When we went on our first cruise with Virgin Voyages in 2022, we knew we’d want to cruise with them again. As with most cruise lines, they offer a bonus if you put down a deposit for your next trip while you’re still onboard. For the cruise line, they want to grab money while people are having a great time. For guests, it’s a chance to save some extra bucks if you’re willing to commit to another cruise.
Our offer from Virgin Voyages was pretty lucrative. For a $300 deposit, our next cruise would include a $300 discount, a $600 onboard credit and a complimentary bottle of champagne.
Now that we’re looking to book that cruise, I have to decide which card to use to pay for the cruise. Since Virgin Voyages doesn’t have a co-brand card, I needed to find one that maximizes rewards for cruise line charges. I’d have to find a card with a broad travel bonus category.
I had a few to choose from.
American Express Green Card
The Green Card earns three Membership Rewards points per dollar on eligible travel and transit purchases including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, third-party travel websites, and travel purchases on amextravel.com.
Sapphire Preferred
The Sapphire Preferred earns 2x points on travel – from airfare and hotels to taxis and trains (and cruises.)
Bilt Rewards
The Bilt Mastercard earns 2x points for travel expenses booked directly with airlines, hotels, cruise and car rental companies
Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3X points on travel worldwide – from airfare and hotels to taxis, trains, and cruises (not including charges covered by the $300 travel credit).
Other cards earn 2X points on all expenses like the Capital One Venture X, Barclays Arrival+ and Fidelity Rewards.
Final Thoughts
For our cruise, I had to choose between the AMEX Green Card and the Sapphire Reserve as both cards earn 3X for cruise line charges. I went with the Sapphire Reserve because of its superior trip insurance coverage (including medical evacuation coverage).
I also have more Membership Rewards points than Ultimate Rewards so I’d rather earn Chase than AMEX points.
When picking a card to pay for a cruise, you must be careful. Many travel cards only provide bonus points for airfare or hotels. Only a handful have a broad definition of travel expenses and you have to pick which one to use based on the points earned and insurance coverage provided.
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