When you’re wanting to embark on a cruise and have gathered factors, you may not must pay to your subsequent journey.
On this information, we are going to discover methods that will help you optimize your points and miles to cut back the price of your cruise trip. We’ll focus on leveraging loyalty applications and the most effective methods to unlock financial savings in your cruise fare.
Listed below are the highest methods to make use of your factors and miles for a cruise.
Associated: A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
Must you e book a cruise with factors and miles?
Whereas varied choices can be found for redeeming your factors and miles towards a cruise, it is very important observe that the worth you obtain may not at all times be optimum (i.e., lower than TPG’s monthly valuations). Within the realm of journey rewards, there are sometimes extra profitable alternatives to leverage your factors and miles for flights or resort stays, the place the worth and adaptability are typically increased.
You probably have American Express Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles or Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you would possibly have the ability to get a redemption worth of 1 to 1.5 cents per level for cruises. On this case, you’d get $100 or $150 off your cruise fare by redeeming 10,000 factors. Whereas this might sound excessive, it falls quick in comparison with the worth some vacationers get when redeeming factors for luxurious lodges or business-class flights.
Some cruise traces have their very own bank cards, however just a few have fashioned partnerships with different manufacturers. For instance, Marriott Bonvoy members can redeem points on Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection cruises at a price of 180,000 factors for a $1,000 financial savings. Nonetheless, these accomplice choices are sometimes restricted and would possibly require loyalty to a selected journey model.
You may at all times use factors to cut back journey bills for any cruise trip. For instance, you should use Amex Membership Rewards factors, Bilt Rewards Points, Capital One miles, Chase Final Rewards factors, Wells Fargo Rewards points and Citi ThankYou Rewards points to cowl prices related to airfare, lodges or rental vehicles to your cruise. This typically proves to be a greater use of your rewards.
Nonetheless, if you wish to use your gathered factors to cut back your cruise prices, listed below are varied choices for reserving a cruise with factors and miles.
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Guide a cruise with bank card factors
You should use sure bank card factors to e book a cruise. Sometimes, you can be required to make the reservation via the portal offered by your bank card issuer, however some require calling a reserving heart. You may additionally have the ability to cost the cruise to your card after which redeem your rewards for a press release credit score in opposition to some (or all) of that buy.
Here is how you can e book a cruise on factors with a number of main bank card firms.
American Categorical Membership Rewards
You probably have an eligible American Express card that earns Membership Rewards factors, you should use these factors to cowl the price of your cruise via the Pay with Points program. With this program, you possibly can redeem Membership Rewards factors at a price of 0.5 to 0.7 cents per level for many journey purchases. Nonetheless, TPG values Membership Rewards factors at 2 cents every (per our January 2025 valuations) once you maximize the program’s transfer partners, so you’ll use them at a decrease worth for those who use Pay with Factors.
The Amex Travel portal has a user-friendly search characteristic that lets you discover completely different cruises primarily based on particular filters akin to date, vacation spot, cruise line and journey length even earlier than you log in.
To e book a cruise utilizing Pay with Factors, log in to the journey portal and do the next:
- Choose your most well-liked cruise itinerary and cabin.
- Enter your passenger data.
- When it is time to take a look at, enter your Membership Rewards-enrolled American Categorical card data and choose “Sure” to find out what number of Membership Rewards factors your account has.
- You may pay for the complete cruise utilizing Pay with Factors or erase a portion of the price and pay the remainder with money.
Alternatively, you possibly can search for the cruise you need and name 800-297-5627 to e book straight with the Amex Journey staff over the cellphone.
Associated: The best credit cards for booking cruises
Chase Final Rewards
The Chase Travel℠ portal is much like Amex Journey, however the redemption worth is increased.
When reserving via Chase, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card factors will be redeemed for 1.25 cents every towards journey, whereas Chase Sapphire Reserve® factors will be redeemed for 1.5 cents every.
Sadly, Chase’s reserving system would not allow you to e book cruises via Chase’s on-line journey portal. You may must name the reserving hotline and speak to somebody within the cruise reservations division as a substitute.
To e book a cruise and pay with Chase Final Rewards factors:
- Discover the cruise itinerary and availability you need via the cruise line’s website. You probably have a selected cabin in thoughts, have that data useful. Sadly, experiences point out that you simply can not e book Disney Cruise Line sailings with Chase Final Rewards.
- Name a Chase journey specialist straight at 855-234-2542, and be ready to stroll the adviser via the cruise line reserving web page on their finish to allow them to discover and e book the cabin and choices you need. Cruise advisers can be found Monday via Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Japanese time and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to five p.m. Japanese time.
- Your cruise adviser will arrange the itinerary for you and, upon checkout, will ask you what number of factors you need to apply in opposition to your ultimate steadiness.
Citi ThankYou Rewards
The Citi ThankYou portal doesn’t presently enable cardholders to make use of their ThankYou factors as credit score for a cruise.
Capital One miles
Capital One provides extra flexibility and a extra simple redemption course of than Amex and Chase. Except you switch your miles to an airline or resort accomplice, every mile is price a flat 1 cent towards journey.
