Carnival is revamping its loyalty program—renaming VIFP Club to Carnival Rewards and rolling out new rules on Sept. 1—cutting back on “status for life,” shifting eligibility to a two-year spend window, and making the program harder to chase. Loyalists can keep
By the time Carnival’s loyalty program fully switches over. some of the cruise line’s most frequent guests will feel the ground move beneath them. The change is scheduled to take effect Sept. 1. when the current VIFP Club program sunsets at the end of August and Carnival’s new program—renamed Carnival Rewards—starts operating under rules that largely reshape what “loyalty” is supposed to earn.
For years. critics have pointed to what Carnival didn’t offer compared with other big-ship brands: unlike Royal Caribbean. the VIFP Club program has never promised members a free cruise or similar high-value perks once they reach the top tier. It also hasn’t included lucrative discounts like up to 20% on certain sailings that some other loyalty programs. such as Windstar Cruises. have offered. Now. as the overhaul lands later this year. the controversy is widening—especially among the most dedicated cruisers who have been chasing status based on how much they sail. not how much they spend.
The biggest shift is simple to understand. even if the new system isn’t: under Carnival Rewards. status will no longer be “for life. ” and it won’t be earned by cruise count. Instead. the program’s structure ties status to spending over a set period. then threatens to take it away unless guests requalify.
Carnival Rewards will introduce several changes:
Status will no longer be offered for life. Under the new rules, guests will only earn status for a two-year increment, and they will lose it unless they requalify.
Status will no longer be based on the number of cruises taken. The new approach makes status depend on how much money guests spend with Carnival.
Higher status tiers will require points earning levels that are described as very difficult for most Carnival cruisers to reach.
Perks at the different tiers will be fewer and less valuable than what was offered under the old VIFP Club program.
The new program also arrives with a learning curve. The VIFP Club program was straightforward: one type of points earned using a simple ratio of 1 point for every day of cruising. Carnival Rewards splits the system into two tracks—“points” and “stars”—and each track comes with different rewards.
Until Sept. 1, Carnival says guests will keep earning points and status under the existing VIFP Club rules, because the program doesn’t change until the Sept. 1 start date. Still, Carnival is asking members to take action now if they want to avoid any lapse.
Carnival notes that the VIFP Club loyalty program will sunset at the end of August. but status in that program will carry over to Carnival Rewards for the next two years—unless a member is at the Diamond level. which will carry over for life. To move a current status level from VIFP Club to Carnival Rewards. guests will need to log into their profile on the Carnival website and manually opt-in and accept the terms and conditions of the new program. Carnival indicates members do not need to wait until Sept. 1 to do so, and suggests opting in now to ensure status doesn’t lapse during upcoming sailings.
The earning mechanics are where Carnival Rewards turns into a different kind of loyalty game.
There will be two tracks to earn in Carnival Rewards:
Status Qualifying Stars will be the path to loyalty tiers. This track mirrors the old VIFP Club logic in that it moves members upward through ranks. but it changes the measurement. Instead of earning status points based on nights cruised. members will earn Status Qualifying Stars based on spending. with thresholds that vary depending on the type of spending.
Guests will earn:
3 stars for every dollar spent on cruise fares and onboard spending, including spa treatments, shore excursions, dining and drinks.
Additional stars for gambling in onboard casinos, varying by the games played. For playing slot machines, guests will initially get 1 “casino point,” which converts into Status Qualifying Stars at a ratio of 1 star for every $2 played.
Additional stars for making charges to a Carnival® World Mastercard®. Carnival says the number of stars tied to different spending types on the card has yet to be announced but will be soon.
There are exceptions to the spend-to-get-stars rule. Guests will not earn stars for the portion of a cruise fare that represents taxes and fees. will not earn stars for spending on air travel booked through Carnival as part of its Fly2Fun program. and will not earn stars for spending on certain fare types. Guests also will not earn stars for purchases made using Carnival Rewards points. spending with onboard credits or future cruise credits that were not originally funded by a guest’s own spending.
The second track is Carnival Rewards points. These points use a similar structure, but they are explicitly separate from loyalty status. Carnival Rewards points can be earned based on spending—again with the same exceptions noted for Status Qualifying Stars—and come with bonuses designed to reward ongoing travel.
Guests will earn 3 Carnival Rewards points for every dollar spent on Carnival cruises (with the same exceptions). In addition. guests can earn 5. 000 bonus Carnival Rewards points after their first 50 days of sailing on a Carnival ship and another 10. 000 bonus Carnival Rewards points after every 100 days sailed.
What makes Carnival Rewards points different is what they’re for. Unlike Status Qualifying Stars, they will not affect how quickly guests rise through loyalty tiers. Instead, they can be used for free items or cruise discounts.
Carnival Rewards points can be used to pay for:
Cruise fares, including deposits required when guests first book.
Extra-charge onboard activities.
Onboard shopping.
Gambling in ship casinos.
Extra-charge onboard dining.
Onboard drinks.
Shore excursions booked through the line.
Carnival says it hasn’t posted a complete list of what can be paid for and how many points each item costs. but it has provided examples. A Swedish massage at a ship spa costs 13,499 Carnival Rewards points. A dinner at The Chef’s Table experience or steakhouse restaurants found on Carnival ships costs 5,500 points. A single frozen pina colada costs 1,357 points.
