Carnival Credit Card Offered On Board..is it really worth it?

[UpstateCruizer]

If you have asked your self this question when offered the opportunity to obtain this card while cruising I can say YES~! We use this card for everyday purchases and while it may not rack up the points as fast as some of the more advanced cards do it's provided us with some really good cruising points. You earn double points on all Carnival related purchases. I opt to get a statement credit when we turn our points into cash. I prefer being able to earn the additional double credits for all on board purchases by using my card for our S&S account.

 

I also learned that this card also extends the manufacture warranty on some products. My Ipad stopped working and I was beyond the initial one year warranty period. Someone suggested I check my credit card company to see if they extend the warranty for an additional year. Sure enough they do offer that as a benefit. When I contacted them they provided all the necessary info for the benefit process. It was the easiest process I have ever completed. I couldn't have asked for anything easier. I have the check on my desk for my replacement Ipad.

 

Yes, there are cards that offer quarterly points bonuses but for me those tend to limit the amount that they allow and often times I forget which card is offering what. I'm so glad I use this card as my primary card!

[Donh44]

If you have asked your self this question when offered the opportunity to obtain this card while cruising I can say YES~! We use this card for everyday purchases and while it may not rack up the points as fast as some of the more advanced cards do it's provided us with some really good cruising points. You earn double points on all Carnival related purchases. I opt to get a statement credit when we turn our points into cash. I prefer being able to earn the additional double credits for all on board purchases by using my card for our S&S account.

 

I also learned that this card also extends the manufacture warranty on some products. My Ipad stopped working and I was beyond the initial one year warranty period. Someone suggested I check my credit card company to see if they extend the warranty for an additional year. Sure enough they do offer that as a benefit. When I contacted them they provided all the necessary info for the benefit process. It was the easiest process I have ever completed. I couldn't have asked for anything easier. I have the check on my desk for my replacement Ipad.

 

Yes, there are cards that offer quarterly points bonuses but for me those tend to limit the amount that they allow and often times I forget which card is offering what. I'm so glad I use this card as my primary card!

 

 

I have one and love it. Have never used any of the points yet but will be using them for OBC on the next cruises.

[jujibee]

I'm open to the idea but I can't find any details on how many points equal what. Like how many points equal a free cruise?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[crusinfamof4]

Yes! We love the card. We love the double points. This past cruise last week, we had earned $200 OBC which our youngest used in the arcade. Free money.

[CZodda]

I love the card too - seems to be working great so far!

[CrimsonTideGal]

My husband used ours to book hotel rooms and amtrack tickets for his Boy Scout Troop and parents. Earned us enough points for a free cruise ticket. Saving up for Alaska now.

[kona_wahine]

Reward cards are the way to go. I'd pick the one that would benefit you the most. For us, it's frequent flyer cards. I have a Hawaiian and DH has an Alaska. Use it for most purchases and. All the bills ican. It's amazing how fast the miles/points rack up.

Edited September 1, 2014 by kona_wahine

[honeybunches]

I'm open to the idea but I can't find any details on how many points equal what. Like how many points equal a free cruise?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Roughly, 10,000 points equal $100. So a cruise ticket for $700 would need 70,000 points. I got a 10,000 point reward when I applied at the first billing cycle.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Use mine for $200 OBC every cruise.

[jujibee]

Roughly, 10,000 points equal $100. So a cruise ticket for $700 would need 70,000 points. I got a 10,000 point reward when I applied at the first billing cycle.

 

 

Thank you. 😄

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[bgh10788]

When you actually run the numbers, cruise credit cards actually provide some of the worst returns for spending. For every day spending, you're getting a return of 1 cent per dollar. (10000 points = $100). Also, it's inflexible in that you can only use it on Carnival.

 

There are no annual fee cards out there like the Fidelity Rewards and new Citi Double Cash card that give 2% cashback on all purchases. This is a 100% better (literally) return than the carnival card and is cold hard cash that can be used for anything.

