Cruise travelers finally have a more premium credit card that offers valuable cruise perks and redemption options.
The Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® credit card is a new cobranded credit card for fans of the three Royal Caribbean Group cruise lines: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea. It offers high earning rates on both cruises and general travel and lifestyle purchases, as well as benefits like priority embarkation and luggage delivery.
Some Royal Caribbean loyalists might be disappointed to learn that this card does not earn points toward status in any of the three cruise lines’ loyalty programs. It also comes with an annual fee, though it’s relatively modest for a premium card.
The appeal is the ability to rack up points from cruises and redeem them for cruise discounts and onboard credit, reducing your total cruise bill. The Royal ONE Plus card is ideal for cruisers who don’t mind paying a low annual fee to access discounts and special privileges on their favorite vacations at sea.
Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐½
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature: The basics
Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Royal Caribbean, Silversea and Celebrity Cruises, is trading its single-cruise-line cobranded credit cards for its first tri-branded cards, with earning and redemption options across all three cruise lines.
The Royal ONE Plus credit card is the brand’s new premium card, with an annual fee of $99. Cardholders who spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening will earn a welcome bonus of 70,000 points.
Cardholders can access elevated earnings opportunities across several purchase categories, most importantly on cruises.
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You’ll earn 4 points per dollar spent on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea purchases and 2 points per dollar spent on eligible airline, hotel, dining, gas, grocery and EV charging purchases. All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar spent.
While you can earn points across categories, you can only redeem them on cruise-related rewards.
Cardholders can choose whether they wish to redeem points for discounts on cruise bookings and other Royal Caribbean Group purchases or for onboard credit to pay for shipboard purchases such as spa treatments, drink packages and specialty dining.
One point is valued at one cent and 5,000 points is the minimum redemption (equal to a $50 discount or credit). Points cannot be used to pay for taxes, fees or gratuities.
The credit card also offers several cruise perks to cardholders, including priority boarding with suite guests and expedited luggage delivery. You will also receive a $200 cruise discount when you spend $20,000 on the card within one year.
Additionally, the card offers up to $120 in statement credits every four years for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry enrollment fees.
Dedicated Royal Caribbean Group cruisers can easily rack up points on their cruise and everyday purchases with the Royal ONE Plus, and it’s appealing to travelers who spend a lot with the three cruise lines but don’t receive the perks of cruisers with high-tier elite status.
Related: The best Caribbean cruise for every type of traveler
Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
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Elevated earnings on cruise purchases
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Has an annual fee |
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Bonus categories for everyday spending
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Rewards limited to cruise-related discounts |
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No connection with cruise loyalty programs |
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No foreign transaction fees
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Less flexible than general travel rewards cards |
Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature benefits
The Royal ONE Plus credit card offers elevated travel benefits that will appeal to frequent cruisers.
Substantial welcome and anniversary bonuses
The card offers a generous welcome bonus of 70,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of opening your account. That’s equivalent to $700 in cruise discounts or onboard credit. Choose the cruise discount, and it’s possible to use that reward to get a short cruise for two in an inside cabin for free (plus taxes, fees and gratuities).
If you like bonuses, you’ll get a $200 cruise discount every year if you can spend $20,000 on the card annually. You could use the bonus to lighten your final bill or even upgrade your cabin category.
Elevated earnings across multiple categories
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea loyalists have never before had so many ways to earn points with a Royal Caribbean-branded credit card.
The Royal ONE Visa Signature Plus offers a whopping 4 points per dollar spent on Royal Caribbean Group purchases. A Royal Caribbean purchase is not limited to cruise bookings, as it includes pre-cruise purchases of shore excursions or Wi-Fi packages and onboard expenses charged to your ship account. If you typically book cruises through a travel agent, talk to your advisor to make sure cruise reservations will code as Royal Caribbean on your credit card so you can take advantage of the higher earnings rate.
The card also offers 2 points per dollar on groceries, gas and EV charging, as well as dining, hotel and airline expenses. All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar.
That means a large fraction of your travel purchases can earn double or quadruple points, but everyday expenses work harder for you, too.
Unlike with the previous Royal Caribbean® Visa Signature® credit card and Celebrity Cruises® Visa Signature® credit card, Royal ONE Plus cardholders can earn an unlimited number of points each year. Those points will also never expire.
