chase ultimate rewards disney cruise

Booking a Cruise with Chase Ultimate Rewards: A Quick Guide

If you’re like me and love earning rewards through credit card points, booking a cruise with Chase Ultimate Rewards might be an exciting option. Chase Ultimate Rewards points are known for their flexibility, allowing users to book various types of travel, such as flights, hotels, and rental cars, directly through the Chase portal. But what about cruises? After researching this topic, I’ve discovered that it’s entirely possible, and there are some essential details to keep in mind.

Before diving into the specifics, it’s essential to share that Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be used to book cruises, but the process is slightly different than booking flights or hotels. Instead of using the online travel portal, you need to call Chase to book your dream cruise. This may seem inconvenient, but calling a cruise advisor from Chase can come with some benefits, such as personalized assistance in selecting and booking your trip. It’s also important to note that cruise fares should be the same as booking directly with the cruise line, ensuring that you’re getting a fair deal.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Overview

I find the Chase Ultimate Rewards program to be one of the most versatile and valuable credit card rewards programs out there. When I use a Chase credit card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card, I earn Ultimate Rewards points for each dollar spent. These points can be redeemed for travel expenses, statement credits, experiences, or even transferred to travel partners, such as airlines and hotel chains.

One of the key benefits of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program is the  Chase Travel Portal , where I can redeem my points for travel directly through Chase. This can be especially useful when there are no award flights available, or if I find a cheap fare that requires fewer points to book than transferring to a travel partner.

While booking flights, hotels, and rental cars through the Chase Travel Portal is straightforward, booking a cruise with Chase Ultimate Rewards points requires a different approach. Unfortunately, I cannot book a cruise directly through the online portal, but instead, I’ll have to call the  Ultimate Rewards booking hotline  to make a reservation.

When booking a cruise with points, I must keep in mind that the redemption value might not be as high as when I redeem points for other types of travel. However, for those who love cruising, using Chase Ultimate Rewards points can still provide a valuable way to pay for a cruise vacation.

Booking a Cruise Options

In this section, I will discuss available options for booking a cruise using Chase Ultimate Rewards. There are two primary methods that I will detail: using the Chase Travel Portal and transferring points to partner programs.

Chase Travel Portal

The Chase Travel Portal is a convenient way to book cruises directly with your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. However, it may not list all possible cruise options, so it’s essential to do thorough research. To book a cruise through the portal, follow the booking process, similar to booking flights or hotels. If you can’t find the cruise you want, you can call Chase’s cruise advisors at  1-866-951-6592  to help you find and book your desired cruise. Cruise advisors are available Monday through Friday, 9 am to 9 pm, and Saturday 9 am to 5 pm.

Transfer to Partner Programs

Another option when booking a cruise is transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to partner loyalty programs, such as airlines or hotels. This can be beneficial if award flights or hotel stays are not available, or if you find a cheap fare through the travel partner. Transferring points to partner programs can help you maximize the value of your points.

Note that not all cruise lines accept points transfers directly. Therefore, transferring points to airlines or hotels may help you save on flights or accommodation related to your cruise vacation. It’s essential to research which transfer partners have partnerships with your chosen cruise line and confirm that your points transfer will provide the best value for your trip.

In conclusion, booking a cruise using Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be done through the Chase Travel Portal or by transferring points to partner programs. It is vital to do thorough research and consult with Chase’s cruise advisors if needed to find the best option for your desired cruise vacation.

Maximizing Cruise Value

As a Chase Ultimate Rewards enthusiast, I’m always looking for ways to get the most value out of my points, especially when it comes to booking a cruise vacation. In this section, I will share my insights and tips on how to maximize the value of your Ultimate Rewards points when planning a cruise getaway.

Top Cruise Line Partners

One of the best ways to maximize cruise value is by booking with top cruise line partners that are affiliated with Chase’s travel partners. Some popular cruise line partners include Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line. By transferring Ultimate Rewards points to these partners, I often get better value for my points than by booking directly through the  Chase Travel Portal .

Seasonal and Regional Tips

Another strategy I utilize to maximize value when booking a cruise is considering the season and region of my vacation. Off-peak times, such as the fall and winter months, tend to be cheaper for cruises. Additionally, certain regions might offer better value for your points. For example, Caribbean cruises are often more affordable compared to European cruises. By being flexible with my travel dates and destinations, I can get more value for my Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Bonus Point Deals

Finally, I always keep an eye out for bonus point deals offered by Chase and their travel partners. These deals can include earning extra points on cruise bookings or redeemable discounts on cruise fares. Regularly checking  The Points Guy  and other points and miles websites, along with monitoring my Chase account, helps me stay up-to-date with the latest deals and promotions, ensuring I get the most value out of my Ultimate Rewards points when booking a cruise vacation.

Required Points and Costs

Determining points needed.

To book a cruise with Chase Ultimate Rewards, I first need to determine how many points are required. The value of the points depends on the specific Chase credit card used. For example, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, points are worth 1.25 cents each when used for travel, while with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, they are worth 1.5 cents each  (The Points Guy) .

Calculating the points needed for a specific cruise means converting the cruise fare (in dollars) to points, based on the card’s point value. To do this, I would divide the total cost of the cruise by the per-point value offered by my card.

Associated Fees and Taxes

When booking a cruise with Chase Ultimate Rewards, it’s important to remember that additional fees and taxes may apply. These can vary depending on the cruise, the destination, and the duration of the trip. Port fees, government taxes, and other miscellaneous fees may not be included in the cruise fare and would need to be paid separately.

Typically, the following costs are associated with a cruise:

• Government taxes
• Fuel surcharges

When using Chase Ultimate Rewards to book a cruise, I must also be aware that some non-cost factors can affect my booking. For example, reward bookings made over the phone may not offer extra onboard credits or other perks that are usually available when booking directly with the cruise line  (Cruise Critic) .

Booking Process

It’s time to book a cruise with my Chase Ultimate Rewards. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do that along with some tips for a smooth booking process.

Step-by-Step Guide

To start the process, I need to call a Chase Travel Specialist at  1-866-951-6592  as the online portal may not have all the available cruise options. The specialists are available Monday-Friday 9 am to 9 pm and Saturday 9 am to 5 pm Eastern Time.

Once connected, I’ll provide the Cruise advisor with my desired cruise details, including the cruise line, ship, departure port, date, and itinerary. The specialist will then guide me through the options that meet my criteria.

After selecting a suitable cruise, I’ll provide my passenger details and choose my preferred cabin type. The Chase Travel Specialist will confirm the pricing and help me complete the booking process by redeeming the required number of Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Tips for Smooth Booking

• Before calling, I should have a general idea of the cruise line, ship, departure date, and itinerary to help the specialist find suitable options more efficiently.
• It’s a good idea to research the cabin types available on the chosen ship. This way, I can provide the Cruise advisor with my preferences and make the booking process faster.
• Having my Chase Ultimate Rewards account details and the necessary passenger details ready before the call ensures a smoother booking experience.
• It’s important to note any cancellation and change policies associated with the chosen cruise, as these may affect my points redemption or any penalties in case of changes or cancellations.

By following these steps and tips, I can confidently book a fantastic cruise using my Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Cancellation and Changes

As a frequent user of Chase Ultimate Rewards, I’ve found that it’s essential to understand the cancellation and changes policies when booking a cruise. In this section, I’ll provide details about the different aspects of these policies, including change and cancellation processes, as well as refunds and point reversals.

Change and Cancellation Policies

First and foremost, it’s important to keep in mind that the change and cancellation policies for a cruise booked with Chase Ultimate Rewards may vary depending on the cruise line and specific booking terms. Before making any changes or cancellations, I always recommend reviewing the travel provider’s website to find their most updated COVID-19 policy information, as some providers have waived cancellation fees during this time. Additionally,  Chase’s Ultimate Rewards cancellation request form  is available for trips at least eight days in the future. If your trip is departing sooner, it’s best to call the customer support.

Refunds and Point Reversals

Once you’ve determined the appropriate cancellation process, it’s essential to understand how refunds and point reversals will work. In most cases, when canceling a cruise booked with Chase Ultimate Rewards points, the points will be credited back to my account. The exact amount returned may depend on the specific cancellation terms and any applicable fees. Remember that the timeline for receiving these points back may vary and can range from a few days to several weeks.

For cash refunds, it’s important to note that they will typically be processed to the original form of payment, such as a credit card or debit card used at the time of booking. Just like with point reversals, the refund timeline can vary, so it’s essential to be patient and keep an eye on your account for any updates.

In conclusion, when booking a cruise using Chase Ultimate Rewards, it’s crucial to understand the change and cancellation policies, as well as the process for refunds and point reversals. By staying informed and acting accordingly, I can make the most out of my rewards and enjoy a hassle-free travel experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

As I’ve booked cruises with Chase Ultimate Rewards, I’ve come across some common questions that might also be on your mind. I’ve provided short and concise answers to help guide you through the process.

How do I use Chase Ultimate Rewards to book a cruise? To book a cruise with Chase Ultimate Rewards, visit the  Chase Ultimate Rewards  website and log in to your online account. Once logged in, click on the “Earn/Use” tab, followed by the “Travel” icon. From the travel menu, select the “Cruises” tab, and you will be able to either browse available cruise packages or search for a specific offer based on the destination or cruise line.

Are the cruise fares the same as booking directly? Yes, the cruise fares booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards should be the same as what you would see when booking directly with a cruise line or through other travel agencies. However, there might be some differences in extra offers like onboard credit ( Cruise Critic ).

Can I book other travel services with Chase Ultimate Rewards? Yes, in addition to cruises, you can use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book flights, hotel stays, rental cars, and various activities. It’s essential to compare your options and decide whether it’s better to book through the portal or transfer points to airline and hotel partners ( The Points Guy ).

Can I use a combination of points and cash to pay for my cruise? Yes, you can use a combination of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points and your credit card to pay for your cruise booking. This option provides more flexibility, allowing you to choose how many points you want to redeem and how much cash you want to pay ( Chase Ultimate Rewards ).

In my experience, booking a cruise with Chase Ultimate Rewards can be a great way to use my points and enjoy a memorable vacation. One of the key aspects I’ve learned is that cruise fares should be the same as what I’d see booking direct, but it can be different when it comes to the additional offers and onboard credits  (Cruise Critic) .

I found that the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal allows me to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more directly with my points  (The Points Guy) . However, when booking a cruise, it is better to call a Chase travel specialist directly. The phone number I used was 1-866-951-6592, and they were available Monday through Friday 9 am to 9 pm, and Saturday 9 am to 5 pm  (Richmond Savers) .

It’s worth noting that some types of cruises, like Disney Cruises, cannot be booked with Chase Ultimate Rewards  (The Points Guy) . So, I recommend checking with the Chase travel specialist to confirm the availability of the desired cruise lines and options.

Utilizing Chase Ultimate Rewards to book a cruise has allowed me to make the most out of my points and create fantastic memories. By keeping these points in mind and communicating with a Chase travel specialist, booking a cruise journey can be a seamless and enjoyable process.

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The Best Ways To Book a Cruise Using Points and Miles [2024]

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How To Book a Cruise With American Express Membership Rewards Points

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You probably think of points and miles as a great way to book a flight or hotel room without spending a lot of money. While those are great ways to use your points, you can also book other types of travel, like a cruise, with points.

