Fans of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea now have a decision to make that’s tougher than choosing between an Eastern or Western Caribbean cruise for their next getaway. Should they sign up for the Royal ONE™ Visa Signature® credit card or the Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® credit card to earn points toward cruise discounts?
If you’re loyal to Royal Caribbean, you can’t go wrong with either card. The card that’s right for you will depend on your spending habits, how often you cruise and how quickly you wish to rack up points.
Let’s take a closer look at the Royal ONE and the Royal ONE Plus so you can make an informed decision.
Royal ONE vs. Royal ONE Plus comparison
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Earn 45,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. |
Earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. |
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Royal ONE vs. Royal ONE Plus welcome bonus
Sign up for the Royal ONE Visa Signature credit card, and you’ll earn 45,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening.
Choose the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit card, and you’ll earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening.
Before deciding between the two cards, be sure to consider whether you can comfortably pay the Royal ONE Plus’ $99 annual fee and meet its slightly higher spending requirement.
And remember, the welcome bonus for both cards is only available to new card applicants. If you previously held a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises credit card and your new card was replaced by a Royal ONE credit card, you are not eligible for the welcome bonus.
Winner: Royal ONE Plus. You’ll earn more bonus points with the card’s welcome offer, though it requires a little more spending and charges a low annual fee.
Related: Earn up to 70,000 bonus points with these new Royal Caribbean card offers
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Royal ONE vs. Royal ONE Plus benefits
Card benefits across these two Royal Caribbean-branded credit cards are similar, with a few key differences.
They both come with several Visa Signature benefits, including:
- No foreign transaction fees on purchases made when traveling abroad.
- Access to a Visa Signature Concierge 24 hours a day. The concierge can take care of various travel, entertainment and dining requests, such as restaurant reservations.
- Concert tickets and flower and gift delivery.
- Access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, which offers exclusive rates and VIP perks at select properties across the globe.
- 24-hour travel and emergency assistance. It can help with locating lost luggage, emergency medical transportation and legal referrals while abroad.
- Car rental coverage and access to emergency roadside assistance.
- Trip coverage, including reimbursement related to expenses for trip delays, cancellations and interruptions, as well as reimbursement for expenses related to lost luggage.
However, they also have a few notable differences, mainly related to cruise benefits.
The Royal ONE card offers priority boarding on embarkation day, where available, in a specific check-in line for cardholders.
As for the Royal ONE Plus card, it also grants priority boarding but with suite guests, which might offer access to a nicer preboarding lounge. It gives cardholders priority luggage delivery on embarkation day as well, so you don’t have to wait all afternoon for your suitcases to arrive.
Royal ONE Plus cardholders also receive an additional noncruise perk: a $120 statement credit every four years to cover the application or renewal fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Winner: Royal ONE Plus. You receive more perks for a reasonable annual fee of $99.
Related: Best credit cards for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck
Earning points with the Royal ONE vs. Royal ONE Plus
Both cards offer elevated earning rates for cruise, general travel and everyday expenses, but the Royal ONE Plus offers a quicker path to points earnings.
With the basic Royal ONE card, you’ll earn:
- 3 points per dollar spent on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea cruise purchases
- 2 points per dollar spent on groceries, gas and EV charging
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
As for the more premium Royal ONE Plus card, you’ll earn:
- 4 points per dollar spent on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea cruise purchases
- 2 points per dollar spent on groceries, gas, EV charging and eligible airline, hotel and dining purchases
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Both cards earn points for cruise spending, though the Royal ONE Plus will earn you an additional point per dollar spent on the same purchases. They also offer the same earning rates for all kinds of everyday purchases that cruise aficionados are likely to have, with the exception of the Royal ONE Plus offering an extra point per dollar spent on airline, hotel and dining expenses as well.
Just keep in mind that to be eligible for bonus earnings for cruise-related expenses, purchases must code to the cruise line. If you book a cruise through a travel adviser and pay the agency directly, you will not receive the bonus points. On the other hand, when you use your Royal Caribbean credit card to pay for precruise purchases, like a beverage package or shore excursions, or your onboard bill, you will receive the extra points.
Winner: Royal ONE Plus. You will accrue points more quickly with this card, partly due to its inclusion of some additional travel categories for elevated earnings.
Related: Should you get a cruise line credit card? Here’s a closer look
Redeeming points with Royal ONE vs. Royal ONE Plus
Redemption options are the same across both the Royal ONE and the Royal ONE Plus and are fairly straightforward.
