steverk Posted December 17, 2022 Report Share Posted December 17, 2022 I'm looking at the Royal Caribbean credit card. Is it a good deal compared to the Citi Double Cash card? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted December 17, 2022 Report Share Posted December 17, 2022 RC's card is probably one of the worst out there for accumulating points. columbus_cruiser, jticarruthers, PL8SWPR and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepy425 Posted December 17, 2022 Report Share Posted December 17, 2022 Last year I opened one to get the promo (10,000 points plus $100 statement credit). Last month while onboard the promo was 30,000 points so my husband opened one. We only charge the cruises on them (which I'll admit isn't the best value we could get for travel). I don't use it for every day spending, but it is nice to have a specific RC card in the event of refunds - during the pandemic when cruises were canceled we had refunds for the same cruise to so many different cards it got confusing. So now this will be the only card we use for RC, just in case. ChessE4, AHollyS, RCIfan1912 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted December 17, 2022 Report Share Posted December 17, 2022 We just cashed in $1650 in OBC (and there is still $300 more for another cruise, later) for our upcoming B2B on OA from the BofA Visa card. For our strategy of accumulating points for onboard credit, this card is great. Neesa, 14Terry, teddy and 5 others 6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PL8SWPR Posted December 18, 2022 Report Share Posted December 18, 2022 Looks like you get 1 "Cruise Point" per dollar spent worth 1 cent each. So the rewards are 1%. That's nowhere near what would be considered a good cash back program even for a card that doesn't force you to spend it in only one way. My current card is 1.5% in actual cash back to be used for whatever, not just OBC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted December 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2022 Thanks everyone. I haven't had a chance to study it yet, but will soon. Everyone seems to be in agreement with my initial thoughts though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted December 18, 2022 Report Share Posted December 18, 2022 9 hours ago, PL8SWPR said: Looks like you get 1 "Cruise Point" per dollar spent worth 1 cent each. So the rewards are 1%. That's nowhere near what would be considered a good cash back program even for a card that doesn't force you to spend it in only one way. My current card is 1.5% in actual cash back to be used for whatever, not just OBC. 2 on Royal purchases. Neesa and AHollyS 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wozswoman Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 I have the card and opened it with the free statement credit, extra points, OBC promo. It is one point for everything not cruise related. Anything RCL is 2 points per $. I also have a Marriott Bonvoy card because I travel for work. I get numerous points for using my card at Marriotts plus the standard points for everyday use. Here is the thing, Marriott Bonvoy has a cruise points program. I used my Bonvoy points to get a cruise discount on a RCL next Month. In some ways I'm thinking this MIGHT be better option. Also you can purchase RCL gift cards on AARP website if you are of that age for 10% off. So a free $25 for every $250 purchased plus the 250 points for using my card unless they count that as a travel purchase then its 500 points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PL8SWPR Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 12 hours ago, ChessE4 said: 2 on Royal purchases. A small fraction of a typical person's yearly spending. I put nearly everything on my cash rewards card. Only real exceptions are my mortgage and car loans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Brian Dada Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 There is one huge value for me: you can redeem points for OBC precruise. If I book something precruise with that OBC and the price drops, I can cancel it and get my OBC back immediately to reprice. If you use a credit card, it goes through a refund process which can take time and requires me to monitor for it. ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 I picked up the card for the signup bonus and use it just for Royal purchases now (2x points is pretty much my standard earn but it means I get to an OBC award every now and then). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psycho and Barb Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 Sure, there are better reward cards out there, but we prefer our Royal Card. It's our only CC we have or want. Kathleen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 19 hours ago, wozswoman said: Also you can purchase RCL gift cards on AARP website if you are of that age for 10% off. And what age is that? Anyone over 18 can join AARP, they just can't purchase age restricted items like insurance with it. I'll have to look at their RCL gift cards now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SymphonyNoob Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 We signed up for the card with the 30,000 points bonus and just used the 300.00 obc for our cruise coming up in April. We transferred the 300.00 obc to the cruise then it didn’t show up. So we called and they had to contact a supervisor so we could get the money now to spend. They said the obc typically shows up a week before the cruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonCruiser Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 I don't know anything about the Citi card you referenced so I don't know how they compare. What I do like about the Royal card is..I'm going to cruise anyway, might as well get something extra for it. The dollars I spend on booking a cruise and excursions going toward a future free/discounted cruise or OBC is really helpful for maximizing vacations and I'm in no rush to pile them on. WAAAYTOOO and IRMO12HD 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 I have the BofA Royal Caribbean card, but rarely use it, even for RCL travel. It might be worth getting it for the first bonus points, but the card does not really have many other good perks. I personally think a good cash back card is always better than a points based card. FWIW, I use the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi which gives 3% cash back on travel including cruises. It does require Costco membership though, but that also provides perks. WAYNO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditchdoc Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 $1000 charged = $10 credit. $10,000 = $100 credit. You have to charge in the neighborhood of $60,000 to get a buy one cruise get one free. If you have that much cash flow to make it worthwhile, good for you. CrimsonCruiser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted December 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 Thank you to everyone for all the info! Midwest Cruiser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midwest Cruiser Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 We have our Discover card that we take advantage of their 5% cash back time periods along with the general 1% cash back which we use for all of our normal purchases throughout the week and year. The Cash back can be used for anything. We also have our Delta Sky Miles for travel and wife's NP certifications, license's, Travel and expenses for work, also for trips and flights. We rarely use our debit card. All are paid off and only charge what we would normally spend monthly. That way we don't give them any money for interest charges. We look at these 2 cards as free money. Why use your Debit card when others will pay you to use. Although it takes dedication to stick to a budget and not just charge away. Just my 2 cents. DoomSlayer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmattinson Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 There are better cards out there for travel perks / cash back options compared to the BoA RCL card. The earning rate of 1-2% is low overall but better than not earning anything. Personally, I try to use my Costco Visa card as much as I can as I earn 3% on travel and dining related expenses. But it goes to be used at Costco only, so I am deferring my earnings to a 1-time a year payout and will generally only spend that amount in-store. No matter what card you use, if you get something back its good - now whether you apply those savings to the vacation purchase vs. being forced into OBC with the BoA card, that is the bigger question...like my Cap One card allows real-time redemption once the charge clears. The Discover, only at statement close. Costco, once a year depending on when you signed up and it comes in via a rebate check only valid at Costco (but can be exchanged for cash there). Pick your poison... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBC Posted January 13, 2023 Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 Can I use my points to book a RC excursion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted January 13, 2023 Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 1 hour ago, PBC said: Can I use my points to book a RC excursion? Yes, as long as you choose to use them as On Board Credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBC Posted January 13, 2023 Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 19 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said: Yes, as long as you choose to use them as On Board Credit. Okay, so if I'm understanding you correctly, the points I've earned from my RC credit card can be used to pay for a RC excursion when we book on while on the cruise and use "on board credit" as our method of payment. It's been difficult to get a straight answer for B of A and RC...don't want to waste my money or OBC! Thank You!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 6 hours ago, PBC said: Okay, so if I'm understanding you correctly, the points I've earned from my RC credit card can be used to pay for a RC excursion when we book on while on the cruise and use "on board credit" as our method of payment. It's been difficult to get a straight answer for B of A and RC...don't want to waste my money or OBC! Thank You!! Yes. You can also book it ahead of time on the Cruise Planner. When you redeem the points and choose OBC, just call Bank of America (the number is available on the website) and ask them to apply it immediately. Otherwise it won't show up for you until shortly before your sailing and by that time the best shore excursions may have sold out. ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike2608 Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 The credit card you should get is the Chase Sapphire Preferred, not the Chase Sapphire Reserve, it is a great card for all types of travel including cruising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.