A cruise might not be something you think you can book with points or miles, but it can be done! In this post, we’ll walk you through all of the ways you can use your points and miles to book the cruise vacation of your dreams.

While there are no programs that offer a cruise line as a transfer partner, you can still use your points to book a cruise. The key is knowing which type of points you need and how to use them wisely.

As always, we’ve got you covered here at Upgraded Points — this guide will give you all the tools you need to book your next cruise with points.

American Express Membership Rewards Points

American Express Membership Rewards is a popular transferrable currency because its points are easy to earn and it has lots of great Amex airline partners .

You can also use Membership Rewards points through AmexTravel.com , a travel portal that acts like an online travel agency. The downside is that you’ll get less value for your points when you use them this way . Booking through AmexTravel.com will give you 0.7 cents in value, while transferring your points to hotel or airline partners often gives you 2, 3, or more cents per point in value.

If you’re also interested in flights and hotels, your best bet will be to transfer your points. However, if a cruise is what you’re after, the lower value might be worth it if you’re getting to book the vacation of your dreams.

There are lots of great cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards points — here are some of our favorites:

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

The Platinum Card ® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card ® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card  is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access , hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• Annual and monthly statement credits upon enrollment ( airline credit, Uber Cash credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, streaming credit, prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, Walmart+ credit, CLEAR credit, and Equinox credit )
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
• Access to Amex International Airline Program
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates and fees )
• $695 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards ® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card ® , Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts ® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card ® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card ® . Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card ® .
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR ® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card ® . Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck ® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card ® . Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card ® . That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card ® . An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card ® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

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American Express ® Gold Card

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

The American Express ® Gold Card  is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

• 4x points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter
• 3x points per dollar on flights purchased directly from airlines or at Amex Travel
• Up to $120 annual dining credit: up to $10 monthly statement credit when you pay with the Amex Gold card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com , Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations
• Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash : get $10 monthly in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. when you add your Gold Card to your Uber account
• No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees )
• Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection
• Access to American Express transfer partners
• $250 annual fee (see rates and fees )
• No lounge access
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards ® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards ® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards ® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards ® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express ® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
• Find the Amex Gold 75k or 90k Welcome Bonus Offer
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If you’re a business owner, see our article on the best American Express business cards .

• To book a cruise using your Membership Rewards Points, just search for your cruise on AmexTravel.com  as you normally would.

• You may notice that your total cost still shows in dollars. That’s because the full cost of the trip will be charged to the credit card that’s linked to your account. Then you’ll see a credit based on the amount of Membership Rewards points you chose to apply towards your cruise.

Bottom Line: You can book a cruise through AmexTravel.com online or by calling 866-669-4423. However, booking a cruise online through Amex can be glitchy, so you might have to end up calling. Unfortunately, many agents won’t know how to apply points to your booking, so you may have to call several times to get someone who can help you. You’ll get 0.7 cents per point in value when booking a cruise through AmexTravel.com.

As an American Express cardholder , you’re also eligible for some extra perks when you book a cruise.

When you search for a cruise, keep an eye out for the Special Offers tab that will be next to your search results. This tab will list the current deals offered to Amex credit cardholders. Perks can include things like onboard credit or prepaid gratuities.

As a cardholder of Amex Platinum card or The Business Platinum Card ® from American Express , you’re eligible for exclusive benefits when you book a cruise through AmexTravel.com.

On eligible cruises of 5 nights or more, you’ll receive a shipboard credit of $100 to $300 per stateroom (based on cabin type and cruise line), plus an additional exclusive amenity based on your cruise line.

Here are the extra amenities you can expect to receive from each cruise line (please keep in mind these are subject to change at any time):

• AMA Waterways: $100 spa voucher per stateroom
• Azamara: Behind the scenes ship tour and a bottle of premium Champagne
• Celebrity Cruises : Bottle of Champagne or wine
• Crystal Cruises: $200 shore excursion credit per stateroom
• Cunard: Bottle of wine
• Holland America Line : Plate of chocolate-covered strawberries
• Norwegian Cruise Line: Complimentary dinner for 2 at Le Bistro Restaurant
• Oceania Cruises: Premium wine tasting event and a bottle of wine of your choice from the tasting menu
• Princess Cruises: Plate of canapés
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises: Exclusive private galley tour
• Royal Caribbean: Bottle of premium Champagne or wine
• Seabourn : Exclusive “suite dreams” turndown service plus a bottle of wine
• Silversea: Bottle of premium Champagne and a tour of the ship’s galley
• Uniworld Boutique River Cruises: Bottle of wine and fresh flowers
• Windstar Cruises: Canapés, a bottle of Champagne, and chocolate-covered strawberries

To redeem these benefits, book online with your Amex Platinum card or call the Platinum Card Travel Service at 800-525-3355.

Hot Tip: Disney Cruise Line sailings can’t be booked through AmexTravel.com, Chase Travel, or Citi Travel.

One of the easiest and best ways to use points to pay for your cruise is by using a credit card that earns points or miles that can then be redeemed as a statement credit. These types of cards tend to be easy to use and a great option when you want to book something other than a flight or hotel.

Capital One offers some great cards that may come in handy when booking a cruise, including the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, and Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.

When you use this method, you can take advantage of any other sale or promotion since you don’t have to book through a specific portal, so it’s a great way to get additional discounts.

Recommended Capital One Cards

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Travel
• Unlimited complimentary access for cardholder and 2 guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• 10,000 bonus miles awarded on your account anniversary each year
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
• Add authorized users for no additional annual fee ( rates & fees )
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates & fees )
• $395 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status
• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck ®
• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card   is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Access to Capital One transfer partners
• $95 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Limited elite benefits
• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• How To Find the 75k or 100k Bonus for the Capital One Venture
• Travel Insurance Benefits of the Capital One Venture
• Capital One Venture Card vs. Capital One VentureOne Card [Detailed Comparison]
• Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Capital One Venture
• Best Travel Credit Cards
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• Best Credit Cards for Groceries and Supermarkets
• Best Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses
• Capital One vs. Citi Credit Cards – Which Is Best? [2024]
• Recommended Minimum Requirements for Capital One Credit Cards

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

The card offers unlimited miles at 1.25x per $1 and no annual fee. When you consider the flexible rewards, frequent travelers come out on top.

Interested in a travel rewards credit card without one of those pesky annual fees? Then say hello to the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.

In addition to no annual fee, the Capital One VentureOne card offers no foreign transaction fees.

But is this card worth its salt, or is it merely a shell of the more popular Capital One Venture card?

• No annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Ability to use transfer partners
• Fraud coverage
• Weak earn rate at 1.25x miles per $1 spent on all purchases
• No luxury travel or elite benefits
• $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
• Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
• Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
• Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 19.99% - 29.99% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies
• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable),0% intro on purchases for 15 months
• No Annual Fee Cards
• Benefits of the Capital One VentureOne Card
• Capital One Venture X Card vs. Capital One VentureOne Card [Detailed Comparison]
• Capital One Platinum Card vs. VentureOne and Venture Cards [Detailed Comparison]
• Best Virtual Credit Cards
• Best Instant Approval Credit Cards
• Capital One Transfer Partners
• easyJet Review – Seats, Amenities, Customer Service, Baggage Fees, & More
• The 5 Best First Credit Cards For Beginners [March 2024]

Bottom Line: With the Capital One Venture card, Capital One VentureOne card, or the Capital One Venture X card, you’ll be able to use your miles to redeem against your cruise purchase (within 90 days) at 1 cent per point in value.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

The Chase Ultimate Rewards program gets a lot of hype because its points are easy to earn and use and there are great Chase transfer partners .

There are so many  ways to earn Ultimate Rewards points and they can be redeemed in many ways . You can even book a cruise through the Chase travel portal  and use points to pay for it.

The value you get for your points will depend on which credit card you have. Here’s a quick look:

As you can see, Chase credit cards (including Chase’s business credit cards ) have different rates of earning points, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card yielding the most value for your Ultimate Rewards points.

Recommended Chase Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card

A fantastic travel card with a huge welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred ® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance . With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $150 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide
• $50 annual credit on hotel stays booked through the Chase Travel portal
• 6 months of complimentary Instacart+ (activate by July 31, 2024), plus up to $15 in statement credits each quarter through July 2024
• Excellent travel and car rental insurance
• 10% annual bonus points
• No foreign transaction fees
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs like United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt
• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status
• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
• Member FDIC

Chase Ultimate Rewards

• The Chase Sapphire Preferred 80k or 100k Bonus Offer
• Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Score Requirements
• Military Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred
• Chase Freedom Unlimited vs Sapphire Preferred
• Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Reserve
• Amex Gold vs Chase Sapphire Preferred

Chase Sapphire Reserve ®

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve ®  is one of the best options out there.

The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access , with excellent point earning and redemption options.  Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.

Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!

• 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10x points on Lyft purchases March 31, 2025
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025
• 5x points on airfare booked through Chase Travel SM
• 3x points on all other travel and dining purchases; 1x point on all other purchases
• $300 annual travel credit
• Priority Pass airport lounge access
• TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS credit
• Access to Chase Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection
• Rental car elite status with National and Avis
• $550 annual fee
• Does not offer any sort of hotel elite status
• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck ®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more
• Chase Sapphire Reserve 100k Bonus Offer
• Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits
• Chase Sapphire Reserve Airport Lounge Access
• Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel Insurance Benefits
• Chase Sapphire Reserve Military Benefits
• Amex Gold vs Chase Sapphire Reserve

Once you have enough points, you can take a look at the cruises offered through the Chase travel portal. The good news is that you’ll find cruises from all the major cruise lines you would expect, including Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity, and more.

You’ll see the prices listed in dollars, so you’ll also have to do the math to figure out how many points you will need. You’ll be able to see the total amount of credit you have at the top of the cruise portal screen.

Once you have selected your cruise, you’ll have to call 855-234-2542 to book as cruises can’t be booked online through Chase.

Bottom Line: Cruises can be booked using Ultimate Rewards points, but you’ll have to call 855-234-2542 to make your reservation. The value you’ll get for your points is determined by which Chase credit card you have, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offering the most value.

Hot Tip: Not sure where to start? Check out our detailed guide to the best websites to use to book a cruise .

Cruise Credit Cards

If you are interested in booking a cruise, you might be tempted to check out a co-branded cruise line credit card. These are generally not a great value — even for booking a cruise. But, if you’re still interested, we’ll give you a quick taste of what you can expect.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the credit cards offered by cruise lines:

This card comes with a welcome bonus of a $250 statement credit after spending $500. You’ll earn 2x points on any Carnival Cruise purchases and 1x points on all other purchases . You can redeem your FunPoints for 1 cent per point towards Carnival cruises , including onboard charges. Unfortunately, this card’s points are tied to Carnival, so they aren’t super flexible.

This card comes with a measly 10,000 point welcome bonus (worth $100 in ship credit on Royal Caribbean ), Celebrity, or Azamara Club Cruises, plus 10,000 bonus points (worth $100 statement credit). You’ll earn 2x points on Royal Caribbean and sister brand ships and 1x point per dollar spent on everything else.

The Royal Caribbean MyCruise Points program is complicated — there is a list of specific redemptions with very specific requirements. If you’re looking for a straightforward, easy way to pay for your cruise with points, this isn’t the program for you.

