Best credit card for cruises

We compared cruise line credit cards based on their signup bonus offers, rewards rate, redemption value and their additional perks. The cards we selected had the best combination of perks to outshine all competitor cards.

Best cruise line credit cards

Best credit card for highest rewards rate
Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard®

Credit recommended (670-850) Read review

670
Min. credit score

$0
Annual fee

$1,000
Points welcome offer

Up to 3x
Points

• Info
• Pros & cons
• Details

The Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® lets you earn the highest rewards rate on your Norwegian purchases compared to similar credit cards. And if you're a member of Bank of America Preferred Rewards program, you can almost double your points.

• Signup bonus. Earn 10,000 bonus points once you make a qualifying transaction in the first 90 days of card membership. This is worth $100 in redemption value.
• Reward points. Earn 3x points on your Norwegian Cruise Line purchases and 1x points on everything else you buy.
• Bank of America Preferred Rewards. Earn 25% to 75% more bonus points on your purchases if you're a Preferred Rewards member. This means you can earn up 5.25x points instead of 3x with your Norwegian purchases — the highest rewards rate offered by a cruise line credit card.

Annual fee	$0
Purchase APR	14.99% to 22.99% variable
Foreign transaction fee	None
Welcome offer	10,000 points after making a purchase in the first 90 days
Rewards	3x points on Norwegian and 1x points on all other purchases

Best cruise line credit card for an airfare discount
Royal Caribbean® Visa Signature® Credit Card

Credit recommended (670-850) Read review

670
Min. credit score

$0
Annual fee

$100
Points welcome offer

Up to 2x
Points

• Info
• Pros & cons
• Details

The Royal Caribbean® Visa Signature® Credit Card lets you earn accelerated points on the second largest cruise line company in the world. But what separates this card from the rest is that you earn an Air2Sea airfare discount after meeting spend requirements.

• Signup bonus. Make a transaction within your first 90 days of account opening to earn 10,000 bonus points worth $100 in onboard credit. This may not be the most generous signup bonus, but it's easy to earn.
• Reward points. Earn 2x points on Royal Caribbean cruises and on its sister brands, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. All other purchases earn you 1x points.
• Air2Sea airfare discount. Spend $3,500 in your first 90 days of card membership to earn $50 discount. You are eligible for this bonus only if you get a Visa Signature credit card.

Annual fee	$0
Purchase APR	14.99% to 22.99% variable
Foreign transaction fee	None
Welcome offer	10,000x points after making a purchase in the first 90 days
Rewards	2x points on Royal Caribbean and 1x points on all other purchases

Best cruise line credit card for entertainment value
Disney® Premier Visa® Card

Credit recommended (670-850) Read review Rates & fees

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670
Min. credit score

$49
Annual fee

$200
Welcome offer

Up to 2%
Cash back

• Info
• Pros & cons
• Details

The Disney® Premier Visa® Card is not your standard cruise line credit card, which makes it ideal for Disney vacations. You earn and redeem reward dollars for Disney theme parks, resort stays, shopping, dining and on Disney cruise line packages.

• Reward dollars. Earn 2% back in Disney Reward dollars on gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and most Disney locations. You also earn 1% back on all other purchases.
• Signup bonus. Spend $500 in your first 3 months of account opening to earn a statement credit.
• Special vacation financing. Enjoy 0% intro APR for 6 months on select Disney vacation packages from the date you make the purchase. A revert variable APR of 15.99% applies thereafter.

Annual fee	$49
Purchase APR	0% intro for the first 6 months on select Disney vacation packages (then from 15.99% variable)
Foreign transaction fee	3% of the transaction value
Welcome offer	$200 after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Rewards	2% cash back at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and most Disney locations and 1% on everything else

Disclaimer

The information about Disney® Premier Visa® Card has been collected independently by Finder and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

Best cruise line credit card for high redemption value
Carnival® World Mastercard®

Credit recommended (670-850) Read review

670
Min. credit score

$0
Annual fee

20,000
Points welcome offer

Up to 2x
Points

• Info
• Pros & cons
• Details

The Carnival® World Mastercard® lets you earn accelerated rewards points on the largest cruise line company in the world, which includes Carnival, Aida, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, The Yachts of Seabourn, P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia and Fathom. And the great thing is - you can redeem your points on the same cruise lines.

• Signup bonus. Earn 20,000 bonus points after you make the first purchase after account opening. That's worth $100 and is one of the easiest signup bonuses you can get.
• Reward points. Earn 2x points on Carnival Cruise Line and World's Leading Cruise Lines purchases. All other purchases earn 1x points.
• Intro APR period on balance transfers.
  Enjoy 0% intro APR period on balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles. After that, your rate reverts to variable 13.99% to 23.99%. But to use this perk, your balance transfers must post to your account within 45 days when you open your account.

