There’s a new Amex Offer out today that’s good for $100 back on $500 or more at Carnival Cruise Lines. This offer is probably targeted, though it appears to be widely targeted. This could obviously be useful for those planning a Carnival cruise, but it could also juice things a bit for those who have matched for or received free cruise offers, since this should even apply for paying the taxes on a “free” Carnival cruise.
The Deal
- A new Amex Offer is out to spend $500 or more with Carnival Cruise lines and get a $100 statement credit (enrollment required)
Key Terms
- Offer valid only for qualifying Carnival Cruise Line reservations booked directly with Carnival online only at US website carnival.com, by calling 1-800-764-7419, or through a Carnival Cruise Line travel advisor between 10/31/2025 and 12/31/2025.
- The Offer is only valid for bookings paid for by 12/31/2025, however the Carnival Cruise Line travel can occur after the end date for the Offer, provided that the booking was made within the applicable Offer period.
- Excludes Holland America, Princess Cruises, Seabourn and Cunard brands, purchases made onboard cruise ships, Carnival Bon Voyage presales and purchases through the mobile app.
- Excludes single and group shore excursions, weddings and occasions, meetings, charters, airport transportation, Fly2Fun, in-room gifts and shopping add-ons, and The Fun Shops.
- Not valid for gift card purchases.
- Offer valid only on purchases made in US dollars.
- Offer only valid on purchases made directly with the merchant. Offer not valid on purchases made using third parties, such as resellers, delivery services, or other intermediaries.
Quick Thoughts
Amex Offers for Carnival are often popular since they can represent real savings for those in the midst of planning a cruise.
Keep in mind that these offers generally only work on expenses paid at the time of booking or when making payments toward your cruise in advance through the web portal. On-board purchases are excluded from the offer, and in my experience, Amex Offers do not work for onboard purchases. Further, this offer will only work for Carnival, not the other Carnival-owned brands (though I do see a separate Amex Offer for $250 back on $1,000 or more with Cunard for those interested).
As noted at the top, these offers do work in conjunction with the “free” Carnival offers that used to be fairly easy to get back when you could match Wyndham Diamond to Caesars Diamond and then get the Carnival Fun Match to give you a free cruise offer. Unfortunately, Carnival clamped down on that a bit, wanting to see more than just Caesars Diamond status from some folks to get that match. However, if you have multiple casino statuses and/or have other cruise line offers, you may be able to get Carnival to match those offers still through their fun match program. Then, use this offer to save $100 on the required taxes and deposit.
Keep in mind that you can cruise after 12/31, you just need to make payment with Carnival before 12/31 in order to trigger the offer. In the past, we had one situation where an Amex Offer (and Bank of America offer) came around more than once, and we were able to make separate online payments to use multiple card-linked offers.
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Bad timing for me because I just paid off a several hundred dollar balance on a “free” cruise. But I will still owe gratuities. But those won’t be $500, and I’m unlikely to have additional real spending on the ship. Is there anything stopping me from calling Carnival, adding a $500 on-board credit to my account, paying the gratuities and then using the rest to “gamble” in the casino (even if I just go there to cash it out)?