This card is another lackluster cruise line credit card. The welcome bonus is 10,000 Princess Points, which is worth $100 as a statement credit towards a Princess Cruises purchase. You’ll earn 2x points on Princess Cruises purchases and 1x points on all other purchases.

With the Norwegian Cruise Line card, you’ll earn 3 WorldPoints for every dollar you spend on Norwegian Cruise Line purchases, 2x points per dollar on airline and hotel purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. This card also comes with a 25,000-point bonus offer that is worth $250 towards upgrades, discounts, onboard credits, and more.

This is a standard cruise line card, offering a welcome bonus worth $100 in onboard credit. This card earns 2x points on Celebrity Cruises , Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Azamara Club Cruises. You can redeem your points for onboard credits or cruise vacations.

While the Disney Premier card isn’t specifically a cruise card, the Disney Rewards Dollars you earn can be applied to Disney cruises. This card comes with a decent welcome bonus worth $300 and even offers bonus categories for points:

• Earn 2% in Disney Rewards Dollars from purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and most Disney locations
• Earn 1% in Disney Rewards Dollars on all other purchases

You can use your Disney Rewards Dollars toward Disney Cruise Line packages and onboard charges.

Bottom Line: If you are looking to book a cruise with points and miles, surprisingly, a cruise line credit card isn’t your best option.  These cards don’t offer very lucrative welcome bonuses or earnings categories. Plus, they don’t give you much flexibility with your points. In most situations, you’ll be better off with a credit card that lets you use your points as a statement credit or a card that earns flexible points.

Marriott Bonvoy Points

You may be surprised to know that you can use your Marriott Bonvoy points to book a cruise . While many people might think of Marriott Bonvoy points as hotel points, they are actually transferable and very flexible — they can be used for hotels, flights,  and even cruises!

Marriott Bonvoy partners with Cruise With Points to allow you to use your Marriott Bonvoy points towards a cruise vacation (or you can choose to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on cruises that you pay for).

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card

A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card.

The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

• Up to 14x points per $1 on Marriott purchases
• 2x points per $1 on travel purchases
• 15 Elite Night Credits each year (automatically gives you Silver Elite status)
• No foreign transaction fees
• No annual fee
• Lower point earn rate than other Marriott Bonvoy cards
• Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status is the lowest status tier
• Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Pay no annual fee with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card from Chase ® !
• Earn up to 14X total points per $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Card.
• 1X point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Your points don't expire as long as you make purchases on your card every 24 months.
• Hotel Credit Cards

Marriott Bonvoy

• Marriott Transfer Partners
• Best Credit Cards for Marriott Loyalists
• Best Marriott Credit Cards

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card

Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual free night award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.

If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card . The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.

• Earn big when you use your card at thousands of participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
• Earn big at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
• Automatic Silver Elite Status
• 1 Free Night Award each cardmember anniversary (valued up to 35,000 points)
• One year complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription
• Marriott Silver status is the lowest status tier
• Foreign Transaction Fees:
• The 75,000 or 100,000 Bonus Point Offer for the Marriott Boundless
• 23 Valuable Benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
• Best Hotel Credit Cards for Free Nights

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card , the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.

• 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• 4x points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2X points)
• 2x points per $1 on all other purchases
• Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
• 15 Elite Night Credits per year
• 1,000 bonus points per paid stay
• 1 Free Night Award (up to 50,000 points) when you spend $15,000 on the card in a year
• $250 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Free Night Award certificate is not an automatic benefit
• Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy ® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
• Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Marriott Bonvoy 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy ® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elites status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy ® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit, available for Qualifying Rates.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy ® points) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . Certain hotels have resort fees.
• 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card ® you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy ® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Plan It ® is a payment option that lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee. Plus, you'll still earn rewards the way you usually do.
• $250 Annual Fee.
• Terms apply.
• APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card

A premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card  is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.

So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?

• 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy   program
• 3x points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines and restaurants worldwide
• 25 Elite Night Credits each year
• Priority Pass Select membership upon enrollment
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit
• Annual Free Night Award after card renewal
• Complimentary Platinum Elite status
• Steep annual fee of $650 ( rates and fees )
• 6x points per $1 is the same earn rate offered with lower annual fee alternatives like the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card
• Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card at restaurants worldwide.
• With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
• $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton ® or St. Regis ® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck ® : Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck ® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy ® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
• With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• $650 Annual Fee.

• Next, click on Redeem Points at the bottom of the screen.
• Here you’ll be able to search for an available cruise. Once you find a cruise, you’ll need to call 800-596-0452 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST to make your reservation.

You can redeem your points for a certificate that you can apply to your cruise:

While it’s great to have this option, unless a cruise is the only way you want to travel, it’s not the best use of your Marriott Bonvoy points since you’ll only get 0.4 cents per point in value when booking a cruise. Marriott Bonvoy  points are worth ~0.7 cents each , so you’ll miss out on some value by using Marriott Bonvoy points for a cruise.

Bottom Line: You can use your Marriott Bonvoy points to book a cruise or get a discount on a cruise by calling 800-596-0452 Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. You will get 0.4 cents value per point when using Marriott Bonvoy points this way.

United MileagePlus Miles

Did you know that you can book all or part of a cruise using United MileagePlus miles? Alternatively, you can choose to pay for your cruise and earn United miles on the cost of your stateroom.

As with most options for booking a cruise, using United miles isn’t the best option as far as value is concerned — you’ll get ~ 0.7 cents per mile when booking a cruise. United miles are generally valued at right around 1.3 cents per mile, so you’re getting less than half the value you could get if you used your miles for a flight.

But if you’re flush with United miles and just want to go on a cruise, it might be an option to consider.

• Visit United Cruises to get started or go to United.com and click on MileagePlus > Use Miles > Cruise Awards .
• Search for a cruise as you would on any other online travel agency.

• Once you select your cruise, you’ll be prompted to log in to your United account.

Bottom Line: You can expect to get ~0.7 cents per mile in value when booking a cruise with United miles. This isn’t a great value considering United miles are valued at ~1.3 cents each.

Other Cruise Perks, Discounts, and Bonuses

Let’s review a few other ways to get the most out of your next cruise.

Qualifying Platinum and Noir members in the MGM Rewards program can receive a free cruise on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises each year.

Amex Offers are a great perk of having an American Express credit card. Keep an eye out for offers on cruises — you may be able to get an additional discount or bonus Membership Rewards points. These offers can be stacked with any other discounts or bonuses! You can always pay for part of your cruise with your credit card to get the bonus, then use points for the rest.

Similarly, Chase Offers also features cash-back offers across many categories, including travel.

Cruise-related offers have included cash-back and percent-back offers with Carnival and Crystal. Make sure you’re checking your current Chase Offers frequently to see what’s currently available on your card!

If you decide you would rather pay for your cruise and save your points for a better redemption, be sure to set yourself up to earn the most points on your next cruise:

• American Airlines Cruises: Earn up to 100,000 bonus American Airlines miles on select cruises when you book through American . Most cruises earn 1 to 2 bonus miles per dollar (capped at 10,000 bonus miles or 20,000 bonus miles if you are an American Airlines credit cardmember).
• Marriott Bonvoy Cruises: You can earn up to 30,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points (3 points per dollar spent) when you book a cruise through Marriott Bonvoy .
• SkyMiles Cruises: When you book your cruise through Delta , you can earn up to 10,000 Delta SkyMiles, depending on the length of your cruise. Plus, you can earn even more bonus SkyMiles on select sailings.
• United Cruises: You can earn up to 7 miles per dollar when you book select cruises through United . Most cruises offer the chance to earn up to 25,000 miles, but United MileagePlus credit cardmembers can earn up to 45,000 bonus miles per cruise.

Hot Tip:  If you’re not sure how to pay for your cruise, check out our guide to the best credit cards for booking cruises .

While booking a cruise with points and miles might not be as straightforward as booking a hotel or flight, it can be done! There are lots of options to pay for your entire cruise with points or to use points to get a substantial discount.

Keep in mind, with most of these methods, the value you are going to get for your points is less than what it could be if you were using them in a more traditional way (for flights or hotels). But if a cruise is what you want and your points can help get you there, then it’s a good redemption for YOU! Happy sailing!

The information regarding the Carnival ® World Mastercard ® , Royal Caribbean Visa Signature ® Card, Princess Cruises ® Rewards Visa ® Card, Norwegian Cruise Line ® World Mastercard ® and Celebrity Cruises Visa Signature ® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click  here . For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® card, click here .

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i use points for a cruise.

Yes! While it’s not as good of a value as using points for a flight or hotel, you can use your points for cruises. Look for cards that earn points or miles that act as a statement credit for travel purchases. Check out programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards and use these types of points in their travel portals for cruises. You can also use Marriott Bonvoy points and United miles to book cruises.

Can I use airline miles for a cruise?

Yes, you can use United MileagePlus miles towards a cruise. You can no longer redeem American AAdvantage miles, Southwest Rapid Rewards points, or Delta SkyMiles for a cruise.

Can I book a cruise with Hilton points?

No, you can no longer book a cruise with Hilton Honors points. The only hotel points you can use to book a cruise are Marriott Bonvoy points.

Can Capital One miles be used for cruises?

Yes. The miles you earn on Capital One credit cards can be used to redeem against travel purchases within the previous 90 days (including cruises) on your statement. Alternatively, you can use points to book a cruise through the Capital One Travel portal.

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About Katie Seemann

Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure, Forbes Advisor, and Fortune Recommends.

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If you’re a parent, chances are the topic of a Disney Cruise will come up at some point. It’s been a while since I’ve watched the Travel Channel, but a few years ago they were running a constant stream of shows about cruising. One show focused on the Disney Cruise, which looked really fun. Even to someone who doesn’t have kids and would normally hyperventilate at the thought of being confined in a cruise ship filled with them for an extended period of time.

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She asked me what her options were for booking a Disney Cruise with points and miles. I also figured this information might be relevant to some of you parents reading this blog. Thus, an extensive post was in order!

Disney Cruise with Amex Points

American Express Membership Rewards points are worth 1 cent each towards cruise bookings made through Pay with Points. Since the Amex Travel website doesn’t list Disney Cruises in their search results, you’ll have to redeem Membership Rewards points for statement credits at a rate of 0.6 cents each.

With Disney Cruises starting at $465 per person , this would require over 77,500 Membership Rewards points per person after taxes. Obviously, this isn’t the best use of Membership Rewards points.

It’s much more prudent to book a non-Disney Cruise through Pay with Points and get 1 cent per point, along with a 20% point discount for American Express Platinum Business cardholders.

Disney Cruise with Arrival Miles

One of my favorite rewards currencies (which I’m sure you’re all either sick of reading about or have turned into a drinking game), Barclay Arrival Miles are worth 1.1 cents each towards travel.

The 46,000-mile sign-up bonus from the Barclay Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard is worth $483 towards a Disney Cruise. Since the Barclay Arrival Plus card earns 2 miles per $1 spent, it’s worth channeling your household spending or churning some gift cards to increase your Arrival miles balance and off-set some more of your travel expenses.

Disney Cruise with Chase Ultimate Rewards

It’s pretty baffling that Chase allows you to book everything from airfare to walking tours through the Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal , yet you have to call to redeem points for a cruise. Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1 cent each towards cruise bookings. Plus, there’s a 50% discount for Sapphire Reserve cardholders.

