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Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card review: Enjoy cruise rewards without an annual fee

5 min read

Cruises are immensely popular for vacationers, and Royal Caribbean is the largest cruise line in the world based on market capitalization. With its ships stopping at destinations like Mexico, Bermuda and New Zealand, Royal Caribbean could be a good choice for your next trip.

For frequent cruisers, the Royal Caribbean? Visa Signature? Credit Card could be a helpful addition, allowing you to earn added rewards on your cruises.

  • Annual fee: $0

  • Welcome offer: For a limited time, earn 30,000 MyCruise bonus points by spending at least $1,000 on purchases within 90 days of account opening

  • Rewards:

    • 2x points per $1 spent on qualifying purchases with Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises

    • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases

The Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card has no annual fee.

If you apply for the card online and are approved, you may be eligible for the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card's new cardmember offer. Spend at least $1,000 on purchases within 90 days of account opening, and, for a limited time, you'll receive 30,000 MyCruise bonus points. When you redeem those points for onboard credits, the new cardmember bonus could be worth as much as $300.

The Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card doesn't have an introductory APR offer for purchases or balance transfers. The regular APR applies to all purchases and transfers.

With this credit card, you can earn the following rewards:

  • 2x MyCruise points per $1 spent on qualifying purchases through Royal Caribbean or its sister cruise line, Celebrity Cruises

  • One MyCruise point per $1 spent on all other purchases

However, there is a cap on how much you can earn; the limit is 540,000 points in a calendar year. That limit would require someone to spend $270,000 on qualifying cruises or as much as $540,000 on other purchases, so most people don't have to worry about reaching that limit.

If you enjoy cruises and Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises are your preferred cruise lines, use your card to book your trips and onboard bookings to earn a higher rewards rate.

To give you an idea of what kind of rewards you can earn, consider this example: During your vacation, you spend $1,900 for a six-night Caribbean cruise for two. You also spend $500 on souvenirs at the different ports of call.

Spending

Rewards Rate

Miles Earned

$1,900 on a Royal Caribbean cruise

2x MyCruise points per $1 spent

3,800 MyCruise points

$500 on souvenirs

1 MyCruise point per $1 spent

500 MyCruise points

TOTAL

4,300 MyCruise points

When redeemed for onboard credits, those points could be worth $43.

Your Royal Caribbean Visa Signature points can redeemed in the following ways:

  • Charitable donations

  • Cruise discounts

  • Cruise fares

  • Merchandise

  • Onboard credits and amenities

  • Stateroom upgrades

Points can only be redeemed once you've accumulated at least 1,000 points, and points expire five years after the month they were earned.

In general, your points are worth one cent each, but some redemption methods, such as merchandise, may give you less value.

For a card with no annual fee, the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card has a surprisingly extensive list of benefits:

  • Car rental coverage

  • 24/7 travel and emergency assistance

  • Extended warranty protection

  • Discounts at select merchants and hotels

  • Discounts on flights booked through the Royal Caribbean Air2Sea program

Whether you prefer the Symphony of the Seas or the new Icon of the Seas, the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card can be a good option for frequent cruisers, such as those who are part of the cruise line's Crown & Anchor Society, its loyalty program. You'll earn a higher rewards rate on future cruises and onboard services, and you can shop at ports of call without worrying about foreign transaction fees.

  • No foreign transaction fees: The card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, so you can use it at any port of call without incurring added fees.

  • No annual fee: Unlike many travel cards, the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card doesn't have an annual fee.

  • Generous new cardmember bonus: You can qualify for a bonus worth $250 by spending $1,000 within three months — an attainable bonus.

The best credit card signup bonuses available today

  • No promotional APR: Unlike many travel cards, there is no promotional APR for new purchases or vacation bookings.

  • Limited rewards on non-cruise purchases: Although the card allows you to earn two MyCruise points per $1 spent on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises bookings, the rewards rate on other purchases is low.

  • Rewards expire: With many rewards cards, your rewards never expire as long as the account is open. But with your Royal Caribbean Visa Signature rewards, your rewards expire after five years.

The Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card is a co-branded card issued by Bank of America. You can make payments online, over the phone, through its mobile app or by mailing a check:

Credit card payments

Bank of America

PO Box 15019

Wilmington, DE 19886-5019

If you don't embark on cruises often enough to justify a cruise-focused credit card, consider these alternatives:

  • Annual fee
    $0
  • Welcome offer
    Earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 within the first 6 months
  • Card type(s)
    Travel, Airline
  • Ongoing Purchases APR
    20.99%-29.99% Variable
  • Recommended credit score
    Good, Excellent
  • Rewards rate
    • 2x miles on Delta purchases
    • 2x miles at restaurants worldwide
    • 1x miles on all other purchases
  • Benefits
    • Save up to $50 on your flight for every 5,000 miles you use to book travel on Delta.com
    • Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit when purchasing inflight food and beverages on Delta
    • No foreign transaction fees

Why we like it: Like the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card, the Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex card has no annual fee, but with this card, you can earn more for every dollar spent at restaurants, takeout services, delivery services, or Delta purchases.

  • Annual fee
    $0
  • Welcome offer
    Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months
  • Card type(s)
    Travel, Hotel
  • Ongoing Purchases APR
    20.99%-29.99% Variable
  • Recommended credit score
    Excellent/Good
  • Rewards rate
    • 7x points on eligible purchases charged directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio
    • 5x points on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations
    • 3x points on all other eligible purchases
  • Benefits
    • $0 annual fee
    • Spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status through the end of the next calendar year
    • Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad

Why we like it: With no annual fee, the Hilton Honors Amex card allows you to earn a higher rate of rewards on eligible hotel stays, dining, groceries, and gas. The card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, and the card includes perks like car rental loss and damage insurance and complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status.

  • Annual fee
    $0
  • Welcome offer
    Earn 20,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
  • Card type(s)
    Travel, Airline
  • Introductory Purchases APR
    0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 months
  • Ongoing Purchases APR
    21.99% - 28.99% Variable
  • Recommended credit score
    Excellent, Good
  • Rewards rate
    • 2x miles on United purchases, dining, at gas stations, and on local transit and commuting
    • 1x miles on all other purchases
  • Benefits
    • $0 annual fee
    • 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months (21.99% –?28.99% variable APR after that)
    • 25% back as a statement credit on food, beverage, and Wi-Fi purchases on United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks

Why we like it: The United Gateway credit card has no annual fee, but it stands out from the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card due to its 0% intro APR offer, which gives you a full year to pay off the cost of a vacation or major purchase without interest.

This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken

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