Should You Get a Cruise Line’s Co-Branded Credit Card?

Like their travel-industry counterparts such as hotels and airlines, most cruise lines offer co-branded credit cards geared toward cruising enthusiasts.

But are cruise line credit cards truly all that good?

Well, not really. Frankly, that’s surprising — given that most hotel and airline co-branded credit cards give good value to their regular travelers.

(For what it’s worth, my sample co-branded cards were NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. They all feature $0 annual fees, which is a plus.)

Here’s why we’re not fans — along with some other fish in the sea we think give you better values.

Points Earnings

All of the cards I looked at feature atrocious points earnings structures.

NCL’s is the most customer-friendly (which isn’t very surprising). It offers 3X points per dollar on NCL purchases, 2X on air and hotel purchases, and 1X on all other eligible purchases.

The other two cards offer a measly one point per dollar spent on eligible purchases not made with their respective cruise line.

Gross.

Isn’t earning, say, 5X points per dollar spent even better? Now, I’m no math wiz. But I think so.

The no-annual-fee Citi Custom Cash® Card earns 5% cashback (awarded as 5X ThankYou® Points) on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle up to $500 spent and 1% cash back after that on all other purchases. (All information about this card has been independently gathered by Eye of the Flyer and not reviewed by the issuer.)

So, what is considered “eligible spend (categories)”? Everyday purchases such as restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment.

Say you spend $500 (or more) a month at grocery stores; you’ll earn at least 2500 ThankYou points. Turn them into cashback, apply toward statement credit, purchase travel with them, whatever. But a cruise line credit card will get you only $5 back on those same purchases. (Here are some more examples of cash back credit cards.)

Here’s another no-annual-fee gem: the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card.

That earns 3% cashback on everyday categories, such as dining, grocery stores (excluding superstores such as Walmart® and Target®), entertainment, and popular streaming services.

Moral of the story: you can get a no-annual-fee credit card and likely earn much more than using a cruise line’s co-branded card.

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year on those purchases, then 1%. Cashback is earned in the form of Reward Dollars, which can be redeemed toward statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms apply.) The card also earns 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. Again: 6% > 1%

Heck, even purchasing a cruise itself earns you more points on some cards than it does through a cruise line’s card.

The no-annual-fee Chase Freedom cards — and — offer 5X Chase points® on travel purchased through Chase Travel.

Other cards earn in the 2X-3X range on travel purchases without going through a travel service. Maybe you’re more comfortable booking directly through a cruise line instead of an online travel agency.

For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®® earns 3X on travel purchases after its annual $300 statement credit toward travel purchases is exhausted. That card does carry a $550 annual fee but is loaded with benefits.

The American Express® Green Card earns 3X Membership Rewards® on travel — including cruises, airfare, hotels, tours, car rentals, and more. That carries a $150 annual fee. (Rates and fees. Terms apply. The information for the American Express® Green Card was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer. The product is not available through our affiliate partners or our site. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.)

Elite Status, Upgrades, and More

Most hotel credit cards offer at least some elite status for their respective loyalty programs. None of the cruise line credit cards I scoped out offered such a feature. (Then again, they don’t have any annual fees.)

What about upgrades? Sure, you can redeem your cruise line credit card points toward a better room — at a rate of one cent per point. You know, when you earned a penny on a gas station purchase, that could’ve gotten you five pennies on the Citi Custom Cash® Card. Maybe you’re better off doing that and buying the upgrade — and possibly having money left over.

How about some treats to make your cruise a little extra special?

Something perhaps worth your while is checking out American Express’ Cruise Privileges Program. Amex Travel partnered up with several major cruise lines and offers some goodies to both The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express members.

These include:

• $100-$300 per stateroom onboard credit (redeemable toward dining, spa, and more)
• Exclusive amenities unique to each cruise line (sounds fancy), such as premium wine or assorted canapés

Those card members also earn 2X Membership Rewards points on those bookings — which must be made through American Express Travel. (Terms apply.)

Plus, the Cruise Privileges Program also occasionally offers some discounted sailing fares.

(The information for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer. The product is currently not available through our site. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.)

Time to Set Sail!

Cruise line co-branded credit cards are surprisingly underwhelming — in terms of what they offer cardholders in terms of perks but also their points earnings structures. Granted, those cards generally don’t carry annual fees. But you can earn plenty more through a number of no-annual-fee cards. You’re likely better doing that — and using the points or cash back however you see fit.

To see rates and fees for the American Express® Green Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.

To see rates and fees for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please visit this link. Terms apply.

To see rates and fees for the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, please visit this link. Terms apply.

To see rates and fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link. Terms apply.

To see rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link. Terms apply.