 

Then there are even better cards, in my opinion, like the Barclays Arrival+ where the annual fee is waived for the first year and you get 40000 points after $3000 spend. This is worth about $400 since 10000 points = $100. This is a 400% better sign-up bonus than the Carnival card. Plus you get 2 points for every dollar spend and you can redeem for any travel expenses (including cruise fare, On-Board purchases, airfare, etc.). You also get 10% back of all points redeemed. So effectively, this card gives a 2.2% return on spend. Also, this card provides travel insurance that covers cancellation and delays.

 

A similar card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred which offers similar returns and benefits.

Edited September 2, 2014 by bgh10788

[riffatsea]

I love my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card!!

We only cruise about once a year so the Carnival card would not give us good value!

The Chase card was free the first year with a 40,000 pt. bonus for signing up. After that it is $95 per year but for us it has been very worthwhile!

We have averaged about $500 worth of savings per year with it as you can choose to either use the pts. to get money back as a statement credit or to purchase travel (:any travel any airline any hotel etc.) on their web site OR you can transfer their pts into airline pts .

The card also gives you travel insurance for free +no foreign conversion fees at all. When you call them you get a live person immediately so no need to push a bunch of buttons to find someone!

It is really great!!

[kelkel2]

we just opened one before we booked our cruise and we are hoping to earn a decent amount of OBC. We got 10,000 bonus points for opening the card and 12,000 buys $100 OBC. we have had the card a little over a month and we use it for all of our purchases and we have an auto payment set up so that it doesn't accrue any interest and the balance will pay itself off every month. Our cruise is over a year away so I fully think it is worth it!!

[bgh10788]

we just opened one before we booked our cruise and we are hoping to earn a decent amount of OBC. We got 10,000 bonus points for opening the card and 12,000 buys $100 OBC. we have had the card a little over a month and we use it for all of our purchases and we have an auto payment set up so that it doesn't accrue any interest and the balance will pay itself off every month. Our cruise is over a year away so I fully think it is worth it!!

 

Or you could open a card that gets 2% cashback (see above post) and hoard that until your cruise and you would have 2x as much to spend on board.

[guxu]

We cancelled our Carnival card after we found the double points (2%) was limited on Carnival Cruise Line only. We did not get the 2% when booking Princess even Princess is part of Carnival corp. The card we use now gives us 2% cash back on everything including Carnival cruises, Princess cruises, and RCCL cruises. And from time to time we get extra cash back, e.g. 5% on gas.

[MCC retired]

A caution :When using your Carnival Card points to book a cruise on Carnival , you must book thru the agency that they use for that purpose . You are not open to offers by other TA's (OBC's, etc.) to book with them.

[Animal Farm]

Has anyone used the Carnival C.C. to make their monthly car payment? My title holder said that the card company may charge me "cash advance" fees for doing so.

[kelkel2]

Or you could open a card that gets 2% cashback (see above post) and hoard that until your cruise and you would have 2x as much to spend on board.

 

We do have a chase sapphire card as well. :)

[ShakyBeef]

A caution :When using your Carnival Card points to book a cruise on Carnival , you must book thru the agency that they use for that purpose . You are not open to offers by other TA's (OBC's, etc.) to book with them.

 

This is not true. You can redeem FunPoints "for statement credits toward travel on Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, or The Yachts of Seabourn or for hotel stays and airfare." No matter how you book the cruise, if the purchase shows up as going to Carnival or any of the other included cruise lines (or airfare or hotels), you can get 'paid back' for that purchase by cashing in FunPoints for it with a simple click of your mouse. No special "agency" required.

 

I have no idea how different TAs work - if when paying for your cruise the payment shows up as going to Acme Travel Agency for example, or to Carnival. But if it shows on your statement as going to Carnival, it is absolutely a "qualified purchase" for point redemption.

