What is Onboard Credit for Cruises? How to get it and other bonus savings
There are lots of ways to get a bit of onboard credit for your upcoming cruise, plus bonus savings, too. What is onboard credit and how can you snag some for yourself?
What is Onboard Credit?
Onboard credit is money put onto your onboard account while on a cruise. Cruise lines operate on a cashless system onboard their ships, with each guest having an onboard account.
Onboard credit is money in that onboard account.
That credit can then be used to buy things onboard such as drinks, shore excursions and more.
Is onboard credit free?
When people discuss onboard credit, they’re typically meaning money that you’ve gotten for free into this account as a bonus or a benefit.
You can have money in this onboard account that you’ve added yourself, for instance if you were to deposit cash into your onboard account. However, that’s not a “credit”.
How can you get onboard credit?
There are so many ways to get onboard credit and most of them don’t cost you anything aside from a bit of paperwork before booking. Here’s a quick list that we’ll break down more below:
- A benefit for those in certain careers
- Military is the most common
- others include: Educator, EMT/First Responders, Healthcare
- For those with certain memberships
- AARP
- University of Washington Athletics
- Shareholder benefits
- with at least 100 shares of either Carnival Corporation stock (for Carnival Corp cruises) or Royal Caribbean stock (for Royal Caribbean Group cruises)
- An act of goodwill by the cruise line for an incident happening onboard
Here’s a breakdown of some benefits offered including onboard credit, based on cruise line.
Onboard Credit Bonuses by Cruise Line by Iris MWhich cruise lines offer onboard credit for members of the military?
Many cruise lines offer benefits for military personnel depending on which country they are from. Cruise lines not offering an onboard credit may offer a discount.
- Celebrity Cruises
- Up to $100 onboard credit
- Cunard
- Up to $200 onboard credit
- Disney Cruise Line
- Up to $250 depending on sailing and ship
- Holland America Line
- Up to $100 onboard credit
- Princess Cruises
- Up to $250 onboard credit
Which cruise lines offer onboard credits for other specific careers?
Those that work in education, healthcare, as an EMT, or fire fighter you might be able to get some onboard credit or discounts.
Which cruise lines offer onboard credit as a shareholder benefit?
Cruisers sailing on ships from either Royal Caribbean Group or Carnival Corporation that have at least 100 shares of either company can get an onboard credit with cruise lines from the respective corporations.
How much the onboard credit is for depends on how long of a cruise you are going on.
Carnival Corporation member cruise lines:
- AIDA
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Costa Cruises
- Cunard
- Holland America Line
- P&O Cruises
- Princess Cruises
- Seabourn
Royal Caribbean Group Member Lines:
- Celebrity Cruises
- Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
- Silversea cruises
Refer-a-Friend and other Referral Onboard Credit
If you have cruised with a specific cruise line before and you recommend that cruise line to a friend that then makes a booking, some cruise lines will offer you a referral onboard credit – sometimes both for you and the friend that booked on your recommendation.
Cruise lines that offer this type of onboard credit are:
- Seabourn Cruise Line
- Crystal Cruises
- Royal Caribbean International
Sign Up to Their Newsletter
If you go onto a cruise lines website you might get a pop-up asking for you to sign up with your name and email address, sometimes these will come with an offer to get a discount on an upcoming cruise or some onboard credit. Here are a few that I’ve found.
- Princess Cruises
- Celebrity Cruises
A price change for your cruise
If you notice that the price for your cruise has gone down since you booked you may be able to get the difference issued to you as onboard credit. If you worked with a travel agent they could try to negotiate this on your behalf, otherwise call the cruise line directly and see what they can do.
Early Booking Bonuses
Cruise lines want you to sign up for your cruise early. It’s better for them to have the ship mostly filled up as soon as possible, so they often offer early booking bonuses to encourage guests to book.
Here’s some cruise lines early booking bonuses and onboard credit offers. These change frequently and are often dependent on your specific cruise, so check with your travel advisor or the cruise line directly for what your sailing might qualify for.
- Azamara
- Up to 30% Discount
- Crystal Cruises
- Up to 10% off
- Cunard
- 10% off Early Booking Saving
- Explora Journeys
- 5% off Early Booking Benefit
- Holland America Line
- Have It All Early Booking Bonus
- up to $300 OBC (Onboard Credit)
- Premium Wi-Fi
- Elite Beverage Package
- Shore Excursions credit
- Specialty Dining
- Have It All Early Booking Bonus
- Princess Cruises Early Booking Bonus
- Up to $500 instant savings
- Up to $500 onboard credit
- Reduced deposits
Cruise Line Credit Cards
Most cruise lines will have an associated credit card with it. These cards in general don’t reward you with as many points as many travel credit cards will. However, they do have some sign-on bonuses once you’ve spent a certain amount, usually within the first 90 days, that can be valuable.
The majority of cards offer either 20,000 or 30,000 bonus points, redeemable for $200 or $300 onboard credit on your next cruise.
Here’s a super quick overview:
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Bonus points equal to $300 onboard credit
- Celebrity Cruises
- Currently a $450 bonus
- Holland America Line
- Bonus points equal to $200 Onboard Credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- Princess Cruises
- Bonus points up to $200 onboard credit
- Royal Caribbean International
- Bonus offer up to $450 in onboard credit
- More generous for points accumulation.
What can you spend onboard credit on?
You can spend onboard credit on nearly everything onboard including drinks, shore excursions, the shops and spa.
Is there anything you can’t spend the onboard credit on?
Onboard credit can’t typically be applied to the casino and can only sometimes be applied to things like gratuities.
What if I don’t use all of my onboard credit? Do I get that money back?
Most onboard credit is non-refundable.
Do I have to spend all of my onboard credit?
Absolutely not. You don’t have to spend all of it but most of the time whatever you don’t spend is forfeited.
Best bet, if you find yourself with a little extra at the end of the cruise, you could always go to the shops and even just buy some candy and give it to the crew. Or get a t-shirt. Don’t overthink it when you’ve got extras at the end.
Onboard credit FAQ’s
I’ve found out I have onboard credit. Is that charged to my credit card?
No. That can be confusing if you get a notification from the cruise line or your travel advisor that you’ve had onboard credit added to your account. This does not get charged to your credit card. It’s applied to your onboard account to be used for onboard purchases or experiences like the spa or shore excursions.
Is it the maximum amount I can spend on the cruise?
Nope and the cruise line likes it that way. As long as you can pay it at the end of the cruise, you can spend it. Whether that is on a credit card or not and whether it puts you into huge debt is up to you.
Can onboard credit be used for drinks?
Yes! Sometimes it can’t be used to buy drink packages but can be used for individual drink purchases during the cruise.
Always Check About Onboard Credit and Bonuses Before Sailing
Get ready to have a wonderful cruise with a bit of onboard credit to make the trip that much more special. Whether you decide to go to the spa, get a couple of cocktails, or splurge in the shops, onboard credit – especially when it is free – can be a great bonus to your cruise experience.
