Carnival Gift Cards in AARP Rewards

[AARPTeri]

We know you are all looking for these - and we will be sure to update you here when they return!  

[AARPCaroline]

@laaryvickiefuchs We are sorry to hear about your experience with the Carnival gift card. We'll work to resolve this issue for you ASAP. 

Overall, we are not currently experiencing issues with the purchase of Carnival gift cards, but rest assured we will determine why this is happening to you.

[df27853182]

I'm tired of "Staying Tuned".  This is ridiculous!  You knew the program was changing...why not work out the issue before releasing?  You knew that Carnival cards would be an issue as well.  Why upset the majority about these cards?  AARP knew these were high sellers!  

[df27853182]

Will there still be a 10% discount on the gift cards?  

This "gift card shop" thing AARP is using now is nothing more than a glorified vendor with no perks for using it except the hassle if there is no PIN included. 

Please, bring back the Carnival Gift Cards - not e-cards - with the 10% discount.  Those of us on a fixed budget could use the discount.... and it's the only reason I have remained an AARP subscriber.  

I'm thinking it's time to look elsewhere and not trust AARP - just as you have taught us in your "Scam and Fraud" sections! 

[RobertN525535]

Makes me wonder if aarp got Scammed and Frauded..

[OrganizedChaos75]

The company that ran Rewards For Good, Deluxe Rewards, sold the Carnival e'cards a lot prior to this year. They'd switch back & forth between those and the physical cards, or sometimes sell both at once. I joined RFG almost 3 years ago and that company never had a problem with their e'cards. You simply print the email and take it with you aboard the ship and have them deposited to your onboard account at guest services. The only issue that I remember was a time when there were some fraudulent e'cards being sold somewhere online, so Carnival reps at guest services had to verify any e'cards with Carnival HQ before depositing them in someone's account. For some reason, that took them 24 hours and you had to wait until the next day to have them deposited.

The e'cards are nice because you don't have to wait for them to be shipped, which could be a few days up to a week or more, and sometimes you need them in a hurry. Plus you don't have to pay shipping. Since Deluxe Rewards never had a problem distributing e'cards, I think the recent problem with the PIN numbers was with this new company, HelloWorld, and not with Carnival.

I don't really care which ones they offer, the e'cards or regular ones, but with this ridiculous 1-3 cards per month limit, I don't see myself buying as many through AARP as I used to. And if I don't buy them, I seriously have to reconsider my membership. This new program is obviously strongly disliked by most users, so the big question is, will they listen to their customers or not?

[RobertN525535]

I guess aarp just doesnt care bout its customers.  They know they have a major issue  and are still dragging their feet getting it taken care  of,and are upsetting many customers,

[RussellP197074]

I am somewhat concerned with the change to e-cards for Carnival, as well.  I know a year or two back, before I joined R4G, they were using e-cards before.  Did anybody use them on board to put money in their account without any issues? I would be afraid that they couldn't approve them on board and I would be out of luck.  Used the hard cards last fall without issue.

[bonniee149]

I have used e-cards. I just print them out and take them to Guest Services. I love the fact you can get them quickly and do not have to wait for them to come in the mail. Comes in handy when you do no plan to book a cruise ahead of time, or see a good rate and have to put a deposit or pay in full immediately to guarantee the rate.

[j942891g]

Hey,

Is this a yes or we arent sure if we are? 

Thanks in advance!

[AARPTeri]

@j942891g @ChrisB444267   Yes we do plan on bringing them back!

[RhondaK916562]

WHEN?! This question has been asked several times and we are still awaiting an answer!!!!

[df27853182]

Can you be alittle more specific as to the timeing of "yes we do plan on bringing them back"?   This is so frustrating to those of us that use that little bit of discount to be able to travel.  

[ChrisB444267]

If she was able to say anything more then she would have. That's why I asked the question like I did. Stop pestering people for information that they dont have. If 10% breaks your budget then figure out another way to get 10% off like some of us have or maybe you should rethink your vacation budget.

[df27853182]

I'm so glad you have a job that pays well and can live as you wish and I'm happy for you. Some of us don't have that luxury., so please don't knock down the ones that actually live within a budget and look for ways to actually save money. Thank you!

[RobinG848960]

I’m also interested in the Carnival cards.... also am missing the Uber and Shell. Please let us know, checking daily

[OrganizedChaos75]

Can you please elaborate on the monthly limit for the Carnival gift cards, among others? When they appeared on launch day, it said 1 per month or up to 3 per month from different retailers. What does that mean? Will AARP Rewards (HelloWorld, Inc.) offer these gift cards from different retailers at times? And will it actually work out that we can buy 3 per month from these retailers?

Who's decision was it to place this drastic limit on gift cards that are very popular and in high demand? AARP or HelloWorld, Inc.? Is it even possible for AARP to remove this monthly limit? People who buy Carnival gift cards often buy multiple cards at once, whether they use them to pay off a cruise or purchase things through Carnival. This limit severely hinders how most people use these gift cards. People now have to become paid members to buy them, isn't that enough? This monthly limit only makes it worse. If it's something put in place by HelloWorld, Inc., if they aren't able to meet the demand, then I don't think AARP should've switched from Deluxe Rewards, Ltd. Not to mention the user interface through HelloWorld, Inc. is terrible.

[ChrisB444267]

I understand you don't have a time table on when they will be brought back, but do you know if there is a plan to eventually return the cruise gift cards or is that something that is still up in the air.