Redeeming factors doesn’t require booking through a portal, liberating you as much as e book your cruise straight with the corporate or through a journey agent to get further perks. This selection additionally helps you to pursue promotional package deal charges or reductions which may not be obtainable via the Amex or Chase portals.
The award redemption course of is simple: Use the cardboard when paying to your cruise package deal, then log in to your account and use the “Cowl your journey purchases” possibility to use your mileage steadiness as a credit score towards the full quantity you owe in your bank card assertion.
You may earn Capital One miles with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Every has various options, so perform some research to determine which card is greatest for you.
Associated: Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Capital One Venture X: Worth the extra $300 in annual fees?
Guide a cruise with airline miles
You too can e book cruises utilizing airline miles. Nonetheless, like different choices, the worth of your journey rewards is commonly underwhelming. The next journey suppliers supply cruise portals that permit you to redeem rewards:
For instance, within the United Cruises portal, this seven-night Disney cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, prices 239,143 United Airlines MileagePlus miles per individual for an inside cabin — price $3,228 by TPG’s January 2025 valuation of United miles.
In distinction, the identical room and crusing dates value simply $1,674 per individual when paid for with money — a greater worth than with United miles.
Use factors from cruise line cobranded bank cards to e book
With cruise line cobranded credit cards, you possibly can earn factors for purchases you could then use to offset the price of your cruise reserving. Nonetheless, this may not be the best choice for incomes and redeeming factors.
Right here, you will need to ensure you should use your factors towards the cruise fare as a substitute of solely onboard purchases. For instance, the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature® Credit Card provides a welcome bonus of 30,000 factors after you spend $1,000 or extra on purchases inside 90 days of opening your account. Your redemption decisions fluctuate.
For example, you possibly can redeem 25,000 factors towards your companion’s cruise fare on a three- or four-night Royal Caribbean cruise (sure situations apply, e.g., could not exceed $500 in worth). Or, you possibly can redeem 30,000 factors for a $300 low cost on a Celebrity Cruises voyage. To study extra about how you can redeem MyCruise Rewards factors, try this PDF.
The data for the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors
In 2021, Marriott introduced that the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Assortment would take part within the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. Members can redeem factors on Ritz-Carlton cruises and luxuriate in elite status perks on voyages. Nonetheless, the redemption charges aren’t nice.
You may redeem not less than 180,000 factors towards a flat $1,000 financial savings on the cruise fare. After that, you possibly can redeem increments of 90,000 factors towards $500 in financial savings, as much as the complete cruise fare. This redemption price is about 0.56 cents per Marriott level, nicely under TPG’s January 2025 valuation of 0.85 cents per level.
Associated: Best ways to earn Marriott Bonvoy points: From hotel stays and credit card spending to travel partners
Moreover, Marriott Bonvoy’s Cruise with Points program lets you money in Marriott factors for credit score towards any cruise that is bookable on the Cruise with Factors web site.
You may redeem factors within the following denominations, all valued at 0.4 cents per level:
- 63,000 factors for $250 off your cruise fare
- 125,000 factors for $500 off
- 250,000 factors for $1,000 off
- 625,000 factors for $2,500 off
- 1,250,000 factors for $5,000 off
To redeem Marriott factors for a cruise, name 800-596-0452.
Use factors and miles for precruise lodges and flights
You would possibly maximize your factors and miles by redeeming them for flights to your departure port and precruise and postcruise resort stays as a substitute of the cruise fare itself. You may typically get greater than 1 or 1.5 cents per level with flights and resort stays.
For instance, you can switch your Chase Final Rewards factors to United MileagePlus and get a fantastic redemption worth by reserving a flight to Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA). When you’re an elite member or have a United credit card, you would possibly even have entry to special member award pricing.
Or you can use 12,000 to 18,000 World of Hyatt factors or an annual Category 1-4 award from the World of Hyatt Credit Card to pay for a room on the Hyatt Regency Orlando Worldwide Airport (a Class 4 resort) in Florida earlier than heading to Port Canaveral the subsequent day.
Associated: How (and why) you should earn transferable credit card points in 2025
Backside line
It is not at all times simple to get nice worth to your factors and miles once you use them towards cruise redemptions — not less than, not the way in which you possibly can with business-class flights. Nonetheless, redeeming your factors free of charge or discounted cruise journey is feasible.
That mentioned, to redeem your rewards for max worth, you need to keep away from utilizing airline miles or resort factors for cruises. These are higher used on flights and in a single day stays.
It is a related story for bank card currencies. Capital One provides essentially the most flexibility of all the main issuers as a result of you possibly can book your cruise directly or through a travel agent. With a number of reserving choices, you possibly can reap the benefits of extra perks and entry promotional charges from journey brokers and on-line retailers that are not obtainable via bank card portals. You can even stack these offers for extra financial savings by booking via an airline portal to earn miles.
As soon as booked, the Capital One award redemption course of is simple: Apply your mileage steadiness as a credit score towards your complete bank card assertion. Every mile is price a flat 1 cent towards journey, so that you at all times know the worth for comparability functions.
That is how we might e book a cruise with factors and miles to get the most effective worth.
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