Do Cruises Earn a Travel Rewards Bonus?
This guide explains how cruises code, the exceptions, and how to earn the most.
How cruises code
Booking a cruise directly with the cruise line generally codes as travel, so a travel card earns its elevated rate on the fare. Given how large a cruise booking can be, that bonus is meaningful, making a travel card the right choice for the deposit and final payment.
The exceptions
Two things can code outside travel. Purchases you make onboard during the cruise, drinks, excursions, the spa, may post through the cruise line’s onboard account and could code differently than the fare. And a cruise booked through a third-party travel agency or aggregator can code to that agency rather than as a cruise line, which may or may not still count as travel. Direct bookings are the most predictable.
How to earn the most
Pay the cruise fare directly with your best travel card to earn the bonus, and use the same card for onboard spending, since it usually still earns a solid rate even if it codes slightly differently. You can also redeem points toward cruises, covered in using points for cruises, though paying with a travel card and redeeming points separately is often the better value. Check for a portal bonus too.
- Cruise lines generally code as travel.
- A travel-bonus card earns its elevated rate on the fare.
- Onboard purchases can code differently.
- Third-party cruise bookings may vary.
- Book directly with the line to earn the travel bonus reliably.
Frequently asked questions
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