How to Book a Cruise With Points
Three routes from a points balance to a cabin, and how to tell which gives you more.
Price My Rewards CruiseHow to Book a Cruise With Points: The Three Routes
If you are wondering how to book a cruise with points, the answer depends on the kind of points you hold. There are three routes, and most travelers will use one of them.
Route 1: Book Inside a Bank Travel Portal
Some card issuers run travel sites that sell cruises alongside flights and hotels. Chase is an example: its Chase Travel cruise guide says cardmembers can search and book cruises on Chase Travel and pay with the card, Ultimate Rewards points or a mix, and earn and redeem points on cruises booked there. It also describes a Loyalty Plus feature for adding your cruise line loyalty number, so you still earn with the line.
Before you book in any portal, check that it shows the ship, date and cabin you want, and compare the total with a cash quote from an advisor.
Route 2: Pay With the Card, Then Use Points Against the Charge
Some programs let you charge travel to your card and then redeem points to cover it, provided the merchant is coded as travel. A cruise booked through an advisor or directly with a line can qualify. This route keeps your choice of booking channel open, which matters if you want an advisor to handle the details.
Route 3: Use a Program With a Cruise Partner
A few hotel and airline programs have their own cruise link. We cover them on our hotel and airline points page.
A Step-by-Step Plan
- Choose the cruise first: line, ship, dates and cabin.
- Get a cash quote for exactly that sailing.
- Check what your points buy in each available route.
- Compare value: points used divided into cash saved.
- Read cancellation and change rules for each option.
- Add your cruise loyalty number before you pay.
Working Out What a Point Is Worth
To compare routes, divide the cash you would save by the number of points you would spend. Do the same sum for the other ways you could use those points, such as a flight or hotel stay. The higher figure wins, unless something else matters more to you, like the flexibility of booking through an advisor or keeping a cruise line promotion that a portal booking would lose. Write the numbers down; it is easy to be dazzled by a large balance.
Common Pitfalls
- Portals may not show every line, cabin category or promotional fare.
- Some points bookings cannot be changed without fees, or at all.
- A cruise line promotion such as onboard credit may not apply to a portal booking.
- Gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi and excursions are usually still yours to pay on board.
Not financial advice. We describe how rewards programs work in general. Program rules, eligible cards and redemption values change; always read the current terms from the bank, hotel, airline, casino or cruise line before you rely on them.
Booking With Points: Questions
Is it better to transfer points or use a portal?
For cruises, transfers rarely help, because few hotel or airline programs sell cruises. Portals and covering a travel purchase are the usual routes.
Do points cover port taxes and gratuities?
Taxes and fees are often part of the price you pay in a portal. Daily gratuities and onboard spending are normally charged on board and paid separately.
Get a Cash Quote to Compare
Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will price the exact sailing you have in mind, free, so you can see whether points or cash wins.
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