Over the past few years, my family has taken far more cruises than I ever would have expected. In fact, we’ve got our 13th or 14th cruise of the last three or 4 years coming up later this year. However, the landscape has really changed over the past few years in terms of which card is best for booking and paying for a cruise. Which card is best for cruise bookings will depend on several factors, but the best overall card for cruise bookings, in my opinion, probably isn’t yet on your radar.
General tips for saving on cruises
Before listing off the best credit cards to pay for cruises, it is important to recognize that there are a number of ways to save on a cruise that may make a more substantial difference than which credit card you use to pay for the cruise.
Check for card-linked offers
In some cases, your most significant source of savings on a cruise might come from card-linked offers. We frequently see Amex Offers for cruise lines spanning from Carnival to Cunard. My next cruise will be on Norwegian, and I took advantage of an Amex Offer when I put down the initial deposit, scoring $100 back right off the bat.
With so many different card-linked offer programs, you’ll want to consider using a tool that helps you track and activate card-linked offers. Two such tools about which we’ve written at Frequent Miler include Savewise and CardPointers. These tools can be used to search for a merchant and find which card-linked offers have been found on various cards (which you might use as a guide to seek out offers on your own cards). Alternatively, these tools can be used to automatically add eligible offers to your own cards.
Consider travel protections
Cruises can be a major prepaid travel expense that cannot be cancelled for a refund at the last minute. You may want to consider travel protections like Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation, or Baggage Delay protection. See our Guide to Ultra-Premium Credit Card Travel Protections for a full breakdown of the top cards on the market for travel protections.
I personally value such protections, so this would be a definite consideration in my planning stages. That said, those who purchase separate travel insurance, whether as an annual plan or for a specific trip, may not be as concerned with credit card protections for a cruise.
If you’re able to stack card-linked offers across a few cards to save a significant chunk of change on your cruise, that may be worth enough to you to consider forgoing travel protections altogether.
Consider card-specific benefit programs, even if booking through an agent
A few travel credit cards offer specific cruise benefit programs.
For instance, the Amex Platinum card offers $100-$300 in additional onboard credit and a unique amenity with select cruise lines through its Cruise Privileges Program.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve have a similar benefit called Voyages by Chase Travel, which similarly offers onboard credit and unique amenities when booking a cruise through Chase Travel.
Consider shopping for an agent if you don’t have one
I have been surprised at just how much you can save by booking a cruise through a cruise agent. In many cases, you’ll still be able to trigger card-linked offers (since charges will often come from the cruise line itself, even when booking through an agent).
Furthermore, many cruise agents can help you take advantage of benefits through your credit card, even when booking through a qualified agent.
I’ve written before about using CruiseCompete to search for an agent. I recently used the site again to help a family member book a cabin on the same cruise with us. The quotes I got through CruiseCompete were about $1300 better than the price I had seen directly through the cruise website, and they included hundreds more in onboard credit.
The best credit cards for booking cruises
To determine the best card for cruise bookings, I went to our best category bonuses page and looked over the best cards for travel purchases.
One limitation of the “travel” section of our Best Category bonuses is that the page includes all cards that offer a bonus on travel. In some cases, that means a bonus on flights, in others on hotels, and in others on all travel. Even those cards that appear to bonus “all” travel sometimes mainly bonus flights and hotels (and in some cases specifically exclude a mention of cruises among the qualifying travel categories). Tim has an excellent post about the best all-around travel cards where he offers some commentary on why you might choose each of several of the best travel credit cards. Reading that post will give you more information about some of the best options.
Fairwinds Visa Signature® Credit Card (5x)
In the time since that post about the best all-around travel credit cards was published, a card I hadn’t strongly considered has entered the conversation — the Fairwinds Visa Signature card.
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $450 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates 60K Points Non-AffiliateThis is NOT an affiliate offer. We always present the best offer even when it means less revenue for Frequent Miler 60K points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months$95 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: This is a decent welcome offer, especially if redeemed for travel through the Fairwinds Travel portal. Fairwinds membership costs $5. Earning rate: 5x travel and theme park tickets ✦ 3x dining ✦ 2x everywhere else Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Fairwinds. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: Points can be redeemed in the Fairwinds travel portal at a rate of 1.5 cents per point |
As you can see above, the Fairwinds Visa Signature card offers 5x on travel. I combed through the benefits guide and rates and fees online and couldn’t find a clear explanation as to how Fairwinds defines “travel”, but according to NerdWallet, cruises count for 5x on this card.
Assuming that NerdWallet is correct about that, the Fairwinds Visa Signature card could easily become one of the best travel credit cards and certainly one of the best for booking cruises.
