Re: Carnival gift cards - Page 4

juditha99205 · ‎09-25-2019

It looks to me like the Carnival gift cards are gone!

Am I looking in the wrong spot?

GeneK650799 · ‎02-23-2020

Your travel agent doesn't know what he is talking about, you can load gift cards on your account when you get to the ship. I do it all the time

pp17339694 · ‎02-19-2020

Your travel agent is wrong. Any carnival gift card (ecard or physical card) can be loaded to your sign and sail account. With the physical card you just hand the card over to Guest Services sometime after you board the ship and they load it to your account. With the ecard you just jot the number and pin on a piece of paper (or show them the email) and they will also load it to your account. I have done both MANY TIMES on Carnival ships. Now I do prefer the physical card, because on the very, very off chance they might say "this card has already been used," I can immediately show them that the pin number has not been exposed, so it is impossible for it to have been previously used. But that has never happened to me on more than a half dozen cruises where I have used the gift cards!

RussellP197074 · ‎02-15-2020

I was just looking at AARP Carnival gift cards in the Redeem area, and it makes no mention of them being e-cards. Are they real cards now? Has anyone purchased one recently?

OrganizedChaos75 · ‎02-16-2020

@RussellP197074 wrote:
I was just looking at AARP Carnival gift cards in the Redeem area, and it makes no mention of them being e-cards. Are they real cards now? Has anyone purchased one recently?

When you click on the Carnival gift card to bring up the Add to Cart page, at the top it says "Digital Gift Card" and under Disclaimer, it says "Fulfilled as a digital gift code."

LindaF69700 · ‎11-26-2019

How do I buy a Carnival gift card?

OrganizedChaos75 · ‎11-26-2019

@LindaF69700 wrote:
How do I buy a Carnival gift card?

Go to your AARP Rewards homepage, click on Redeem, then the Members Only tab. The Carnival gift cards are the first one in the list for me. Keep in mind, you do need to be a paying member of AARP to buy one and now have to use PayPal or ApplePay to make the purchase.

andrewtoo · ‎11-26-2019

Are you really, really sure you want to?

😂😂😂

@LindaF69700 wrote:
How do I buy a Carnival gift card?

AndrewToo

WaltDittrich · ‎12-16-2020

I'm here today to try to find where the Carnival Cruise Gift cards are located on the AARP website.

I bought a couple back in February, 2020 for our cruise late February-Early March 2020 (which was truly fantastic, as the ship was not very crowded).
I can't seem to find the section to buy them now. 😢

RussellP197074 · ‎12-16-2020

The site is currently not operating for some reason. Keep coming back to check on it.

AARPJanelleM · ‎12-17-2020

@RussellP197074 The Rewards site was experiencing intermittent issues but all functionalities should be back to working as expected now.

BonnieGo54 · ‎09-06-2022

Janelle, I am new to this. Can I purchase a Carnival gift card and then use it to pay toward my unpaid cruise balance? If so, how? OR can the cards only be added to my sail and sign when I get on the ship. Any advice is appreciated.

AARPJanelleM · ‎09-07-2022

@BonnieGo54 Hi Bonnie, thanks for your interest! Please be sure to read the official terms and conditions of the specific gift card you may be looking at for those details. The available travel gift cards for purchase can be found here: https://www.aarp.org/rewards/redeem/#currency=filter_purchase&sort-by=default&type=filter_travel

MarthaP479184 · ‎09-06-2022

Carnival gift cards can be used to buy anything carnival sells . . . except for other gift cards. So yes, you can use them for your cruise fare.

If you have already made a deposit on a cruise that you booked directly through Carnival then log in to your carnival.com account, navigate to your cruise, then go to make payment. It will give you the option to pay all or part of your balance by gift card.

If you booked through a travel agent, call the TA and feed them the gift card number over the phone.

shamit · ‎09-06-2022

You can use it for both. To pay towards your unpaid cruise balance you can do it online. There is a choice of using a gift card and you enter the number. If that doesn't work you can call and they will do it.