 

(green quote pulled directly from Barclays website)

 

ETA: You may be confusing this card with the old version of the Carnival credit card - when it was SeaMiles. In that case, you did have to book your free cruises through SeaMiles. But that has not been the case with the Carnival card for years, now (since it changed to Barclays FunPoints MasterCard).

Edited September 2, 2014 by ShakyBeef

[ShakyBeef]

When you actually run the numbers, cruise credit cards actually provide some of the worst returns for spending. For every day spending, you're getting a return of 1 cent per dollar. (10000 points = $100). Also, it's inflexible in that you can only use it on Carnival.

 

There are no annual fee cards out there like the Fidelity Rewards and new Citi Double Cash card that give 2% cashback on all purchases. This is a 100% better (literally) return than the carnival card and is cold hard cash that can be used for anything.

 

Then there are even better cards, in my opinion, like the Barclays Arrival+ where the annual fee is waived for the first year and you get 40000 points after $3000 spend. This is worth about $400 since 10000 points = $100. This is a 400% better sign-up bonus than the Carnival card. Plus you get 2 points for every dollar spend and you can redeem for any travel expenses (including cruise fare, On-Board purchases, airfare, etc.). You also get 10% back of all points redeemed. So effectively, this card gives a 2.2% return on spend. Also, this card provides travel insurance that covers cancellation and delays.

 

A similar card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred which offers similar returns and benefits.

 

This is also not true.

 

From Barclay's Website FAQ (Under "What Can I Redeem For?" tab):

 

 

"You can redeem your "FunPoints" for statement credits toward travel on Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, and The Yachts of Seabourn or for statement credits for hotel stays and airfare. You may also redeem for Carnival onboard gifts and amenities, merchandise, or gift cards to your favorite restaurants and retailers. To view all of your reward options or to redeem, please visit the Manage your rewards page."

 

Currently, some gift cards you can redeem points for: Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Barnes & Noble, Bloomingdale's, Outback Steakhouse, Lowe's, etc.;)

 

Currently, some merchandise you can redeem for: Apple products, American Tourister luggage, Garmin GPS, Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones, etc.

 

 

Some other benefits of this card:

 

No annual fee,

No foreign transaction fee,

Free FICO score tracking,

Travel Accident Insurance,

Trip Cancellation Insurance,

Baggage Delay Insurance,

Travel Services,

Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver,

ID Theft Resolution Services,

Global Assistance/Services,

Zero Liability on Unauthorized Charges,

Concierge Service,

Extended Protection,

Purchase Security

 

 

 

And if you shop through Barclay's RewardsBoost portal, you can average much more than 2 points per dollar spent on a lot of your non-Carnival purchases as well.;)

[bgh10788]

This is also not true.

 

From Barclay's Website FAQ (Under "What Can I Redeem For?" tab):

 

 

"You can redeem your "FunPoints" for statement credits toward travel on Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, and The Yachts of Seabourn or for statement credits for hotel stays and airfare. You may also redeem for Carnival onboard gifts and amenities, merchandise, or gift cards to your favorite restaurants and retailers. To view all of your reward options or to redeem, please visit the Manage your rewards page."

 

Currently, some gift cards you can redeem points for: Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Barnes & Noble, Bloomingdale's, Outback Steakhouse, Lowe's, etc.;)

 

Currently, some merchandise you can redeem for: Apple products, American Tourister luggage, Garmin GPS, Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones, etc.

 

 

Some other benefits of this card:

 

No annual fee,

No foreign transaction fee,

Free FICO score tracking,

Travel Accident Insurance,

Trip Cancellation Insurance,

Baggage Delay Insurance,

Travel Services,

Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver,

ID Theft Resolution Services,

Global Assistance/Services,

Zero Liability on Unauthorized Charges,

Concierge Service,

Extended Protection,

Purchase Security

 

 

 

And if you shop through Barclay's RewardsBoost portal, you can average much more than 2 points per dollar spent on a lot of your non-Carnival purchases as well.;)

 

While you can redeem in other ways, the best redemption is for a cruise discount at 10,000 points per $100 (1 cent per point).

