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.
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.
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
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
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
$250 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
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 do I choose the best cruise line credit card?
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
What are some 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:
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
No, Disney® Premier Visa® Card costs $49 annually.
No, the Disney® Premier Visa® Card comes with a 3% fee of each transaction you make abroad.
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.
Kliment Dukovski is a credit cards writer. He's written over 600 articles to help readers find and compare the best credit cards. Kliment has also written on money transfers, home loans and more. Previously, he ghostwrote guides and articles on foreign exchange, stock market trading and cryptocurrencies.
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