The  Chase Sapphire Reserve  card currently offers 50,000 points after $4,000 spent in 3 months. Since Sapphire Reserve cardholders get a 50% bonus on points, the sign-up bonus is worth $810 towards a Disney Cruise. 

Using  Citi ThankYou Points for a  Disney Cruise 

Citi ThankYou points are worth 1 cent each towards cruise bookings, though Citi ThankYou Premier cardholders get 1.25 cents per point. This makes the 53,000-point sign-up bonus of the Citi ThankYou Premier card the best option. It can be redeemed for $662 towards a Disney Cruise. 

Disney Credit Cards

Cruise credit cards are the worst option when it comes to sign-up bonuses. The Disney Rewards Visa offers a measly $50 statement credit after first purchase. They might as well offer  an inflatable Spiderman toy at that rate. Besides, booking a Disney Cruise with the Disney Debit Card from Chase gets you the same $50 statement credit, without the 5-point hit on your credit.

The Disney Premier Visa offers a $100 statement credit after $500 spent within 3 months. However, the Disney website lists an offer for a $200 statement credit. In case you’re considering getting this card, don’t. Just…don’t. 

Save on a Disney Cruise with Disney gift cards

Disney Gift Cards can be used for both onboard charges as well as cruise bookings. Safeway sells Disney gift cards. Purchasing them with a category bonus-earning credit card  won’t cover the cost of the cruise, but it will earn you extra points or cash back that you can redeem for future travel.

Book a Disney Cruise with United Miles

Airline frequent flyer programs offer some generous bonuses on cruise bookings. But did you know you can also redeem airline miles for a cruise? United Cruises allows you to do just that.

Similar to an airline award ticket, cruises booked with miles come with taxes and fees. A 3-night Bahamas cruise cost $465 per person or 54,706 miles for an Interior cabin.

Taxes and fees for two people are an additional $135.02, plus a $24.99 processing fee. At less than 0.85 cents per mile, this isn’t the best use of United miles. However, to some, it’s worth it for a 3-night vacation that includes transportation (except for airfare), lodging, and meals.

My Recommendation

I’d recommend using the sign-up bonus from the Barclay Arrival Plus card to cover the cost of the cruise. United miles are best saved for hassle-free award tickets to Europe.

Those are some of your best options for booking a Disney Cruise with points and miles. Arrival Miles offer the best value since they are accrued at a rate of 2.1 miles per $1 spent. I would steer clear of using United miles or the Disney credit cards. You’ll get very little in the way of value from these currencies.  

If you decide to book a Disney Cruise with a rewards card that allows you to redeem points for travel purchases, don’t forget to shop through a cash back or rewards portal for extra savings and points.

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Is there a way to use multiple credit cards to pay for this cruise? I have a family of 5 so a cruise would be a minimum of $3,500. Thanks!

Certainly. If you and your spouse each got one card from each bank (i.e. Barclay Arrival, Citi Prestige, Sapphire), you could easily cover 5 people. Right now the Platinum cards have pretty hefty bonuses so if you can manage to meet the spend (preferably without ms, to avoid claw-backs) you can achieve this with even fewer credit c

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How To Use Chase Ultimate Rewards for Disney Trips

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers .

Travelers can use Chase Ultimate Rewards for Disney trips in multiple different ways — including transferring to travel partners, booking in the travel portal, Pay Yourself Back to reimburse your expenses, and cashing out points to offset other purchases.

Today's post looks at the best ways to cover flights and lodging with Ultimate Rewards, as well as how to use points and miles for harder-to-cover expenses like rental cars, Disney park admission, and park purchases.

Page Contents

Earning Ultimate Rewards in the U.S. parks or at Hong Kong Disneyland

Earning ultimate rewards at tokyo disneyland, transfer ultimate rewards to hyatt to book hotels near disney parks, comparing costs: transferring to hyatt vs. booking hyatt hotels in the chase travel portal, booking a deluxe disney resort in the chase travel portal, redeeming ultimate rewards for flights: transferring points vs. booking in the portal, redeeming points in the chase travel portal for admission tickets, booking rental cars with points in the chase portal, using pay yourself back for disney trips, cashing out ultimate rewards to offset disney trip costs, bottom line, earning chase ultimate rewards at disney parks.

Not only is the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card the best beginner card for travelers , it also stands out as our favorite Chase Disney card in the U.S. and at Hong Kong Disneyland for a few reasons:

• Earns 3x points purchasing food in the U.S. parks or at Hong Kong Disneyland (at these parks — and these parks only — food purchases code as “dining”).
• Purchase airfare on the card (or pay award flight taxes and fees on the card) and protect your trip with quality trip protection.
• Low $95 annual fee
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Earns 5x points on Lyft through March 2025.

In addition, earn 60,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening on the Sapphire Preferred . Use those welcome bonus points for your next Disney trip, as outlined below.

While lots of cards earn Chase Ultimate rewards , we recommend either the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Ink Business Preferred at Tokyo Disneyland for the following reasons:

• All park purchases code “travel” in the Tokyo Parks (the Ink Preferred earns 3x points per on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases across bonus categories annually, one of which is travel).
• Welcome bonus of 100,000 after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Unlimited 3x points on travel after exhausting the annual $300 travel credit .
• Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership.
• Best-in-class travel protections.
• Up to $100 credit to cover your application fee to Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS once every four years.
• Annual travel credit is helpful for hard-to-cover Disney travel charges like rental cars and admission (depending on how the purchase codes on your credit card).
• Welcome bonus of 60,000 after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Using Chase Ultimate Rewards To Book Lodging for Disney Trips

One of the best ways to obtain top value from your Ultimate Rewards is transferring them to World of Hyatt. Luckily, multiple Disney locations around the world have Hyatt properties nearby.

• At Disneyland California , choose the Hyatt House, Hyatt Place, or Hyatt Regency Orange County.
• At Walt Disney World , stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress or Hyatt Place Lake Buena Vista.
• On a Disneyland Paris day trip , take the RER from the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoilé in the city.
• At Tokyo Disneyland , try the Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay.
• For Hong Kong Disneyland , book the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui.

Related: A Step-by-Step Guide to Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards

It's also possible to use your points in the Chase Travel Portal . It's always worth comparing how many points you'll need this way against how many points you'll need when transferring to Hyatt.

Let's check the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, near Walt Disney World, for an example.

Booking through Hyatt, you'll pay 12,000, 15,000, or 18,000 points for a standard room, based on Hyatt's peak and off-peak pricing. Because Hyatt waives resort fees on award stays, you won't pay one if you book through Hyatt directly with points. At this property, the daily resort fee is $49 + tax.

Booking the same room on the same night in the Chase Travel Portal costs $316.12 plus a $55.13 nightly resort fee ($49 + tax).

Let's assume you have a stash of Ultimate Rewards. How many would you need to use to book this hotel through the travel portal? It depends on which Chase credit card you have.

• With the Sapphire Reserve , points are worth 1.5 cents each in the portal. You'll need 21,075 points per night to cover the hotel room (you'll pay the resort fee at the property).
• With the Sapphire Preferred or Ink Preferred , points are worth 1.25 cents apiece. You'll need 25,290 points per night.
• With other, no-annual-fee Chase cards, points are worth 1 cent each in the portal. You'll need 31,612 points each night.

Clearly, transferring Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt and booking this stay directly wins. We recommend always comparing prices before booking. You won't always save more booking directly, but often you will. Use whichever option costs fewer points.

The only way to use points to stay on property at Walt Disney World is to book the Swan & Dolphin Deluxe Resorts. You can use Ultimate Rewards in the Chase Travel Portal or Marriott points through Marriott Bonvoy. Let's compare points costs for booking a standard room both ways.

Related: How To Book the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels With Points

Booking through Marriott would cost 66,000 Marriott points plus a $50.63 resort fee. Unfortunately, Marriott does not waive resort fees on award bookings like Hyatt and Hilton do.

Booking the Swan in the Chase travel portal costs $282.49 plus the same $50.63 resort tax and fees.

Let's look at how many points you'll need, based on which card you hold.

• With the Sapphire Reserve , you'll need 18,833 points per night to cover the hotel room (you'll pay the resort fee at the property).
• With the Sapphire Preferred or Ink Preferred , you'll need 22,599 points per night.
• With other, no-annual-fee Chase cards, you'll need 28,249 points each night.

That's significantly fewer points than what you'd use sending them to Marriott. However, it's worth pointing out that you won't receive stay credit or your Marriott elite status perks if you don't book directly with Marriott.

Of course, Chase Ultimate Rewards are typically worth more than Marriott points, so this isn't a 1-to-1 comparison. In any case, because these properties are in the Chase portal, consider carefully before transferring points to Marriott to book at the Swan & Dolphin.

Because booking Deluxe Disney Resorts with cash costs hundreds to thousands of dollars per night, we think the option to use Ultimate Rewards in the portal to stay on property at Disney World could be a great use of Ultimate Rewards for Disney fans.

Related: How To Use the Chase Travel Portal

Much like hotels, you'll often get better value out of your Ultimate Rewards by transferring them to partner airlines than using the portal. As we said before, though, you should always compare prices in and out of the portal to make sure you're getting the best deal. Let's compare the cost of booking a Southwest Airlines flight in the Chase Travel Portal with the cost of transferring the points to Southwest Airlines and booking directly.

Consider this Spring Break flight from Portland to Los Angeles, which costs $118. If you have a Sapphire Preferred or Ink Preferred , this flight would cost 9,440 Ultimate Rewards points when booking in the portal. With the Sapphire Reserve , it would cost 7,867 points.

In this case, the same flight booked directly through Southwest Airlines costs 4,483 + $5.60 — almost half as many points.

In case you were wondering, the cash price is also lower booking directly through Southwest Airlines: $81 vs. $118.

In summary: Always check to ensure you're getting the best deal. Compare prices in the portal and those available when transferring points to book directly.

Related: You Can Now Book Southwest Airlines Flights in the Chase Travel Portal, but You Might Not Want To

Tip: When booking your ticket through Southwest Airlines, pay the taxes on your Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred. Your entire trip will be covered with excellent trip insurance in this way.

Using Ultimate Rewards for Hard-To-Cover Disney Costs

The hardest parts of a Disney vacation to cover with points and miles are admission tickets, Official Disney Resorts, rental cars, and purchases inside the parks. This next section will discuss using the Chase Travel Portal, Pay Yourself Back, and cashing out Ultimate Rewards to cover costs like these.

From time to time, the Chase Travel Portal sells both Walt Disney World and Disneyland admission. Be advised, however, that the portal typically charges higher fees for admission than Disney and other third-party retailers charge. In most cases, the only time purchasing Disney tickets in the portal makes sense is if you hold a Sapphire Reserve and can redeem points for 1.5¢ each.

There are pros and cons to booking rental cars in the Chase travel portal, and it's worth comparing prices when you're shopping around for Disney vacation car rentals. The best thing about booking in the portal is that your credit card's rental car insurance will apply, even if you pay for the entire rental with Ultimate Rewards points.

The downside is that many rental car programs offer a “skip the line, go straight to your car” benefit to anyone who signs up for their rewards program. To get this benefit — and thus avoid the long lines at airports near Disney parks — you'll have to book directly with the rental agency.

