Credit Card Travel Rewards

[gcbcwy]

Does anyone use any credit card that has travel rewards that can be used for cruising?

[Donna]

I have a Royal Caribbean card that issues points to use for cruising. Although, I've yet to use them, going to check and see what I can get for the ones I have. There may be other cruiselines/cards around too.

[worthew8]

I will be using my rewards next week.

[Donna]

Did you just call the number on the CC to find out how to use them? How many do you need to get something, anything??

Thanks,

[worthew8]

Originally Posted by Donna

Did you just call the number on the CC to find out how to use them? How many do you need to get something, anything??

Thanks,

Donna,

On a certain cruise line's website, I applied for their Visa. Going on memory, I was given 'X' rewards when I applied (and was approved); plus, for every $1.00 I spent on their cruises or on board, I get $2 in rewards. That cruise line website had a link for the CC which provided how the rewards system worked and how you could use their reward points.

I've seen something similar on another cruise line website awhile back.

A word of caution to those considering...please check the APR and any other fees involved. My suggestion is to be able to pay off your CC monthly.

There were many choices for rewards on my next cruise and I went for the On Board Credit.

Looking forward to that free massage,

[green_rd]

Have the Carnival Sea Miles card. Not very promising for "free" cruises, but have used it for a discount on our upcoming cruise. It amounts to about a 1% reward. Could probably do better finding a good cash back card.

[Donna]

Just called my CC, I'd need 125,000 to get a free cruise. I thought what I considered to be a lot of points, but certainly NOT enough for a free one...You could get a free companion on some, but there were also dates etc. where you could do that...With 25,000 you can get $250 onboard credit. Then you have to call for a certificate which can take 2-4 weeks, and have that when you book...Now, I wonder if you can book and have your certificates applied when you get them?? OY....they sure don't make it easy.

[Magnolia Blossom]

All the major lines have cards.
I have NCL's and the Carnival SeaMiles.
NCL used to have a fabulous program - we sailed absolutely free 6 times with points from it. Now that Bank of America has taken over the card it takes 3 times as much purchasing as it used to. As another poster said, which is standard on all the cards, you get 1 point/$ spent but $2 if spent with NCL. It takes 25,000 point ($25,000 in purchasres if non NCL) to get a $250 discount. Lesser point values can be used for OBCs or casino credit. In the past $17500 would get you a $500 certificate. Needless to say users are not happy with the new program.

Having said that, it is still better than the others. You can use your certificates without restriction to cruise time or itinerary. Some programs limit you to the Carib. or Mex. Riv. and require more points during some time periods. BoA prefers you to book through their own agency, although you can book through NCL and I believe there has been some easing of that requirement.

SeaMiles only allows you to book through it's agency. They will tell you that it is good on any cruise line but personal experience has beenn that you get far less bang for your buck if you book other than CCL.

There are many threads about this topic, particularly on the NCL board since it had the best program and thus a lot of fans.

[Donna]

MB,
Do you recall how to or what you need to get a companion free with Bank of America...I didn't quite understand that part or if there were restrictions...? Thanks if you should know :-)

[Magnolia Blossom]

Donna,

They don't handle their cruise rewards as "free" or "companion", you just get X # of dollars for a certain amount of points. The easiest way to see their point schedule is to go to thre NCL website and on the lower left is a link to their M/C program. it has an easy to view chart of points/rewards.

This thread got me to thinking so last night when I couldn't sleep I did some surfing. I gave you some incorrect info. SeaMiles has added some additional agents so you do have some choice of TA's.
,
Additionally, RCCL will let you redeem a $500 certificate (50,000 pts)
on any cruise. It used to be restricted.

It seems like the quickest way to earn points is now with Princess's card (Barclay, as is Carnival's) The lower level points are the same but the upper has changed. A 250 is 25,000 pts, but a $500 is ONLY 40,000. Like all the cards you get 5,000 after your first purchase they also give you another 5,000 if you do a balance transfer.

All the lines' cards are advertised on their home pages so it's easy to find out about them. Happy hunting!

MB

[Donna]

Thanks MB!

[traveltime]

My husband & I use only one credit card and it is a Visa with a rewards program. Basically, for every dollar spent, you get a dollar "reward" and we do use the points for booking either our air or cruise, whichever the TA in the rewards dept. has the best rates on. (We do our homework before calling the TA.) If we even think we may want to travel the following year, I'll charge everything from groceries to "whatever". We pay the bill in full each month, so we aren't paying interest & though the rewards used to be better, we figure what we DO get is better than nothing.

[Magnolia Blossom]

Other items to consider when using premium credit cards.
1) as someone else said, you really do need to pay the cards off monthly
2) look for one w/ no annual fee
3) look for one w/ no limit as to how many pts. you can earn per year
4) look for one that will give you a credit limit high enough so your points don't expire before you have enough to redeem. (had this happen w/ the original CCL card - they had a maximum of $2,000/mo, no matter what your credit score, and the points expired in 24 months so even if you accrued max. pts/mo, you couldn't get to 50,000 )
5) if you have an annual limit - say $1,000 equivalent of credits, get more than one card. Use one til your pts are maxed out then switch cards.

enjoy

[worthew8]

That reward of $250 OBC worked nicely whilst I celebrated my divorce on the massage table

If you pay off monthly, you can't miss!

Sweet Sailing!

[traveltime]

Peg! Hey, a massage is a great cure for a lot of "ailments"..
Yup, we pay ours off each month so we figure we can't lose!

[AmandaGrifin]

"Travel Reward Cards" like the Capital One Venture Card where you earn "points" that can be redeemed airline tickets, hotel rooms, etc. at any airline or hotel.

[Sulross]

We have a RCCL Visa card. We have taken 2 free cruises (you pay port charges) and will be taking another one next year. You get a point for each dollar you spend and double points when used in conjunction with anything related to RCCL. We use this card for everything we do except when flying where we have a Continental card.

Last year we used our card for a cruise and paid only $185.00 for port charges and taxes. We booked an oceanview cabin. Prior to getting on we were upgraded to a balcony. When we got on board someone was in our cabin so we were upgraded to a Grand Suite. So for $185.00 we were in a $5,000.00 suite for the week on the Allure of the Seas. We are Diamond Plus, so that is why we got the original upgrade, I assume, and then to correct the next problem we went to the Concierge who moved us the second time. A lot of people use their points for small amounts of o/b credit and don't accumulate the larger amount you need for a cruise. Patiance pays off if you wait.