It also be added to your sail and sign card either at the kiosk or at Guest Services once onboard not before. It also can be used ahead of time to purchase drink packagess, excursions, internet packages, and gifts.

Now if you were buying the Celebrity or Royal Caribbean gift cards they can only be used when booking a new cruise.

OrganizedChaos75 · ‎11-08-2019

AARPTeri's reply indicates, to me, that AARP has no idea when the Carnival cards will return. I think the problem comes from outsourcing their rewards program to an outside company. There's a disconnect between AARP and HelloWorld, and AARP doesn't always know what's going on. Many people have experienced headaches dealing with the old Rewards For Good customer service and Allstate Reward's customer service. Those reps are often in the dark because an outside company handles the programs, leaving them with little knowledge of what's happening.

AARPTeri is advertising the other features of AARP Rewards, but what they don't understand is that many people used Rewards For Good, and are trying to use AARP Rewards, solely for the Carnival gift cards. That's why they are here, many don't care about those other features. And I believe AARP knows how valuable those Carnival gift cards are to them because they made them members-only. They're using those gift cards to gain new membership, but thanks to this new rewards service and the company that runs it, it's having the opposite effect.

AARPTeri · ‎11-26-2019

@OrganizedChaos75 , @juditha99205 , @LindaF69700 @KandyP234702

The carnival $100 ecards are now back on our site. To purchase you can find them offered in the Members Only section of the catalog - https://www.aarp.org/rewards/redeem/members/

Please remember that you may purchase 1 gift card from this retailer per month and up to a total of 3 gift cards, each from a different retailer, per month.

AARPTeri

n437089m · ‎01-27-2020

When will they offer 500 carnival gift cards or are they gone?

WaltDittrich · ‎12-16-2020

They're available now: https://www.aarp.org/rewards/redeem/members/

I had to scroll down a couple of pages, but they're there.

OrganizedChaos75 · ‎01-28-2020

@n437089m wrote:
When will they offer 500 carnival gift cards or are they gone?

The company AARP uses to distribute the gift cards doesn't seem interested in the $500 ones. If they haven't shown up by now, I doubt they ever will.

AARPJessicaT · ‎01-28-2020

@n437089m Only $100 egift card are available at this time.

TulaTula2 · ‎05-23-2021

I am an AARP member and see that the Carnival digital cards are available. I just want to make sure that there are actually digital codes being emailed and not the physical plastic card being mailed as the timeframe for delivery will take too long for my use. The last time I bought this was in 2018 and the digital method has been discontinued?

jc50748700 · ‎01-27-2020

I am so sorely disappointed in AARP. Before their switch to their new fullfillment provider(the original one was Delux Rewards), there was never a hitch, hiccup, or burp. But with their new provider, who ONLY provides e-cards(not the plastic cards that come through the mail) plus the fact that when AARP rolled out their new 'Rewards' program, and they finally became available, people bought them, AND when they got the e-cards, they did not come with the PIN number! And only 1 purchase per monthh....AND you have to be an AARP member. I'm sorry, but those restraints do not appeal to me in the least.

AARP, ARE YOU LISTENING???

I'm sorry, but I have to move on. In fact I have......to Allstate Rewards. They STILL use Delux Rewards as their gift card fullfillment provider....with PLASTIC cards sent through the mail.....or UPS. In fact, today(Jan.27, 2019) I ordered a $500.00 gift card from them(for that same 10% discount that we've all come to love). They have them all in stock.In fact, they offer a $1,000 Carnival Gift Card. PLUS..... you do not have to be an Allstate Insurance Company policy holder. BUT....you do have to jump through some hoops in order to garner points to accumulate enough to purchase a gift card from them if you are not an Allstate policy holder. Points are sooooo easy to come by.

I'm almost convinced that the reason for AARP to change fullfillment companies who provide their gift cards to the millions of AARP members, was a business decision. But In my humble opinion, it was a poor business decision.....for what evert the reason.

Sorry to make this longwinded. I'm off my soapbox now. Just know that there ARE alternatives out there. God bless.