 

Onboard gifts redeem at 12500 points per $100 (0.8 cents per point, not good). I don't recommend spending points in this way.

 

Based on what I see on my Barclays Arrival+, for gift card redemption it's 5000 points for $25 (0.5 cents per point which is horrible). Merchandise is even worse. I strongly recommend against redeeming points in this way.

 

Not to be a broken record, but when it's all said and done, you're better off with a 2% cashback card. Almost all the benefits listed are also provided with the Citi double cash card.

Edited September 2, 2014 by bgh10788

[ShakyBeef]

While you can redeem in other ways, the best redemption is for a cruise discount at 10,000 points per $100 (1 cent per point).

Onboard gifts redeem at 12500 points per $100 (0.8 cents per point, not good). I don't recommend spending points in this way.

 

Based on what I see on my Barclays Arrival+, for gift card redemption it's 5000 points for $25 (0.5 cents per point which is horrible). Merchandise is even worse. I strongly recommend against redeeming points in this way.

 

Not to be a broken record, but when it's all said and done, you're better off with a 2% cashback card. Almost all the benefits listed are also provided with the Citi double cash card.

 

Sorry, now I'm sounding like a broken record, but this is also not correct. The best redemption rate currently offered is 1.5 cents per point for Carnival cruise purchases of $1,500 or more.

 

So, although it is true that

10,000 FP gets you $100 statement credit and that by the same token,

100,000 FP gets you $1000 statement credit, once you hit that "magic number" of $1500 qualifying Carnival purchase amount,

100,000 FP gets you $1500 statement credit

133,333 FP gets you $2000 statement credit;

200,000 FP gets you $3000 statement credit, etc.;)

 

I'm pretty sure most of us who love this card have admitted on many previous threads on the topic that there are "better" cards out there. But there are plenty of reasons to be very happy with this one.:) To paraphrase a poster on another thread, it's just more fun to get our rewards this way.

 

I would end up using that 2% cash back from a "better" credit card on mundane, easily forgettable things like gas, groceries, and eating out at restaurants. But the best way to spend my MC FunPoints is on FREE CRUISES!:D So, as an old family saying goes: "I'd be losing money if I didn't buy it". Thus, with this credit card, I take more cruises than I would if I didn't have it. And that is my bullet-proof logic for choosing this credit card.:cool::D:p

[Emilycat]

I love my carnival mastercard! I have saved hundreds of dollars by redeeming my points for statement credit in payment of cruises.

[bgh10788]

I'm pretty sure most of us who love this card have admitted on many previous threads on the topic that there are "better" cards out there. But there are plenty of reasons to be very happy with this one.:) To paraphrase a poster on another thread, it's just more fun to get our rewards this way.

 

I would end up using that 2% cash back from a "better" credit card on mundane, easily forgettable things like gas, groceries, and eating out at restaurants. But the best way to spend my MC FunPoints is on FREE CRUISES!:D So, as an old family saying goes: "I'd be losing money if I didn't buy it". Thus, with this credit card, I take more cruises than I would if I didn't have it. And that is my bullet-proof logic for choosing this credit card.

 

I guess it's a case of different strokes for different folks. I get my warm and fuzzies getting the absolute maximum possible back for my purchases and point redemptions. I cringe every time I see someone paying for something with a debit card, cash, or check or when someone tells me they used their points for Bose headphones or the like :eek: ;)

 

IMO with only a 10,000 bonus, 90,000 is a lot of points to earn just to get a 1.5 cent redemption that's really limited in scope. Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points I can easily get 2 cents or more value for a 25000 domestic airline redemption which could be the airfare to my cruise or any other trip. And the bonus is 40,000 points for the Sapphire Preferred. And I still get 2x points if I pay for the cruise with this card.

[LambKnuckles]

I, too, use a different card for a better "cash back" return!

 

If the return were better I'd show my loyalty and use a Carnival Card.