Chase's Pay Yourself Back works similarly to cashing out your Ultimate Rewards, with a few exceptions:

• Pro: Based on which credit card you hold, you'll cash out your points for 25%-50% more value.
• Con: You're limited to certain rotating categories, which typically don't include travel.

The current categories for Sapphire Reserve cardholders include gas stations and groceries. Under the right circumstances, both of those categories apply to Disney vacations, as you can purchase Disney gift cards at some gas stations and grocery stores. This means Pay Yourself Back (PYB) could be another valuable way to redeem points for your next trip.

Pay attention to these categories, because they change and sometimes become beneficial Disney trip categories. In the past, they've included entertainment — a category extremely helpful for Disney trips. U.S. Disney park admission purchased individually from Disney (i.e., not as part of a resort package) codes as “entertainment,” as do park purchases at Disneyland Paris . That means you could charge these vacation costs to your participating credit card and pay yourself back with Ultimate Rewards at an elevated rate if the entertainment category is active at the time of your purchase.

Related: Chase Pay Yourself Back: What You Need To Know

One nice perk about Ultimate Rewards is that, as a last resort, you can always cash them out for 1 cent per point. It's obviously not the most valuable redemption, but sometimes the value of your points boils down to reducing travel costs as much as possible. If you find yourself with a combination of vacation costs to pay for with a balance of Ultimate Rewards available, it might make sense to cash some of them out to offset costs. Again, weigh your options, compare costs, and make the best decision for your current travel needs.

Related: 22 Different Ways To Redeem Ultimate Rewards

Ultimate Rewards are truly some of the easiest, most flexible points to earn and redeem. Whether transferring to Southwest Airlines to book flights or booking a Deluxe Disney Resort in the Chase portal, you'll save big when earning and redeeming your Ultimates Rewards. Even hard-to-cover costs like Disney admission can be covered with points under the right circumstances. While the cost of a Disney vacation continues to increase over time, keeping a balance of Ultimate Rewards will ensure you can continue visiting the Mouse year after year.

See also: The Pros and Cons of Chase's Disney Visa Credit Cards

The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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What a great usage of points at a place with no loyalty incentive program.

Great info on purchasing Disney GCs

This is the best news to have in my pocket. I was looking at a good way to save on a Disney trip for my kids. This will help make it a much easier trip. I assume using the points would still give trip protection? But if we split it, like with giftcards, then anything obviously on them wouldn’t be covered. Still to get giftcards and let my kids use them to get things on their own without draining my bank account on souvenirs would be a good idea. Now I know where to get them discounted :O)

I’ve never understood why people want to visit Disney, but I guess this is good for the many who do.

I love Chase’s UR program, and here’s just another reason why.

There is a lot of great information in this article. The idea of booking through Ultimate Rewards would have never occurred to me. Learning that over the phone is a better way for this situation is extremely useful and an extra reminder of buying gift cards at a discount is something that I often forget to do, for any specific purchase — it’s a double loss when you can buy the cards at a discount and then get extra points if you buy them at the correct store. It might almost make a DIsney vacation seem reasonable!

Wow! Chase’s flexibility on Disney stays with Ultimate Rewards points is awesome.

great idea! I didn’t think about this, but this is super!

I really appreciate this post. We’ve been looking into a Disney vacation and didn’t know which rewards are best to use.

Thanks for the info. Using points for Disney is da bomb, if you have young kids.

Can be pretty expensive otherwise

So am I reading this right to say that you WERE able to apply your annual pass discount (or other published discounts) over the phone?

That’s certainly how I read it.

Great advise, didn’t know about Disney GC’s.

I would rather just get cash back for the ultimate rewards points. It is better than going for gift cards which limits on how you use the points.

You’ve missed the point. She didn’t purchase gift cards or take cash back with Ultimate Rewards.

I never found the Chase travel website to have competitive prices for hotels and airlines, so I would just get the gift cards. Even with the 25% given for using points, the prices are still higher than booking directly with the different websites.

I don’t see what this has to do with what Rachel has done here. What is your point?

Never would have thought to use points like this – great idea

This is a great way to use ultimate reward points.

Too bad this doesnt work for park tickets. Still wish I would have seen this before memorial day when we went for a last minute trip. Although we had less in our flight/rental car/hotel (<$500) than we had in park tickets. If I ever end up staying at a Disney park I think I would opt for the one at animal kingdom.

This might work for park tickets alone. I just booked a whole package of dining, park tickets and hotel using ONLY ur points. Just make sure you ask for cruise dept.

I used UR to buy tickets to Disneyland in August, but couldn’t use UR to add the maxpass. We just added that when we entered the park. Worked well for us.

very nice tip! thanks!

Earn and redeem toward more Disney

Earn disney rewards dollars on all card purchases..

on card purchases made directly at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or ESPNPlus.com. 3

on card purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and most Disney U.S. locations. 3

on all your other card purchases. 3

Redeem Rewards Dollars toward Disney vacations and more. 3

Disney Parks & Resorts

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Movies

Disney Shopping

Airline Travel

Enjoy cardmember perks.

Special Vacation Financing

Disney Parks Shopping & Dining

Disney Parks Photo Opportunities

Cardmember Limited-Time Offers

Enjoy the disney bundle.

Get started by selecting your favorite card design 13

Sleeping Beauty Castle

Darth Vader

Retro Walt Disney World

The Mandalorian

Vintage Mickey

Eligibility

Accounts subject to credit approval. Restrictions and limitations apply. Disney Visa Credit Cards are issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Offer subject to change.

1.   $400 Statement Credit

This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months. Offers may vary and may not be available through all application methods when applying for the Disney Visa Credit Cards. In some instances, an application may require additional time to process. To qualify and receive your $400 statement credit, you must make Purchases totaling $1000 or more during the first 3 months from account opening. (“Purchases” do not include balance transfers, cash advances, travelers checks, foreign currency, money orders, wire transfers or similar cash-like transactions, lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, race track wagers or similar betting transactions, any checks that access your account, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges, and fees of any kind, including an annual fee, if applicable.) To be eligible for this bonus offer, account must be open and not in default at the time of fulfillment. After qualifying, please allow up to 8 weeks for your credit to appear in your statement.

2.   Special Vacation Financing

Get special vacation financing on select Disney Resort packages, all Adventures by Disney ® packages, National Geographic Expeditions, all Aulani , A Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawai‘i vacation packages, and all Disney Cruise Line packages (collectively, Disney Vacation Packages). Disney Vacation Packages must be booked by you through the Walt Disney Travel Company , Disney Cruise Line or Adventures by Disney Travel Services, Inc., online at Disney sites or through other eligible travel agents or sites, and charged to your Disney Visa Credit Card prior to commencement of your vacation. Other restrictions and exclusions apply. Please refer to the Pricing & Terms Pricing & Terms for pricing details. You will receive complete terms and conditions for this offer once you become a cardmember.

3.   Earn Disney Rewards Dollars with the Disney Premier Visa Card

The terms and conditions that apply to Disney Rewards Dollars are available at DisneyRewards.com/Terms and will be provided to you with your Disney Premier Visa Card once you become a cardmember. Subject to credit approval: You will earn one percent (1%) in Disney Rewards Dollars for every dollar of Qualifying Purchases (as defined below) made. You will earn an additional one percent (1%) in Disney Rewards Dollars for every dollar of Qualifying Purchases made at (i) Disney branded point of sale locations (owned and operated by Disney Rewards, LLC or its affiliates) as well as a select number of other locations owned and operated by third parties where Disney Rewards Dollars may be redeemed and (ii) at any of the types of merchants in the following rewards categories: gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants (for a total of 2% on these Qualifying Purchases). You will earn an additional four percent (4%) in Disney Rewards Dollars for every dollar of Qualifying Purchases made directly at DisneyPlus.com , Hulu.com , or ESPNPlus.com for (a) a Disney+, Hulu or ESPN+ monthly or annual subscription, or (b) The Disney Bundle subscription, or (c) additional Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN+ purchases, including Premier Access on Disney+, add-ons on Hulu, and pay-per-view events on ESPN+ (for a total of 5% on these Qualifying Purchases). Your purchase of any of these subscriptions or additional Disney+, Hulu or ESPN+ purchases will not earn an additional 4% in Disney Rewards Dollars if your purchase is made through a third-party device or digital platform (unless such device or platform redirects to DisneyPlus.com , Hulu.com or ESPNPlus.com for purchase) or as a bundle with cable services or as another bundle. Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ gift card and subscription card purchases that are purchased directly from DisneyPlus.com , Hulu.com or ESPNPlus.com will earn an additional 4% in Disney Rewards Dollars, but such gift card and subscription card purchases that are purchased from a point of sale location other than DisneyPlus.com , Hulu.com or ESPNPlus.com will not earn an additional 4% in Disney Rewards Dollars. Merchants who accept Visa credit cards are assigned a merchant code, which is determined by the merchant or its processor in accordance with Visa procedures based on the primary types of products and services the merchant sells. Chase groups similar merchant codes into categories for purposes of making rewards offers to you. Please note: Chase makes every effort to include all relevant merchant codes in its listed rewards categories. However, even though a merchant or some of the items that it sells may appear to fit within a rewards category, the merchant may not have a merchant code in that category. When this occurs, purchases with that merchant and the purchases of Disney goods or services at locations that are not solely owned and operated by Disney will not qualify for the additional one percent (1%) or four percent (4%) in Disney Rewards Dollars, as applicable. Purchases submitted by you, your authorized users, or the merchant through third-party payment accounts, mobile or wireless card readers, online or mobile digital wallets, or similar technology will not qualify in a rewards category if the technology is not set up to process the purchase in that rewards category. For more information, see the FAQs at DisneyRewards.com/PremierEarnFAQ . (“Qualifying Purchases” means the amount of your retail purchases of goods and services minus returns or refunds that qualify for Disney Rewards Dollars in a billing cycle and do not include balance transfers, cash advances and other cash-like transactions, travelers checks, foreign currency, money orders, wire transfers, lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, race track wagers or similar betting transactions, any checks that access your Card Account, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges, or fees of any kind, including an annual fee, if applicable.)

4.   Redeem Disney Rewards Dollars with Pay Yourself Back ® for the Disney Premier Visa Card

Disney Rewards Dollars may be redeemed for a statement credit using Pay Yourself Back toward purchases made with your Disney Premier Visa Card at select U.S. Disney locations in Disney Parks and Resorts (for a list of Disney locations, visit DisneyRewards.com/Where-To-Redeem ), Disney store and outlet locations in the U.S., shopDisney.com , and at DisneyPlus.com , Hulu.com and ESPNPlus.com , and airline purchases, excluding purchases made with third-party providers and travel agencies, within 90 days from the purchase date. Disney Rewards Dollars cannot be redeemed for a statement credit using a Disney Rewards Redemption Card. Categories, eligible merchants, and purchase transaction eligibility may change from time to time without notice. Even though a merchant or some of the items that it sells may appear to fit within a rewards category, the merchant may not have a merchant code in that category. When this occurs, purchases with that merchant won’t qualify for rewards offers on purchases in that category. Each Disney Rewards Dollar you redeem for a statement credit toward qualifying purchases with Pay Yourself Back is worth $1.00 (one U.S. dollar), which means that 1.00 Disney Rewards Dollar equals $1.00 in redemption value. Redemptions require a minimum of .01 Rewards Dollar and a maximum of 12 purchases and/or transactions selected in a single order. Statement credits will post to the card account within 3 business days of a request to redeem and will appear on the monthly Chase credit card billing statement within 1-2 billing cycles. Statement credits will reduce your balance, but you are still required to make at least your minimum monthly payment. Disney and Chase reserve the right to determine which Disney Premier Visa Card purchases qualify for a statement credit. Rewards Dollars redeemed for statement credits cannot be returned or re-deposited. Pay Yourself Back may be discontinued at any time. Disney Rewards Dollars are subject to the Disney Rewards Dollars Terms and Conditions for Disney Visa Credit Cards available at DisneyRewards.com/Terms .