LauraB773202 · ‎01-29-2020

How do you get points if you are not an Allstate policy holder?

nwbw10 · ‎02-12-2020

you recieve emails with codes. There are facebook groups that help by sharing codes also. I have paid for 3 cruises with Allstate rewards (I am not a policy holder). I cannot even pay for one cruise with the aarp rewards now that they are limited to one $100/month. I will NOT renew AARP for this reason.

RussellP197074 · ‎02-15-2020

@nwbw10 wrote:
you recieve emails with codes. There are facebook groups that help by sharing codes also. I have paid for 3 cruises with Allstate rewards (I am not a policy holder). I cannot even pay for one cruise with the aarp rewards now that they are limited to one $100/month. I will NOT renew AARP for this reason.

I can understand your frustration, however membership only costs around or uner $20 per year. You ca purchase $200 worth of cards and it pays for itself. And you don't need to use points. I'm retired, and I have the Medigap through AARP, so the little bit of cards I can get are still better than nothing, as long as they are cards and not e-cards, which I don't trust. My next cruise isn't until next April right now so I can get one per month until January, before final payment is due. In the meantime I can also use points to purchase cards at Allstate, and get as many as I need just before final payment is due, to make up the difference, while saving as many necessary points as I can in Allstate for the next one. I can get better restaurant cards in Allstate as well, than what is offered now in AARP. Allstate's program is the same one AARP used to have. Those of us that have experience with AARP's old program can appreciate that. Emphasis on appreciate!

a460667k · ‎02-16-2020

Ecards have worked fine for me. But i find it PATHETIC that people have had to go to Allstate, and for good reason! And telling everyone on the AARP site. I am so disappointed that they have given us a vastly inferior program, and touted it last year so much. Ugh. Don't even come here anymore. No point in it. I'll have to try Allstate, but without a smartphone, and not a driver, it is hard to join.

If anyone is interested, it may make sense to get a Carnival Mastercard. I have one, and you know the deal, you get points for what you spend on it. I sometimes forget about using those points. Anyway, now i can get some Carnival gift cards for free, using just my mastercard points. Free. No, it wont pay for a whole cruise, but whatever i get is not 10% off, it is free. Or, I can use it for the onboard gratuities.

So anyway, just putting it out there about the Carnival mastercard since people are so interested in the Carnival gift cards. I have not regret having it, and double points on Carnival purchases too. And I also have found their security to be fine.

PaulP539039 · ‎02-17-2020

I agree that AARP is pathetic when it comes to Carnival gift cards. The onld program was so much better, the new program almost worthless.

However, I do not agree about the Carnival Mastercard. If you are in the market for a rewards card, do a bit of internet research. Points earned on the Carnival card have a variable value, even when used for cruise related purchases. My understanding is that Carnival points are often worth less than one cent a point (i.e., less than 1%), even when used on cruise related purchases. In comparison, a simple cash back card like the no annual fee Citi Double Cash card with 2% cash back on every purchase would be a better card no matter where you use the reward cash. And there are many other rewards cards that seem to do better than the Carnival card. Anyways, do your research!

a460667k · ‎02-19-2020

@PaulP539039 You are correct in that there are probably some better cash back cards. I got my carnival mastercard a long time ago on a cruise. I think when you use the points on a cruise related thing, you get the most value for the points. I just mentioned the card because so many people are interested in the 10% off gift cards. If they had a Carnival credit card, a few of those gift cards would be absolutely free.

pp17339694 · ‎02-19-2020

Not to beat a dead horse, but I don't understand how having the Carnival Credit Card can get you any Carnival Gift cards "absolutely free." You still have to pay for ninety percent of the gift card. If you use a credit card to pay for the gift card, you can get rewards back. But paying for the gift card with a cash back card like the Citi Double cash gets you more rewards than paying for the gift card with the Carnival Credit Card. If you are trying to say that you can use Carnival points to purchase Carnival gift cards directly from Carnival and so they are "free", well, you could use your cash back from Citi Double cash to also buy those gift cards from Carnival, and I guess that would also be free.

Anyways, I am beginning to sound like a jerk, so will not post any more on this topic. Lol