What card should you use to book a cruise?
Tl;dr: A few cards offer decent returns on cruise bookings, and Chase cards have special benefits.
Obviously I advocate getting a good deal on a cruise, and that will be the subject of our next installment. But even after scoring a killer deal, a cruise will likely be a fairly substantial expense, one you’ll want to maximize your points or cash back on. While several cruise lines offer their own credit cards, the best value is likely to be found by using cards with transferable currencies like Chase or Amex points.
Best credit cards for booking cruises
Chase Sapphire cards earn 5x on cruises booked through Ultimate Rewards travel.
The Bilt card earns 2x on cruises, with 4x if you book on “Rent Day,” the first of the month.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Green card each earn 3x points on cruises, though both are outclassed by competing cards with similar benefits without the hefty annual fees.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 2x on cruises, as does the Bank of America Premium Rewards Card and United Quest Card. The IHG Premier earns 5x, although IHG points are less valuable. And cards with strong baseline earning like the Capital One Venture X and Venture Rewards, and Citi Double Cash (2x) can be useful as well.
What about cruise line co-branded cards?
Cards from Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, and Royal Carribbean each earn 2x points, redeemable for 1¢ each with that particular cruise line. So in each case you’d be better off using almost any of the cards above, which can be redeemed for the same or greater value and (with the exception of IHG points and United miles) far more flexibly.
If you’re a frequent cruiser on Norwegian, then that card’s 3x on purchases with Norwegian might have competitive value, especially given that the card has no annual fee and comes with a bonus of 20,000 points, good for $200 off of a cruise. The Royal Caribbean and Carnival cards also offer welcome bonuses worth about $250 and have no annual fee, so regular travelers on those lines might consider taking advantage of that offer at some point.
Still, unless you’ve already got every card listed above, you’d probably be better off picking up a strong general card. For instance, the Amex Green earns 3x on cruises and comes with a welcome offer worth at least $800, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred has a bonus worth $750 (which can be used toward a cruise) and earns 2x on cruises.
Speaking of Chase Points
Cruise enthusiasts may want to consider picking up a Chase Sapphire card. Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for 1.25¢ or 1.5¢ each (Preferred and Reserve, respectively) via Chase’s travel portal. While cruises cannot be booked online, the points can be redeemed at that rate for cruise bookings over the phone.