5.   Savings Onboard Disney Cruise Line

Offer and offer elements are subject to availability, capacity limitations, cruise cancellations, and additional restrictions, may change or be canceled without notice, and are not guaranteed. In order to receive special Disney Cruise Line perks, valid Disney Visa Card must be designated for all onboard purchases at time of purchase for sailings through 12/31/24. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts including Cast Member, Castaway Club, and Disney Vacation Club ® offers or discounts, and is for personal use only. Ships’ Registry: The Bahamas. Chase is not responsible or liable for fulfillment of this offer.

6.   Castaway Cay Savings Onboard Disney Cruise Line

10% off a Castaway Cay Getaway Package . Offer and offer elements are subject to availability, capacity limitations, cruise cancellations, and additional restrictions, may change or be canceled without notice, and are not guaranteed. Not valid for any other Port Adventures (Excursions) or Castaway Cay activities and amenities. In order to receive special Disney Cruise Line perks, valid Disney Visa Card must be designated for all onboard purchases at time of purchase for sailings through 12/31/24. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts including Cast Member, Castaway Club, and Disney Vacation Club ® offers or discounts, and is for personal use only. Ships’ Registry: The Bahamas. Chase is not responsible or liable for fulfillment of this offer.

7.   Disney Theme Park & Resort Perks

Offers and offer elements including, but not limited to, participating locations and eligible items, are subject to availability, capacity limitations, closures and additional restrictions and exclusions, may change or be canceled without notice, and are not guaranteed. Must use your valid Disney Visa Card and/or Disney Rewards Redemption Card as form(s) of payment at the time of purchase for full amount of purchase to receive special offers. Merchandise discount may not be available for certain items and at certain locations including Disneyland ® Resort and Walt Disney World ® Resort Operating Participant locations and any other locations or kiosks that are not owned or operated by the owners of the Disneyland ® Resort or Walt Disney World ® Resort. To receive a merchandise discount, you must mention the specific offer. For entry into the Disney or Star Wars Cardmember Photo Opportunities, you must present your valid Disney Visa Card. Not valid in combination with other offers, discounts, promotions or with any previous purchase. Minimum purchase and/or separate Theme Park admission and Theme Park reservation may be required. Offers are for personal use only and may not be transferred or resold. Chase is not responsible or liable for fulfillment of these Disney Theme Park and Resort perks.

8.   Merchandise Savings at Disney Theme Parks & Resorts

Offer and offer elements including, but not limited to, participating locations and eligible items, are subject to availability, capacity limitations, closures, and additional restrictions and exclusions, may change or be canceled without notice, and are not guaranteed. Must use your valid Disney Visa Card and/or Disney Rewards Redemption Card as form(s) of payment at the time of purchase for full amount of purchase and mention this offer. Discount is not valid on previous purchases or on purchases of the following: ticket media, Disney Gift Cards, Theme Park admission, arcades, tobacco, alcohol, outdoor vending (e.g., in-Park balloon vendors, glow vendors), Add-a-Dollar (Disney Conservation Fund), postage stamps, rentals (e.g., strollers, ECVs), personalization, Disney Genie+ service, Disney PhotoPass ® purchases (e.g., purchases through any application, website or onsite sales location), Disney PhotoPass+, Disney PhotoPass+ One Day and Disney PhotoPass+ One Week, Memory Maker and Memory Maker One Day, CSL Portrait Experience, Capture Your Moment and other photo sessions requiring reservations, select print packages, original or consignment art, select limited editions, select collectibles, select specialized toys, select specialty items (including, without limitation, one-of-a-kind art, Disney-branded original art, celebrity memorabilia, framed Disney Dollars, Artist Sketch Program, framed Disney Gift Cards, framed ticket media, Walt Disney Classics Collection, handmade products (physically touched by an artist/vendor) and artist-signed Vinylmation), purchase-with-purchase offers, select reusable shopping bags, newspapers/periodicals, books, sundries, pantry/prepared foods, kitchen products, digital/video/disposable cameras, consumer electronics (including, without limitation, DVDs, CDs, and software media), national branded fragrances, treatments and cosmetics, Lladró ® , Swarovski ® Crystal, Tiffany & Co. ® Jewelry, Bvlgari ® , handmade items, special orders, live auction artwork, select product launches, select premium branded items, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (at Walt Disney World ® Resort), Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers, and Droid Depot packages, phone, internet, email or mail order purchases, shipping or taxes. Discount is not available at the following locations at the Disneyland ® Resort: Games of Pixar Pier, Silhouette Studio, Portrait Artists, face painting locations, letter brush art locations, any other locations that are not owned or operated by the owners of the Disneyland ® Resort except for Arribas Brothers Crystal Shops (Crystal Arts and Cristal d’Orleans), or at any Downtown Disney ® District location other than California Sole, Curl Surf, World of Disney ® Store, Disney Home, WonderGround Gallery, Marceline’s Confectionery, Disney’s Pin Traders, The Disney Dress Shop, and Star Wars ™ Trading Post. Discount is not available at the following locations at Walt Disney World ® Resort: games, Cast Connection, Disney’s Character Premiere, Disney’s Character Warehouse or Walt Disney World ® Resort Operating Participant locations and any other locations or kiosks that are not owned or operated by the owners of the Walt Disney World ® Resort, except for ALEX AND ANI ® , Arribas Brothers locations (Crystal Arts by Arribas Brothers, Crystal Arts stores and kiosks), Balocoloc Venetian Masks at La Gemma Elegante, Basin ® , Basin White ® , Chapel Hats, Columbia Sportswear Company, Crown & Crest, Good Fortune Gifts and House of Good Fortune, Joffrey’s coffee/tea kiosks and Tea Traders Café by Joffrey’s, Just Fun Socks, Levi’s ® , Luxury of Time, Melissa Clube, Sanuk, Shop for Ireland at Raglan Road™, Sperry, Stance, Sugarboo & Co., and Volcom. Not valid in combination with other offers, discounts or promotions. Separate Theme Park admission and Theme Park reservation may be required. Discount is for personal use only and may not be transferred or used to purchase merchandise with the intent to resell the merchandise.

9.   Dining Savings at Disney Parks & Resorts

Offer and offer elements including, but not limited to, participating locations and eligible food and beverages, are subject to availability, capacity limitations, closures, and additional restrictions and exclusions, may change or be canceled without notice, and are not guaranteed. Offer excludes alcoholic beverages, select new food and beverage offerings, merchandise, tobacco, room service, holiday buffets, tax and gratuity. Must use your valid Disney Visa Card and/or Disney Rewards Redemption Card at time of purchase for full amount of purchase. Discount valid at the following Walt Disney World ® Resort restaurant locations: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge & Villas: Boma – Flavors of Africa, Jiko – The Cooking Place (see restrictions), and Sanaa; Disney’s Beach Club Resort: Beaches and Cream, and Cape May Cafe; Disney’s BoardWalk Inn & Villas: Flying Fish (see restrictions); Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort: Sebastian’s Bistro; Disney’s Contemporary Resort: Steakhouse 71; Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort: Three Bridges Bar & Grill and Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood; Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground: Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue; Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa: Citricos (see restrictions), Grand Floridian Cafe, and Narcoossee’s (see restrictions); Disney’s Old Key West Resort: Olivia’s Cafe; Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort: Kona Cafe; Disney’s Port Orleans Resort: Boatwrights Dining Hall; Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa: The Turf Club Bar and Grill; Disney’s Wilderness Lodge: Whispering Canyon Cafe; Disney’s Yacht Club Resort: Ale & Compass Restaurant, and Yachtsman Steakhouse; Disney’s Animal Kingdom ® Theme Park: Tiffins; Disney’s Hollywood Studios ® : Mama Melrose, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, and The Hollywood Brown Derby (see restrictions); EPCOT ® : Biergarten Restaurant (see restrictions), Coral Reef Restaurant, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Rose & Crown Dining Room, and Spice Road Table; Magic Kingdom ® Park: Crystal Palace, Diamond Horseshoe, Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen, Liberty Tree Tavern, The Plaza Restaurant, and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. For locations where it is noted to see restrictions, the discount does not apply to the following dates: 10/9/23, 10/31/23, 11/23/23, 12/24/23, 12/25/23, 12/31/23, 1/1/24, 2/14/24, 2/19/24, 3/31/24, 5/12/24, 5/27/24, 6/16/24, 7/4/24, and 9/2/24. Discount valid at the following Disneyland ® Resort restaurant locations, subject to location availability: Disneyland ® Park: Cafe Orleans, Carnation Café, The Golden Horseshoe, Harbour Galley, Plaza Inn, River Belle Terrace, Royal Street Veranda and Troubadour Tavern; Disney California Adventure ® Park: Carthay Circle Lounge – Alfresco Dining, Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill, Lucky Fortune Cookery, Paradise Garden Grill, Sonoma Terrace, Studio Catering Co., and Wine Country Trattoria; Disney ’s Grand Californian Hotel ® & Spa: GCH Craftsman Bar and Storytellers Café; Disneyland ® Hotel: Goofy’s Kitchen. Discount valid at the following Disney’s Vero Beach Resort restaurant location: Wind & Waves Grill. Subject to restaurant availability, operating hours and closures. Reservations may be required. Not valid in combination with other offers, discounts or promotions. Separate Theme Park admission and Theme Park reservation may be required. Discount is for personal use only and may not be transferred or resold.

10.   Cardmember Photo Opportunities

The Disneyland ® Resort Cardmember Photo Opportunities are offered daily during set hours–the Disney Cardmember Photo Opportunity is at Disney California Adventure ® Park and the Star Wars Cardmember Photo Opportunity is at Disneyland ® Park. The Walt Disney World ® Resort Cardmember Photo Opportunities are offered daily during set hours–the Disney Cardmember Photo Opportunity is at EPCOT ® and the Star Wars Cardmember Photo Opportunity is at Disney’s Hollywood Studios ® . Separate Theme Park admission and Theme Park reservation required for each Cardmember Photo Opportunity. Must present a valid Disney Visa Card for entry for up to 6 people per cardmember account (each cardmember account may be used for entry only one time per day). Operating times, days of the week, locations and appearance of Characters (digitally or physically, as applicable) may vary and are subject to restrictions and change or cancellation without notice. Offer includes complimentary downloads of your Disney PhotoPass ® photos taken at the Disney Visa Cardmember Photo Opportunity location that are associated to your Disney account. To access complimentary downloads of your Disney PhotoPass ® photos taken at the Disney Visa Cardmember Photo Opportunity location at the Disneyland ® Resort, go to the Disneyland app or Disneyland.com/PhotoPass or at the location at Walt Disney World ® Resort, go to the My Disney Experience app or DisneyWorld.com/PhotoPass , and then log-in using your existing account or create an account. MagicBands or other media scanned by the photographer at the time of capture must be linked to your My Disney Experience Profile at Walt Disney World ® Resort or linked to your Disneyland ® Resort account, or you may claim Disney PhotoPass ® cards provided to you by the photographer by entering the Disney PhotoPass ® ID number found on the back of your Disney PhotoPass ® card. One photo session per valid cardmember account per day. Offer not valid for photos taken at other Disney PhotoPass ® locations or attractions photos. Disney PhotoPass ® service is subject to the Disney PhotoPass ® Terms & Conditions and expiration policy at Disneyland.disney.go.com/PhotoPass-terms-conditions or DisneyWorld.disney.go.com/PhotoPass-terms-conditions , as applicable. Not responsible for missing, lost or damaged photos. Not valid in combination with other offers, discounts or promotions. Offer is for personal use only and may not be transferred or resold. Please visit DisneyRewards.com/ParkPerks for additional information.

