Royal Caribbean Group has rolled out its first tri-branded premium card, the Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature, promising priority boarding, expedited luggage delivery, and high points on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Silversea purchases. But the rewards are tigh
When you’re counting down to embarkation day. the last thing you want is to burn time at check-in or wait for your bags to catch up.. With the launch of the Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® credit card. Royal Caribbean Group is pitching a more premium arrival at sea. built around points you can use to lower cruise costs or fund onboard spending.
The card is aimed at fans of Royal Caribbean. Celebrity Cruises and Silversea—companies that are all under the same corporate umbrella.. It comes with priority embarkation and expedited luggage delivery. and it can also generate a $200 cruise discount if cardholders spend $20. 000 on the card within one year.
The trade-off is a clear one: while the card earns points across the group’s brands, those points can’t be used for flights, hotels, or transfers to other travel loyalty programs—and they do not count toward status nights in the cruise lines’ own loyalty schemes.
Royal Caribbean Group’s new tri-branded premium card
Royal Caribbean Group is moving away from single-cruise-line cobranded cards and rolling out tri-branded options, with the Royal ONE Plus positioned as the premium route. The card carries a $99 annual fee.
Earning is designed to reward cruise-heavy spending. Cardholders earn 4 points per dollar on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea purchases, and 2 points per dollar on eligible airline, hotel, dining, gas, grocery and EV charging purchases. Everything else earns 1 point per dollar.
In the welcome offer, cardholders who spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days after opening their account earn 70,000 points.
But the card’s rules make it cruise-centric even in daily life.. Royal Caribbean Group purchases include pre-cruise expenses such as shore excursions or Wi‑Fi packages. as well as onboard expenses charged to the ship account.. The card’s elevated rates are designed to capture that spend whether you’re buying before you sail or while you’re on board.
A card built for onboard credit—and cruise-only redemptions
Royal ONE Plus points can only be redeemed on cruise-related rewards tied to the Royal Caribbean Group brands. Cardholders can choose to apply points for discounts on cruise bookings or for onboard credit to use for shipboard purchases like spa treatments, drink packages and specialty dining.
Each point is valued at one cent, and the minimum redemption is 5,000 points, which equals a $50 discount or $50 onboard credit. Points cannot be used to pay for taxes, fees or gratuities.
Redemptions are handled through the relevant Royal Caribbean Group cruise line’s website or app, or by contacting the cruise line’s call center. And while the card’s earning can span any of the three brands, the redemption options remain limited to those cruise discounts and onboard credit.
The card also stacks cruise perks on top of rewards. Cardholders receive priority boarding with suite guests and expedited luggage delivery.
For added travel enrollment support. cardholders can receive up to $120 in statement credits every four years for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry enrollment fees.. It also includes perks such as no foreign transaction fees. car rental insurance. roadside assistance. basic travel insurance (including trip delay. trip cancellation and interruption and lost luggage coverage). an emergency assistance hotline. and exclusive rates on Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection bookings.
If you want loyalty status, this card won’t help
For some Royal loyalists. the promise of more points may come with frustration—because the card doesn’t provide a shortcut to cruise-line elite status.. The points earned through the Royal ONE Plus credit card are completely separate from nights earned in the cruise lines’ loyalty programs: Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society. Celebrity Cruises Captain’s Club and Silversea Cruises Venetian Society.
Spending more on the card will not put cardholders on a faster path to onboard perks tied to elite status, such as onboard discounts, milestone free cruise certificates, lounge access, and invitations to exclusive events.
There’s also a practical mismatch for those who already book top-tier suites. Perks like expedited boarding and luggage delivery may not feel as meaningful to suite guests, since suite perks already cover those advantages.
Another limitation: the card does not offer point transfers to other programs or redemptions for non-cruise travel such as flights and hotels.. With points valued at just one cent each. frequent travelers looking for broader flexibility may find the value less compelling than premium cards that support travel transfers.
What happens to existing Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cardholders
Bank of America will transfer points balances of existing Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cardholders to the new Royal ONE accounts at the same value.
Current Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises Visa cardholders will be automatically switched to the entry-level Royal ONE Visa Signature card.. New cards are expected to arrive after June 2026.. If existing cardholders want the premium Royal ONE Plus card. they’ll need to wait until they receive the new Royal One Visa card and then request an upgrade.
Importantly, existing cardholders will not be eligible for the welcome bonus of either card.
A simpler second option also exists
For travelers who want a Royal-branded card without paying an annual fee. Bank of America’s Royal ONE™ Visa Signature® offers a different structure.. That version carries a $0 annual fee and fewer perks. including priority boarding through a dedicated line rather than the more suite-focused entrance used for the premium card. and it does not provide priority luggage delivery or a Known Traveler Program credit.
Its earning rates are lower: 3 points per dollar on eligible cruise purchases, 2 points per dollar on groceries, gas and EV charging, and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. The anniversary cruise discount on that card is $100 each year after $10,000 annual spend.
Who the Royal ONE Plus appears built for
The Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature is positioned for cruisers who rack up spend with Royal Caribbean Group brands and want cruise discounts and onboard credit rather than broader travel flexibility.. For people spending heavily on cruise-related purchases and willing to keep redemptions within the Royal Caribbean Group ecosystem. the combination of elevated earning. priority embarkation. and cruise-focused rewards may fit neatly.
But for travelers who want premium card perks that carry over into airfare and hotel stays—especially rewards that can be transferred to other travel programs—the card’s cruise-only redemption limits and one-cent-per-point value may feel restrictive.
Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature Royal Caribbean Celebrity Cruises Silversea cruise credit card priority boarding expedited luggage delivery TSA PreCheck Global Entry