Rewards Plan
Welcome Bonus
Credit Rating
0% Intro
Annual Fee
APR
- Airfare Discount
- Visa Signature Perks
- Limited Redemption Options
- Fairly low Points Rate
Rewards Plan
Welcome Bonus
0% Intro
PROS
- Airfare Discount
- Visa Signature Perks
CONS
- Fairly low Points Rate
- Limited Redemption Options
APR
18.74% - 28.74% Variable
Annual Fee
$0
Balance Transfer Fee
3%
Credit Requirements
Good - Excellent
The Royal Caribbean credit card is a solid choice if you’re loyal to this cruise line. It has no foreign transaction fees or annual fee, and you can link your Bank of America checking account for an overdraft buffer to prevent declined transactions. Plus, if you spend at least $3,500 on the card, you’ll receive a $50 discount on Air2Sea bookings.
However, there are other travel reward credit cards that offer a higher rate of rewards, which may be more lucrative if you want to get a free or discounted cruise. So, unless you have a particularly good reason to choose this card, you may find that other travel reward cards could be a better option for you.
- Airfare Discount
- Visa Signature Perks
- Free Access to FICO Scores
- Balance Connect Overdraft Protection
- Optional Paperless Statements
- Limited Redemption Options
- Earning Points Limit
- Fairly low Points Rate
Can I get pre-approved?
Bank of America does not have a pre-approved option for this card on its website, but it is possible that you may receive a mailer or other promotional material offering pre approval.
How do I redeem rewards?
There are several options to redeem your MyCruise points including cruises, cruise merchandise or a charitable donation. You can log into your MyCruise account to check for your redemption options.
How hard is it to get a Royal Caribbean Credit Card?
You do need to have good to excellent credit to qualify for the Royal Caribbean credit card, but there are no particularly stringent card requirements. So, if you have decent credit, you should not have great difficulty getting approved for this card.
In this Review
Estimating Your Rewards: A Practical Simulation
This table simulates rewards and shows the potential benefits of using the Royal Caribbean Credit Card by estimating the rewards you could earn based on your typical spending habits in different categories.
Keep in mind that these figures are just estimates, and your actual rewards may vary based on your individual spending patterns and other factors. Still, this table can be a helpful tool for understanding the potential perks of using the card.
| |
|---|---|
Spend Per Category | Royal Caribbean Visa Signature Credit Card
|
$10,000 – U.S Supermarkets | 10,000 points |
$3,000 – Restaurants
| 3,000 points |
$2,000 – Airline | 2,000 points |
$2,000 – Hotels | 2,000 points |
$4,000 – Cruise | 8,000 points |
$4,000 – Gas | 4,000 points |
Estimated Annual Points | 29,000 Points |
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Pros and Cons
Just like any other credit card, the Royal Caribbean Credit Card has some advantages and disadvantages:
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Airfare Discount | Limited Redemption Options |
Visa Signature Perks | Earning Points Limit |
Free Access to FICO Scores | Fairly low Points Rate |
Balance Connect Overdraft Protection | |
Optional Paperless Statements |
- Airfare Discount
You can receive a $50 discount via the Royal Caribbean Air2Sea. You will need to make a minimum of $3,500 of purchases on your card within 90 days of opening your account.
- Balance Connect Overdraft Protection
This is an optional service, but it can help to prevent returned checks or declined purchases. You can link your eligible Bank of America checking account to your card and no transfer fees will apply.
- Optional Paperless Statements
If you want to reduce your paper consumption and reduce your environmental impact, you can opt for paperless statements for this card. This option can also increase your account security.
- Free Access to FICO Scores
As part of the benefits package of this card, you can opt in for free access to your FICO score. This is updated every month and you can access your scores within the Bank of America online banking platform or using the B of A mobile banking app.
- Visa Signature Perks
Since this card is a Visa Signature credit card, you can access a variety of perks including 24/7 concierge, access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, special VIP status and room rates, access to VIP experiences and events including world class dining events.
- Limited Redemption Options
You can only redeem your points for cruise related items. The only other redemption option is charitable donations.
