carnival credit card points

[paradise825]

Can someone tell me how to use the points on the carnival credit cart.  How far in advance do you need to do it to get the credit applied on your cruise.

I know you get onboard credit, but not sure when to apply it.

[hungt23]

You have to log into the credit card website then go to the reward and benefit center. Then redeem your points. I think the deadline to use your points to get onboard credit is about 15 days before your cruise.

[dmdiver]

We usually wait until after the cruise & use the double points earned from the S&S account as part of a statement credit.  Basically, everything you spend on Carnival will get you double points.  When you go to redeem those points toward your vacation, it will list the various Carnival expenditures going back 6 months (I think).  You choose what expenditure you are applying your credit to & it is usually there within days.  One catch is once you have applied points to an expenditure, you can't go back a month later & apply more points to the same expenditure.  For us, this is not a big deal because this is not our primary credit card any more.  We use up the points & don't earn any more until we book another cruise.  When it was our primary card, we would just keep an eye on the number of days left to redeem points on the Carnival expenditures & use the points just before that expenditure would drop off.  I hope this all makes sense.  It does in my head, but not sure it does in writing.

[theboatahoy]

There are so many better cards out there. Don't settle on the Carnival one. Do some research and compare overall travel benefits. 

[cruisegus]

On 5/1/2019 at 9:52 PM, theboatahoy said:

There are so many better cards out there. Don't settle on the Carnival one. Do some research and compare overall travel benefits. 

But you can't beat the bonus points for applying and with no yearly fee.  just have to apply and make a purchace, even $5 qualifies (if you have a great FICO it wont really hurt you).  Then charge the cruise when final payment is due >$1500 earns 1.5% rebate, now you have 6 months interest free repayment benefit,  10% off excursions to include FTTF.  Earned $300 off my cruise.  Don't ever have to use the card again.  Win Win for me

[mnp75]

Use your Carnival Card to buy gift  cards on AARP site. This will save you 10% from the start and you still build points. 

[mredandchis]

I just use the carnival card for every day purchases. I use to be cash only as i hate credit. The only money i borrowed was for a mortgage.  But I like this carnival card because of the points are simple.  And then double points for the carnival expenditures and there are some other retailers they give double and above for during the year. Added to it that you get discounts on excursions isnt bad either.   So i just hit the Barclays web site and chomp up some ship credit. a month or so before the cruise. We sail twice a year and it adds up real fast.  I have 400 credit for the next trip and the wife says there is 50 coming from early booking and i still have 1800 points for the next cruise.  She ususally books her cruises right after getting back from one.   But to the OP Hungt23 gave you the straight and skinny.  Do watch the offers though, most of the time you get a penny per point but sometimes it is less on some offers so keep an eye on it .  For instance compare the points for a general ship board credit of 100 and then 200 dollars.  2 100 dollar credits will cost more points than a 200 dollar one.  The bar tabs , which include the Java bar are usually 1 for 1.  

 

[coevan]

2 hours ago, cruisegus said:

But you can't beat the bonus points for applying and with no yearly fee.  just have to apply and make a purchace, even $5 qualifies (if you have a great FICO it wont really hurt you).  Then charge the cruise when final payment is due >$1500 earns 1.5% rebate, now you have 6 months interest free repayment benefit,  10% off excursions to include FTTF.  Earned $300 off my cruise.  Don't ever have to use the card again.  Win Win for me

 

 

Capital One is 2 points for everything, it blows out Carnival's card. No foreign transaction fees, best fraud department, lower interest than CCL, and car rental insurance is included

[tytanbri]

1 hour ago, coevan said:

 

 

Capital One is 2 points for everything, it blows out Carnival's card. No foreign transaction fees, best fraud department, lower interest than CCL, and car rental insurance is included

I agree. I used Carnival card for years and just got the Capital One last year. I love it and the point accumulate much faster with 2 points on everything.

[theboatahoy]

5 hours ago, cruisegus said:

But you can't beat the bonus points for applying and with no yearly fee.  just have to apply and make a purchace, even $5 qualifies (if you have a great FICO it wont really hurt you).  Then charge the cruise when final payment is due >$1500 earns 1.5% rebate, now you have 6 months interest free repayment benefit,  10% off excursions to include FTTF.  Earned $300 off my cruise.  Don't ever have to use the card again.  Win Win for me

You are exactly right. Plus, I did the exact same thing way back when and have completely forgotten about the card. 

[matymil]

Don't forget you also get 10% off excursions if you use your card

 

[grandmarnnurse]

On 5/1/2019 at 10:52 PM, theboatahoy said:

There are so many better cards out there. Don't settle on the Carnival one. Do some research and compare overall travel benefits. 

We LOVEthe Carnival credit card! We used $1200 statement credit off last cruise plus $300 bar credits! I now have 3 cruises booked, and am applying bar credits to all 3 for every 5,000 points I earn, and I earn fast as all my bills, groceries, purchases go on this card. It is SO WORTH IT! I can even go into their website to rewards booster and shop online at any of my favorite stores. I earned 10/$1 on ebags for a whole luggage set, and 4/$1 for Christmas gifts last holiday for gift baskets from Harry and David. SO WORTH IT!

Edited May 4, 2019 by grandmarnnurse

[coevan]

10 hours ago, matymil said:

Don't forget you also get 10% off excursions if you use your card

 

 

 

 

unfortunately it means you have to go on Carnival excursions, which are 30% higher than private ones, no real savings there

[ShakyBeef]

1 hour ago, coevan said:

 

 

 

unfortunately it means you have to go on Carnival excursions, which are 30% higher than private ones, no real savings there

 

Wrong.  There is absolutely a "real savings" if the excursion is only available through Carnival - which includes FTTF, everything on HMC, everything within the compound of Amber Cove, etc., etc.  I've already been refunded $75.50 (10% discount is given as a statement credit) for excursions on my upcoming BTB that I was going to book anyways, could only be booked through Carnival, and for which I was already going to use this credit card.  That amounts to free money for me.  So, yeah, real savings.

[grandmarnnurse]

12 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

Wrong.  There is absolutely a "real savings" if the excursion is only available through Carnival - which includes FTTF, everything on HMC, everything within the compound of Amber Cove, etc., etc.  I've already been refunded $75.50 (10% discount is given as a statement credit) for excursions on my upcoming BTB that I was going to book anyways, could only be booked through Carnival, and for which I was already going to use this credit card.  That amounts to free money for me.  So, yeah, real savings.

I, too, only book cruise line excursions. I really don’t care about them costing more, it’s a safety issue with me. And I do get 10% off when booking using my Carnival Mastercard. I absolutely love that card! I have saved $$$!!

[ShakyBeef]

2 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

I, too, only book cruise line excursions. I really don’t care about them costing more, it’s a safety issue with me. And I do get 10% off when booking using my Carnival Mastercard. I absolutely love that card! I have saved $$$!!

 

You might have misunderstood me.  I do sometimes book private excursions as well as some DIY excursions that I plan myself.  I don't book cruise line excursions exclusively. 

 

What I was pointing out to coevan, who stated so unequivocally that there was "no real savings there" because (in his false premise) one would have to choose a more expensive Carnival excursion over a cheaper private excursion in order to get the 10% discount, was that there is indeed a real savings when one is booking an excursion that is only available through Carnival.

[ShakyBeef]

21 hours ago, coevan said:

 

 

Capital One is 2 points for everything, it blows out Carnival's card. No foreign transaction fees, best fraud department, lower interest than CCL, and car rental insurance is included

 

If you're going to contrast the two credit cards, maybe you should educate yourself on the features and benefits of the Carnival FunPoints MC, so you will know of what you speak.

