5 best credit cards for booking a cruise

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Cruises are one of the most convenient and affordable vacation options for families, and for more reasons than one. Not only does your cruise ship act as a floating luxury hotel, but it’s your transportation to different destinations, too. Meals and snacks are often included in your cruise fare, and you’ll find entertainment all over the ship. Some cruise companies even offer perks like on-board credits, free Wi-Fi and drink packages to lure you into planning a week of fun.
That said, the best credit cards for cruises can help you get an even better deal. You can use the rewards you earn to cover all or part of the cruise fare, and some flexible cards even let you redeem points for flights to your cruise port or pre- and post-departure hotel stays. Many top cruise credit cards also offer travel protections that can shield you financially if your bags are lost or stolen or your trip is delayed.
Before you book your next cruise, make sure to add a travel credit card to your cruise packing list. This guide goes over the best travel credit cards for cruises and all they have to offer, plus an overview of how much cruising costs.
How much does a cruise cost?
The cost of a cruise varies based on length, port, cabin type and other factors. Getty Images
Before you can hatch a plan to cover your cruise with rewards, it helps to know how much you can expect to pay. Not surprisingly, cruises can cost as much or as little as you want for the most part. It all depends on the cruise line you pick, your itinerary, the cruise cabin you select and what kind of perks you get thrown in.
To give you an idea, consider this cruise itinerary on the MSC Seascape — the newest cruise ship to sail out of North America right now.
This November 2023 itinerary from MSC Cruises takes families from Miami, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas and onto San Juan, Puerto Rico and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic before it spends the day at MSC Cruises private island in the Bahamas — MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve. Kids under the age of 18 also sail free, which is a spectacular deal for parents trying to plan a fun vacation with the kids. Members of the MSC Cruises loyalty program — MSC Voyager’s Club — even get at least 5% off every cruise.
Either way, the cost of this seven-night cruise for two adults and two children (ages 8 and 10) as of publishing comes in at $1,152 before taxes and fees for an interior cabin, or $1,751.58 when you add in port taxes and fees. For an ocean view cabin, the cost works out to $1,495, or $2,094.54 with port taxes and fees included.
Considering your cruise fare includes your meals and snacks, your lodging, transportation to three different countries, access to expansive pools and hot tubs, an on-board water park, a supervised children’s club and endless entertainment, this all-in price is one heck of a deal for cruisers.
The best credit cards for booking cruises in 2023
Now that you know how much the average cruise might set you back, consider how these travel credit cards could help you pay for your trip.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: Best overall
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is our favorite card for booking cruises. Getty Images
We chose the Chase Sapphire Reserve® as the best card for cruises overall for a few reasons, including this card’s rewards rate. New card holders earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points worth $900 in travel when they spend $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.
The Sapphire Reserve earns points at the following rates:
10 points per dollar: 10 points on hotels and rental cars booked through Chase, Chase Dining purchases and Lyft rides (through March 2025).
5 points per dollar: Flights booked through Chase.
3 points per dollar: Travel worldwide (after earning the $300 travel credit) and dining at restaurants (including takeout and delivery).
1 point per dollar: All other purchases.
Rewards are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel (including cruises) through Chase, for a value of 1.5 cents per point. Additionally, points earned with this card also transfer 1:1 to airline and hotel partners like Southwest Rapid Rewards, United MileagePlus, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt.
While a $550 annual fee applies, the Sapphire Reserve comes standard with a $300 annual travel credit each year, a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership (valued at $469), a fee credit for Global Entry, NEXUS or TSA PreCheck membership every four years, access to the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection and more. You can also access Chase Sapphire Lounges at select airports.
The Sapphire Reserve also offers several complimentary travel insurance perks that can help protect your cruise investment and yourself from financial harm. This includes trip cancellation and interruption insurance worth up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip, $3,000 in lost luggage reimbursement, trip delay reimbursement worth up to $500 per ticket and even emergency evacuation and transportation coverage worth up to $100,000.
All said, the Sapphire Reserve makes it easy to earn flexible rewards points you can redeem directly for cruises if you want to. There are no foreign transaction fees, and you can also redeem your points for statement credits, gift cards, merchandise and more. All the while, you get generous travel protections for your cruise included when you pay with your card, your points or a combination of both.
Learn more and apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
Read CNN Underscored’s full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Capital One Venture X: Best overall, runner-up
You an use Capital One miles to cover the cost of flights on virtually any airline. Getty Images
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is another popular travel credit card that offers benefits for cruises. It all starts with 75,000 Capital One miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening. You’ll earn rewards at the following rates:
10 miles per dollar: Hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
5 miles per dollar: Airfare booked through Capital One Travel.
