[Rosalia]

I just use Pay Yourself Back and book on my own to also earn points and/or meet a SUB.

If you get a great cruise deal, yes, it’s only 1:1 redemption for PYB – BUT it still may be a lot less than what you could have done for a 2:1 redemption for a trip you don’t value as much.

For instance – flying to a Caribbean destination and staying all-inclusive on points vs getting on a cruise that costs less than that by half, using half the total points but only getting 1:1

[Remington]

I know you can sometimes book a cruise like Holland America and get points back on your AmEx.

[Linnie]

Look into CruiseCompete.com

I’ve found them to give the best deals.

cruisecompete.com

Get the best cruise vacation as multiple agencies work to offer you the best cruise values at CruiseCompete.

Discount Cruises. Cruise agents compete for best cruise prices on discounted cruise deals. Compare cruise prices to get the best cruise deal.

[Daniel]

I’ve not done it myself but I know you can book cruises through United with points as well.

Might be worth checking out United Cruises to compare deals.

[Monty]

I do it all the time.

You have to call in.

But it’s better if you search for the deal yourself first, and then maybe put a hold on it, and then the Chase Travel agent will call the cruise line and transfer the booking to Chase so they can pay it from there with your points.

[Percy]

We cruise 4 – 6x a year!

We have 4 booked as of now but may add a 5th this week!

Also make sure the card you pay with has travel insurance included.

I usually use Chase Sapphire Preferred, INK, or Capital One Venture X.

Opened a new Chase INK to pay the deposit on our summer cruise!

[Magdalen]

Using Ultimate Rewards for a cruise is bad redemption on points!

I go on 4-6 cruises a year.

I meet sign up bonus by paying cash for the cruises & then use the Chase points for hotel / airfare to get there.

[Isaac]

Cruises are my favorite way to meet my sign up bonus.

Especially if the cruise leaves within the sign up bonus period, literally you can charge tours, casino play and everything to the room.

And I love to use the points to get to and stay in the location, because they’re usually refundable if my plans change.

Usually I book a flight somewhere in points way in advance to get the price I want, with a cruise in mind but not booked.

I’ll wait for the cruise fare to come down, usually within a month of the cruise, then book the cruise with a SUB I’m working on.

Hope that helps!

[Gregoria]

Yes, you can use Ultimate Rewards to book a cruise.

It’s the same as booking with any travel agent, except it’s a lot of points instead of cash.

However a travel agent would get you a much better deal, plus perks, than you can usually find in the Ultimate Rewards portal.