Royal Caribbean Group’s two new cobranded credit cards offer cruise discounts and perks to fans of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea. The cards’ benefits are more targeted than those offered by flexible travel rewards cards, so cruise aficionados should be sure to maximize the available perks to make it worth adding one of these cards to their wallet.
Here are six ways to get the most value from the Royal ONE™ Visa Signature® credit card and the Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® credit card.
Earn the welcome bonus
Both cards offer welcome bonuses that can jump-start your points earning toward free cruises.
With the Royal ONE Visa Signature credit card, which has no annual fee, new cardholders can earn 45,000 points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening.
As for the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit card, new cardholders can earn an even larger bonus of 70,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. This card comes with an annual fee of $99.
To put these welcome offers in perspective, 1 point is equal to 1 cent. So, 45,000 and 70,000 points can be redeemed for $450 and $700 in onboard credit or cruise discounts, respectively. We priced out a three-night mid-December Bahamas cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas for two people, and the cruise fare (including taxes and fees but before mandatory gratuities) came to $597.
Earn the Royal ONE welcome bonus and one person in a couple can sail free and get gratuities covered. With the Royal ONE Plus bonus, two can cruise for free with a bit extra to apply to gratuities.
Make cruise line purchases with your card
Both of these new Royal Caribbean credit cards offer bonus points for various spending categories, but cardholders get the most points for cruise purchases.
With the Royal ONE Visa Signature credit card, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar spent on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea purchases.
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Meanwhile, those with the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit card will earn 4 points per dollar spent on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea purchases.
The key to maximizing value is understanding what constitutes a cruise purchase.
Anything you buy from one of these cruise lines, not just a vacation booking, will earn the bonus points. Book a shore excursion, a beverage package, an internet plan or a bon voyage gift on the cruise line website, and you’ll earn 3 or 4 points per dollar spent on those expenses. All your onboard spending — such as spa treatments, drinks and specialty restaurant surcharges — will earn the extra points if you pay with your Royal Caribbean cobranded card.
On the flip side, if you book a Silversea, Celebrity or Royal Caribbean cruise with Expedia or a travel agent and either appears as the merchant of record on your card statement, you will not earn bonus points. If you plan to arrange your next sailing through a third-party provider, you’ll want to make sure the charge will code to Royal Caribbean — otherwise, you’re not maximizing the number of points you could earn from that booking.
Related: Is it better to book a cruise through a travel agent? We say yes
Earn extra points for everyday and noncruise travel purchases
Royal Caribbean purchases are the most lucrative, but cardholders can also earn bonus points for other spending categories with these cards.
With either card, you will earn 2 points per dollar spent on gas, grocery and electric vehicle charging purchases. Everyday expenses related to your commute and home-cooked meals will bump your points total a little closer to your free cruise goal.
Cruise fans who choose the more premium Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit card can also earn 2 points per dollar spent on eligible airline, hotel and dining purchases.
Whether you’re cheating on your favorite vacation type with a resort stay, or booking flights to your departure port and a precruise or postcruise hotel stay, you can double your points earnings. Plus, restaurant meals at home or out of town will also get you extra points.
Make use of cruise-related perks
Royal Caribbean wants to acknowledge its new credit card holders as the VIPs they clearly are, so it’s offering special cruise-related perks to guests who have the Royal ONE Visa Signature credit card or the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit card.
The benefits are different depending on which card you have.
Cruise travelers who hold the basic Royal ONE card are entitled to priority boarding on embarkation day in a special cardholder line. Royal ONE Plus cardholders also can access priority boarding, but they get to board with the suite guests who sometimes wait in exclusive lounges or separate boarding areas. Note that priority boarding isn’t available on all sailings.
The boarding process can sometimes be chaotic and overly long, especially with Royal Caribbean’s and Celebrity’s biggest ships. This priority perk can streamline that process, allowing you to start your vacation early with less hassle at the terminal.
Royal ONE Plus cardholders also benefit from expedited luggage delivery via the suite guest luggage drop-off area. You’ll have no worries that your bags won’t make it on board before you need to change for dinner, as your suitcases will be delivered first.
Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises
Use your anniversary credit
Every year you hold onto your Royal Caribbean card, you’ll be rewarded with an anniversary credit — if you spend enough.
The stakes are fairly low if you have the Royal ONE Visa Signature credit card. Spend at least $10,000 in one year (that’s less than $1,000 per month), and you’ll receive a $100 cruise discount.
You have to work a little harder with the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit card. You’ll need to spend $20,000 annually and pay the annual fee, but you’ll get a bigger $200 cruise discount.
You will maximize the value of your credit card by spending enough to earn the discount and making sure you use it. The cruise discount can only be applied to the booking of a future cruise purchased directly with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Silversea; travel agent bookings or those made with online travel agencies won’t count.
Also, you need to use the cruise discount before your next card anniversary. While you don’t necessarily have to cruise that year, you must book the cruise between the time you receive the anniversary bonus and your next anniversary date. If you don’t cruise at least once a year, it will be difficult to get the most value from this card benefit.
Use your card’s travel credits and perks
The new Royal Caribbean credit cards don’t just offer cruise perks. They come with Visa Signature travel benefits that are useful for vacations on land as well as at sea.
Travel protection benefits include 24-hour travel and emergency assistance (including emergency roadside assistance), car rental coverage, reimbursement for expenses due to trip delays, trip interruption and cancellation coverage, and lost luggage reimbursement. Cardholders also have access to the Visa Signature Concierge, who can help with travel and dining reservations 24 hours a day.
Royal Caribbean cardholders can access the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, which offers exclusive rates and special status at select hotel properties in the U.S. and abroad.
With the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit card, you will get reimbursed up to $120 for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry enrollment or renewal. The benefit comes in the form of a statement credit and is available once every four years.
Related: Best credit cards for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck
Bottom line
The best way to maximize your Royal ONE Visa Signature credit card or Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit card is to book a lot of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Silversea sailings on your card. This will get you the most bonus points, help you reach the minimum annual spending needed for the anniversary reward and ensure you can use your points and cruise discount credits to offset additional cruise costs.
Because every cruiser knows there’s nothing better than an excuse to take more vacations at sea.
To learn more, read our full reviews of the Royal ONE card and the Royal ONE Plus card.
Stacie Harris is a local resident and reporter of the Maple Grove area. Stacie reports on medicine and science for the Maple Grove Report.
