it into refundable OBC. The refundable OBC could go back to your card. However, my suggestion would be if you have multiple GCs and know you won't use them all up, just apply one to each sailing. 

[J3N]

Thanks for the reply 

 

 

[dustfsu]

You can take cash each week and set it aside and when you get on board go to customer service and give them the cash and they will put it on your account and use it that way.  And whatever you don't use they will give it back to you.

[ScottD]

16 hours ago, dustfsu said:

You can take cash each week and set it aside and when you get on board go to customer service and give them the cash and they will put it on your account and use it that way.  And whatever you don't use they will give it back to you.

Yeah, but cash sitting around never goes well for me, lol. That's why I like to "spend it" on the cruise way ahead of time, then it's there when the cruise rolls around.   I'll likely add the occasional gift card,  The difference is that I'd use it before the cruise this time, as I'd probably apply it to a drink package or wifi packages.  On the other cruise line they would NOT allow any OBC to be used before you board the ship- they take "ON BOARD credit" very seriously!