While Fairwinds does not have transfer partners, points are worth 1.5c per point when used to book travel through the Fairwinds Travel center. Again, according to NerdWallet, the Fairwinds portal offers bookings through travel merchants such as American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, United, Southwest, JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Hilton, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, “and more”. That sounds to me like it may be somewhat limiting in the sense that it may not be possible to book with foreign airlines or independent hotel chains (and even major brands like IHG and Hyatt are missing from that list unless covered under the “and more” clause).
However, if it is ultimately possible to use points at 1.5c per point with even just that list of merchants, I imagine that many will find the effective 7.5% back offered by the Fairwinds card to be a fairly compelling return on cruise spend.
It is also worth mentioning that this card offers travel protections like Trip Delay, Cancellation, and Baggage Delay coverage. Fairwinds appears to use the same trip insurance provider as most other issuers (Card Benefit Services), but I couldn’t find specifics as to limits and requirements for claims. There’s no doubt that the Fairwinds card requires a bit more research, but it seems like a strong contender for best card for cruises.
The Fairwinds Visa card requires membership with Fairwinds Credit Union, but that appears to be available nationwide with just the cost of the $5 membership share.
Amex Platinum card (extra onboard credit)
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $2630 1st Yr Value Estimate$200 airline incidental fee credit for select airline only valued at $140, $200 Uber credit ($15 per month, $35/December) valued at $100, $100 Saks credit ($50 per six months) valued at $25, $600 Fine Hotels + Resorts® credit valued at $300, $300 Digital Entertainment Credit ($25 per month) valued at $150, $300 Lululemon credit ($75 per quarter) valued at $150, 400 Resy credit ($100 per quarter) valued at $85, $120 Uber One credit ($10 per month) valued at $48 Click to learn about first year value estimates As high as 175K points ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer As high as 175K points after $12K spend in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Terms apply. Rates & Fees$895 Annual Fee Recent better offer: Up to 175K points after $8K spend in the first 6 months. (Expired 2/4/26) FM Mini Review: This card is absolutely loaded with high end perks. Depending upon your situation, those perks may be worth the annual fee or much more. Earning rate: 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (limit $500,000 in purchases each calendar year) ✦ 5X points for prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel ✦ 1X everywhere else Card Info: Amex Pay Over Time Card issued by Amex. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: Up to $200 a year in statement credits for incidental fees at one qualifying airline per calendar year ✦ Up to $600 prepaid hotel credits semi-annually ($300 Jan - June and July - Dec) valid on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings ✦ Up to $100 per calendar quarter in statement credits on eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants ✦ Up to $25 per month rebate for Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium and/or YouTube TV ✦ Up to $120 Global Entry/TSA Precheck fee reimbursement ✦ $15 monthly Uber or Uber Eats credit ($20 in December, use it or lose it each month) ✦ Up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year towards an auto-renewing US Uber One membership ✦ Up to $300 in annual credits for eligible US purchases at lululemon stores or lululemon.com (up to $75 quarterly) ✦ Up to $209 CLEAR+ fee credit per calendar year ✦ Up to $12.95 (+tax) credit for Walmart+ monthly membership subscription when you pay with Platinum card. Plus Ups not eligible ✦ Up to $100 in credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue (up to $50 in credits semi-annually) ✦ Up to $200 back each calendar year in statement credits when purchasing an Oura Ring through Ouraring.com ✦ Global Lounge Access benefits: Priority Pass membership (Lounges only) with 2 guests, Centurion Lounge access. Also, Delta Sky Club® access (when flying an eligible Delta flight): 10 visits per year February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year (after 10 visits have been used, additional visits can be purchased for $50 each or earn unlimited visits after spending $75K/calendar year on the card). Access limited to eligible card members ✦ Rental car elite status ✦ Marriott Gold status ✦ Hilton Honors Gold status ✦ Leading Hotels of the World Sterling Status ✦ Enrollment required for some benefits. Terms Apply. See also: Amex Platinum Guide |
The Platinum card gets a mention here despite only offering 1x on cruise bookings. That’s specifically because of the Cruise Privileges Program, which offers enough additional onboard credit that the net return may work out better than the increased multiplier on another card.
Of note here is the fact that many cruise agents can apply the Platinum card’s onboard credit, so you do not necessarily need to book through Amex Travel. When I submitted a recent quote request through Cruise Compete, I mentioned having the Platinum card and agents included Platinum card onboard credit in their quotes. That is important because it means that you can both shop around for the best deal and probably end up with more in onboard credit.
