Sunday, March 31, 2024

Everything About Buying Discount Cruise Gift Cards via AARP Carnival, Royal Caribbean, & More

aarp carnival cruise gift card

Target Red is a banking account with different options – you can choose a credit card, a debit card or a reloadable account. Whichever version you choose, you’ll get the 5% off Carnival gift cards. Other deals in the luxury category included a seven-night Caribbean cruise in late February 2024 in a verandah suite aboard Seabourn Ovation for $3,249 per person.

I’m Not Over 50 Years Old. Does That Mean I Can’t Get the Discount?

Got an AARP card? You now can get a lucrative perk when booking a Holland America cruise - The Points Guy

Got an AARP card? You now can get a lucrative perk when booking a Holland America cruise.

Posted: Mon, 24 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

In all, I found thousands of sailings offered by most major cruise lines through mid-2025. Verizon is another option for receiving up to 10% off Carnival gift cards, but it relies on you being a Verizon customer and having rewards points to spend. If you are a Verizon customer then this is better than using AARP since you don’t have to pay any extra. Once again, the AARP Travel Center seems to be an efficient aggregator, pulling deals from Expedia's booking engine. River cruise fares also are eligible for a $50 or $100 onboard credit.

River cruise fans can find additional members-only deals beyond onboard credit

Both the agility required for train travel and the cost of the four-day rail tour are something to consider when weighing the value of a 5% discount. Another savings opportunity is $50 off per person on Collette cruisetours. Cruise options here are more limited and are mostly on Amadeus River Cruises ships on the Rhine and Danube, plus some small-ship coastal cruising in Croatia and tours in Egypt featuring a four-night cruise. For example, the eight-day Enchanting Danube itinerary in March and April 2024 aboard S.S. Maria Theresa starts at $3,299 per person, the same as on Uniworld's website. A $100 per person discount if booked with Grand European Travel.

How do I purchase carnival gift cards.

Each gift card will come with restrictions on how many are able to be purchased at once. The “Premium” items like Carnival gift cards had a limit of 25 per month. The non-premium cards had a lower limit of just five gift cards per month. If you don’t yet have an AARP account, first you’ll need to register.

aarp carnival cruise gift card

Earn Points

You can search for a cruise by using a drop-down menu of almost two dozen destinations (you have to pick one to search) and then plugging in your desired travel dates. When you join, you'll also get a second free membership for another adult in your household, as well as a monthly AARP Bulletin and the bimonthly AARP The Magazine. AARP Members earn 50 percent more points and can access exclusive members-only rewards. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. From soft jazz to hard rock - discover music's mental, social and physical benefits. As an interest group with tens of millions of members across the country, AARP is known for its influence.

How Much Cruise Lines Spend on Food (Less Than You Think?)

Generally, it’s a good idea, provided you’re planning on spending a large sum. It might be a lot of effort for minimum reward if you were only planning on saving $10 on a $100 card. But if you were buying at least one $500 gift card, the savings become significant. You can use the gift card in the same way as you would any other gift card – just enter the details of the card on the Carnival website when purchasing your cruise, or when crediting your Sail & Sign account on the Carnival website.

Are the AARP Discount Cruise Cards a Good Deal?

aarp carnival cruise gift card

When we went ahead and joined as paying members (the charge is just $12 a year), we were able to sign-up with no issue. Once signed up, we were able to access all the gift cards available. So the $100 gift cards sell for $90 via AARP and the $500 cards sell for $450.

What Is AARP Rewards?

Some of these schemes cost money, but the amount you pay will be less than the value you can save on the gift card, so it still makes sense to sign up. But where do you get discount Carnival gift cards, and how do those discounts work? When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

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So, for a $500 gift card, you can do this twice and get $30 off your gas. Gift cards are usually sold in either $50, $100 or $500 denominations, so you can pay $450 to get a $500 gift card. For instance, Royal Caribbean only allows you to use the card for a new reservation. And you have to book the cruise, pay a deposit, and then email in a copy of the gift certificate to apply to your remaining balance. Before you buy the cruise cards, you’ll definitely want to read through all the fine print that’s provided on the AARP website about their use.

AARP members can also book expedition cruises, such as 12-night Antarctic Explorer itineraries on Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, via the AARP Travel Center. These are priced at $11,995 per person (the same price as on Viking's website) with just a $25 deposit. Cruisers who prefer Holland America also have plenty of choices. They can, for example, book a seven-night Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale in early March 2024 aboard Nieuw Statendam that visits Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Cozumel; and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. An inside cabin was priced at $614 per person (comparable to what HAL offers on its website) and came with a $50 onboard credit. All were similar to what's available on the cruise lines' websites, but with AARP qualified for an onboard credit of $50.

I remember feeling insulted when right before my 50th birthday I received an invitation by mail to join AARP. "I'm nowhere near retirement," I thought as I crumpled it, mumbled something about ageism and tossed it in the trash. This was years after AARP (pronounced A-A-R-P with the letters sounded out) officially changed its name to its acronym. It was founded in 1958 as the American Association of Retired Persons, but as leading-edge baby boomers began retiring in their 50s, AARP started to engage with them to encourage younger membership. Redeem AARP Rewards points by logging into your AARP online account. From there, you can view your points balance and browse rewards to redeem your points.

You need to be a member of a selected scheme to be able to access the discounted gift cards. Signing up for email offers from your preferred cruise line and checking its "deals" or "offers" tab on a regular basis might be your best bet for scoring a top deal. However, there's no doubt that AARP's $9 to $16 annual membership fee quickly pays for itself with even a one-time onboard credit — and there is a potential for additional savings. A search for European river cruises in 2024 and 2025 turned up hundreds of options on river ships operated by AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, Uniworld River Cruises and Viking.

It costs 1,000 points to get a 10% discount on a $100 card, and 500 points to get a 10% discount on a $50 card. Earning those points is easy as a Verizon customer – you’ll get 500 each month just for using paperless billing. However, this very much seems to be the exception, and most people who’ve bought from AARP and discussed their experience on forums and social media report almost instant delivery of e-gift cards.

A search for river cruises in Asia in 2024 and 2025 turned up more than 300 sailings on AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways and Uniworld, most 12 to 14 nights in length with prices ranging from $6,999 to $8,399 per person. What I discovered is that the $200 onboard credit deal with AARP links directly to Holland America's website for booking and is valid only for balcony and suite bookings on select cruises lasting 10 days or more. More than a decade later I'm still not retired, but this assignment gave me an excuse to finally join AARP. When I did, I took a look at the perks of membership to see which benefits would be useful to my travel plans.

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