Carnival Credit Card

[Susan in Maine]

I'm going to be an optimist and believe that we will all be cruising again someday.

 

So.......... Is the Carnival Credit card worth getting? Are the perks pretty good?

 

And.........do you think Carnival will be around long enough to use the perks?

 

Thanks!

 

[Saint Greg]

Most will say there are better cards out there. I have it. I use it. Double points on Carnival purchases. You get a 10% statement credit when you use it to book excursions. I believe they have 6 months no interest on cruises booked with it. I save up 100k points and use them for a $1,500 statement credit. I believe you get that redemption rate even with less points as long as the purchase is at least $1,500. I've never tried that but I believe I read it from another card holder on here. The statement credit paid for my Vista cruise last year. The last time I checked I was at 92,000 points so I'm closing in on another $1,500 statement credit.

 

A bonus for me is I also have the Saints Extra Points card which is also through Barclays. It has the no interest on season ticket purchases which I take advantage of. So It's convenient for me to manage both cards in the same app.

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by Saint Greg

[xDisconnections]

It's not worth it for me and wasn't worth it when I actually sailed with Carnival at an unusually high frequency in the past. At this point, most of my cards are with Amex. Not only do I get points for my preferred rewards program, I enjoy the benefits provided with the card and have no trouble maximizing the value. Even with an annual fee of $450, it's always a wash -- every year.

 

I wouldn't want to bank with Barclays.

[ginabab]

Hi

I use my cruise credit card only for on board purchases Maybe every year or two, I am able to get some OBC credit,  and I have the prior statements to see what we paid on board for budget planning

 

Ginabab

[Butterbean1000]

We have it.  We try to cruise at least once a year and we usually get 100 OBC with it, sometimes more. Also, as stated, you get 10% on Carnival products. 

Edited October 27, 2020 by Butterbean1000

[shoptom]

Barclay's customer service has dropped to non existent.  I've been moving my monthly bills to a competing cruise line card.

[xDisconnections]

For discussion, what is your average spend to be given a $100 onboard credit redemption? What is your average spend for a $100 statement credit? Are you utilizing their shopping portal?

Edited October 27, 2020 by xDisconnections

[MalleyCat]

I have one, but only use it for purchasing cruises, excursions and other onboard items. I pay my cards off totally every month and get better rewards with my Discover card. The discounts and double points on Carnival purchases are nice.

[ninjacat123]

I use my Carnival Barclay card for pretty much everything and pay it off.  When you get to 5,000 points you can get $50 credit on a Carnival purchase.  My American Advantage card is on the same app so that's handy.  I like seeing the Carnival cruise ship on the card when I use my Carnival card to buy stuff. It's the little things☺️

[Gin-soaked bar-room queen]

When I signed up for mine, they had a promotion that if you spent a certain amount of money in the first 90 days after getting the card, you got a certain number of points as a bonus. The points were enough to get a $200 Carnival gift card which covered my excursions. For me, that made getting the card worthwhile. Of course, as with any credit card, if you don’t pay your entire balance every month, you can easily negate your perk with the interest that you have to pay.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

14 hours ago, Susan in Maine said:

I'm going to be an optimist and believe that we will all be cruising again someday.

 

So.......... Is the Carnival Credit card worth getting? Are the perks pretty good?

 

And.........do you think Carnival will be around long enough to use the perks?

 

Thanks!

 

I had it when it first was offered many years ago and cancelled it. Bank of America gives you a whole lot more than the Carnival card. Including great travel protection insurance included. Used it when a hurricane caused us not to go. Royal did not offer the refund. It was our choice and received a full reimbursement check. BoA gives you 1-1/2 percent on all purchase for the basic percentage. You can increase it up to 3-1/2 percent on all purchases. I get 3 percent on all purchases because it is joined with my saving account. Plus a whole lot more. Sign up and if you purchase a total of $3,000.00 in the first 90 days you get a $500.00 credit. There are many cards out there far better than Carnivals especially if you have a great credit score. I do not remember. But check what they give you for normal purchases not just 2% on cruise purchases. Also out cards with BoA give us a lot more perks that you would need to read on.

[Susan in Maine]

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful replies. I'm going to consider it for a while before I make any decisions.

[Joebucks]

The card has its value for a new sign-up bonus, and holding it for some of the perks. Otherwise, it is a low return from spend and pigeonholes you. There are many cards out there giving 1.5% or more on every purchase. Plus depending on how you spend your money, certain card's bonus categories may benefit you even more.

[ZoeyVictoria]

Keep in mind that you would need a $25 minimum to use the rewards points on that card.  I have two accounts that I use to build up points, but sometimes I like to use rewards immediately, as a discount.  My BOA card has 3% in one category (I usually keep mine on travel, but it can be changed monthly) with no minimum to use points, my Discover card is 1.5% with no minimum to use points.  Much better cards out there than Carnival MC, and always some with a sign-on bonus.  

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 10/28/2020 at 12:56 PM, ZoeyVictoria said:

Keep in mind that you would need a $25 minimum to use the rewards points on that card.  I have two accounts that I use to build up points, but sometimes I like to use rewards immediately, as a discount.  My BOA card has 3% in one category (I usually keep mine on travel, but it can be changed monthly) with no minimum to use points, my Discover card is 1.5% with no minimum to use points.  Much better cards out there than Carnival MC, and always some with a sign-on bonus.  

I have 2 different Bank of America cards. The one I use for travel is the Premium Rewards. It cost $99 a year. It is the card I use for cruising and store purchases. Normally I would never get a card with a yearly fee. However this one gives me excellent travel insurance. I had to use it once for that It was easy to do and I got the full cost of the cruise refunded. I have the maximum in the bank for the maximum purchase credits which blows away any other card out there. The other card is their Preferred cash rewards. I use it for gas and groceries. I have it set for gas. The perk for it is 4.5% refund. This card is the very best for those purchases. The Premium rewards had a $500 cash back of which was great. The other was $300. My wife has one also and she got the cash back. No cruise card offered by any line can come close to the perks of these. City Bank card did have travel insurance included and no yearly fee. They took that perk off.

[cruisingguy007]

Another voter for BofA card. You can change your category to travel for for 3% back, make purchases to get rewards and then change it after to another category of your choice. No annual fee as well. That said, I would first look for a card that has a minimum spend deal where you can really maximize your cash back. There are many, the BofA card I mentioned already also has that deal (I think it's $200-$300), and they can be great for expected large purchases. The only downside is you will eventually run out of them (only so many products). There are approximately 7 good ones so it's best to open them only when you will travel or buy large ticket items. I make out great by doing this, at least a couple grand a year by maximizing cash back, points, and strategic shopping to utilize rotating cash back categories.     

[vwrestler171]

Too many better cards out there.  I got the Costco credit card and I get 3% back on ALL travel vs the 2% on Carnival for the Carnival card and 1% for everything else.