Chase Sapphire Reserve (8x booking through Chase Travel)
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $1544 1st Yr Value Estimate$300 travel credit valued at $285, $300 StubHub credit ($150 Jan-Jun and again Jul-Dec) valued at $75, $500 Chase The Edit credit (2x per calendar year) valued at $125, $300 Chase Dining credit for dining at Sapphire Reserve Tables restaurants ($150 Jan-Jun and again Jul-Dec) valued at $75 Click to learn about first year value estimates 125K Points ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 125K after $6K spend in the first 3 months. $795 Annual Fee FM Mini Review: Good all-around card for frequent traveler. Best when paired with no annual fee Chase Freedom Flex, Freedom Unlimited & Chase Ink Cash cards. Click here for our complete card review Earning rate: 8X Chase Travel℠ ✦ 4X flights and hotels booked direct ✦ 3X Dining ✦ 5X Lyft (through September 2027) Base: 1X (1.5%) Flights: 4X (6%) Portal Flights: 8X (12%) Hotels: 4X (6%) Portal Hotels: 8X (12%) Dine: 3X (4.5%) Card Info: Visa Infinite issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: After spending $75,000 each calendar year, get the following benefits: IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status ✦ Southwest Airlines A-List Status ✦ $500 Southwest Airlines credit when booked through Chase Travel ✦ $250 credit to The Shops at Chase Noteworthy perks: $300 Annual Travel Credit ✦ Transfer points to airline & hotel partners ✦ Up to $500 The Edit credit annually ($250 twice per calendar year) ✦ Up to $300 Dining credit through Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables ($150 January to June and again July to December) ✦ Complimentary AppleTV+ and Apple Music through 6/22/27 ✦ Up to $300 in StubHub credits ($150 January to June and again July to December) ✦ Points worth up to 2 cents each towards qualified bookings through Chase Travel ✦ Primary auto rental coverage ✦ Priority Pass Select lounge access ✦ Access Sapphire Lounges for yourself and 2 guests for free ✦ Access select Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges when flying Star Alliance ✦ Up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Application Fee Statement Credit ✦ IHG One Rewards Platinum status through 12/31/27 ✦ Free DoorDash DashPass through 2027 ✦ Two promos of $10 off each month on non-restaurant orders from DoorDash ✦ $5 off restaurant order each month from DoorDash ✦ $10 monthly Lyft credit See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
The Sapphire Reserve card used to bonus all travel but this card no longer bonuses most travel. Cruises only earn 1x if booked direct. That stinks.
However, cruises can be booked through Chase Travel. Since the Sapphire Reserve card offers 8x on all travel booked through Chase Travel, that could represent a fantastic return on a cruise if Chase Travel is offering a competitive price for your voyage.
For the cruise I was recently looking to book, Chase had a price that was competitive with the quotes I received through Cruise Compete, though the Voyages by Chase amenities did not add up to quite as much value as what I’d seen through agents. Still, it is probably worth checking Chase since 8x could be a terrific return that might mean more to you than additional onboard credit.
Furthermore, the Sapphire Reserve has best-in-class travel protections, so if you get delayed or need to cancel your trip, you’ll have additional peace of mind.
Note that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card also offers access to Voyages by Chase amenities, though with only a 5x multiplier for travel booked through Chase and slightly inferior travel protections.
Bank of America Premium Rewards & Premium Rewards Elite (up to 4.375% value with Preferred Rewards)
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $531 1st Yr Value Estimate$100 airline incidental fee credit valued at $90 Click to learn about first year value estimates 60K points 60K points (worth up to $600) after $4K spend in the first 90 days$95 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: This card has best-in-class earnings for those with $100K+ invested with BOA. With that level of investment, you would earn 3.5X travel & dining and 2.62X everywhere else. Earning rate: ✦ 2X travel and dining ✦ 1.5X everywhere else Base: 1.5% Travel: 2% Flights: 2% Hotels: 2% Dine: 2% Card Info: Visa Signature issued by BOA. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: $100 annual airline incidentals fee reimbursement ✦ $100 Airport Security Statement Credit towards TSA Pre✓ ® or Global Entry Application fee, every four years ✦ Up to 75% bonus for Preferred Rewards banking customers |
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $450 1st Yr Value Estimate$300 airline incidental fee credit valued at $210, $150 lifestyles conveniences credit valued at $120 Click to learn about first year value estimates 75K points Non-AffiliateThis is NOT an affiliate offer. We always present the best offer even when it means less revenue for Frequent Miler 75K (worth up to $750) after $5K spend in the first 90 days$550 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: With $100K+ invested with BOA / Merrill Edge or Merrill Lynch, you would earn 3.5X travel & dining and 2.62X everywhere else. With the 20% discount on flights booked via the BOA Travel Center, this card effectively earns 4.375% on travel & dining and 3.28% back everywhere else when used toward flights for those with Platinum Honors status. Earning rate: ✦ 2X travel and dining ✦ 1.5X everywhere else Base: 1.5% Travel: 2% Flights: 2% Hotels: 2% Dine: 2% Card Info: Visa Infinite issued by BOA. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: $300 annual airline incidentals fee reimbursement ✦ $150 lifestyle conveniences reimbursement (streaming services, food delivery, fitness subscriptions and rideshare services) ✦ $100 Airport Security Statement Credit towards TSA Pre✓ ® or Global Entry Application fee, every four years ✦ Up to four Priority Pass Select accounts ✦ Up to 75% bonus for Preferred Rewards banking customers ✦ 20% discount when redeeming points for domestic or international airfare in any cabin class through Bank of America Travel Center or concierge |
As Tim mentions in his post about the best all-around travel credit cards, the Premium Rewards Elite card offers excellent travel protections (and the Premium Rewards card also has travel protections). However, both of these cards offer just 2x on travel.
