Best credit card for cruises

We all know a cruise line vacation can be heavy on your wallet. However, with the right credit card, you can relieve some of that financial burden by earning a signup bonus and accelerated points on purchases. These points can be redeemed for onboard credit, stateroom upgrades, discounts on your cruise line and more.

Our pick for a credit card with cruise perks

American Express® Gold Card

• Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 3 months.
• Earn 4x Membership Rewards® points when you dine at restaurants worldwide. Earn 4x Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3x Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
• $100 airline fee credit: up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees at one selected qualifying airline.
• Choose to carry a balance with interest on eligible charges of $100 or more.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Annual fee is $250.
• Terms apply.

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Compare credit cards with cruise benefits

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Name	Product	Welcome offer	Rewards	Annual fee	Filter values
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...
American Express® Gold Card		35,000 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 4x points at restaurants worldwide. Rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card		50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months	2x miles on all purchases and 10x miles at hotels.com/venture	$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter)		Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Luxury Card Mastercard® Black Card™		N/A	1.5x 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...
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card		60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months	5x points on Lyft, 2x points on travel and dining and 1x points on all other purchases	$95		Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CardMatch™ from creditcards.com		See terms	See terms	See terms		Can't decide on a card? Get personalized credit card offers with CardMatch™.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Chase Freedom Unlimited®		$150 after spending $500 in the first 3 months	1.5% cash back on all purchases	$0		Earn a $150 signup bonus after spending $500 in the first 3 months from account opening.	See offer 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		Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Best cruise line credit cards

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

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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.

• The perks

  • 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.

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

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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.

• The perks

  • 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.

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

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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. Other perks include:

• The perks

  • 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 17.49% applies thereafter.

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

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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.

• The perks

  • 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 15.49% to 25.49%. But to use this perk, your balance transfers must post to your account within 45 days when you open your account.

How we picked our best cards

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.

How to compare 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.

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.