Carnival credit card

[EllieinNJ]

Just booked my first Carnival cruise today.  I saw on the Carnival website that you can apply for a Carnival credit card and if you spend $500 in the first 90 days they will credit you with fun points for $250.   If I put this $500 toward this cruise do I get a statement credit of $250 or is this for another cruise to be booked?

[CJHAN]

Other credit cards will offer you similar benefits but give you back cash rather then credits to that particular cruise line. To me that is away the better option. But to your point. if you are already on a cruise it will go to the next one if you are currently booking it will go to the upcoming cruise.

[MemphisFan]

it could be used for the current cruise as well, if you wait to pay it off and then cash in the points for a statement credit.

[bobsfamily]

Just used an existing Carnival credit card to book a cruise, it showed that I would receive a $250 credit for the booking, didn't know but am quite happy!

[dmdiver]

Your fun points can be used on the cruise you just purchased.  Basically, what they do is say they are crediting them toward previous Carnival purchases - I think up to 120 days.  Some people use the fun points to buy onboard credits.  What we do is use the card for all Carnival purchases, including our onboard account - these expenditures earn double points.  Then, once the points are there, we turn around and apply them.  You also get 10% credit on any excursions you pre-book through Carnival.  It charges the full amount & then issues the 10% credit within a few days.  Double check to be sure they are still offering the 10% back, though.  I used it last year.

 

As far as credit cards go, we have another one that we use for our regular purchases that gives 1.5 per dollar spent & the credits don't have to go specifically toward certain expenses.  They are simply statement credits.  There are some cards that have better perks, but they also have annual fees, so for us, they are not worth the fee.  Others who travel a lot seem to like them.

[Saint Greg]

19 minutes ago, bobsfamily said:

Just used an existing Carnival credit card to book a cruise, it showed that I would receive a $250 credit for the booking, didn't know but am quite happy!

 

Really? Interesting. Where did it show that? Was it after you booked? Did you pay the full amount?

[bobsfamily]

7 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Really? Interesting. Where did it show that? Was it after you booked? Did you pay the full amount?

I paid in full for a suite, when I was checking out in the bottom right it showed a box that had the full price, below it was a -$250 credit to the cc and the final charge for the cabin.  It did not show that for what I was paying today.

As an added bonus we booked with a Casino rate and got $500 OBC! So $750 off the cabin rate...

[tylerzmommy]

So, if you already have an existing booking and you open the card, is the $250 credit only going to be good toward a future booking or could it be used for things on the already booked cruise?  

[EllieinNJ]

33 minutes ago, tylerzmommy said:

So, if you already have an existing booking and you open the card, is the $250 credit only going to be good toward a future booking or could it be used for things on the already booked cruise?  

And could it be credited if you use the CC for final payment?

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 1/17/2020 at 2:49 PM, EllieinNJ said:

Just booked my first Carnival cruise today.  I saw on the Carnival website that you can apply for a Carnival credit card and if you spend $500 in the first 90 days they will credit you with fun points for $250.   If I put this $500 toward this cruise do I get a statement credit of $250 or is this for another cruise to be booked?

Do not get that card. I had it when it was a good deal. Now there are way to many that are far better. Many offer $500 and more  back. With the carnival card you only get 2 points per dollar spent with Carnival only. I get a lot better than that on everything I purchase. The card I use gives me 2-1/2 on anything I purchase, plus I have free travel insurance for any travel that I do. That card gives yo $500 back if you spend $3000 in the first 90 days.

[mpdog42]

Very high APR!!!☹️

[Jerseygirl1416]

They’re also running this rate code special that’s very good:

 

[Jerseygirl1416]

7 hours ago, mpdog42 said:

Very high APR!!!☹️

You get 0% APR for any Carnival cruise booked, but yes it’s not a credit card you want to keep a balance on. You just have to make sure you can pay it off every month.

[Wheels87]

I have had this card since 2011 and for many years, used it exclusively as my daily card. I pay it off at least twice per month and have never paid a single penny in interest. If you ever plan on carrying a balance, do not get this card. 

 

That being said, the reward system can be used in many different ways, which can cause confusion. I will comment on how I have used it exclusively over the last ten years. 

 

If you use the reward points to "Pay for purchases" which essentially means cash back, you can actually get 1.5% I stead of the standard 1% as long as you are applying it to a charge which was at least $1,500.  E.g. If your cruise fare was $1,872, then if you select that purchase to pay towards, you will get 1.5%.  So, let's say you have 50,000 points to use. If you selected the $1,872 purchase then you would get $750 cash back toward that purchase. What that means is that if you use the card solely for purchases on Carnival, then you would be getting 3% cash back since 1.5 times 2% (double rewards for Carnival purchases) is 3%.

 

That is how I use my card today.  I have many other cards, but my Capital One Savor card gives my up to 4% for dining and some other purchases, so I use it for everything else now. Otherwise, the Carnival Mastercard is a good card for those who cruise frequently and NEVER carry a balance. 

 

Good luck! 

[EllieinNJ]

This is the promo I see for first time sign up:

 

My cruise total is $2472.  I put $500 down on my Amex card to get the $100 credit statement.  I will put another $500 down on my husbands Amex to get another $100 statement credit.  That leaves $1472.  If I get this card and apply another $500 I should get a statement credit of $250?  That would leave a balance of $972 with $250 credit.  Can I then pay off the balance as $722?  And would I earn any more points to use on this cruise?

