Besides the Citi Custom Cash, is there another card that offers 5% cash back or points for cruises booked outside of a travel portal? I’m not interested in flights, hotels, or car rentals, as there are plenty of cards for those. I’m specifically looking for other travel options (especially cruises) that provide 5% back and can be booked independently, without going through a portal.
I think the best you’ll find is 3X transferable points, which is about as good as 5%. Also, Citi Custom Cash has a limit of $500, and most cruises will cost more than that.
Willow said:
I think the best you’ll find is 3X transferable points, which is about as good as 5%. Also, Citi Custom Cash has a limit of $500, and most cruises will cost more than that.
But most cruise lines allow you to make payments depending on how far out you book. I split my cruise payments on the CCC over 5 months.
@Brynn
That’s good to know. I was calculating it’d be $650 on the Citi Custom to be about equal to the Altitude Connect’s 4%. So to do it all at once, it’d be better to use the Altitude Connect above ~$670.
AARP membership gives a 10% straight discount on Carnival, which is our most frequent cruise line. You don’t get the travel bonus since AARP doesn’t code as such, but a straight 10% stacked on the standard 2% from Venture X or 1.5% from Freedom Unlimited is still quite good.
I think the best you’ll find are the uncapped 3X travel categories from Chase Sapphire Reserve, AMEX Green, or Wells Fargo Autograph. The US Bank Altitude Connect offers a flat 4% on travel, but the redemption options are limited.
BofA Premium Rewards will give you 4.2% uncapped when redeemed for airfare if you have platinum honors with them. 3.5% if you want straight cash back. The BofA Custom Cash will give you 5.25%, but only on $2,500 a quarter. I like cashback on cruises for flights, since I usually need a flight to get to the cruise!
Edit: Chase Sapphire Reserve will give you 3%, with points worth 50% more if you book through their portal, making it 4.5% back.
If booking through Costco is an option, you can also get 2% back from an executive membership.