Carnival World Mastercard: A popular pick for cruise enthusiasts looking for promo financing

Cruising is a popular travel method because people visit multiple destinations in one trip. Today, cruise ships tend to offer just as much entertainment on board as you’ll find at each port.

One of the ways to earn and save on your next cruise is with a rewards credit card — and if you prefer sailing with Carnival, you may want to consider the Carnival® World Mastercard®. The card includes a welcome bonus, promotional financing on Carnival cruises, and discounts on Carnival shore excursions.

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Purchases with Carnival earn double points with your card. But you can also earn the 2x rate with Carnival’s partner brands under the World’s Leading Cruise Lines. These brands currently include AIDA, Costa, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia, P&O Cruises UK, Seabourn, and Fathom.

When you’re not spending money on cruises, you’ll still earn 1x points on every dollar you spend. Whether you’re buying groceries, gas, or anything else, you’ll receive an unlimited 1x points on your purchase.

Like other credit cards, some types of transactions do not count toward rewards earnings. These include balance transfers and cash advances, card fees, lottery tickets, interest charges, unauthorized purchases, and more.

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There are a few redemption options for the points you earn with a Carnival World Mastercard, largely centered around future cruise travel. You can use points for statement credits toward Carnival purchases, onboard experiences, gift cards, merchandise, airline and hotel travel, and more.

The redemption rate varies based on the type and size of purchase, but you’ll get the best value when you use points for statement credits toward Carnival purchases and onboard amenities:

• Carnival purchases from $50 to $1,499.99 get a 1% redemption rate (100 FunPoints equals $1)

• Carnival purchases of $1,500 to $5,000 get a 1.5% redemption rate (100 FunPoints equals $1.50)

• Purchases with the World’s Leading Cruise Lines get a 1% redemption rate. (100 FunPoints equals $1)

• Airline and hotel statement credits get a 0.9% redemption rate. (100 FunPoints equals $0.90)

Points can be redeemed online or by calling the number on the back of your card. You have up to 180 days from the purchase date to request a statement credit from your FunPoints and you can redeem points for statement credits starting at 5,000 for $50. This means you can earn points after your cruise to help pay off your purchases.

There are some additional cruise benefits you can get with your Carnival World Mastercard, including a special financing offer, shore excursion discounts, and no foreign transaction fees.

• Promotional financing offer. When you book an eligible Carnival cruise with your credit card within the first six months, you can enjoy a 0% promotional APR. If you don’t pay off the purchase before the promo rate expires, the standard APR applies. This promotional APR only applies when you purchase a cruise with your card, not any associated spending or purchases you make while on the cruise.

• Travel protections. This card comes with a few travel protections that can help keep you and your money safe, including travel cancellation and interruption coverage, baggage delay insurance, travel accident insurance, and more.

• No foreign transaction fees. Cruises tend to visit multiple ports and countries beyond the U.S., so having a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees is important. This card saves you around 3% on each purchase abroad by eliminating these hidden fees that some credit cards charge.

The Carnival World Mastercard is best for people who love to travel on cruises. You can earn and redeem rewards on Carnival and partner World’s Leading Cruise Lines, so you have several options. While you can also redeem points for travel and gift cards, the redemption value is quite low. To get the most value from this card, you should be focused on traveling on Carnival and its affiliated cruise partners.

• Intro APR offer on balance transfers

• Special financing for Carnival cruise purchases

• No foreign transaction fees

The Carnival credit card is a Mastercard, which is one of the most widely accepted credit cards in the U.S. and globally. If the merchant accepts credit cards, they typically accept Mastercard for payments.

If you’re traveling internationally, the Carnival Cruise credit card is a good card to bring because it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. While its reward structure isn’t as lucrative as other cards, it doesn’t charge fees on purchases abroad that can negate the value of the rewards you’ll earn.

Carnival World Mastercard is issued by Barclays US, so you’ll submit payments, check balances, and find other card info through Barclays:

• Online at

• Set up automatic recurring payments

• Barclays U.S. mobile app (, )

• Pay by phone by calling (877) 523-0478

• Mail payments to one of two addresses, depending which is listed on your statement:

  • Credit Card payments, P.O. Box 13337, Philadelphia, PA 19191

  • Card Services, P.O. Box 60517, City of Industry, CA 91716

• Customer service is available 24/7; call or send a secure message through your online account

• General inquiries phone number: (877) 523-0478

• Carnival World Mastercard servicing phone number: (866) 255-1304

The Carnival credit card offers appealing rewards and benefits for people planning a Carnival cruise vacation. But if you want more flexibility in your rewards or to earn higher rewards on your purchases, other cards may be a better option.

Why we like it: For a $95 annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns flexible points that can be redeemed for cruises, flights, hotels and more. You’ll earn 5x on travel booked through Chase Travel℠; 3x on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2x on all other travel; and 1x on everything else. You can redeem points for travel, cash back, gift cards, and more. You can also transfer points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners. When you use points to book travel through Chase Travel, your points are worth 25% more. also includes valuable travel and purchase protections for trips you book with the card.

Why we like it: With the $95 annual fee Capital One Venture Rewards Card, you’ll earn unlimited 2x miles on every purchase you make. Plus, this rate bumps up to 5x miles when booking hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars through Capital One Travel. Cardholders get access to Lifestyle Collection hotel benefits, Hertz Five Star status and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit. Miles you earn with can be redeemed for travel, cash back, gift cards and more — or you can transfer them to Capital One’s 15+ transfer partners. If you choose to use your points toward a statement credit for a past travel purchase, you’ll have up to 90 days after making a travel purchase to redeem miles toward it.

Why we like it: The Delta SkyMiles Gold Amex Card can help you save on the flights that may be required to get to your cruise departure destination. This card earns 2x miles on Delta purchases, at worldwide restaurants, and U.S. supermarkets, plus 1x on everything else. There’s an introductory $0 annual fee for the first year, then it costs $150 annually ().

When booking award travel on Delta with your , you’ll receive a 15% discount on the number of miles required. You can earn a $200 Delta flight credit when you spend $10,000 within a calendar year, plus more annual benefits. On Delta flights, you’ll receive the first checked bag free, priority boarding, and 20% back on inflight purchases.

Read more about saving with Delta SkyMiles credit cards:

This article was edited by Kendall Little

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