Credit card points for cruises??

[newcruiser]

Which credit cards (if any) are good for cruise points? Is it worth it? I figure if I am spending the money anyway I may as well get something for it.

Also, where is the best place to book a cruise that will give the best "gifts" (such as on board credit, etc..)

We have already booked a cruise for next year and now I see several places are giving on board credits for that cruise... how do I get it in on the credits?

Thanks

Tori

[frostyboy64]

royal caribbean has a good points rewards

i have got 1- free 4day cruise and 1- 7 day cruise out of it plus

free upgrades

[eagleforest]

I agree with frosty. My May cruise costed us $56 and it was a 4 night to the Bahama's.

Speaking of FREE Cruises!

Well our May 15th cruise on Sovereign of the Seas costed us $59 for two. Not including the bar tab. Yes I typed it right. And this was a 4 night cruise. And had we waited a few months more it may have been a 7 night cruise. And all you have to pay is port taxes. Of course you can only get this if you chose a oceanview stateroom. And only from Royal Caribbean.

OK,

How in the world did we do this?

Well if you are like most folks you use a credit card to buy gas, groceries, clothing, your air fare, your cruises, and you also use it to pay for your cruise.

Well if you use the RCCL VISA card.

Every dollar = 1 point.

Every dollar spent with RCCL = 2 points.

You get 2500 points for getting the card

Your next cruise you spend $1500 per person for a room

thats $3000 or 6000 pts.

You spend $1000 onboard during your trip thats another 2000 points.

Your at 10500 points.

You spend $100 a week on gas per vehicle and have two vehicles, In 6 months you spend $5200 or 5200 points.

You spend $300 each week on groceries. In 6 months thats $7800 or 7800 points.

Your airfare for your recent vacation was $1600 or 1600 points unless you bought it through RCCL then its 3200 points.

You bought that new bedroom set for $2500 or 2500 points.

You paid Childs A tution $3000 or 3000 points

You reroofed your house $10,000 or 10,000 points

Your 52" TV broke because you forgot it was not a simulated golfing experience and your golf ball is now a part of the TV screen.

So you spent $7800 or 7800 points

And now you have 50,000 points on your RCCL Visa card. Here is the tough choice.

Do you cash in your 50,000 points for the

Free 3 or 4-night Bahamas or Baja sailing for 2 (outside stateroom)

or do you save your points for another year and shoot for

125,000 points:

Free 5 or 7-night Mexican Riviera or Caribbean sailing for 2 (outside

stateroom)

Its FREE in a sense:

Or you can cash in at anytime for :

You can chose 1 out of each category if you have enough points.

5000 points

*Upgrade on a 3 or 4-night Bahamas or Baja sailing for 2 (inside to outside stateroom)

*$50 USD credit toward onboard purchases

*2 Royal Caribbean robes delivered onboard

*Onboard picnic for 2 people

*Royal Packet – 2 Royal Caribbean towels, cameras, and messenger bags delivered to your home

*Royal Wear – 2 Royal Caribbean polo shirts and baseball caps delivered to your home

15,000 Points

*Upgrade on a 5 or 7-night Caribbean or Mexican Riviera sailing for 2, September–May (inside to outside stateroom)

*$150 USD cruise discount off any ship and itinerary

*Onboard Grand Romance Package including champagne, fresh flowers, gourmet appetizers, breakfast for 2 and more

25,000 Points

*Upgrade on a 5 or 7-night Caribbean or Mexican Riviera sailing for 2 (outside to balcony stateroom)*

*Upgrade on a 5 or 7-night Caribbean or Mexican Riviera sailing for 2, June–August (inside to outside stateroom)*

*Free companion fare on a 3 or 4-night Bahamas or Baja sailing (outside stateroom)*

50,000 points

*Free 3 or 4-night Bahamas or Baja sailing for 2 (outside stateroom)*

*$500 USD cruise discount off any ship and itinerary

75,000 points

*Free companion fare on a 5 or 7-night Caribbean or Mexican Riviera sailing (outside stateroom)*

125,000 points

*Free 5 or 7-night Mexican Riviera or Caribbean sailing for 2 (outside

stateroom)*

[JoeyandDavid]

Arvid :grin:

You are so eloquent.. :grin:

I agree the MNBA card does have good rewards

[Longboysfan]

Stupid question - same for the Celebrity card.

Wife wants to get one for the same thing.

[Dan]

Many banks have travel credit cards that earn points good on most travel packages. My bank has a travel card that earns a point per dollar spent. 5000 points equals $75 in travel credit. They start you off with 7500 points for applying. The good thing then is you aren't stuck with certain brands. And you can pay the taxes with points if you wish.

You can also look at cards that give cash rebates. Then you simply put that rebate in the bank and don't touch it until you are ready to use it for a trip. Then you know you won't get stuck with blackout dates and availability issues.

It takes forever to run up enough on a credit card to earn any menaingful amount of points, no matter what type of reward plan you are in. You have to use the card for anything and everything you can, and you also have to be diligent to keep on top of how much you've charged, or you will get a nasty surprise when the bill comes in. My general rule of thumb is any purchases over $100, I go to my online banking and transfer that amount over to my credit card as soon as practical after making the purchase. That way when the bill comes in, it won't have a high balance.

[sailingrose]

Unfortunately the only down side to the RCI card is you can't use it on Celebrity. They have their own card. We don't charge anything except our vacations so my points won't add up as quickly as others do.

[Dan]

But if you are good with money, which you likely would have to be to not use a credit card, then using a reward card would be a piece of cake to you. As Tori said up top, if you are spending the money anyway, might as well get something back for it.

I figure I can use one piece of plastic, and have the money come right out of my bank account, or the other piece of plastic, let Mastercard pay for it, then pay Mastercard, and get something in return. You can really maximize points by having household accounts charged to your card, if the vendor offers this. I pay for my satellite, utilities and phone on my credit card. We are getting a pool put in this week. Now, we don't have the cash to pay for it upfront, so I was going to use my line of credit. Almost slapped myself before asking "Do you guys take Mastercard?" "Why yes we do" Cool. Might as well let Mastercard pay for it for a month, then pay it off with the line of credit, and still earn points. I'm trying to figure out how to use my Mastercard for my mortgage when it comes up next year LOL.

[DaCruzNut]

I have a Carnival Sea Miles Master Card that I use, almost, exclusively. In fact, I just charged my new A/C and got 3,750 points! I pay the bill off every month.

My last cruise on the Fascination was free for me and a buddy. Working towards a free seven-day now....

[eagleforest]

Joey,

I just like to help people out. And since I have used the card for a free cruise. But the kicker is you do not get a cruise credit for it. I guess since you are not paying full price they dont want you to get to the Diamond level with a bunch of Free Cruises.