The points math matters because the freebies require significant spending. Carnival has framed the massage. dinner. and drink examples as achievable with points—but reaching those point totals requires accumulating them through spending. To get 1,357 points needed for a free pina colada, guests would need to spend about $452 with Carnival. To get the 13,499 points needed for the Swedish massage, guests would need to spend about $4,500.
Carnival Rewards tiers also represent a retreat in terms of sheer status glamour, even while giving a small boost at the start.
The program will have four loyalty tiers:
Red (upon signing up)
Gold (from 10,000 stars)
Platinum (from 50,000 stars)
Diamond (from 100,000 stars)
Unlike many lines, guests can reach Red by signing up in advance, without completing a cruise. But the Red tier comes with almost no perks. It includes only three: the ability to earn and redeem points. eligibility for members-only cruise offers. and a complimentary 1.5-liter bottle of water during sailings.
Gold similarly limits the experience. It adds two perks on top of Red’s: a dedicated Gold member support line and a single complimentary beverage on sailings of five days or longer. Gold members will also receive a special Gold-colored Sail & Sign card.
Platinum is where the perks expand, but it also comes with a steep price tag. Carnival describes Platinum perks as including priority access of some kind: early access to online check-in 16 days in advance. priority check-in and boarding. priority access on board for spa reservations and the guest services line. priority debarkation. and access to preferred restaurant times.
Additional Platinum perks include a second free drink that guests can order at any venue, complimentary wash-and-fold laundry service (one to four bags depending on cruise length), a Platinum-colored Sail & Sign card, and a Platinum pin.
Reaching Platinum is built on Status Qualifying Stars. For nongamblers. the program sets the threshold to reach Gold at 10. 000 stars. and it outlines that hitting 50. 000 stars for Platinum requires $16. 667 in Carnival purchases over a two-year period. The required amounts for gamblers and Carnival Mastercard holders differ based on casino play and card spending.
Then there’s Diamond, the highest tier that Carnival is also scaling back. Carnival says perks like a free cabin upgrade upon first reaching Diamond status and a complimentary meal for two at a specialty restaurant of the guest’s choice are gone as part of the overhaul.
At Diamond level, Carnival offers a guaranteed main dining time of choice, either early or late seating. Diamond members also receive slightly more free wash-and-fold laundry service—one more bag per cruise—while Carnival notes the old program had unlimited laundry wash-and-fold service for Diamond members. Beyond that. Diamond members get a Diamond pin. a Diamond-themed Sign & Sail card color. an invitation to a special event with the captain on each sailing. and perks that largely mirror Platinum.
To reach Diamond, Carnival says nongamblers would need to spend $33,333 with Carnival in a two-year period, assuming they do not gamble and do not hold the Carnival Mastercard.
But one exception is built in for existing top-tier loyalty. If a guest has already reached Diamond status in the current VIFP Club program by the time VIFP Club sunsets on Sept. 1, that guest will retain Diamond status for life. Carnival says this grandfathering decision changed after an outcry from the line’s most loyal customers over the prospect of losing Diamond status they thought was permanent.
The timeline itself is crucial, because Carnival Rewards doesn’t just change what counts—it changes when it counts. The new two-year Status Qualifying Period begins Jan. 1, 2027, and ends Dec. 31, 2028. The Status Qualifying Stars earned during that period will determine status from Jan. 1, 2029, through Dec. 31, 2030.
Between now and Jan. 1, 2029, a guest’s status will be their final status in VIFP Club as of Sept. 1, when that program sunsets.
To illustrate how the carryover will work for someone already near the top. the guide notes an example from a personal standpoint: one writer is at Platinum level in VIFP Club and will retain that Platinum status in the new program until the end of 2028. with status reset on Jan. 1, 2029 based on stars earned in 2027 and 2028.
For Carnival’s most frequent guests. the emotional punch of the overhaul is less about a single perk being removed and more about the new rhythm of earning and maintaining. Carnival Rewards may still include wins through the separate Carnival Rewards points track—such as the ability to pay with points for cruise fares. onboard dining. shore excursions. and spa treatments—but the direct path to status is now tied to spending within a fixed two-year window.
In the end, the message for current members is clear: Sept. 1 is coming. VIFP Club ends at the end of August. and Carnival’s loyalty future will be decided by what guests do between now and the start of the new earning period—plus what they opt in to immediately on Carnival’s website to carry their status forward.
Carnival Rewards VIFP Club Carnival loyalty program overhaul cruise loyalty status Carnival cruise points Carnival Rewards points Status Qualifying Stars Platinum perks Diamond tier cruise loyalty guide
So basically they just changed the name??
Wait Sept 1 is when it all changes right? That two-year spend window sounds like a gotcha. I swear loyal customers always get punished first.
I’m confused because it says status for life is getting cut back, but then says loyalists can keep… what exactly? Like do they still get the free drink package or is that gone too? Also why does it read like “up to 20%” is just for other lines but not Carnival, seems shady.
Honestly this is why I stopped cruising Carnival. They act like loyalty means you spend more, but then they tighten the rules so it’s harder to reach anything. I heard some people can still keep their tier until they book another cruise, but not sure if that’s true. Feels like they’re just trying to reset the whole thing at the worst time for anyone who already planned trips around their “status.”