 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

6 hours ago, Wheels87 said:

I have had this card since 2011 and for many years, used it exclusively as my daily card. I pay it off at least twice per month and have never paid a single penny in interest. If you ever plan on carrying a balance, do not get this card. 

 

That being said, the reward system can be used in many different ways, which can cause confusion. I will comment on how I have used it exclusively over the last ten years. 

 

If you use the reward points to "Pay for purchases" which essentially means cash back, you can actually get 1.5% I stead of the standard 1% as long as you are applying it to a charge which was at least $1,500.  E.g. If your cruise fare was $1,872, then if you select that purchase to pay towards, you will get 1.5%.  So, let's say you have 50,000 points to use. If you selected the $1,872 purchase then you would get $750 cash back toward that purchase. What that means is that if you use the card solely for purchases on Carnival, then you would be getting 3% cash back since 1.5 times 2% (double rewards for Carnival purchases) is 3%.

 

That is how I use my card today.  I have many other cards, but my Capital One Savor card gives my up to 4% for dining and some other purchases, so I use it for everything else now. Otherwise, the Carnival Mastercard is a good card for those who cruise frequently and NEVER carry a balance. 

 

Good luck! 

We cruise 5-6 a year and use our higher cash back card. Also includes travel insurance.

[Jerseygirl1416]

3 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

This is the promo I see for first time sign up:

 

My cruise total is $2472.  I put $500 down on my Amex card to get the $100 credit statement.  I will put another $500 down on my husbands Amex to get another $100 statement credit.  That leaves $1472.  If I get this card and apply another $500 I should get a statement credit of $250?  That would leave a balance of $972 with $250 credit.  Can I then pay off the balance as $722?  And would I earn any more points to use on this cruise?

 

Yes you can use your bonus fun points to get a $250 statement credit. That’s what I did with mine.

 

I’m not sure when your final payment is due but if you can wait until this current Amex offer expires in March they usually have another one within a couple of months so you could do another $500 and save $100 or even better for you if they do the spend $350 get $75 statement credit you can do that on each of your cards. Then there’s always the $100 gift cards for $90 you can get at either AARP, Allstate, or Citibank to pay any leftover balance. And FYI the Amex offer works for the prepaid gratuities if you add those to your balance. 
 

Enjoy your cruise!

[michael&gayle]

11 hours ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

They’re also running this rate code special that’s very good:

 

What sailing is this for? Did it pop up when you went to select a rate or did you have to do something special?

 

[Jerseygirl1416]

26 minutes ago, michael&gayle said:

What sailing is this for? Did it pop up when you went to select a rate or did you have to do something special?

 

It was for the Horizon but I can’t remember the specific sailing. It has just popped up on all the sailings I’ve been looking at.

[michael&gayle]

44 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

It was for the Horizon but I can’t remember the specific sailing. It has just popped up on all the sailings I’ve been looking at.

Do you have the card? I do, but have never seen a sale like that. Now I am wondering how I can find this for myself. 

 

[Jerseygirl1416]

12 minutes ago, michael&gayle said:

Do you have the card? I do, but have never seen a sale like that. Now I am wondering how I can find this for myself. 

 

Yes I do have the card and this is the first time I’ve seen this. I did just use the card to pay my for my onboard account. Maybe that’s why it showed up? You can call and see if an agent can find this rate code for you if it’s not coming up online.

[loanshark]

2 hours ago, michael&gayle said:

What sailing is this for? Did it pop up when you went to select a rate or did you have to do something special?

 

 

I am currently booked on the Legend for the January 31, 2021 sailing, and booked via early saver.  I was price checking my cruise this past weekend and saw the same offer that Jerseygirl posted for Carnival Mastercard holders pop up as an available rate.  Under the mastercard offer, I am getting $200 in onboard credit instead of $50, and the cruise is also $20 cheaper than the original rate that I booked under.

 

I filled out the price protection form and was approved for the $20 off the cruise price, and the additional onboard credit.  Once I was approved for the new price, I have now noticed that the carnival mastercard offer no longer appears in my current offers. 

[mdin]

I recently got the card myself and figure I'll use it for any excursion I book through Carnival. Normally, I link my Citi double card (2% cash back) before I cruise so all my purchases on board are charged to it. Is there any advantage of charging on board purchases to my Carnival card instead?

[bahacca]

48 minutes ago, mdin said:

I recently got the card myself and figure I'll use it for any excursion I book through Carnival. Normally, I link my Citi double card (2% cash back) before I cruise so all my purchases on board are charged to it. Is there any advantage of charging on board purchases to my Carnival card instead?

You get 2x funpoints for Carnival purchases. So advantage would be if there is one charge is $1500+, you can redeem at 1.5 days for points instead of just 1. 

[Happicruzrr]

With this card, I make money cruising.  Let me splain... I book premiere cruises, no fee for charging in casino...I charge $10000. Take it in cash. Take it home and deposit it immediately.  Near cruise time the card gave 5 points per dollar spent on Carnival.  That gave 50,000 points and a sign and sail bill for $10,000. They give 1.5 credits for Carnival expenses over $1,500. So it pays a $750 credit. That is more than I pay for my cruise, layered with $500 cash I get from the casino,  it's a nice way to cruise free and make some money.  Btw I dont actually play much in the casino.  Got on the premiere list years ago and they never seem to take me off.