This is far less flexible compared to many other reward cards, which allow you to accumulate rewards for almost any purpose.
- Points Limit
If you’re a big spender, you may find this card a little frustrating, as it has a limit of 540,000 MyCruise points per calendar year.
Although this is high for most card users, many other credit card reward programs do not have a cap on the number of points that you can earn.
- Fairly low Points Rate
The maximum number of points you can earn with this card is two points per dollar. This is low compared to even basic rewards cards that typically offer 2% cash back.
Who Should Consider The Royal Caribbean Card?
The most obvious answer to this question is Royal Caribbean regular visitors. If you enjoy these cruises and tend to be brand loyal to this cruise line, this card could be a good fit for you. With no foreign transaction fees, you can use this card when you’re off the ship, so you can work on accumulating more rewards even as you’re cruising.
Another type of person who is best suited to this card is the aspirational cruiser. If you’ve dreamed of heading off on a cruise, you can accumulate rewards towards a free or discounted cruise. You can also qualify for exclusive rates and discounts as a cardholder. Just be aware that you may receive higher rewards rates with other travel cards, which could also be used to book a cruise, provided that you use the card issuer’s travel portal.
If you would like to check more alternative travel cards, here are some good candidates:
Card | Rewards | Annual Fee |
| 2X – 5X
5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, online grocery purchases and select streaming services. 2x on other travel purchases. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
| $95
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1x – 2x
2 points per dollar on all Holland America purchases, including any onboard purchases. 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. | $0 | |
| 1X – 10X
10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights and 2 miles per dollar on all eligible purchases
| $395 | |
| 1X – 3X
3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Also, earn 1X points on other purchases
| $0 | |
| 1x – 2x
2x FunPoints for every dollar spent with Carnival Cruises and World Leading Cruise Lines brands and 1x FunPoints on all other purchases
| $0 | |
| 1X – 10X
5X total points on air travel and 10X total points on hotels, car rentals and dining when you purchase through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit. Also, earn 3x points on dining at restaurants and travel (after meeting the $300 travel credit), then 1x points per dollar spent on all other purchases.
| $550 | |
| 1X – 5X
5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
| $695 (Rates & Fees) |
How To Maximize Card Benefits: Tips
There are a few things that you can do to maximize your new Royal Caribbean credit card. These include:
-
Make a Qualifying Transaction
You need to make a qualifying transaction within the first 90 days of opening your account to receive your point bonus.
-
Focus Your Purchases
Since you are likely to get higher reward rates on other credit cards, you will need to focus your purchases to get the most rewards. You’ll earn two points per dollar on all Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises purchases.
-
Leverage BofA Benefits
One of the standout features we found was Bank AmeriDeals. The app curates personalized deals based on our spending habits.
For instance, if we frequently shop at a certain retailer, the app might offer cashback or discounts at that store. This personalized touch makes the Bank AmeriDeals section a treasure trove for saving money on everyday purchases.
-
Evaluate the Redemption Options
Most of the redemption options for this card are Royal Caribbean cruise related, but this doesn’t mean that you’ll get a standard redemption rate across the board.
So, be sure to evaluate the options and look for redemptions that offer two cents per point in value at least. This is likely to mean that you can partially offset your cruise related costs.
FAQs
What are card income requirements?
There are no specific income requirements for this card, but you do need to have good to excellent credit to qualify for this card.
Bank of America will evaluate your income to ensure that you have sufficient income to cover the card, but it is not the only consideration to qualify.
Does the card provide car rental insurance?
Since the Royal Caribbean credit card is a Visa Signature card, it does provide rental car insurance as part of the benefits package.
If you pay for your entire rental with your card and decline the Collision Damage Waiver at the rental car counter, you’ll receive coverage for theft of or damage to the rental car.
When it may not be a good idea?
This card is not a good idea for those who are not specifically brand loyal to Royal Caribbean. If you simply want to save up rewards for a cruise or vacation, you may find that you can get higher reward rates with other travel reward credit cards.
This will allow you to earn higher rewards on your day to day purchases and get a more advantageous deal when it comes time to book.
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