Annual fee	$0
Purchase APR	13.99%, 18.99% or 23.99% variable
Foreign transaction fee	None
Welcome offer	20,000 points after first purchase or balance transfer
Rewards	2x points on Carnival Cruise Line and 1x points on all other purchases

How to choose the best cruise line credit cards

When you’re looking for the best cruise line credit card, ask yourself:

• Do you use more than one cruise line?
  If you like to travel different cruise lines, you may want to consider a card that lets you earn and redeem accelerated points on multiple cruise line companies. In this case, the best contender would be the Carnival® World Mastercard®.
• Do you want to earn the most points on your purchases?
  If you’re looking to stack up on points, the Disney® Premier Visa® Card and the Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® are worth considering.The Disney® Premier Visa® Card also lets you earn accelerated rewards on everyday purchases such as groceries, gas and dining.
• Do you want to make balance transfers?
  If you want to earn cruise line rewards and save money on interest, consider a cruise line credit card issued by Barclaycard. All three cruise credit cards in their portfolio offer a long intro APR period on balance transfers.

Compare credit cards with cruise benefits

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Name	Product	Welcome offer	Rewards	Annual fee	Filter values
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card		80,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months, a value of up to $1,000 through Chase Ultimate Rewards	5x points on Lyft, 2x points on travel and dining and 1x points on all other purchases	$95		Earn a huge signup bonus worth $1,000 with this popular travel card. Combine with other Chase Ultimate Rewards cards for even greater value.	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Express® Gold Card		60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months	3x points on directly-booked flights; 4x at restaurants; 4x at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 annually (then 1x points)	$250		Earn up to 4x points on select purchases, a bevy of travel perks, and a welcome offer worth up to $600 with this upper-mid tier travel card. Rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Chase Sapphire Reserve®		50,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months	10x points on Lyft rides, 3x points on dining and travel after earning your $300 travel credit and 1x points on all other purchases	$550		Get a generous $300 in annual travel credits, 3x points on travel and dining, and a 50% bonus on point redemptions with Chase's premier card.	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Luxury Card Mastercard® Titanium Card™		N/A	1x points on all purchases with 2% point value when you redeem for airfare and 1% for cash back	$195		Enjoy unique excursions, privileged access to exclusive events and insider opportunities.	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi		N/A	4% at gas stations on up to $7,000 annually (then 1%), 3% at restaurants and on travel, 2% at Costco and 1% on all other purchases	$0		Get 3% back on your travel and dining purchases with no foreign transaction fees and use the card for your Costco membership.	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Luxury Card Mastercard® Black Card™		N/A	1x points on all purchases with 2% point value when you redeem for airfare and 1.5% for cash back	$495		Receive an annual $100 air travel credit toward flight-related purchases including airline tickets, baggage fees, upgrades and more.	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CardMatch™ from creditcards.com		See terms	See terms	See terms		Use the CardMatch tool to find cards you're likely to qualify for with your credit score, without a hard pull on your credit.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Citi Rewards+℠ Card		Earn 15,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months	Earn 2x points at supermarkets and gas stations on up to $6,000 annually, then 1x points after that and on all other purchases	$0		Redeem your rewards for travel including flights, hotels, cruises and more.	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Luxury Card Mastercard® Gold Card™		N/A	1x points on all purchases with 2% point value when you redeem for airfare or cash back	$995		Earn 2% point value when redeemed for airfare or cash back through the Luxury rewards program.	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Chase Freedom Flex℠		$200 after spending $500 in the first 3 months, plus 5% cash back at grocery stores on up to $12,000 in the first year	5% back in rotating categories up to $1,500 combined each activated quarter (then 1%), 5% on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases	$0		Get 5% back on purchases made through the Chase Travel Portal, making this a strong travel card as well as a solid everyday rewards card.	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Alternatives to cruise line credit cards

Did you know you could earn rewards with other credit cards and still redeem for cruise lines? Here are some of the alternatives:

• General travel cards. There’s a variety of general travel credit cards that let you redeem for cruise lines. You can also redeem for flights, hotel stays and car rentals. The most popular travel reward programs are Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou points.
• Cobranded travel cards. Most card providers offer cobranded cards with an airline or a hotel. For example, you can redeem for cruises with Delta SkyMiles, American Airlines AAdvantage miles, United Miles and Marriot Bonvoy points.

Bottom line

A cruise line credit card could be worth considering if you love taking cruises. You can earn rewards points for onboard credit, stateroom upgrades, discounts, cruises and more. Plus in most cases, you won’t pay an annual fee or foreign transaction fee.

However, if you think a general travel rewards credit card would suit your better, compare your options until you find the right card for your situation.

Frequently asked questions

• Do all cruise line credit cards have $0 annual fee?

  No, Disney® Premier Visa® Card costs $49 annually.

• Do all cruise line credit cards have no foreign transaction fees?

  No, the Disney® Premier Visa® Card comes with a 3% fee of each transaction you make abroad.

• Is a cruise line credit card better than a general travel credit card?

  This mostly depends on your vacation preferences. If you want a variety of earning and redemption options, a general travel credit card could be the better choice. If you prefer cruise line vacationing, a cruise line credit card may be best suited for your needs.

  In either case, it’s best you compare your options because some travel credit cards offer point redemption on cruise lines as well.