11.   Merchandise Savings at Disney Store

10% Off Restrictions: Valid on select, in-stock merchandise purchased at Disney store and outlet locations in the U.S., and at shopDisney.com (online or via phone orders). Not valid on purchases made at Disney Parks and Resorts locations or on Disney store merchandise purchased from other retailers or using third party websites. Must use your valid Disney Visa Card and/or Disney Rewards Redemption Card as the form(s) of payment at the time of purchase for full amount of purchase and mention this offer in store or use promo code DRVCMEMBER online. Offer excludes sales tax, shipping & handling charges, gift wrap & gift box charges, personalization charges, Disney Theme Park Tickets, Disney Gift Cards, The Walt Disney Company Collectible Shareholder Certificate, subscription products, art & collectibles, books, electronic toys, limited edition, special edition & limited release merchandise, talking action figures, items related to a charitable promotion, and items from the following brands and collections: Afridrille Shoes, ALEX AND ANI ® , Barefoot Dreams, BaubleBar, Bulova, Citizen, COACH, CRISLU, Cubcoats, Disney Designer Jewelry Collection, Disney Fairy Tale Wedding Rings, Disney Parks Designer Collection, Disney Vacation Club ® , Disney+ Special Access items, Enesco, Garmin, Harveys, Jim Shore, kate spade, LEGO, Lilly Pulitzer, Loungefly, MagicBand, Make-A-Wish Collection, Marvel Legends Series, Master of Arts, Mickey Mouse: The Main Attraction Collection, Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction Collection, Milk Snob, select National Geographic merchandise, Native Shoes, Nike, Nixon, Olszewski, OtterBox Electronics, Pandora Jewelry, Petunia Pickle Bottom, Pura Vida, Rebecca Hook, RockLove, Royal Selangor, Sideshow Collectibles, select Star Wars : Galaxy’s Edge merchandise,  Star Wars : The Black Series, select Star Wars : The Mandalorian merchandise, Steiff, Stoney Clover Lane, Terez, Thomas Kinkade, Tommy Bahama, Tommy Hilfiger, Tron: Back to the Arcade Collection, Tron Thrill of the Race, Vans, Vera Bradley and Vinylmation. Additional exclusions may apply. Visit shopDisney.com/DRVCPerkDetails for the most current list of exclusions and any updates to these offer terms. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer or discount except available shipping offers. Offer will only be applied if a valid promotion code is entered at checkout. No adjustments to prior purchases. Valid packing slip or receipt required for returns or exchanges, which will be subject to discount taken at the time of purchase. Offer subject to restrictions and to change without notice. Promotion may not be redeemed for cash, sold, or altered. Internet distribution is strictly prohibited. Use of offer or Promotion Code DRVCMEMBER constitutes acceptance of these offer terms. Void where prohibited. Chase is not responsible or liable for fulfillment of this offer.

12.   Statement Credit for a Disney Bundle for Disney Premier Visa Card

Earn $14.99 per month for up to 3 consecutive months (up to $44.97 total) in statement credits on qualifying subscription payments of $14.99 or more per month when you make a qualifying purchase with your Disney Premier Visa Card at DisneyPlus.com , Hulu.com , or ESPNPlus.com (each, a “Service” and collectively, “Services”) by September 30, 2024. Qualifying purchases include (i) Disney Bundle subscriptions, and (ii) any other Services subscriptions or Services add-ons totaling payments of $14.99 or more (collectively, “Qualifying Purchases”). To receive the statement credits, you must use your Disney Premier Visa Card as the payment method on file for your Qualifying Purchases. Your Disney Bundle subscription will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Disney+ and ESPN+ Subscriber Agreement ( disneyplus.com/legal/subscriber-agreement ). To receive the statement credits, the payments must be made directly on DisneyPlus.com , Hulu.com or ESPNPlus.com . Purchases will not qualify for the statement credit if made through a third-party device or digital platform (unless such device or platform redirects to DisneyPlus.com , Hulu.com or ESPNPlus.com ), or as a bundle with cable services or as another bundle. If you purchase a monthly or annual subscription, unless you timely cancel, your subscription will automatically renew for another monthly or annual subscription period pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Disney+ and ESPN+ Subscriber Agreement ( disneyplus.com/legal/subscriber-agreement ). Statement credit(s) appear on your monthly credit card billing statement within 1–2 billing cycles. Not redeemable for cash or other goods or services. Offer is non-transferable and is subject to change.

13.   Card Designs

Card designs are subject to availability and may change without notice. The Contactless Symbol and Contactless Indicator are trademarks owned by and used with the permission of EMVCo, LLC. Deposit and credit card products provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC © Disney and its related entities.

Redeem Disney Rewards Dollars on your next Disney cruise

Explore the locations where you can redeem Disney Rewards Dollars on your next Disney cruise. 1 2 3

Disney Cruise Line

All purchases charged to portfolio

All vacations booked through (800) 951-3532

All vacations booked through DisneyCruiseLine.com

All purchases charged to portfolio (including on shore excursions)

Multiple Locations

Disney Weddings

How Chase Ultimate Rewards points and an airline alliance made my holiday vacation possible

Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

I swore by the simplicity of cash-back credit cards for years. Airline miles? Flexible points you transfer to partners? That all seemed complicated—and don’t even get me started on the annual fees many travel cards charge. Suffice it to say, I never expected to be transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to Virgin Atlantic then using Virgin points to book flights on Delta Air Lines, but that’s what you do when your wife wants to visit New York City during the holiday season.

Here’s what I learned about leveraging airline alliances to book nearly free holiday travel.

How I compared award ticket availability with various airlines

This may come as a surprise, but most of my award ticket research was not done through Chase, even though I knew I wanted to redeem Chase points. Instead, I started my search by plugging the desired travel dates into the mobile app of a competitor, the Bilt Mastercard.

That’s because the Bilt app provides access to point.me, a tool you’d normally have to pay for to be able to search award availability with multiple loyalty programs in one place. And, since Bilt and Chase have significant overlap in the airline partners they offer, I was able to plug my desired dates into the Bilt app and see what redemptions were available with Chase partners such as British Airways (on American Airlines flights) and Virgin Atlantic (on Delta).

My flights from Charlotte to New York on Delta Air Lines

There aren’t many credit card rewards currencies that transfer to Delta. Typically, if you want to earn Delta SkyMiles with a credit card, you’ll either need one of the Delta co-branded cards issued by American Express or an Amex card that earns American Express Membership Rewards points, since Membership Rewards points transfer at a 1:1 rate to Delta. 

But, you know where you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points? To the British airline Virgin Atlantic. And, because Virgin and Delta are both part of the SkyTeam alliance, you can search redemption options for Virgin miles—through your Flying Club/Virgin Red loyalty account on Virgin’s website—and look for partner space on flights operated by Delta. 

I requested the points transfer online via my Chase account and it processed almost instantly.

All told, we spent 34,000 points and $22.40 for two adults traveling from Charlotte to New York and back. We traveled light, sticking to just a carry-on and backpack per person, in order to avoid pesky baggage fees.

Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred is worth the annual fee

Three words explain why I’ll pay the $95 annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card this year, even though I’m usually very fee-averse in choosing my credit cards: monster welcome bonus. 

The Sapphire Preferred’s bonus at the time of this writing is 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases in the first three months. When I applied, it was elevated to 80,000 points thanks to a limited-time offer. (Sadly, I missed out on an even more eye-popping offer of 100,000 points back in 2021, but there’s no sense crying over spilled points.)

To put that in context, you can redeem Ultimate Rewards points at 1 cent each for cash back. But if you have a Sapphire Preferred, you can redeem them for 25% more value to book on Chase Travel℠  or transfer them at a 1:1 rate to more than a dozen airline and hotel partners.

That means 80,000 points, like I socked away from the welcome bonus, are worth at least $1,000 in travel through the portal. If you’re willing to put a little extra work into searching for award flights or stays with Chase’s transfer partners, that number could be even higher.

After my first year comes around, I might call the issuer and ask to downgrade my Sapphire Preferred to a no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Unlimited ® card. While the $50 annual credit for hotels booked in the Chase portal is a nice feature, I don’t know that I’ll use the card enough to justify the $95 cost on a regular basis. But for a $1,000+ value during year one? That’s a trade I’m willing to make.

Examples of airline alliances you can take advantage of

There are three major airline alliances you should know about if you’re interested in using credit card rewards for award travel . We’ve mentioned SkyTeam, and the other two are Oneworld and Star Alliance. Here are some examples of how you could leverage these alliances:

• Book a Delta flight with Virgin points (perhaps transferred from a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards or one that earns Capital One Miles) thanks to the SkyTeam alliance.
• Fly to a European destination on KLM using Delta SkyMiles, also thanks to SkyTeam.
• Book a flight on American Airlines using Avios, the currency of the British Airways Executive Club loyalty program, since both airlines are part of Oneworld. 
• Fly on United Airlines with Air Canada Aeroplan miles thanks to the Star Alliance. 
• Book to a European destination on Lufthansa with United miles (Star Alliance). 

Be aware that you’ll want to search through the website of the airline program you’re redeeming miles with. To refer back to my own trip as an example, I booked through Virgin Atlantic’s site, not through the Delta Air Lines site, even though I ended up on a Delta-operated flight. 

Also, know that this process isn’t without potential complications. Some airlines are known for providing partners with limited space, so you’re gambling on being able to find what you need. With that in mind, be sure to find your flights on the website you will be using before transferring your points. 

The takeaway

My visit to the Big Apple might not have been as eventful as Kevin McCallister’s infamous trip to the same city, but it was an adventure in its own right. I got to browse the Harry Potter New York store and marvel at the Hippogriff statue, chow down on a mouthwatering pastrami on rye from Katz’s Deli, and glimpse the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t taken the time to learn a little something about how airline partnerships work. 

I won’t claim to be a true expert in the world of travel hacking just yet—but I like to think this experience proves that, with a small investment of time and research, your credit card rewards can help you land (pun intended) flights you might not have realized at first were even an option. 

Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.  

Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.  

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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How to plan a cruise vacation.

Soon after you start, you'll likely find that the excitement of planning a cruise propels you through the voyage of careful research. Cruises are a unique type of vacation because of the places they can reach and the wonders that hospitable sea travel can offer.

A beginner's guide to cruise planning

We'll outline each step you need to take so that your cruise is a vacation to treasure. Along the way, you'll have to consider your options and make choices. We've kept the number of steps to a minimum so that you can refer back to them. There are many options, and it makes complete sense if you need time to reflect on them.

