The Royal Caribbean Visa Signature® card is geared toward individuals who take pleasure in taking cruises ceaselessly with Royal Caribbean Worldwide or its sister model, Celeb Cruises.
The $0-annual-fee card, issued by Financial institution of America®, earns first rate rewards on Royal Caribbean purchases and options bonuses for brand new cardholders. Nonetheless, restricted redemption choices and lack of profitable advantages make the cardboard of little worth for even probably the most loyal Caribbean prospects.
Listed here are 5 issues to know concerning the card.
1. Ongoing rewards are lackluster
The Royal Caribbean Visa Signature® card earns rewards generally known as MyCruise® factors on the following charges:
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2 factors for each $1 spent on qualifying purchases with Royal Caribbean and Celeb Cruises.
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1 level for each $1 spent on all different purchases.
When you’re not crusing ceaselessly with Royal Caribbean or Celeb Cruises, it’ll take you a while to rack up worthwhile rewards. Different no-annual-fee journey bank cards provide increased point-earning potential in addition to rewards in on a regular basis spending classes — like eating and groceries — which makes it simpler to accrue factors.
2. Factors values differ and redemption is rigid
Redemption of MyCruise factors begins at 1,000 factors for a $10 donation to the World Wildlife Fund’s ocean conservation challenge. Past that, factors will be redeemed for a wide range of cruise-related choices, together with room upgrades, reductions and onboard credit score used for purchases made on the ship’s spa, present store, bar and so forth. You too can redeem for merchandise on Royal Caribbean, Celeb Cruises and Royal Caribbean’s different sister model, Azamara.
Factors are usually value a penny every, however will be value as much as 2 cents every, relying on the redemption possibility. For instance, redemption towards onboard credit score (you’ll want a minimal of 10,000 factors to begin) will yield a redemption worth of 1%. Nonetheless, redeeming factors for a five- to seven-night Royal Caribbean cruise will provide you with a redemption worth of two%. As a result of factors have completely different values relying on what you selected to redeem them for, it may be complicated to find out the worth of your factors.
There are different limitations, too: cardholders can solely earn as much as 540,000 factors per 12 months and factors expire after 5 years.
Though various factors values and restrictive redemption choices are widespread amongst different co-branded cruise line bank cards, this isn’t the case with most common journey bank cards. The $0-annual-fee Financial institution of America® Journey Rewards bank card, for instance, is just not tied to any particular model and affords extra versatile rewards. The cardboard earns a flat 1.5 factors per greenback spent on all purchases, and people factors will be redeemed for journey, restaurant purchases and money again.
3. It affords meager welcome affords
The Royal Caribbean Visa Signature® card comes with the next affords for brand new cardholders (as of Could 2021):
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Earn 10,000 bonus factors if you make your first buy with the cardboard inside 90 days of account opening. On the charge of a penny per level, this bonus is value $100 in onboard credit score, however as said above, it might get you as much as $200 relying in your redemption selection.
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For a restricted time, you’ll be able to earn a $100 assertion credit score after you make $1,000 or extra in purchases inside 90 days of holding the cardboard. This assertion credit score will probably be robotically utilized towards your bank card invoice.
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The cardboard additionally affords a $50 airfare low cost by way of Royal Caribbean’s Air2Sea program, after making no less than $3,500 in purchases throughout the first 90 days of account opening. Be aware that college students will not be eligible for this provide and that the credit score will expire 18 months after it’s issued.
You gained’t be capable of get a lot out of those affords, particularly contemplating the steep spending necessities and the cardboard’s mediocre earn charge. Nonetheless, these bonuses are on par with, if not barely extra profitable than, what different comparable cruise line playing cards provide.
4. It’s gentle on charges
The cardboard doesn’t cost an annual charge, which is often the case for related cruise line playing cards.
There are additionally no overseas transaction charges, which means you will not pay further prices if you make purchases abroad. This might show particularly helpful when your cruise ship docks at its vacation spot.
5. Carrying a stability will be costly
To keep away from interest-rate fees, pay the stability on time and in full each month if you’re ready.
Info associated to the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature® card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or supplied by the issuer of this card.
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