Royal Caribbean's new credit card has gotten into the hands of passengers, and we have our first look at how easy it is to redeem points.
It's been about a month since the new Royal ONE Visa Signature credit card opened applications for it, and it's clearly been a step-up from the old card.
One of the best things about this card is you can redeem points not just for a Royal Caribbean cruise, but also for a Celebrity or Silversea cruise. I was curious how the point redemption process would work in order to maximize this benefit.
Royal Caribbean Group was adamant about the fact this is a big improvement for consumers who have more choice in how they can earn and redeem points, as well as build their loyalty.
Now that the new credit card is openly available, here's what to expect when you redeem all of those points towards your next sailing.
Moving points into your account is simple
Anyone that applies for the new cards could get up to 70,000 bonus points simply for signing up, and that could be turned around quite quickly to a future cruise.
One of our readers shared their experience with the new card and redeeming points. He signed up almost immediately for the Royal ONE Plus card when it applications opened up.
In fact, after getting approved, he was able to use a digital temporary card number, which was valid for two months while he waited for the new card to arrive.
New Royal ONE Visa cardholders can earn 45,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening.
New cardholders can earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening.
Once you hit that spending threshold, the points are added in a few days to your account, "I can say the 70k points for signing up for a RoyalOne Plus card appeared within a week of satisfying the requirements for the new card bonus."
With your points, there are three options you can use them for:
- Onboard credit
- Reduce final payment cost
- Book a cruise
It's your choice to apply points towards any one of those things. I was interested to see there weren't "tiers", where a certain amount of points qualifies for a certain rewards. Rather, your points equal a dollar value and that can be used as you see fit.
Royal Caribbean points are worth at least one cent per point, so you'll have $50 in rewards for every 5,000 points earned.
The 70,000 bonus points are worth at least $700. That's enough for a cheap weekend cruise on an older ship.
It is unified across Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, with both apps giving the same options and access to the same points.
Here's how it worked in our example to redeem points for a Celebrity Reflection sailing:
- May 10 - Apply for RoyalOne Plus, approved with temporary credit card number provided.
- May 11 - Paid annual home insurance policy with temporary card number
- May 11 - Board Reflection, edit check in to add the temporary RoyalOne card for the onboard account
- May 15 - Debark Reflection with onboard account charges going to RoyalOne Plus card satisfying the threshold to earn the bonus 70,000 points
- May 17 - Notified by email I had met the requirements for the 70,000 bonus points
- May 20 - New card delivered
- May 21 - Partial redemption of 30,000 points for $300 OBC
Once the 30,000 points were redeemed, it was applied to the account overnight.
Should you get a Royal ONE Visa card?
Credit cards tied to a cruise line have one advantage: it's the only credit card you can get to earn points for onboard credit or a free cruise.
The Royal ONE card has no annual fee, which makes it attractive since you don't have to spend enough each year to make it worthwhile to keep. For someone that cruises occasionally, this is the kind of card that you could keep in your wallet and leverage when you have a sailing coming up.
Moreover, it also includes priority check-in at the cruise terminal. That's a perk usually reserved for suite guests or Pinnacle Club members.
The Royal ONE Plus Visa is probably better for someone that cruises a lot, because it carries a $99 annual fee. That isn't a huge fee, but I'd argue it's the kind of card best for someone that sails on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises or Silversea at least a few times each year. Then, you could justify the annual fee more.
These are credit cards marketed towards cruise fans, and it's best for them. Other travel cards offer more flexibility with how you can redeem points, including the ability to transfer rewards out to other programs.
Nonetheless, if you're a cruise fan and sail at least a couple times per year, this the card for you.
I'd think about how often you realistically will sail before choosing one of the cards, and whether a travel credit card with more flexible travel rewards is better for you.