2 miles per dollar: All other purchases.
Rewards offer a lot of flexibility considering you can transfer miles to Capital One airline and hotel partners or use them to book hotels, rental cars and airfare through Capital One Travel. Note, however, that you cannot use miles to book cruises directly through Capital One. You can, however, redeem miles for statement credits to cover cruise fare at a rate of one cent per mile. So, a $1,000 cruise would require 100,000 miles to fully cover the cost.
Several perks can also make cruising and other travel more comfortable and affordable, including a $300 annual travel credit toward Capital One Travel purchases, a $100 credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership, access to Capital One airport lounges and 10,000 bonus miles on your cardmember anniversary. The card has a $395 annual fee, but that’s offset by the travel credit and annual bonus miles.
Finally, the card automatically gets travel protections like trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, auto rental coverage, lost luggage reimbursement and more. This card also has no foreign transaction fees.
Chase Sapphire Preferred: Good for flexibility
You can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to hotel partners like World of Hyatt if you need a night in a hotel before your next cruise. Hyatt
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is a toned-down version of the Sapphire Reserve card. It offers fewer benefits in exchange for a lower annual fee, yet its rewards have the same flexibility and it comes with many of the same travel protections built in.
First, cardholders with the Sapphire Preferred can earn 60,000 points (worth $750 in travel) after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening. The card earns points at the following rates:
5 points per dollar: Travel booked through Chase and Lyft rides (through March 2025).
3 points per dollar: Dining (including takeout and delivery), online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs) and select streaming services.
2 points per dollar: All other travel purchases.
1 point per dollar: All other purchases.
Rewards can be redeemed for cruises and other travel with a 25% value boost through Chase, for a value of 1.25 cents per point. Of course, the Sapphire Preferred also gives you access to the same Chase Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel partners you get with the Sapphire Reserve. Card holders also get a handful of perks including an annual $50 hotel credit for bookings made through the Chase travel portal.
Protections that can apply when you use your Sapphire Preferred (or its rewards) to book a cruise include trip cancellation and interruption insurance, primary auto rental coverage, baggage delay protection, trip delay reimbursement and more. A $95 annual fee applies, but this card also comes with no foreign transaction fees.
Learn more and apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
Read CNN Underscored’s full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Capital One Venture: Good for flat-rate rewards
You can redeem Capital One miles for cruises and most other travel expenses. Getty Images
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card can be a smart option for people who want to earn flat-rate rewards they can redeem for cruises, all with a low annual fee. New customers start off earning 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.
The card earns miles at the following rates:
5 miles per dollar: Hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
2 miles per dollar: All other purchases.
Capital One miles can be redeemed for statement credits to cover cruises at a rate of one cent per point, or to book other travel through Capital One Travel. You can also transfer miles to Capital One airline and hotel partners to pay for your hotel stay before or after your cruise or your flights to the cruise port.
This card requires an annual fee of $95, but there are no foreign transaction fees. Perks include a $100 credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership every four years, travel accident insurance and auto rental coverage.
Read CNN Underscored’s full review of the Capital One Venture card.
Bank of America Premium Rewards: Good for simple rewards
Earn cash back with the Bank of America Premium Rewards card to offset your cruise expenses. Getty Images
If you want to keep your rewards game simple, check out the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card. This card starts you off with 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. The card also earns 2 points per dollar on travel and dining purchases and 1.5 points per dollar on other purchases.
Several perks come automatically with the Premium Rewards card, including a $100 airline incidentals fee credit and a $100 credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership every four years. You can use the airline fee credit to cover things like change and cancellation fees, airport lounge passes and checked bag fees.
There are no foreign transaction fees, and Bank of America Preferred Rewards members can earn 25% to 75% more rewards for each dollar they spend. This can significantly increase the amount of rewards you earn with the card.
You can redeem rewards for cash back as a deposit into Bank of America checking or savings accounts, a credit to an eligible account with Merrill, a statement credit to your credit card or for gift cards and travel bookings made through the Bank of America Travel Center.
The Premium Rewards card comes with trip delay insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay coverage, lost luggage reimbursement and emergency evacuation and transportation coverage, too. A $95 annual fee applies.
Looking for a credit card that earns travel rewards? Check out CNN Underscored’s list of the best travel credit cards currently available.
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