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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.

Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card at a glance

• 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:

Annual fee

The Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card has no annual fee.

Welcome offer

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.

Intro offer

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.

Rewards rate

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.

How to earn rewards

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.

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

How to redeem rewards

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

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.

Additional benefits

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

Who is the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card best for?

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.

Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card pros

• 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

Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card cons

• 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.

How to make a Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card payment

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

Royal Caribbean Visa Signature card customer service info

Alternative cards to consider

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

This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken

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