I went on my first cruise when I was 28 years old.

I loved the simplicity of it. I loved how everything was right there. I didn’t have to go far to find my next meal, and all the activities were provided to me each day.

It made travel EASY.

Since then, our family has gone on 4 more cruises, and we’ve loved every single one.

Our last one was an Alaskan Cruise, and if you’ve never been, please put it on your list. The sights are unmatched.

And it left us wanting more.

>>> Download my free Alaskan Cruise Packing List here!

As a family who never pays full price for travel, we want to share our tips for how to save thousands on your next cruise.

Although it can be a little trickier to save money when booking a cruise, it can still be done.

>>> If you haven’t downloaded my free Points and Miles guide, I suggest that as a starting point so you can fully understand the process of earning and redeeming points that I’ll discuss in this post.

Subscribe to the Mailing List

The first thing I would suggest when trying to save money on a cruise is to subscribe to the cruise line’s mailing list.

By doing this, you make sure that you receive holiday sales and promotional offers like “50% off your second guest” or even “Kids Sail Free”.

I kid you not – a few years ago, we booked a 5-night Caribbean cruise for less than $1,200 just a few minutes after receiving a promo email.

Following the cruise line on social media is another good way to catch deals!

Save Money by Using a Travel Agent

While most travel agents advertise the same deals as the cruise lines, I still highly recommend them because they stay on top of your booking and take the stress out of planning your trip.

Did I mention their services are FREE?

Oftentimes, they can apply promotional offers to your booking when they’re released!

For example, if you booked a cruise for $3,000, then Royal Caribbean releases a sale on your cruise, your agent can apply that to your booking!

If you’re in need of a great travel agent, contact my agent Ashley who can get you booked on your next trip for free!

Book Your Cruise Through a Travel Portal

Now down to the nitty gritty.

While many points and miles enthusiasts may not always recommend the travel portal, I encourage everyone to do your own research and book travel the way it works best for their budget.

And there have been some recent changes to the Chase portal that may make your points go further in certain circumstances.

If a cruise is a trip you’ve been wanting to take, and haven’t been able to because of price, booking through the bank’s travel portal could be a way for you to make it happen!

Keep in mind, though, that one of the reasons portal books can be so frowned upon is because they’re essentially third-party bookings. I’ve read horror stories about having to deal with canceling, rescheduling, and even companies losing reservations!

In the photo above, you can see that it would cost you 66,000 points plus another $1,000 for a balcony room – just for one person!

Booking in the portal may not be the best option, but it’s still an option.

Open a Bank Account for a Cash Bonus

This strategy could require a bit of organization, but it’s an option we personally use to offset travel experiences that points don’t cover – like food and experiences.

Simply, to earn a bank bonus, you must open a checking or savings account with a certain bank, deposit an amount of money, and keep it there for a certain number of days. The requirements will vary by bank, but bonuses can range from $100 up to $900, but on average they are about $300.

We’ve earned about $2,000 in 2 years just by opening up checking accounts for the bonus.

Doctor of Credit keeps a current list of the best bank bonuses with important information for each – like deposit amount, monthly fees, early termination fees (if any), and additional information.

Once you’ve earned your bonus, you can withdraw that amount and use it as a payment toward your cruise!

Full transparency, receiving a bank bonus does count as income so you’ll receive tax documents at the beginning of the year for reporting.

Open a U.S. Bank Business Credit Card

Another better option you have for saving on your cruise is to open a cash back credit card. Now, I don’t mean open a card that you put all your expenses on all year long just to earn 3% cash back.

I mean that you’ll open a specific credit card that offers a cash bonus when you hit the minimum spend. (If you’re lost, go back and download my free Points and Miles Guide!)

The U.S. Bank business cards are some of the top cards I recommend for those of you who want to open cards to pay for a cruise. Honestly, I’m not sure why they aren’t talked about more, because many of them:

• don’t count toward 5/24
• offer great bonuses you can use toward cruise payments
• have a $0 annual fee (for at least the first year)

U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business Card

Earn $500 cash back after spending $4,500 in the first 150 days of opening your account.

The strategy: Put your budgeted expenses on this card until you meet the spend of $4,500. Include a $500 cruise payment. Once you earn the $500 cash back welcome offer, use it as a statement credit to cover the $500 cruise payment. You can also replicate this strategy with your player 2 to cover another $500 cruise payment.

With a $0 annual fee, this is one of the best ways to partially cover a cruise!

U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature Card

Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $7,500 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of opening your account.

The strategy: *In order to convert these points to cash back, you must have a US Bank account, so you’ll need to open one if you don’t already have one.* Put your budgeted expenses on this card until you meet the spend of $7,500. Include a $750 cruise payment. Once you earn the 75,000 bonus points welcome offer, deposit it into your US Bank account. It can then be cashed out as $750 that you can use to reimburse yourself for the $750 cruise payment. You can also replicate this strategy with your player 2 to cover another $750 cruise payment.

This card also has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year and $95 after that. If you find that the benefits no longer outweigh the $95 annual fee, you can cancel.

U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first 180 days of opening your account.

The strategy: *In order to convert these points to cash back, you must have a US Bank account, so you’ll need to open one if you don’t already have one.* Put your budgeted expenses on this card until you meet the spend of $6,000. Include a $600 cruise payment. Once you earn the 60,000 bonus points welcome offer, deposit it into your US Bank account. It can then be cashed out as $600 that you can use to reimburse yourself for the $600 cruise payment. You can also replicate this strategy with your player 2 to cover another $600 cruise payment.

This card also has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year and $95 after that. If you find that the benefits no longer outweigh the $95 annual fee, you can cancel.

Open a Capital One Venture X

Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in 3 months.

The Capital One Venture X is a great option for travelers because, although it comes with a $395 annual fee, it is entirely covered by its benefits. These include:

• Annual $300 travel credit (to be used in the portal)
• 10,000 bonus points on your card anniversary
• Lounge Access for you and 2 guests (until February 2026)

The strategy: Put your budgeted expenses on this card until you meet the spend of $4,000. Include an $830 cruise payment. Once you earn the 75,000 bonus points welcome offer, you should have a total of 83,000 points. You can then choose to “erase” your $830 cruise payment with the 83,000 points. You can also replicate this strategy with your player 2 to cover another $830 cruise payment.

In addition to using points to cover a good chunk of your cruise, you also have a $300 travel credit that you can use to book a hotel for the night before your cruise!

>>> Not sure how to “erase” purchases with your Capital One card? Check out this blog post!

Can’t stomach the $395 annual fee? Check out the Capital One Venture card instead!

This one has very similar points-earning benefits as the Venture X, however it doesn’t come with a travel credit, lounge access, or anniversary points since it only has a $95 annual fee. However, you can still earn 75,000 points if you spend $4,000 in 3 months.

And you may be thinking to yourself that this is a ton of cards to open to cover a cruise. You definitely don’t have to open each one, but when you consider opening 1-2 and having your player 2 also open 1 or 2, you can cover a good amount of cruise fees.

If you’re looking for a card that will give you points to cover your flights or hotel, consider grabbing the Chase Sapphire Preferred for 75,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. This is a great flexible points-earning card and one that every traveler should hold!

And if you have any questions about a cruise-hacking strategy, shoot me a message on Instagram and I’ll help you out!