 

Carnival FunPoints Mastercard Benefits:

 

• ·          10% reFUNd

   

• ·        No Foreign Transaction Fees

   

• ·        No limit on points you can earn

   

• ·        Online account servicing

   

• ·        Go Mobile

   

• ·        Sail & Sign Card Convenience

   

• ·        Complimentary FICO Score online access

   

• ·        Alerts

   

• ·        24-hour customer service

   

• ·        0% promo APR for 6 months

   

• ·        Extended Warranty

   

• ·        Purchase Assurance

   

• ·        World Mastercard Concierge

   

• ·        ShopRunner

   

• ·        Price Protection

   

• ·        Satisfaction Guarantee

   

• ·        $0 Fraud Liability protection

   

• ·        Chip Card Technology

   

• ·        Mastercard ID Theft Protection

   

•         Travel Accident Insurance

   

• ·        Baggage Delay

   

• ·        Travel Assistance

   

• ·        Chip Card Technology

   

• ·        Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

   

• ·        Mastercard Global Service

   

• ·        Trip Cancellation & Interruption

   

 

 

As for interest rate,  maybe your card does have a better one than mine.  I have no idea what my APR is.  And I don't care.  I never carry a balance and never have, so in all the years I've had this card I've never paid a penny in interest or fees.  For those that carry balances and pay interest, this would be a concern.  But since you have been so wrong so many times when you state things as facts, I would advise those trying to decide between these two particular cards to check your "facts" for themselves.

 

Also, in reference to your "2% on everything", that's great.  I'm sure it's a good card.  But I wouldn't agree that feature  "blows out [sic] Carnival's card".  With the use of the RewardsBoost shopping portal for all my regular online shopping, I average about 3 points per dollar spent total (includes all my brick-and-mortar shopping that only yields 1 point per $).  The value of the card depends on how one uses one's card.  For me, and many others, this is a very good card.

 

Edited May 4, 2019 by ShakyBeef
typo

[grandmarnnurse]

20 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

If you're going to contrast the two credit cards, maybe you should educate yourself on the features and benefits of the Carnival FunPoints MC, so you will know of what you speak.

 

Carnival FunPoints Mastercard Benefits:

 

• ·          10% reFUNd

   

• ·        No Foreign Transaction Fees

   

• ·        No limit on points you can earn

   

• ·        Online account servicing

   

• ·        Go Mobile

   

• ·        Sail & Sign Card Convenience

   

• ·        Complimentary FICO Score online access

   

• ·        Alerts

   

• ·        24-hour customer service

   

• ·        0% promo APR for 6 months

   

• ·        Extended Warranty

   

• ·        Purchase Assurance

   

• ·        World Mastercard Concierge

   

• ·        ShopRunner

   

• ·        Price Protection

   

• ·        Satisfaction Guarantee

   

• ·        $0 Fraud Liability protection

   

• ·        Chip Card Technology

   

• ·        Mastercard ID Theft Protection

   

•         Travel Accident Insurance

   

• ·        Baggage Delay

   

• ·        Travel Assistance

   

• ·        Chip Card Technology

   

• ·        Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

   

• ·        Mastercard Global Service

   

• ·        Trip Cancellation & Interruption

   

 

 

As for interest rate,  maybe your card does have a better one than mine.  I have no idea what my APR is.  And I don't care.  I never carry a balance and never have, so in all the years I've had this card I've never paid a penny in interest or fees.  For those that carry balances and pay interest, this would be a concern.  But since you have been so wrong so many times when you state things as facts, I would advise those trying to decide between these two particular cards to check your "facts" for themselves.

 

Also, in reference to your "2% on everything", that's great.  I'm sure it's a good card.  But I wouldn't agree that feature  "blows out [sic] Carnival's card".  With the use of the RewardsBoost shopping portal for all my regular online shopping, I average about 3 points per dollar spent total (includes all my brick-and-mortar shopping that only yields 1 point per $).  The value of the card depends on how one uses one's card.  For me, and many others, this is a very good card.