The Bank of America cards become far more interesting for those with Preferred Rewards Platinum Honors. While that program is changing soon, those who have the top-tier status will keep it for a while and, as a result, will earn 3.5x with their status bonus. Those with the Premium Rewards Elite card get an additional 25% bonus when redeeming points for travel through Bank of America’s travel portal, which turns the return into an effective 4.375%. That is a strong option if you’d like to be able to book directly with the agent or line of your choice and maintain excellent travel protections.
Honorable Mentions
There are a number of cards that I haven’t included above, but which could nonetheless be good cruise booking credit cards.
A few examples include the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey or the Amex Green card, both of which offer 3x on travel generally, including cruises. The upside of either of these cards is the ability to earn transferable points. The downside of the Amex Green card is the lack of travel protection benefits. While the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey far outshines the Green card in that department, the limited set of transfer partners makes it a less compelling option than other options unless their partners work well for you.
If you still have the US Bank Altitude Reserve, that card offers 3x on travel (including cruises) and decent travel protections, though the protections are more limited than other cards on this list, and at this point rewards can only be redeemed for $0.01 per point to a U.S. Bank account.
Bottom line
The best credit card for booking cruises might just be the Fairwinds Visa Signature, though we need some more data points regarding its travel protections and travel booking portal. Absent that, the additional credits offered by the Amex Platinum card might make it a good choice despite the poor return on travel, while the Sapphire Reserve offers fantastic return on spend if you’re able to book through Chase Travel. Any way you slice it, you’ll want to shop around for the best price and check out your card-linked offers, as you might be able to stack substantial savings over several cards with strong offers.
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As an avid cruiser (86 cruises completed to date) I found this article very interesting. There are other ways to save $$ on cruise bookings and cruise expenses not discussed in the article. If you book directly with the cruise line, as I always do, you can often pay with discounted gift cards. For example, carddepot.com sells discounted gift cards for all sort of merchants, including cruise lines. Currently they are selling Carnival gift cards at a 7.2% discount. Since card Depot qualifies as an “online merchant” I get 5.25% cash back when using my BofA Customized Cash Rewards card to buy these gift cards. Net discount is about 12.5%. And these Carnival gift cards can be used not only for your cruise fare, but also for onboard expenses.
Its worth mentioning that I book directly through the cruise line because I get casino offers from the cruise line for free or hugely discounted cruises, depending on the category of cabin I desire – and these casino deals are not usually bookable through third party travel agents. But even if you book a cruise through a third party travel agent without a casino deal, they are able (if not always willing) to accept the cruise line’s gift cards in payment for the cruise.
I generally book through United Cruises. I get competitive rates, but due to having a United Credit card I will get up to 10X United Airline points. I typically use a 2X card. Delta and AA have cruise sites too, but do not give nearly the amount of points that United gives. It is not unusual to get 30-40k points from a cruise. Those points are far more valuable to me than cash. Besides, I save my UA points for Hyatt and not United. Also, get a Celebrity, NCL credit card and get on-board credit. Also, if you own stock in the cruise lines you get $100 of on-board credit for each cruise you take. Getting a little status on some lines gets you free laundry, free specialty dinners, and free drinks.
With so many advertisement links in the post, this article becomes difficult/annoying to read.
Nick, unless I’ve misunderstood something, the 25% redemption bonus for the BoA Premium Rewards Elite card is on airfare only and not travel in general.
You are correct.
Citi custom cash is also 5x and no annual fee. Best if paying over time or if you have multiple cards in your household due to the $500 per month limit.