1. Determine your budget

A cruise ticket typically covers lodging for the duration of your trip. Your fare may also include food, entertainment, plus certain onboard amenities and activities, such as access to a pool and spa. Be sure to check the details up front and find out exactly what you're paying for, so there's no chance of buyer's remorse.

Usually, several parts of a cruise are not included with your ticket, and they can all cost money at the time of booking or when you're already aboard:

• Travel to and from the cruise port
• Alcoholic beverages
• Specialty dining
• Spa services
• Shore excursions
• Onboard entertainment
• Activities or shopping when ashore in ports of call

Therefore, determine your total budget at the outset of planning a cruise. It might be helpful to set a certain amount for spending rather than calculate the cost of everything you plan to do. As you follow the next steps, your decision-making will benefit from having your total budget on hand.

2. Select a cruise destination

Selecting a destination is an important step for many reasons. In fact, the destination might be the very inspiration for your trip. You might be looking to party with friends on the open seas or are you looking to broaden your horizons within a new environment. Maybe your need to relax has been growing uncontrollably. Overall, the destination you choose plays a big role in shaping the experience you'll have at sea.

Different types of ships from major cruise lines sail all around the world. That includes regions you might not expect, such as European coasts, the Mediterranean and Scandinavia. Some cruise destinations tend to be seasonal, however, like Canada, Alaska and much of Europe.

After you choose a destination, confirm travel requirements at all the ports the cruise will use. You could do this closer to your departure, but requirements like passports and vaccinations may be best handled well in advance of your trip.

3. Plan your itinerary

It's better to start planning your itinerary before you actually book a cruise because your preferences help most in narrowing your search. For instance, do you definitely want to take many excursions on land? Perhaps you're traveling with the whole family and want plenty of onboard activities for children to enjoy.

Here are some of the types of cruise you could plan:

• Ocean: You'll be hard-pressed to find an ocean cruise that doesn't take place on a massive ship with thousands of passengers. The programs, amenities and activities are usually expansive.
• River: Normally, a river cruise happens on a small or mid-size ship, and your route will be very scenic. This type also tends to have few passengers and amenities, but all those amenities—including food and drink—might be included in your fare.
• Adventure: When travel and unique excursions top your list of priorities, adventure cruises may be the best choice. They aim to give you rich experiences in all the destinations on your route, as opposed to the weeklong party environment of an ocean cruise.
• Family: Some ships are stocked with areas and activities tailored to children and fun for the whole family. Most cruises are great for kids of all ages.

To pick a cruise, you'll want to review all of its amenities and offerings .You can always refine your itinerary after you choose your cruise line. Knowing exactly what you want to do will make your research and, eventually, booking the cruise much simpler.

4. Pick a cruise line and ship

The number of options at your fingertips can be overwhelming, and the cruise line you choose may be your most important choice. Most sail to a wide variety of destinations and have a fleet of ships available to guests. One week is the most common length, but the size of the ship can vary wildly. For example, ocean cruises tend to fit thousands of people, while river cruises don't usually fit more than 25.

To recap, by this stage you should have considered your budget destination and itinerary. This can help you search cruise companies and locate which ones seem to best fit your goals.

As you search, here are some questions to ask yourself:

Are you traveling with family?

Many cruise lines have families in mind when designing ships and itineraries. That includes multi-generational groups, not just families with small children. It will be easy to find family-friendly cruises in your research, but determining if this is your preference can help narrow your search results.

Is this a couple's getaway?

The main way this may affect your choice of cruise is by eliminating cruises that allow children onboard. Maybe that won't bother you, but chances are, you'll find more romance on a cruise that's exclusive to adults.

Do you want an all-inclusive experience?

We talked a bit about budget, and it's worthwhile if you're considering an all-inclusive experience. In general, this means all of your food and drinks are included in your cruise fare. All-inclusive may also extend to other amenities and activities your ship has available. This package has a premium cost, but it's one that can greatly enhance your entire time aboard a cruise.

5. Choose any additional packages

We've explained how your cruise can cost more than just the price of admission. Cruise lines aren't usually bent on charging you for everything, but some amenities cost money once you're onboard. Many cruises offer packages that include the amenities and activities you're probably interested in, such as excursions, special dinners and drink packages.

A cruise package might be an add-on to your fare, or it might be included in the itinerary you choose when booking. Discounts may be available at this point, but you might also be able to sign up as you book and receive offers prior to your cruise.

Review the packages and any special deals that are available as you complete your booking. Another chance to bundle the price of common pay-as-you-go cruise expenses won't be guaranteed. This is also a good time to book any add-on, amenity, such as a massage or land excursion.

6. Book your air travel (if needed)

This may seem like common sense if you live in Wisconsin and depart from Florida. However, we have one significant piece of advice: Plan to fly one day early. Common problems with flights can happen—delays, cancellations, missed connections—and a cruise ship will depart without you. Flying early may not seem necessary, but it can be an invaluable precaution in unforeseen situations.

As with most vacation plans, flight prices tend to increase as the trip dates grow nearer. You may save money by booking air travel in advance, around the same time you book your cruise.

7. What to bring on a cruise

With all the planning out of the way, you'll eventually have to pack to make your trip more enjoyable. All the essentials you pack when traveling will also be useful on a cruise, but space may be limited in your cabin. That doesn't necessarily mean pack light, but your items may go in and out of your baggage more often.

Other essential items to bring include your travel and identification documents. Usually, a passport will cover all the bases, but check the cruise line's advice and local requirements for any port you might board and de-board the ship.

In addition, consider how you're going to spend each day of your cruise, and check the weather. You may be comfortable wearing less clothing in warm-weather destinations. Or, if you're going on an adventure cruise, you may need specific attire for variant weather and specific footwear for your land excursions.

One more thing: Some surge-protectors, steamers and clothes irons are not allowed on every cruise ship. For lists and information about allowable items, contact your cruise line's customer service or check its website.

How far in advance should you plan a cruise?

In general, you should begin planning for your cruise as early as possible. This helps with both pricing and cabin availability. Cabins in the middle of ships tend to book the earliest because the cabins at the ends of the ship may affect guests prone to seasickness. Booking between 6 and 12 months before a cruise may yield the best results in price and quality. However, last-minute bookings might be favorable, too. Exactly when you'll secure the best deal on a cruise can depend heavily on various sales and promotions, the trends of which are difficult to predict.

How much does an average cruise ship trip cost?

The cost of cruises can vary greatly based on several factors, but the total cost can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. For the accommodations, expect a minimum of $100 per day. Cruise tickets themselves, which include your cabin at the very least, are about the same as hotel rates. But like hotels, the size, quality, availability and amenities contribute most to the daily rate you pay for a cruise.

Here are several other costs to expect:

• Port taxes: These are not included in cruise fare but will be due before you board. Most port taxes are not more than $200 per person. The more ports your cruise takes you to, however, the higher the fees.
• Personal spending: Some amenities, activities and excursions aren't included in the cruise fare or packages you pay for when booking. Depending on your interest level, this cost can range widely. Between all the onboard and off-board options available to you, you might spend at least an additional $100 a day.
• Miscellaneous: Expenses that vary depending on the passenger are difficult to estimate. For example, gratuities, pre/post-cruise transportation and parking. These may or may not apply to the cruise you're taking.

There you have it: 7 steps and some important considerations to help you plan a cruise. Although it might seem daunting, even if it's not your first time, organizing a cruise is like organizing most vacations. The destination, trip length and desired itinerary are best considered early, before you start research. Of course, you might also need to budget for expenses beyond your cruise fare, but that's true of most vacations, too. If you follow this guide, we're confident you'll have a wonderful time at sea.

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Interesting Way to Save Money on a Disney Cruise

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

The term "Disney" usually translates to "well-done, but pricy." This translation is said to hold true onboard their cruise ships. I'll find out for myself in a couple of months on our very first Disney Cruise , but there is an easy way to save a lot of money when venturing into the world of cruising that doesn't require any previous cruise experience.

Save Money Taking a One-Way Cruise

I learned a key money saving tip for Disney Cruises, thanks to Richard Kerr, a TPG senior contributor and the leader of Award Travel 101 . It turns out, some sailing itineraries are significantly cheaper than others. As in, thousands of dollars cheaper.

To give some context to this money-saving strategy on cruises, a little over a year ago, I was able to hop on free private jet flights via a sweet promo and jumping on "empty legs." These empty legs were available when the private jet operators were repositioning the planes to get from one city to another to pick up the next group of paying passengers. Naturally, you can't always get on these legs for free, but you can often do it for less than chartering a plane outright.

Taking it back to the sea, a few times a year some cruise ships do the same thing when they reposition ships to start service out of another port. On these repositioning voyages, you will be starting and ending at different points, just as you do on the empty legs of private jets. Being OK with the one-way cruise means that you can save a ton of money by timing your cruise with when the ship has to move anyway.

There are entire websites dedicated to this repositioning of cruises so I won't begin to try and list them all, but I will outline how this strategy can save you thousands of dollars on a Disney cruise.

Save Thousands of Dollars on a Disney Cruise

As an example of how this works, Disney repositions a ship out of Galveston, Texas, each January to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where it operates for a few weeks before taking another one-way jaunt to Port Canaveral, Florida.

If my family of two adults and two kids booked the entry-level room on Disney Dream out of Galveston for the week of Christmas, a round-trip seven-night itinerary around the Caribbean costs at least $7,800. However, if we booked the early January one-way six-night sailing from Galveston to San Juan, we would pay as little as $3,238. That is a lot of money, but comes to about $135 per person per night, which isn't horrible for a basically all-inclusive experience.

Some one-way adventures are even more far-flung, such as sailing from Florida to California through the Panama Canal. You can even sail across the Atlantic from Dover, England, to New York. A family of four could book that memorable transatlantic one-way 10-night trip (that also stops in Stonehenge, Ireland and Nova Scotia) from $5,627 total. Keep in mind that you could tag that on to a longer European trip and use it as the way to get home, saving on airfare!

For comparison's sake, if you booked a seven-night Disney cruise through Europe that starts and ends in Dover, your family of four would usually pay $8,000 to $10,000 as a starting price. Taking the one-way sailing from Europe to the US can save you almost 50% over the cost of just sailing around Europe.

Save More With Disney Gift Cards and Credit Cards

You can save even more on a Disney Cruise Line sailing by paying with Disney gift cards you purchased at a discount . Using annual credit card travel credits, such as the $300 available each year from the Chase Sapphire Reserve, can also help you save money on your cruise.

You could also use fixed-value points , such as the 70,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in the first 90 days available with the Barclaycard Arrival Plus® World Elite Mastercard, that could be worth $700 toward paying for your Disney Cruise, if you charged at least that much of the cruise to that card. Since you can make a deposit on a Disney cruise and then pay the rest later, you could work toward earning enough points with a new credit card and its sign-up bonus to cover the rest of the cruise closer to the sailing date.

In terms of earning points while paying for your cruise, we recommend using the card that earns the most on travel charges . Paying for a $4,000 Disney Cruise Line voyage with your Chase Sapphire Reserve® would earn you 12,000 Ultimate Reward points worth around $240. If you wanted to spread out the payments a bit, you could use the built-in perks with the Disney Visa.

Have you considered a one-way repositioning cruise in order to save money?