Royal Caribbean has made a lot of history in the cruise industry over the past few years, from launching the record-breaking Icon Class ships to debuting the first-ever train car-themed restaurant at sea and announcing a brand-new beach club in Santorini.
Up next? The cruise industry’s first tri-branded credit cards.
The Miami-based company announced on Tuesday that it is overhauling its existing credit card structure, enabling travelers to earn and redeem rewards across Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea.
Instead of revamping its current Visa Signature® credit card, Royal Caribbean Group decided to overhaul its entire credit card program to offer a unified rewards structure across all three cruise brands. As part of the overhaul, the company is launching two brand-new credit cards in partnership with Bank of America, providing guests the ability to choose the card that best meets their needs.
The Royal ONE™ and Royal ONE Plus™ credit cards are part of the company's effort to ensure a seamless, elevated rewards experience for cruisers, regardless of which brand they're sailing with within the Royal Caribbean Group ecosystem.
"Royal ONE and Royal ONE Plus strengthen how we recognize and reward our loyal guests across our leading vacation brands," said Jason Liberty, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group.
"These new cards bring together the ways our guests vacation across Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea — making it easier to earn and use rewards, so every trip delivers greater value and more meaningful experiences."
Lora Monfared, Head of Consumer Card Products at Bank of America, added, "We’re pleased to expand our long-standing partnership with Royal Caribbean Group, a leader in global vacation experiences. Offering both a no-fee card and an enhanced rewards card gives travelers more ways to maximize spending and earn bigger rewards."
Here's what to know about the overhaul to the Royal Caribbean credit card lineup, including new fees, benefits, and more.
New annual fee credit card
Royal Caribbean is launching two versions of the card to meet the needs of different types of travelers.
The Royal ONE™ card is the base version and focuses on straightforward benefits:
- NO annual fee
- 3X points on purchases with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea
- 2X points on groceries, gas, and EV charging
- 1X point on all other purchases
The Royal ONE Plus™ card is the upgraded version that is designed for frequent vacationers seeking elevated earnings and perks:
- $99 annual fee
- 4X points on purchases with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea
- 2X points on groceries, gas, EV charging, airfare, hotel, and dining
- 1X point on all other purchases
New benefits
Royal Caribbean's card lineup will see a range of new benefits, which are all aimed at enhancing the cruise experience and rewarding travelers. Certain perks, including the Visa Signature® travel protections and no foreign transaction fees, aren't going anywhere.
Priority boarding
For starters, both the Royal ONE™ card and the Royal ONE Plus™ card will offer priority boarding on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, allowing cardholders to get settled on the cruise ship faster than before.
However, the Royal ONE Plus™ will take it a step further, rewarding cardholders with priority suite boarding for all sailings aboard Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Silversea vessels.
Anniversary reward after qualifying spend
Likewise, both cards will offer an annual anniversary reward after meeting qualifying spending requirements: $100 for the Royal ONE™ card (minimum of $10,000 in eligible spend) and $200 for the Royal ONE Plus™ card (minimum of $20,000 in eligible spend).
Priority luggage handling
Royal ONE Plus™ cardholders will get priority luggage handling when traveling with Celebrity Cruises or Royal Caribbean. This means that your bags will be promptly delivered on embarkation day.
TSA PreCheck®/Global Entry credit
Every four years, Royal ONE Plus™ cardholders will receive a statement credit of up to $120 for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry. As such, there's no reason to dread pre-cruise travel days when you can breeze through airport security or bypass the long immigration line upon returning to the U.S. from an international vacation.
The Royal ONE™ program will continue to allow cardholders to convert points into onboard credit and cruise discounts
One of the most appealing aspects of Royal Caribbean's credit card is that it lets cardholders use points across all three cruise brands and turn everyday spending into meaningful rewards.
All points earned under the Royal ONE™ program can be converted into cruise fare discounts or onboard credit that can be redeemed for add-ons like shore excursions, drink packages, specialty restaurants, internet, and more.
Even better? The points do not expire, so you can accumulate them over time and use them on your next cruise, whether in six months or two years.
There’s no limit to the number of points you can accumulate, and you can now combine points and cash to redeem valuable rewards.
However, the minimum redemption has increased to 5,000 points, up from 1,000 points in the previous version of the card.
Existing members will be notified about the transition soon and provided with updated terms and conditions
Current cardholders don't have to scramble to redeem their points. According to the cruise line, all points will seamlessly carry over to the new Royal ONE™ program.
Bottom line: Is the Royal Caribbean credit card worth it?
Royal Caribbean’s revamped credit card lineup is a huge upgrade from its previous option, especially for loyal cruisers who love sailing within the Royal Caribbean Group portfolio.
Before the launch of the new Royal ONE™ program, there was no room for flexibility, and all rewards were tied to a single brand. Now, however, guests can earn and redeem rewards seamlessly across Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea.
The no-annual-fee Royal ONE™ card is a good low-commitment option for occasional cruisers, while the Royal ONE Plus™ card can be easily justified with its richer earning rates, suite boarding, higher anniversary reward, and TSA PreCheck®/Global Entry credit.
However, just like with any rewards credit card, the overall value depends on how often you use the credit card for everyday spending and how frequently you take advantage of the perks.
For example, if you already have a solid credit card lineup and don't foresee yourself racking up Royal ONE™ points on dining, groceries, and gas, the added benefits of the Royal ONE Plus™ may sound nice in theory. However, it may not deliver enough value to pay for the annual fee, especially if you don't cruise more than once per year.
Currently, there is no set date to apply for the new Royal ONE™ cards, so prospective cardholders will need to wait a little while before submitting their application.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
