The question Greg asked at the 38 minute mark Nick's response was absolutely correct. Because I went on the carnival match cruise by myself and I had to pay the $200 but only port taxes for 1 person because it was only me in a balcony room. But I got the $200 back as on board credit. Which I used for wifi and excursions before the trip. Big tip. The free unlimited drinks is only when you are in the casino bar. No need to gamble. Just be in the casino.
I did a cruise in Jan with the Carnival fun match. We weren’t sure if we would enjoy cruising but we loved it. Initially I booked as a solo traveler and you are correct, the solo pays the $200 and gets the $200 onboard credit. I was able to add a friend later. I did the urcomped match and have some balcony and interior offers for Mexico and the Caribbean.
As always thank you for the great info. Thank you! Do you have any data points for how often Barclays offers an increased SUB on the Wyndham Biz Earner Card? I think I saw it at 60K at one point but not sure how long ago that was. Was it possible that I even saw it at 90K?
Can you use the promotional cruises offers and upgrade to a larger room? My wife and I have never been on a cruise before (she can get sea sick, but hoping the larger size of the vessel will help prevent that) but we're open to the idea. We're avid travelers with a lot of experience in the CC game and redeeming/transfer points to miles, etc... The only thing about this whole cruise thing is being in a smaller room on a boat doesn't seem all that appealing to me. I was originally thinking a Transatlantic but given some reviews regarding weather and boat rocking, maybe that's a bit aggressive for our first time (which makes sense). I prefer having some space in the room and it'll be two adults with a toddler (3 years or younger at sortie). With these status matches/promotions offered by the cruise lines, is it possible to upgrade to a larger room, or are larger rooms in the promotions themselves? Thanks so much! I've also heard people saying "Carnival was not so great but Royal Caribbean was amazing!" How...is it so different among cruise lines?
Happy to be your first "like" at 4:20 AM local time as I typically and awfully manage jet lag again owing to another round the world jaunt in J with continued appreciation for your knowledge and discourse.
DP: I just was instantly approved for the Wyndham earner business card. When I logged into my Wyndham acc it shows I'm a Blue, not diamond. Are they not status matching anymore?
Just got an email from Jennifer at Wyndham rewards saying u have to have 40 stays to get the Caesar’s match. Hoping she’s clueless. Will call tomorrow.
I just got the wyndham buisness earner plus card three weeks ago. I have Wyndham diamond but have been trying to match to Caesar’s diamond. I email Wyndham and they told me only status earned through hotel stays would match over. Should I call them instead? Has this changed recently or is the rep that emailed me wrong?
I'm not sure if you figured it out yet. But you go online to Caesars and set up an account. In your Caesars account page, you will be able to upload a screenshot of your Wyndham Diamond.
Depends which cruise. Carnival: The deal is for 2 people, but you pay the prevailing rate for additional passengers. That's a lot cheaper for passengers #3 and #4. On our European cruise, I believe it was $279 for each kid + taxes ($90) + gratuities. They did not get the onboard credit -- so you'll pay $100 per person up front as a deposit and you'll get $200 back in onboard credit (total for the first two passengers). Then you'd owe the balance of whatever it was for the kids (so an additional $179 after the $100 deposit for each kid) plus taxes for all four and gratuities for all four. Royal: Same in that the deal is for 2, but the nice thing is that Royal Caribbean frequently runs a "kids sail free" promo where kids sail for free (up to a certain age; I can't remember the cutoff) and that stacks. We booked our Royal Caribbean cruises during a "kids sail free" event, so all four of us were "free" -- we just had to pay the port taxes and gratuities for all four of us (taxes were $108 per person and gratuities were $16 per person per day I believe. I don't know the deal on Holland America. So "free" isn't really free, but very highly discounted.
I did this last year for a free Alaska cruise. I renewed the Caesar's status match for 2023 but haven't received any free cruises. Is this only for the first year?
Wait I thought the wyndham business card would no longer match to Caesar’s diamond status?!? How long will the status match still work? On top of that, I noticed the intro bonus got slashed to a rly sad 45K, would you guys still recommend getting this card at this point?
Wyndham points book to Vacasa stays. I just used my sign up bonus plus my points from spend (total of 54,000 points since you also get a 10% point discount) for a four night stay at a beach condo in San Diego with no other fees. Cash cost was $1,900. The trick is only book 1 bedroom (every bedroom is 13,500 points a night) and only up to $500 per night. If you ski, there are a bunch of condos at ski destinations. My stay gave me 3.5 cents of value per point. Caesar's also gives you an annual $100 one use food credit, comped or heavily discounted room rates, waived resort fees and free parking. You can status match to MGM Pearl and also over to Hard Rock. The 15,000 point renewal bonus more than offsets the cost and if you need more points, Capital One's points transfer 1:1. This is the best value proposition of any card I have (currently 20 cards and counting). Oh, and then there are the cruise opportunities. Almost forgot, you can book the time share locations (no presentation required) for 13,500 points (after 10% discount) per bedroom though availability is limited.
