Rewards Plan
Welcome Bonus
Credit Rating
0% Intro
Annual Fee
APR
- 0% Introductory APR
- 10% Statement Credit
- Low Rewards
- No Carnival Perks
Rewards Plan
Welcome Bonus
0% Intro
PROS
- 0% Introductory APR
- 10% Statement Credit
CONS
- Low Rewards
- No Carnival Perks
APR
19.74% - 29.74%
Annual Fee
$0
Balance Transfer Fee
5% or $5, whichever is greater
Credit Requirements
Good - Excellent
Although the Carnival World Mastercard does not have the most generous reward structure, it could be a good option for those who frequently sail with this cruise line. You will need to cruise at least a few times each year to get the most for your card, which will also provide you with the opportunity to redeem your rewards as statement credit against your cruise purchases. The card offers an attractive 0% APR promo.
Additionally, cardholders enjoy various perks such as a special financing promotion for Carnival cruise purchases, exclusive onboard offers, and faster boarding privileges.
However, if you don’t tend to cruise regularly or you want to maximize your reward potential, you may find that there are general travel credit cards that offer greater rewards. For example, the Discover It Miles card offers 1.5 miles for every dollar spent on all your purchases, which provides greater potential to earn rewards. What’s more, you can use your miles to book a cruise through the Discover travel platform.
- 0% Introductory APR
- Statement Credit
- Zero Fraud Liability
- Redeem For Statement Credits
- Low Rewards
- No Carnival Perks
What are card income requirements?
There are no official income requirements for this card, but Barclays will consider your income to assess whether you have sufficient disposable income to support a new card.
Can I get pre-approved?
Barclays does not offer pre approval on its website, but this card issuer is known to send out mailers and other promotional materials offering pre approval for select customers. So, keep an eye out for a promotional code that indicates that you’ve been pre approved.
Does the card provide car rental insurance?
Unfortunately, although this is a travel credit card, you’ll not receive any car rental insurance with the Carnival World Mastercard.
In this Review
Estimating Your Rewards: A Practical Simulation
Check out the table below to see how using the Carnival World Mastercard could earn you rewards. It's a simulation that estimates the benefits based on your everyday spending in different categories.
Remember, this table is just an estimate, so your actual rewards may differ depending on your personal spending habits and other factors. But it can give you an idea of the card's potential advantages.
| |
|---|---|
Spend Per Category | Carnival World Mastercard
|
$10,000 – U.S Supermarkets | 10,000 FunPoints |
$3,000 – Restaurants
| 3,000 FunPoints |
$5,000 – Cruise | 10,000 FunPoints |
$4,000 – Airline & Hotels | 8,000 FunPoints |
$4,000 – Gas | 4,000 FunPoints |
Estimated Annual Avios | 35,000 FunPoints |
Pros and Cons
Just like any other credit card, the Carnival World Mastercard has some advantages and disadvantages:
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
0% Introductory APR | Low Rewards |
10% Statement Credit
| No Carnival Perks |
Zero Fraud Liability | |
Redeem For Statement Credits | |
No Foreign Transaction Fees |
- 0% Introductory APR
This card offers a 0% APR for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening. However, a balance transfer fee still applies. After the initial 15 months, the standard APR applies. This is not a common option when it comes to travel rewards cards.
There is also a 0% promotional APR for six months when you make a Carnival cruise booking.
- 10% Statement Credit
You can receive 10% back as a statement credit when you book shore excursions on the Carnival website before your cruise.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
You won't be charged any fees for making purchases abroad with the Iberia Visa Signature Card.
- Zero Fraud Liability
The card offers up to $200 in statement credit towards taxes, fees and charges when you redeem Avios for British Airways reward flights. This is available on up to three bookings per year, for a maximum statement credit of $600 each year.
- Redeem For Statement Credits
You can use your FunPoints® towards any Carnival purchase, onboard experiences, and more. You can start redeeming your FunPoints® at just 5,000 points for a $50 statement credit towards a Carnival Cruise Line purchase made within the last 180 days.”
- Low Rewards
Unless you tend to go on Carnival cruises several times a year, there is a low reward potential with this card.
When compared to other cards (see table below) the rewards seem particularly low.
- No Carnival Perks
One of the main advantages of a co-branded card is that they tend to offer special brand specific perks that you don’t get with a general travel card.
The Carnival World Mastercard does not offer elite status, or other brand specific perks other than statement credit for your excursions.
Who Should Consider The Carnival Credit Card?
Since this is a co-branded card, it is obviously best for those who are brand loyal to Carnival Cruises.
Since this card primarily offers rewards for Carnival purchases and rewards can only be redeemed for statement credit against Carnival Cruise Line purchases, those who don’t take several cruises a year are likely to find this card frustrating. If you like cruise cards, you cam also consider the Royal Caribbean credit card.
The card could also be a good choice for those who want to pay down a credit card balance and earn a few rewards for to the 0% intro APR it offers. However, there are couple of alternatives that can be relevant if you would like to check other options:
Card | Rewards | Annual Fee |
| 1x – 2x
2 points per dollar on all Holland America purchases, including any onboard purchases. 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. | $0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5X
unlimited 1.5x miles for every dollar spent on all purchases
| $0
| |
| 1X – 10X
10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights and 2 miles per dollar on all eligible purchases
| $395 | |
| 1X – 3X
3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Also, earn 1X points on other purchases
| $0 | |
| 1x – 2x
2x on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises and 1x on all other purchases
| $0 | |
| 1X – 10X
5X total points on air travel and 10X total points on hotels, car rentals when you purchase through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit. Also, earn 3x points on dining at restaurants and travel (after meeting the $300 travel credit), then 1x points per dollar spent on all other purchases
| $550 | |
| 1X – 5X
5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
| $695 (Rates & Fees) |
Tips for Using the Carnival Card
While this card is quite straightforward, there are some tips to help you to get the most from it. These include:
-
Arrange Balance Transfers Quickly
As we just touched on, this card offers a generous 0% APR introductory period, but you need to act quickly. You need to ensure that all balance transfers are made within 45 days of opening your account.
-
Plan Your Cruise In Advance
Since you can claim a discount, in the form of a statement credit, when you book your excursions on the Carnival website before you sail, it is a good idea to plan your cruise well in advance.
Take a little time to think about the excursions you want to take while you’re still at home.
-
Take Your Card With You When You Travel
Don’t forget that this card does not have a foreign transaction fee, so make sure that you carry this card when you’re cruising.
Even a small 3% foreign transaction fee can quickly add up when you’re on vacation, so make sure that you avoid these expenses.
FAQs
How do I redeem rewards?
If you want to redeem your rewards, you’ll need to log into your BarclaysUS account and then click on the “Rewards” tab. You should then see a link for “Redeem FunPoints.”
When you click on this link, you can review a list of your Carnival purchases and then choose ones you would like to apply a statement credit to, paying towards the cost of your purchase.
How hard is it to get a Carnival World card?
It can be a little tricky to get a Carnival World Mastercard, as you need to have good to excellent credit. However, if you have a credit score of 700 or higher, you should not have any great difficulties.
When it may not be a good idea?
This card is not a good idea if you’re not a regular cruiser with Carnival. You need to take at least several Carnival cruises each year to be able to benefit from the card rewards and benefits. If you don’t, you would be better suited to a more general travel rewards credit card.
