5 Things to Know About the Norwegian Cruise Line Credit Card

The Norwegian Cruise Line operates nearly 20 ships that travel to hundreds of destinations around the world. If you’re thinking about heading to one of these destinations, you might also be considering how the Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® could help you lower the cost of your voyage.

The Bank of America®-issued card offers decent rewards and is fee-friendly, so it can be a solid option for Norwegian loyalists who cruise often. But if Norwegian is not your cruise line of choice or your open-sea explorations are few and far between, you'll be better off with a general rewards credit card.

Here are five things to know about the Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard®.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best credit cards for cruises

1. Ongoing rewards are decent, but limited

The Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® earns rewards in a currency called WorldPoints. The rates are as follows:

• 3 WorldPoints for every $1 spent on Norwegian purchases.

• 2 points per $1 for eligible air and hotel purchases.

• 1 point per $1 for all other spending.

WorldPoints are worth a penny each and can be redeemed for a variety of options. (More on that below.)

If you cruise exclusively and frequently with Norwegian, you can earn rewards at a reasonable rate. But because you’re limited to earning elevated rewards only on Norwegian purchases and travel-related spending, it can take a while to rack up points. There are cash-back and no-annual-fee travel credit cards that offer higher rewards rates in broader everyday spending categories, which can help you accumulate points more quickly.

For example, the Citi Double Cash® Card is a $0-annual-fee card that earns 2% cash back on every purchase: 1% when you buy, 1% when you pay it back.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best cash-back credit cards

2. Redemption is flexible and straightforward

Redemption starts at 5,000 points for a $50 onboard credit. But the card also allows you to redeem points for a number of other Norwegian cruise-related options including upgrades, discounts and onboard experiences, in addition to rental cars and gift cards.

Other co-branded cruise line credit cards — for, say, Princess Cruises and Holland America — also feature rewards flexibility, but their redemption rules and values are tiered and complex. The Norwegian card is refreshingly straightforward.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best travel credit cards

3. Among cruise line cards, the sign-up bonus is generous

The Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® features a substantial welcome offer for new cardholders: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 or more in the first 90 days of account opening. This offer is worth $200 and can be used for onboard credit or toward a Norwegian cruise (as of May 2024).

For a cruise line card, this offer for newcomers is significant. By comparison, the $0-annual-fee Princess Cruises Rewards Visa® Card features a smaller offer: Earn 20,000 Bonus Points after spending $500 in qualifying purchases within the first 90 days - that's enough to redeem for $200 in onboard credit.

And the sign-up bonus on the $0-annual-fee Holland America Line Rewards Visa® Card is phrased this way: "Earn 20,000 bonus points (enough to redeem for a $200 onboard credit) after spending $500 within the first 90 days of account opening."

4. You’ll skip out on fees …

Cardholders won’t have to pay an annual fee or a foreign transaction fee. This means you won’t be charged extra for using the card overseas.

And because it's a Mastercard, it will be widely accepted by merchants internationally.

5. … But you won’t want to carry a balance

The Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® doesn't offer an introductory interest-free period. The ongoing APR is 19.24 - 29.24% Variable (as of May 2024).

To this end, this card isn’t the best option for financing your entire cruise vacation or for carrying a balance from month to month. If you can't pay off your entire balance each month, a credit card with a 0% intro APR will likely be a better choice.