@@BeavisFireFire right, I am absolutely sold on Vacasa and cruising. My only problem is that I didn’t realize I could have applied for this card sooner! Now that the intro bonus has been slashed, do you guys think I should apply for the Wyndham card now (lower bonus, but still get Caesar’s status) or later (*maybe* higher bonus, no more Caesar’s match) ?
I took the plunge reguardless of the smaller sign up bonus. I figure if I wait the merry go round will evnetuall end without me... tryting to lock it in.... Apparently Caesars will match diamond from Wyndham if you either naturally spend your way to diamond OR have the Wyndham Business Earner card. However, Caesars is reporting when you try to status match it can take 2 weeks. I have read it can take much longer though. Also MGM no longer matches to Caesars diamond to MGM Gold directly.... but through a series of status matches elsewhere you can get MGM Gold supposedly. I am waiting to test this all out in Atlantic City.
Wyndham and Caesars have a partnership. Caesars matches Wyndham status. So you get the business card, which gives you Wyndham Diamond status. Then you match your status from Wyndham to Caesars. In terms of the welcome bonus, it's obviously not great right now. Whether you should get it now or wait is hard to say. If you were able to get 4 "free"(ish) cruises out of it, I'd say that it's worth getting it now and forgoing the extra Wyndham points. If you don't care about the cruises / Caesars Diamond status, then I'd obviously wait for more points. Hard to say.
Per cabin. Port fees and taxes are per person, and additional. Also additional are gratuities and any extras like Wi-Fi. But at you do start from zero.
The question Greg asked at the 38 minute mark Nick's response was absolutely correct. Because I went on the carnival match cruise by myself and I had to pay the $200 but only port taxes for 1 person because it was only me in a balcony room. But I got the $200 back as on board credit. Which I used for wifi and excursions before the trip. Big tip. The free unlimited drinks is only when you are in the casino bar. No need to gamble. Just be in the casino.
I tried this and got the Caesars Diamond Card. I approached Carnival and presented the card. Carnival yawned and then shrugged. No go.
I did a cruise in Jan with the Carnival fun match. We weren’t sure if we would
enjoy cruising but we loved it. Initially I booked as a solo traveler and you are correct, the solo pays the $200 and gets the $200 onboard credit. I was able to add a friend later.
I did the urcomped match and have some balcony and interior offers for Mexico and the Caribbean.
As always thank you for the great info. Thank you! Do you have any data points for how often Barclays offers an increased SUB on the Wyndham Biz Earner Card? I think I saw it at 60K at one point but not sure how long ago that was. Was it possible that I even saw it at 90K?
Just found this video. Any idea how much of this is still valid for 2024?
Can you use the promotional cruises offers and upgrade to a larger room? My wife and I have never been on a cruise before (she can get sea sick, but hoping the larger size of the vessel will help prevent that) but we're open to the idea. We're avid travelers with a lot of experience in the CC game and redeeming/transfer points to miles, etc...
The only thing about this whole cruise thing is being in a smaller room on a boat doesn't seem all that appealing to me. I was originally thinking a Transatlantic but given some reviews regarding weather and boat rocking, maybe that's a bit aggressive for our first time (which makes sense). I prefer having some space in the room and it'll be two adults with a toddler (3 years or younger at sortie). With these status matches/promotions offered by the cruise lines, is it possible to upgrade to a larger room, or are larger rooms in the promotions themselves?
Thanks so much!
I've also heard people saying "Carnival was not so great but Royal Caribbean was amazing!" How...is it so different among cruise lines?
Love the podcasts! Always are a joy to listen to while gaining new information!
Happy to be your first "like" at 4:20 AM local time as I typically and awfully manage jet lag again owing to another round the world jaunt in J with continued appreciation for your knowledge and discourse.
DP: I just was instantly approved for the Wyndham earner business card. When I logged into my Wyndham acc it shows I'm a Blue, not diamond. Are they not status matching anymore?
DP: it took three days to turn from Blue to Diamond with the business earner card
Just got an email from Jennifer at Wyndham rewards saying u have to have 40 stays to get the Caesar’s match. Hoping she’s clueless. Will call tomorrow.
Buy the Wyndham rewards earner business card -> to get Caesars diamond status. You're welcome
How can I find the links to all of the cards and programs you mentioned ( the Wyndham business credit card, Caesar’s etc). Thx
Click "show more" in this show's description and you'll see several links there.
Not sure if they mentioned it, but you should be able to get a virgin voyages and margaritaville cruise
How do you get the status match with Virgin? I've heard of URComped but I'm not sure how they work.
I just got the wyndham buisness earner plus card three weeks ago. I have Wyndham diamond but have been trying to match to Caesar’s diamond. I email Wyndham and they told me only status earned through hotel stays would match over. Should I call them instead? Has this changed recently or is the rep that emailed me wrong?
I'm not sure if you figured it out yet. But you go online to Caesars and set up an account. In your Caesars account page, you will be able to upload a screenshot of your Wyndham Diamond.
