Best Credit Cards for Cruises of May 2023

If the idea of dipping your toes into warm waters and eating your heart out at a buffet while en route to the next port of call has you itching to book a sailing, you may be wondering what credit card you should pay with.

With the right credit card for cruising, you can earn bonus rewards for your spending and then use those rewards to cover future sailings and even the travel to and from your cruise. A single card’s welcome bonus could potentially cover the cost of a cruise and grant additional perks, such as travel insurance or onboard credits.

Although a number of major cruise lines offer cobranded credit cards, using a more general travel rewards card will usually offer greater value. Below, CNBC Select breaks down the best credit cards for cruises and why it may not be what you initially thought.

Who’s this for? The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the most well-rounded cards for booking cruises. It offers a generous welcome bonus, an easy-to-use rewards program, valuable travel protections and reasonable annual fee.

Cruise benefits: Cardholders earn 5X points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, including cruises, making this one of the most rewarding cards for cruise purchases. Meanwhile, all other travel, such as trips booked directly through cruise lines or other online travel agencies, earn 2X points.

When you book cruises through Chase’s travel portal you can pay with points, cash or some combination of the two. Your points are worth 1.25 cents each when redeemed this way. Just note that you’ll need to call Chase’s Cruises and Tours department at 855-234-2542 to book. Of course, you also have the option of transferring your points to Chase’s various airline and hotel partners, giving you the opportunity to book not only your cruise with points but also award flights to and from your cruise, as well as pre-cruise accommodations.

Other perks: The card offers many built-in travel protections including trip cancellation/interruption insurance, travel and emergency assistance services, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement and rental car insurance. Other benefits include an up to $50 annual Ultimate Rewards® Hotel Credit, a 10% anniversary points boost, no foreign transaction fees and more.

Who’s this for? The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is the higher-end version of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, geared toward more frequent and premium travelers.

Cruise benefits: Cardholders earn 3X points on general travel purchases, including cruise bookings (after using your $300 annual travel credit). Unlike the Sapphire Preferred, cardholders don’t get a bonus for booking cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. However, with the Sapphire Reserve, the value of your Chase points is bumped to 1.5 cents apiece toward travel booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal.

Other perks: Every year, you’ll get an up to $300 annual travel credit that can be used toward cruises and other travel purchases. If you pay for your cruises with the Sapphire Reserve, you’ll also be covered by a wide range of travel protections, including for trip delays, lost or delayed baggage, trip cancellation/interruption, trip delays, travel accidents and emergency evacuation or medical care. Additional perks include airport lounge access; elite-like benefits when booking hotels through The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection; and a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee credit.

Who’s this for? The Citi Double Cash card has no annual fee, no restrictive bonus spending categories and no headaches when it comes to redeeming your rewards.

Cruise benefits: Cardholders earn a flat 2% cash back on all purchases: 1% when you buy and 1% back when you pay. Once you’ve earned at least $25 in rewards, you can redeem them for a statement credit. These statement credits can be applied to any purchase, which could be a cruise or it could be any of the other costs associated with cruising.

Other perks: Cardholders have access to Citi Entertainment, which provides early access and special perks at music, theater, dining and sports events. You can also pair this card with other Citi credit cards, like the Citi Premier® Card, to unlock the ability to transfer your rewards to Citi’s travel partners. (See rates and fees).

Who’s this for? The Platinum Card® from American Express is a luxury card designed for frequent travelers looking for excellent benefits.

Cruise benefits: Cardholders have access to Amex’s Cruise Privileges Program. When you book an eligible cruise and cabin (minimum of five nights with double occupancy) through the program you’ll earn one additional Amex point per dollar spent (2X points total). You may also receive $100 to $300 in shipboard credit per stateroom and exclusive amenities depending on the cruise line.

You may also be able to save on cruises by taking advantage of Amex Offers — targeted promotions at participating merchants. In the past, we’ve seen offers to save hundreds of dollars with various cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises.

Other perks: The Amex Platinum comes with a long list of travel and lifestyle benefits, ranging from annual hotel and airline fee statement credits to Saks Fifth Avenue, digital entertainment, Equinox, Walmart+ and Uber Cash credits. Cardholders also enjoy extensive airport lounge access, automatic hotel elite status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy, cell phone protection*, comprehensive travel insurance and much more. Terms apply.

Who’s this for? If Costco is your go-to for booking cruises and other vacation packages, look no further than the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card.

Cruise benefits: Costco Travel offers members significant savings on cruises and incentives like bonus Costco shop cards, shipboard credit, free beverage packages and other extras. Members with the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card earn 3% cash back rewards on Costco Travel purchases.

Other perks: When things go wrong, cardholders can take advantage of travel and emergency assistance, worldwide travel accident insurance, worldwide car rental insurance and damage and theft purchase protection. International travelers can also spend freely with no foreign transaction fees.

The best card for you should earn the most rewards in the categories where you spend the most. You may want to use your points and miles for a cruise, but the actual cruise fare is likely to be just a small portion of what you spend in a year. If your card earns bonus points on dining or groceries, you may be able to earn rewards more quickly and book your next sailing sooner.

The welcome bonuses for cruise line cards offer a fraction of the value you can get from the credit cards with the best bonuses. Not only that but the rewards you earn are typically tied to a single cruise line and can be cumbersome to use. Unless you’re a diehard loyalist of a specific cruise line and you’re looking for a card to complement your primary travel card, you’ll find more value with a more general rewards card.

As a rule of thumb, the more valuable the credit card, the higher the credit score you’ll need to qualify.

To determine which cards offer the best value for cruising, CNBC Select analyzed over 230 of the most popular credit cards available in the U.S. We compared each card on a range of features, including: rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is for the consumer to redeem points.

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For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/ benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.