The information for the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature and Celebrity Cruises Visa has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Cruise-focused perks and redemptions
When it comes to rewards, this card is hyper-focused on cruises.
Redemption options are simple: Cardholders can redeem points for either discounts on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Silversea purchases or onboard credit with any of the three brands. Each point is worth one cent, so the minimum redemption of 5,000 points will get you $50 of onboard credit or a $50 discount.
Just as you can earn points on any of the three brands, you can redeem them on your choice of cruise lines. You can choose if you’d like to book a Celebrity cruise and then redeem the points for onboard credit on the same cruise, or earn points with a more expensive Silversea cruise and then redeem the points for a discount on a more affordable Royal Caribbean fare.
In addition, adding the Royal ONE Plus Visa to your wallet entitles you to priority boarding with suite guests (which may include shorter lines or a premium waiting area) and priority luggage delivery, so you don’t have to wait long for your checked bags to be brought on board.
Related: 7 reasons you should splurge for a suite on your next cruise
Additional benefits
The Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature card offers additional travel and non-travel benefits.
On the travel side, cardholders receive up to $120 in statement credits to cover the costs of enrolling in or renewing TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. Other travel-related benefits include no foreign transaction fees, car rental insurance, roadside assistance, basic travel insurance (trip delay, trip cancellation and interruption and lost luggage coverage), an emergency assistance hotline and exclusive rates on Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection bookings.
Outside of travel, card perks include access to a 24/7 Visa Signature Concierge, extended warranty protection, $0 liability guarantee for fraudulent charges and overdraft protection.
Related: Should you get a cruise line credit card? Here’s a closer look
How to earn and use your rewards
The Royal ONE Plus credit card offers multiple ways to earn points and simplified redemption options.
You’ll earn points for purchases at the following rates:
- 4 points per dollar spent on Royal Caribbean purchases across the three sister cruise lines
- 2 points per dollar spent on dining, hotels, airlines, groceries, gas and EV charging stations
- 1 point per dollar spent on everything else
For example, if you paid $5,000 for a Celebrity cruise, you’d earn 20,000 points. Add in $1,000 on airfare and $500 for a pre-cruise hotel, and your trip will earn an additional 3,000 points. The combined 23,000 points is worth $230 in discounts or credit.
Bank of America will transfer the points balances of existing Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cardholders to their new Royal ONE accounts at the same value.
Redemptions are limited to cruise discounts and onboard credit across Royal Caribbean brands. Points are valued at one cent each, and the minimum redemption is 5,000 points for $50 of credit or a $50 discount on a cruise purchase or other Royal Caribbean expense. To redeem points, log into the relevant Royal Caribbean Group cruise line’s website or app, or contact the cruise line’s call center.
While you can’t transfer points to other programs or redeem them for non-cruise travel, cruisers loyal to Royal will find they have a choice in how to spend their points.
You could save up points to cover your entire cruise fare (for example, you’d need 200,000 points to get a $2,000 cruise for free). Or, you could redeem the points you earn from a cruise booking and related travel expenses to turn into an onboard credit, which could pay for specialty dining, spa treatments, gift shop purchases, cocktails and coffee purchased on the ship.
Many cruise add-ons (such as Wi-Fi and drink packages and shore excursions) are often discounted when booked online before sailing. Cardholders can use points for a discount that they can apply to their pre-cruise Royal Caribbean charges.
Where Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature falls short
Frequent cruisers are always looking for a faster path to top-tier loyalty status in the cruise lines’ individual loyalty programs (Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society, Celebrity Cruises Captain’s Club and Silversea Cruises Venetian Society).
Unfortunately, points earned through the Royal ONE Plus credit card are completely separate from the nights earned in these loyalty programs. Spending more on the credit card won’t put you on a faster path to onboard perks like onboard discounts, milestone free cruise certificates, lounge access and invitations to exclusive events.
Plus, for guests who typically book the highest-tier suites, card perks like expedited boarding and luggage delivery are worthless, as they already receive them as suite perks.
Though the earning options are robust, the card has limited redemption options with just two options. Cardholders cannot transfer points into other travel programs or redeem for flights and hotels, something other premium travel cards offer. This might be less of a big deal if the points value weren’t so low at just one cent per point.
Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature vs. Royal ONE Visa Signature
Bank of America has a second option for Royal Caribbean fans who would prefer a card with no annual fee. The Royal ONE™ Visa Signature® credit card offers a more basic version of the Royal ONE Plus with reduced perks and earning options.
The Royal ONE Visa offers these less lucrative earnings rates:
- 3 points per dollar spent on eligible cruise purchases
- 2 points per dollar on groceries, gas and EV charging
- 1 point per dollar on other purchases
It’s the better choice for cruisers who won’t spend $20,000 annually on their card. The anniversary cruise discount for the Royal ONE Visa is $100 each year after $10,000 annual spend on the card. The bonus is less, but you spend half as much to receive it.
Perks are limited to priority boarding via a dedicated line, not the more premium suite entrance. The $0 annual fee card does not offer priority luggage delivery or a Known Traveler Program credit.
The Royal ONE Visa is the better choice for cruisers who prefer not to pay an annual fee and won’t get value out of the elevated earnings options on other travel and dining purchases. It’s also a good option for Royal fans who won’t use the upgraded perks of the premium card or spend $20,000 annually on the card.
Frequent travelers who routinely book airfare and hotel stays along with their cruises, who are looking for more cruise perks and plan to spend a lot on their Royal Caribbean branded card, would do better to choose the more premium Royal ONE Plus Visa.
Is the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature worth it?
If cruising is your passion and you are loyal to Royal brands, the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature offers high earning rates. Cardholders can quickly rack up points on cruise, general travel and everyday purchases and redeem them for discounts and freebies on their beloved cruise vacations.
However, if you love to cruise, but also book flights and hotel stays, other travel rewards cards offer better redemption value with points worth more than one cent and transfer options among travel currencies. Even though cruise redemption options aren’t always the best, cruisers will ultimately get more from their points with transfers and airfare and hotel stay redemptions.
When to apply for the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature
For a limited time, you’ll earn a welcome bonus of 70,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 on purchases with your Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature in the first 90 days of opening an account. Those points are redeemable for $700 in cruise discounts or onboard credit on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea.
Current Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises Visa cardholders will be automatically switched to the entry-level Royal ONE Visa Signature card. New cards should arrive after June 2026. If you’re an existing cardholder and prefer the premium card, you need to wait until you receive the new Royal One Visa card and then you can request an upgrade to the Royal ONE Plus.
Note that existing cardholders will not be eligible for the welcome bonus of either card.
Other cards to consider if you don’t want a Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature
Even diehard Royal Caribbean fans should research other premium rewards cards before committing to the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature. It’s likely that a more flexible rewards card will ultimately yield better value.
Other cards to consider for broader redemption options and luxury travel benefits include:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): This card combines flexible redemptions with a high earnings rate and extra perks on cruises. You can earn 8 points per dollar spent when you book a cruise (or other travel) through Chase Travel℠. Plus, if you book eligible cruises through Voyages by Chase Travel, you can receive cruise perks such as onboard credit, upgrades and more. The annual fee is, however, much higher than the Royal ONE Plus card. To learn more, check out our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
- American Express Platinum Card®: This card is an appealing option for travelers looking for premium travel experiences and a wealth of statement credits for travel and other luxury lifestyle purchases. But its real value for frequent cruisers is with its Cruise Privileges Program; book an eligible sailing through American Express Travel® and you’ll receive onboard credit and a special gift for each cruise. To learn more, check out our full review of the American Express Platinum Card.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: This card is for those who want premium travel perks with flexible redemption options. Cardholders earn elevated rewards on hotels, rental cars and flights booked through Capital One Travel, along with a solid flat rewards rate on all other purchases. Miles can be redeemed for travel purchases, including cruises or transferred to airline and hotel loyalty programs for potentially greater value. To learn more, check out our full review of the Capital One Venture X Rewards.
For additional options, see our full list of the best travel rewards cards.
Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises
Bottom line
The Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature is sure to tempt Royal Caribbean fans with its high earnings rates on cruises, Royal-exclusive redemptions and extra cruise perks. If cruises account for most of your travel expenses, it can be a great option.
However, the value per point is lower than that of other premium travel cards. Cruise fans planning air and land travel might get more mileage (pun intended) out of a more flexible premium travel card.
Apply here: Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit card