These Cruise Credit Cards Come With Major Perks

For more details, please see our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards.

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If you plan on doing significant shopping while on your ship, you can use a card with purchase protection to ensure your item arrives safely home. At TPG, we recommend using a credit card whenever and wherever possible so you always earn rewards on your purchases. When it comes to cruises, you'll get some serious benefits by booking with a credit card.

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Here are NerdWallet's best cards for cruises, why we like them and why many co-branded cruise credit cards may not be your best bet. RewardsCircle with letter I in it.Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. FinanceBuzz is an informational website that provides tips, advice, and recommendations to help you make financial decisions.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

While everyone needs a vacation — and taking a cruise is one of the best options out there — coming home to a mountain of bills (including interest payments) can ruin the fun in a hurry. Information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. As a business owner, getting a credit card that maximizes each dollar you spend does not have to be complicated or expensive.

After you’ve found the best option for you, book it on any website using your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Or you could opt to cash out Venture miles for gift cards for Carnival, Princess, Disney and Royal Caribbean cruises, to name a few. Alternatively, you could book a cruise directly through the Capital One travel portal using miles. Condé Nast Traveler has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Condé Nast Traveler and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. We don't review or include all companies, or all available products.

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The Ink Business Preferred card is hard to beat, with a huge welcome bonus offer and 3x points per $1 on the first $150,000 in so many business categories. For the top cruise cards on this list, expect to need a good or excellent credit score (scores of 670 and above) to qualify. On top of that, other factors are taken into consideration, such as income and whether you've recently applied for any other cards. As a rule of thumb, the more valuable the credit card, the higher the credit score you'll need to qualify. The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy.

Cruise Line Credit Cards

Paying for a cruise with a credit card could help you earn valuable rewards and provide useful travel insurance for your travels. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred earns travel points on eligible purchases and provides the following travel coverage. Note that certain cash back credit cards could also make sense for cruises. You can typically receive statement credits or deposits into bank accounts with cash back cards, making it easy to use cash back toward travel. Additionally, the Chase Sapphire Reserve provides 60,000 points — worth $900 through Chase Ultimate Rewards — after spending $4,000 within three months of account opening. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card keeps everything simple by offering 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2X miles on all other purchases.

Are there cobranded cruise credit cards?

Points earned with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through Chase so you’re effectively getting a 25% discount on your cruise. We couldn’t write a post about the best credit cards to book a cruise without mentioning cruise line-specific credit cards. Unfortunately, these cards don’t offer as much value as other travel rewards credit cards unless you’re a cruise-only traveler with zero interest in earning flexible points or cash-back.

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With annual fees for travel cards hitting $400 or more, it's important to make sure you get your money's worth. Consider the purchase rewards, sign-up bonus, and cardholder benefits to determine how much value you'll get from a card each year. The best credit card for a cruise depends on what type of rewards you are looking for.

Moreover, the editorial content on this page was not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are entirely those of Condé Nast Traveler's editorial team. However, the rewards rate for travel purchases isn't the only factor.

When compared with other "flexible currency" cards, their value pales in comparison. Capital One also offers the ability to redeem miles in exchange for cruise line gift cards with companies like Carnival or Royal Caribbean. The card has travel accident insurance protections, too, which adds value when using the card to pay for travel.

This means you could charge your cruise to your card and pay it down interest-free for more than a year. Some credit cards earn bonus points on the general “travel” category, which includes cruises, while other cards earn bonus points at stores that sell cruise line gift cards. Meanwhile, some cards offer a flat rate for earning points or cash-back. And just as you have many cruise options to choose from, there are numerous credit cards you could choose to pay with. Cruise line-specific cards might seem like an obvious choice, but they aren't always the best. Flexible rewards credit cards have more redemption options, often provide heftier bonuses for new cardholders and usually earn more points in many categories.

Many of our favorite travel cards offer the same great rewards rates on cruise purchases as they do on other types of travel expenses. This makes picking the best credit cards for cruises easier and, thanks to so many choices, much harder. Find out more in our full guide to choosing the right card for your next cruise.

The best credit cards for booking cruises - The Points Guy

The best credit cards for booking cruises.

Posted: Sun, 07 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Use the card to pay your cell phone bill and you’ll get secondary cell phone insurance for a damaged or stolen phone. As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel. We understand that time is the greatest luxury, which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal, a drink, or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world. Don't forget that you still need to make at least your minimum payment every month.

That’s not particularly helpful if you want to use points toward airfare or a hotel stay. The best travel credit cards typically require good or excellent credit scores to qualify. A good credit score is at least a 670 on the FICO scoring model, while an excellent score is at least an 800.