Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® overview
The Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® is designed to reward frequent NCL cruisers with reductions, onboard credit and free cruises. The cardboard is interesting for its no annual payment and no overseas transaction charges, but it surely lacks different compelling advantages. Card ranking*: ⭐⭐½
* Card ranking relies on the opinion of TPG’s editors and isn’t influenced by the cardboard issuer.
Nevertheless, in case your purpose is to get a free cruise by signing up for the NCL bank card, it’ll take a whole lot of spending to take action. It’s because the bonus classes will not be compelling sufficient to make it an on a regular basis spending card.
Let’s take an in-depth have a look at the Norwegian Cruise Line bank card to see if it’d make sense for you.
The data for the Norwegian Cruise Line bank card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard welcome supply
The Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard is presently providing a sign-up bonus of 25,000 factors after making a minimum of $1,000 in purchases inside the first 90 days of account opening. The 25,000 factors are price $250 in onboard credit score.
This welcome bonus falls in step with what you’ll be able to usually anticipate on a no-annual-fee card that requires $1,000 or much less in spending. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to usually get a significantly better worth from the welcome bonus on most normal journey bank cards, particularly in case you’re prepared to pay an annual payment of round $100.
Associated: Bank card sign-up bonuses you’ll be able to earn with $1,000 or much less in spending
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Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard advantages
The NCL bank card is mild on advantages. Its two massive highlights are not any annual payment and no overseas transaction charges. The shortage of overseas transaction charges is helpful for individuals who regularly make purchases exterior the U.S., comparable to when touring by Norwegian cruise ship. Many playing cards that supply this perk have an annual payment, in order that’s some extent within the World Mastercard’s favor.
Nevertheless, the cardboard lacks the journey and buying protections that many different journey bank cards have; such protections embrace journey delay insurance coverage, misplaced or delayed baggage safety, journey cancellation insurance coverage, prolonged guarantee or buy safety. These protections can turn out to be useful if you’re dealing with journey troubles, though you should buy stand-alone insurance coverage insurance policies if you do not have a bank card that gives them.
Cardholders do obtain some advantages below the cardboard’s World Mastercard label. Amongst them are a complimentary ShopRunner membership and cellphone safety with as much as $1,000 in yearly protection (most two claims per 12 months, for as much as $600 per declare, $50 deductible) in case your telephone is broken or stolen.
Associated: 6 priceless journey perks you can get with a bank card
Incomes factors on the Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard
The NCL bank card earns WorldPoints, that are fully totally different from the Latitude Rewards factors you’ll be able to earn from Norwegian’s loyalty program.
The incomes charges on the NCL bank card are barely higher than competitor cruise playing cards, just like the Carnival World Mastercard and the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature Credit score Card. NCL cardholders earn 3 WorldPoints for each greenback spent on Norwegian purchases, 2 WorldPoints per greenback spent on eligible air and resort purchases and 1 WorldPoint per greenback spent on all different purchases.
Plus, in case you’re a Financial institution of America Most well-liked Rewards member, you’ll be able to earn 25% to 75% extra factors on each buy, utilized to the bottom earn of 1 level per greenback.
Each the Carnival Cruise bank card and the Royal Caribbean bank card solely supply 2 factors per greenback spent on their cruise traces and simply 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases, with no bonus factors for air and resort purchases just like the NCL bank card. The power to earn extra as a Most well-liked Rewards member means you’ll be able to rack up factors just a bit bit sooner with the NCL bank card.
Nonetheless, there are lots of different bank cards that earn extra bonus factors on particular class spending, comparable to journey, eating, fuel and groceries. That is most likely not a card to make use of for on a regular basis spending as a result of it can take a very long time to earn a considerable quantity of factors.
Norwegian Cruise Line bank card factors expire 5 years after the month they have been earned, no matter exercise.
The data for the Carnival Cruise bank card and the Royal Caribbean bank card have been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Associated: Do you have to get a cruise line bank card? Here is a more in-depth look
Redeeming factors on the Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard
You possibly can redeem your WorldPoints for onboard credit score, cabin upgrades, cruise reductions, free cruises, automobile leases, resort stays, money rewards and reward playing cards. Redemptions start at 2,500 factors.
Redeeming for cruise reductions and onboard credit score is easy with the NCL bank card with rewards valued at 1 cent per level. You possibly can redeem as few as 5,000 WorldPoints for $50 of onboard credit score or 10,000 factors for $100 off any cruise ($50 per individual).
Free cruise redemptions are supplied at a flat charge (quite than a dollars-to-points conversion). At the moment, free cruise redemptions start at 80,000 factors for an inside cabin on a three- or four-night Bahamas cruise for 2. The factors redemption contains all relevant authorities taxes, port bills and costs.
In an effort to redeem your factors, you’ll be able to sign up to your account on the Financial institution of America web site and choose the Rewards tab, or you’ll be able to name Norwegian at 1-866-954-4077.
Which playing cards compete with the Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard?
Even in case you are a cruise lover, you will probably get extra worth from a cash-back or normal journey rewards bank card like one of many following three:
- If you wish to earn extra factors in your journey purchases: Try the American Specific® Inexperienced Card. It earns 3 Membership Rewards factors per greenback on journey purchases, together with cruises. This implies you will earn bonus factors on the cruise reserving in addition to any airfare or resort purchases you make to get to and out of your cruise. The cardboard has a $150 annual payment but in addition contains a number of journey protections and has annual assertion credit for Clear Plus and LoungeBuddy. For extra data, learn our full evaluation of the Amex Inexperienced.
- If you wish to earn versatile rewards: Attempt the Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card. It expenses a $95 annual payment (see charges and costs) and has an incomes charge of a minimum of 2 miles per greenback on all purchases. The miles earned could be transferred to airways and resort packages, redeemed for airfare, lodges and rental vehicles by the Capital One journey portal, or redeemed as a press release credit score for journey purchases, like cruises. It additionally comes with a credit score for International Entry or TSA PreCheck. For extra data, learn our full evaluation of the Enterprise Rewards card.
- If you need a flat incomes charge with no annual payment: The Citi Double Money (see charges and costs) earns 1% if you purchase and 1% if you pay your invoice (for a complete of two% money again on all of your purchases). The cardboard does have a 3% overseas transaction payment, so that you’d need to use an alternate card for purchases exterior the U.S. For extra data, learn our full evaluation of the Double Money.
For added choices, see our lists of the very best cash-back and normal journey rewards bank cards.
Associated: One of the best bank cards for reserving cruises
The data for the American Specific Inexperienced Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Is the Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard price it?
When you solely go on a Norwegian cruise every year and cost the price to your NCL bank card, the factors wouldn’t add up rapidly. For instance, a $5,000 cruise would solely earn 15,000 factors. Large cruise spenders would possibly discover the cardboard barely extra interesting.
Backside line
The Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard might help you lower your expenses in your cruise purchases and even earn you free cruises — in case you can spend sufficient on the cardboard earlier than the factors expire.
Nevertheless, frequent cruise vacationers would possibly do higher signing up for a normal journey card to earn a giant welcome bonus or utilizing a card that provides extra factors per greenback on on a regular basis spending. You will be in your approach to a free cruise a lot sooner.
For charges and costs of the Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Citi® Double Money Card click on right here.
