Best Credit Cards for Cruises
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After taking a cruise for my honeymoon, I am hooked. Cruises are an affordable way to travel around the world. Your travel costs, lodging costs, and food costs are all packaged together for one price while you enjoy an ocean view. Even better, most cruises offer free entertainment each day of the cruise.
Before you book your next cruise, consider one of these credit cards. You will notice that both cruise-specific cards and general travel rewards cards are included in the list. We didn’t want to give you a list of just cruise-specific cards. This is because many cruise-branded credit cards are just glorified and pricy membership cards. They boast perks, but most of the perks are only tied to that specific cruise line. If you are a cruise fanatic but don’t want to be tied to a certain cruise line, here is a mix of options that will get you on your next cruise sooner. (See also: 5 Best Travel Reward Credit Cards)
Celebrity Cruises® Visa Signature® Card
The Celebrity Cruises® Visa Signature® Card comes with a $69 annual fee but you also get a $300 discount on a future cruise of at least 7 nights, after you make at least $5,000 in transactions within your first 60 days. The card also comes with $50 ChoiceAir Airfare Discount, 50% off second guest at any specialty restaurant, and 10,000 bonus points when you make a transaction within the first 65 days, which can be redeemed for a $100 onboard credit.
As far as cruise cards go, the Celebrity Visa seems to be connected with the most cruise lines, since it has Royal Caribbean and Azamara Club Cruises as sister cruise lines. Cardholders earn two MyCruise points for every dollar spent qualifying purchases on Celebrity Cruises and its sister cruise lines, and one MyCruise point for every $1 spent on all other qualifying purchases. There is no foreign transaction fee with this card.
Norwegian Cruise Line® World MasterCard®
The Norwegian Cruise Line® World MasterCard® is one of the best cruise line cards. Cardholders can earn 10,000 bonus WorldPoints, which is worth $100, after they make their first transaction in the first 90 days. The card also earns triple WorldPoints on Norwegian purchases and one point on all other purchases. Unlike many other cruise specific cards, Norwegian’s WorldPoints can be redeemed for awards outside of the cruise line, such as hotel stays and gift cards to over 100 retailers. Cardmembers will also be the first to know about last-minute redemption offers, such as highly discounted cruises. There is no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee for this card.
Carnival® World Mastercard®
Fans of Carnival Cruises will love the Carnival® World Mastercard®, which gives you 10,000 bonus points after your first purchase, worth up to $100. Get double points for each dollar spent on all Carnival Cruise Lines purchases, including onboard purchases charged to Sail & Sign, Carnival's cashless onboard credit system and one point for each dollar spent on purchases everywhere else. You can redeem your points for statement credit toward a cruise, onboard amenities, gift cards, and merchandise. There are no foreign transaction fees for this card and no annual fee.
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