Each point equals 1 cent you can apply toward a cruise discount or onboard credit with any of the three Royal Caribbean Group brands: big-ship, family-friendly Royal Caribbean, couples-oriented Celebrity Cruises and luxurious all-inclusive Silversea.
The minimum redemption is 5,000 points, which equals $50 you can apply toward your cruise purchases. Use your points to pay for a cruise booked directly with any of the three cruise lines or precruise purchases made online. Alternatively, you can redeem the points for an onboard credit to cover purchases made during your cruise.
Note that points cannot be used to pay for taxes, fees or gratuities.
To redeem your points, either log into your cruise line guest account or call your cruise line’s contact center. You will need to apply your points toward an existing reservation for either a discount or onboard credit. Don’t wait until the last minute because it might take a few weeks for the transaction to process.
Winner: Tie. Both Royal ONE and Royal ONE Plus offer the same redemption options.
Related: 6 ways to maximize the new Royal Caribbean Visa cards
Should I get the Royal ONE or Royal ONE Plus?
Loyal Silversea, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean fans are likely wondering which card is the better one to get.
The Royal ONE Plus combines a low $99 annual fee with elevated benefits compared to the Royal ONE. Given that it has the potential for greater earnings with more bonus categories (and higher bonuses for cruise purchases), as well as better perks, it’s the best option for the devoted cruiser.
If you’re the type of traveler who is regularly booking Silversea cruises or higher-category cabins and suites on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, the Royal ONE Plus is the card for you. Even if you cruise frequently in lower-category cabins on Royal Caribbean, paying $99 a year for expedited boarding and luggage delivery can be a good deal.
However, cruisers on a more modest budget who book inside or guarantee cabins and chase discounted cruise deals might prefer the basic Royal ONE card. It offers useful cruise perks without an annual fee. Plus, the thresholds for earning the welcome bonus and anniversary cruise discount are lower than with the Royal ONE Plus card, though they also come with fewer points and less money, respectively, than the ones available with the Royal ONE Plus.
The Royal ONE card is also better for folks who drive to their vacations and otherwise wouldn’t benefit from the elevated earning rate for eligible airline, hotel and dining purchases.
If you’re loyal to Royal Caribbean when you cruise but also enjoy noncruise trips multiple times a year, you might be better off with a more flexible travel rewards card. While the cruise redemption options aren’t great, you can maximize the points you earn from cruises and other purchases with a variety of points transfer options and more valuable airfare and hotel stay redemptions. Plus, some of these cards can offer a wider array of benefits, including lounge access or credits for ride-hailing and streaming services.
This is especially true if you have a higher level of elite status in a cruise line loyalty program or frequently book suites, as you will already receive the priority boarding and luggage delivery perks, making those card perks redundant.
Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises
How to upgrade from the Royal ONE to Royal ONE Plus
Royal Caribbean and Bank of America just launched these two credit cards to replace the previous Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises cobranded credit cards, so most people aren’t upgrading yet.
If you have an existing credit card, you will automatically be sent a new Royal ONE card. If you’d like to upgrade that to a Royal ONE Plus card, you must wait to receive it and then contact Bank of America to request the upgrade. The downside is that existing cardholders will not earn the welcome bonus for either card.
However, cruise fans are reporting online that if you have an old Royal Caribbean card, you can still apply for the Royal ONE Plus card. This will allow you to earn the welcome bonus and start receiving the cruise perks more quickly than you would if you wait to receive the Royal ONE card and then convert it to the Royal ONE Plus card.
Bottom line
We recommend the Royal ONE Plus over the Royal ONE because it offers elevated earning options and increased card benefits for a reasonable $99 annual fee, but Royal Caribbean fans on a tighter budget can still get value from the no-annual-fee Royal ONE card, as there’s little downside to applying if you’re responsible with credit cards.
Even if you’ve decided that a flexible travel rewards card should be your go-to credit card, you still might consider applying for one of these cards if you cruise frequently with Royal Caribbean brands.
With little or no annual cost to you, you’ll get the boarding and luggage perks as long as you hold the card. Spend $2,000 or $3,000 in the first 90 days, and you can also earn the lucrative welcome bonus to get the equivalent of $450 or $700 off your next cruise (depending on which card you apply and are approved for). You might never use the card again, but that initial investment will get you meaningful discounts.
Now all you have to do is decide whether to apply it to an Eastern or Western Caribbean cruise.
To learn more, check out our full reviews of the Royal ONE and the Royal ONE Plus.
Apply here: Royal ONE Visa Signature credit card
Apply here: Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit 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.