 

👍 Totally agree with it all! I, too, have absolutely no idea what my interest rate is, because I NEVER carry a balance! Anyone that carries a balance on a credit card is just asking for (financial) trouble. I make my every day purchases and expenses work for me. And I tried to explain in a previous post about Reward Boost, but I guess no one was paying attention. Lol! 🤣🤣

[2wheelin]

Do the points have an expiration date. I don’t cruise every year and have a great 
Visa card with cash back to use on anything but am wondering about the Carnival card particularly for the absence of foreign transaction fee. Wouldn’t want to earn points and not have time to use them.

[ShakyBeef]

7 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

Do the points have an expiration date. I don’t cruise every year and have a great 
Visa card with cash back to use on anything but am wondering about the Carnival card particularly for the absence of foreign transaction fee. Wouldn’t want to earn points and not have time to use them.

 

As long as your card is open, active and in good standing, your FunPoints do not expire.

[coevan]

I only use Capital One for airfare. Again 2 miles per dollar on everything. Haven't paid for airfare in many years.

[ShakyBeef]

27 minutes ago, coevan said:

I only use Capital One for airfare. Again 2 miles per dollar on everything. Haven't paid for airfare in many years.

 

That's great for you.  I don't fly much.  I, however, haven't taken a Carnival cruise in the last 10 years for which I haven't received at least a $1500 statement credit ("cash" back refund for points redeemed).  And it's usually more like a $2000+ refund.  And I average one cruise each year.  So, this works for me.  Like so many other things in life, different credit cards for different folks.

[Lee Cruiser]

The only thing I use the Carnival card for is to book excursions in order to get the 10% refund.   After getting the initial statement credit upon opening the account, the excursion credit is really the only benefit.  I will not use the 6 months to pay option.  As others have said, there are much better cards out there.  The max you will get Carnival is 1.5% and that's if you wait until you build up 100,000 points.  Otherwise, it's just 1%, or 2% on just cruise purchases.  With the Citi Double Cash back card you get 2% cash back on everything and it is truly cash back, not just something you can use for cruises.  That $400 credit you get back from Carnival would be $800 with Citi and that $1,500 from Carnival if you wait until 100,000 points would be $2,000 with Citi.  No comparison really.

[grandmarnnurse]

10 hours ago, Lee Cruiser said:

The only thing I use the Carnival card for is to book excursions in order to get the 10% refund.   After getting the initial statement credit upon opening the account, the excursion credit is really the only benefit.  I will not use the 6 months to pay option.  As others have said, there are much better cards out there.  The max you will get Carnival is 1.5% and that's if you wait until you build up 100,000 points.  Otherwise, it's just 1%, or 2% on just cruise purchases.  With the Citi Double Cash back card you get 2% cash back on everything and it is truly cash back, not just something you can use for cruises.  That $400 credit you get back from Carnival would be $800 with Citi and that $1,500 from Carnival if you wait until 100,000 points would be $2,000 with Citi.  No comparison really.

As I stated previously, and someone else did also, getting only the 1-1.5 % from Carnival is not true. I have earned up to 10/$1, and more often, 4/$1 when you use their Reward Booster feature. Yes, I use it for excursions for the 10% discount, but I earned myself $300 worth of bar credits that I redeem in the Barclaycard website. You redeem 5,000 credits for $50 bar credits. And if you use that card for EVERYTHING, as I do, those rewards add up fast. I have three cruises booked currently that I need to apply credits to. And did you read previously that I redeemed $1200 towards a statement credit after booking my March 2 cruise on the Breeze and putting it in full on card at time of booking. My final balance on that 7 day cruise for two in an inside cabin with prepaid gratuities and trip insurance was only $769. I think that was pretty damn good! I’m sure everyone will support and say their card is better than my card, and that’s ok. I’m fine with enjoying all my perks and travel on Carnival at a discount, thanks to that card. The key is to know how to really use that card to get the most out of it. 

Edited May 5, 2019 by grandmarnnurse