Attention American Express Cardholders!
Pay With Points Membership Rewards
Cruise Planners is one of a select few American Express Travel Representatives who are able to offer an exciting and convenient opportunity for you to use your American Express Membership Rewards points as cash to use toward the purchase of your next vacation.
Points may be used for the following when purchasing travel from Cruise Planners:
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Lowest Rates Guaranteed Hotels
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Vacations - Complete Trip packages and American Express Vacations
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Cruises
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Fees and insurance on eligible travel products and activities with purchase of above mentioned travel
Points are NOT eligible when purchasing:
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Independent car rentals outside of Complete Trip or American Express Vacations packages
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Hotels outside of Lowest Rates Guaranteed hotels
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Last-minute travel deals
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Reservations made outside of Cruise Planners
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Additional changes made to the initial confirmed itinerary
How it works:
- Determine if your card is eligible (see eligibility requirements below).
- Work with me to decide on which cruise or resort vacation you’d like to purchase.
- I will place the vacation on hold. You must make a payment toward your vacation with your American Express card. The minimum dollar amount you'd like to be used with points must be charged to your American Express card prior to points being transacted. Points can be transacted only once per vacation (for example, if you'd like to use the maximum amount of points toward the purchase of a cruise vacation, it will be best to pay the cruise in full prior to points being transacted. If the deposit is made and you transact points, you will not be able to redeem additional points at final payment.)
- Determine the dollar value you’d like to cover with points. A minimum of 5,000 points must be used. (The number of points required to cover the desired dollar amount is determined by American Express and can fluctuate over time. I've seen the point value range from 100-150 points per $1.00, but the value is subject to change at any time.)
- I will submit the necessary information for the Cruise Planners home office and Amex to verify card eligibility. In order to submit, I need the following information:
1) Name (as it appears on Amex card)
2) Primary card number on the account
3) Expiration date
4) CID number (4 digits from the face of the card)
5) Billing zip code
6)Dollar value you wish to cover with points
- Cruise Planners home office will contact Amex to verify the eligibility of the card and the availability of the points and email me the necessary details. I will contact you with the details.
- Sign, date, and fax/return the Amex Membership Rewards Points Payment Program Authorization form (will be emailed to you). Points will not be transacted without this form. My fax number is 281-652-5932.
- Once the Cruise Planners home office has received your signed authorization form, your points will be transacted and initial payment will be refunded to your American Express card. If there is a balance after the points are transacted, you may use any major credit card (Amex, Visa, MC, or Discover) to pay the balance.
- As of 12/1/10: every time a Platinum Card® or Centurion® member uses Pay With Points to pay for part or all of their travel (hotel, cruise, vacation packages), they will get 20% of those points credited back to their account. For example, if a Cardmember redeems 30,000 points to pay for an cruise, American Express will automatically credit back 6,000 points to the Cardmember's account.
Cancellations and refunds:
- Once points have been converted to cash and transacted to pay for your vacation, the transaction cannot be reversed and the points cannot be re-deposited. If you cancel your vacation, or are expecting a refund on the reservation for any reason, it will be issued back to your American Express card as cash value by the cruise line or travel supplier.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Only eligible American Express cards enrolled in the Membership Rewards Basic and Plus tiers are accepted.
- Eligible cards are all American Express consumer cards and Open Small Business Executive cards.
- The following cards are NOT eligible: Co-branded cards, Optima, Blue and Corporate cards (with the exception of Corporate cards linked to a primary personal account).
- Card members must be in good standing with American Express.
- Accounts must be financially current.
- A minimum of 5,000 points must be used (updated 10/09)
- The number of points required to cover the desired dollar amount is determined by American Express.
- A partial payment or a full payment with points is accepted, however, only one points transaction per booking is allowed. For example, the customer can pay ½ of the cost of their vacation using points and use any credit card for the other half. But they cannot pay ½ with points now and the other ½ with points later, as that would result in two points transactions.
- Once the transaction has been completed it cannot be reversed and points cannot be re-deposited into the account.
- Membership Rewards Points are combinable with American Express card member benefits, such as Gold Card Destinations or the Platinum Cruise Privileges Program, but are not combinable with other awards programs or airlinefrequent flyer points.
- The Membership Rewards Points transaction must occur within 72 hours after final payment.
- Paying with Membership Rewards Points is available for cruises, tours, land vacations and tour packages and air travel. Independent car and hotel reservations are not eligible bookings.
- There are no airline seat restrictions or travel blackout dates.
- All cruise lines and travel vendors are applicable. Bookings do not have to be made exclusively through American Express preferred partners or American Express Vacations.
- All transactions are posted to the account in approximately 48 hours and may appear on two separate billing statements. The credit will appear as 'Membership Rewards Consumer Travel' on your American Express card statement.