Hard Rock will also Match Caesars to Rock Royalty then to Oceans did this last week
Are you Caesar's Diamond or are you higher?
@@BeavisFireFire Yes i am
i am also MGM Gold. The lady at Rewards desk said either card would work.
Yes Diamond
Can the cruise include 4 people? 2 adults, 2 kids?
wish he would answer this question. They covered everything but this issue of more than 1 person.
no - I tried before
Depends which cruise.
Carnival: The deal is for 2 people, but you pay the prevailing rate for additional passengers. That's a lot cheaper for passengers #3 and #4. On our European cruise, I believe it was $279 for each kid + taxes ($90) + gratuities. They did not get the onboard credit -- so you'll pay $100 per person up front as a deposit and you'll get $200 back in onboard credit (total for the first two passengers). Then you'd owe the balance of whatever it was for the kids (so an additional $179 after the $100 deposit for each kid) plus taxes for all four and gratuities for all four.
Royal: Same in that the deal is for 2, but the nice thing is that Royal Caribbean frequently runs a "kids sail free" promo where kids sail for free (up to a certain age; I can't remember the cutoff) and that stacks. We booked our Royal Caribbean cruises during a "kids sail free" event, so all four of us were "free" -- we just had to pay the port taxes and gratuities for all four of us (taxes were $108 per person and gratuities were $16 per person per day I believe.
I don't know the deal on Holland America.
So "free" isn't really free, but very highly discounted.
I thought you could match Ceasars to MGM?
I did this last year for a free Alaska cruise. I renewed the Caesar's status match for 2023 but haven't received any free cruises. Is this only for the first year?
Did you get the Alaska Cruise through Carnival or RC?
@@mpeterson78 We took the 10 day Alaska cruise with Carnival. I wish we could've got a status match with RC, would've taken that in a heartbeat!
I don't know for sure, but I think so.
Wait I thought the wyndham business card would no longer match to Caesar’s diamond status?!? How long will the status match still work? On top of that, I noticed the intro bonus got slashed to a rly sad 45K, would you guys still recommend getting this card at this point?
Wyndham points book to Vacasa stays. I just used my sign up bonus plus my points from spend (total of 54,000 points since you also get a 10% point discount) for a four night stay at a beach condo in San Diego with no other fees. Cash cost was $1,900. The trick is only book 1 bedroom (every bedroom is 13,500 points a night) and only up to $500 per night. If you ski, there are a bunch of condos at ski destinations. My stay gave me 3.5 cents of value per point. Caesar's also gives you an annual $100 one use food credit, comped or heavily discounted room rates, waived resort fees and free parking. You can status match to MGM Pearl and also over to Hard Rock. The 15,000 point renewal bonus more than offsets the cost and if you need more points, Capital One's points transfer 1:1. This is the best value proposition of any card I have (currently 20 cards and counting). Oh, and then there are the cruise opportunities. Almost forgot, you can book the time share locations (no presentation required) for 13,500 points (after 10% discount) per bedroom though availability is limited.
@@BeavisFireFire right, I am absolutely sold on Vacasa and cruising. My only problem is that I didn’t realize I could have applied for this card sooner! Now that the intro bonus has been slashed, do you guys think I should apply for the Wyndham card
now (lower bonus, but still get Caesar’s status)
or
later (*maybe* higher bonus, no more Caesar’s match)
?
I took the plunge reguardless of the smaller sign up bonus. I figure if I wait the merry go round will evnetuall end without me... tryting to lock it in.... Apparently Caesars will match diamond from Wyndham if you either naturally spend your way to diamond OR have the Wyndham Business Earner card. However, Caesars is reporting when you try to status match it can take 2 weeks. I have read it can take much longer though. Also MGM no longer matches to Caesars diamond to MGM Gold directly.... but through a series of status matches elsewhere you can get MGM Gold supposedly. I am waiting to test this all out in Atlantic City.
Wyndham and Caesars have a partnership. Caesars matches Wyndham status. So you get the business card, which gives you Wyndham Diamond status. Then you match your status from Wyndham to Caesars.
In terms of the welcome bonus, it's obviously not great right now. Whether you should get it now or wait is hard to say. If you were able to get 4 "free"(ish) cruises out of it, I'd say that it's worth getting it now and forgoing the extra Wyndham points. If you don't care about the cruises / Caesars Diamond status, then I'd obviously wait for more points. Hard to say.
@@frequent-miler yes but be prepared to wait after completing the status match online… there is currently a backlog.
Are these free cruises for only one person? So if you get an offer you still need to pay for your spouse?
I wish he would answer this question. I can do this procedure and get the offer and my wife and I both cruise free plus taxes and tip?
Per cabin. Port fees and taxes are per person, and additional. Also additional are gratuities and any extras like Wi-Fi. But at you do start from zero.
No, they aren't only for one person - they are all for double occupancy. You will still pay taxes and gratuities for both of you.
Can you apply for a business card and a personal card on the same day?
Yes
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