10 Ways to Get Free Money for Cruises
I think free money for cruises appeals to everyone but for solo cruisers, even more. Solo cruising usually means paying more for a cruise. The additional costs mean we can’t cruise as long or as often as we would like. But there are ways to get free money to help offset that additional cost and most of them come for little or no effort on our part. Who isn’t interested in free money? Join me as I show you ten ways to get free money for a cruise.
Receipt Rewards Apps
Receipt rewards apps allow you to earn points just for scanning the receipts of the things you would buy anyway. They also offer incentives like bonuses for signing up friends and extra points for certain items. Here are two apps available in the US. I’m not sure how available receipt reward apps are, outside the US, but I do know there are some available in Canada.These apps all have smartphone applications. The way to start is either with a friend referral link or just download the app. If you have a friend who uses one of these apps, ask them for a referral link as it gives them bonus points usually. I have a referral link for Fetch that I’ll post below.
Fetch
Fetch is free and easy to use and has a pretty good return on investment for the effort required. I use it to turn all my receipts into Princess gift cards. It takes 25,000 points to earn a $25 gift card. It’s amazing how fast you can earn points. Each time you submit a receipt, and I mean any receipt, you will receive a minimum of 25 points. You can earn more points with special offers that Fetch promotes from time to time. For instance, at the moment, they are offering 20,000 bonus points if you sign up for a Blue Apron subscription or 5,000 points for spending $35 at Instacart. And if you are like me and buy a lot of stuff at Amazon (see my Kit for cruise hack suggestions) you can connect Fetch and Amazon, so all your online purchases on Amazon are picked up by Fetch. I’ve gotten a lot of points this way.To get started, download the app on your phone. You can sign up with my referral code (AJWNY8) and get 2,000 points for your first receipt using this link:https://fetchrewards.onelink.me/vvv3/referralemail?code=AJWNY8If you already have a friend who uses Fetch, then you can use their referral code or you can visit the Fetch Rewards website at Fetch Rewards.So just by buying things you normally buy and taking a few minutes to snap a photo of your receipt in the Fetch App, you can start earning free money for cruises. And also, it’s not just Princess gift cards, they have a wide selection of rewards including, Celebrity, Delta, Southwest, Uber, Hotels.com, and Airbnb.
Ibotta
I don’t use Ibotta but it looks to work in a similar way to Fetch. In reading the website, it looks like one difference is they only offer cash back rather than the option to buy a gift card. It is a very popular program and looks to be easy to use. So again, just by buying the things you normally buy you can earn free money for your cruise.
Discounted Gift Cards
Did you know that Princess allows you to pay for your cruise using Princess Gift Cards? I have not used a gift card to pay the cruise fare on other lines, so let me know if you have. The key here is that you don’t need to pay full price for Princess Gift cards. There are places to get them at a discount. A few that I know of are AARP, Allstate Rewards and Wholesale Clubs like Costco and BJs. These are all in the US, but it’s worth seeing if there are any available in your location.
AARP
To buy the gift cards at a discount you do need to be a member of AARP. Anyone age 50 and older can join AARP. The cost of the membership is not very high. On the website they currently state, “Membership is as little as $12 for your first year with automatic renewal and $16 per year after that; it’s risk-free and can be canceled at any time.”Once you are a member, you can access the members only rewards section and there you will find gift cards available for purchase at a discount. As of the time of this writing, you will find the Princess, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Celebrity all at 10% off the face value of the cards. They were offering the cards in denominations of $100 and $500. Normally you can only buy five cards a month. With this offer you can use the card for onboard purchases and most likely be able to use it for your cruise fare. I know at least on Princess you can. So, if your cruise fare with solo supplement was $2,000, now it will be just $1,800 saving you $200. That makes things a little easier.
Allstate Rewards
Another place to get discounted gift cards is Allstate Rewards. You do not need to be an Allstate customer to sign up for the rewards program and it’s free to participate in Allstate Rewards.Unlike the AARP program, you need to have reward points to get the discount on the gift cards. Currently they are offering Carnival, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean. As an example, to purchase a $100 Celebrity gift card, you need to have 1,000 reward points and that will allow you to buy the $100 gift card for $90. You receive 5,000 reward points just for signing up for Allstate Rewards. Again, it is free to sign up and you do not need to be an Allstate customer to join the program.
Wholesale Clubs
If you belong to a wholesale club like BJs or Costco, look to see if they have gift cards for a discount. They may not have any for the cruise line but maybe for other things you might need like Uber, restaurants for your pre-cruise meals like Longhorn or airlines like Southwest. Normally it’s not a big savings, maybe only 3% but if it’s free money, I’ll take it. When we go to Disney, we always buy gift cards to use for the things we buy at the resort, giving us a 3% discount. And if you buy the gift cards with a cash back credit card, you save even more.
Cash Back Credit Cards
Let me start by saying that you should carefully consider your financial situation before entering into any credit agreement. I’m not a financial advisor and I have no way of knowing if any credit card will benefit you. All I will do here is tell you of my experiences and let you know what kinds of offers that are out there that can help get you free money for a cruise.I have been using credit card offers and benefits for years to get free money for travel and cruises. In the past few months, I have found the card issuers are offering some great deals, rewards and benefits. On a recent offer from American Express, I’ve been able to get over $1500 in bonus offers this year with their Platinum Card, which I love. I have been with American Express for years and really like the cards they offer. If you are interested in getting a Platinum Card, I have a referral link in the sidebar of this page.Many credit cards are now setup for cash back rewards. Some of them offering a flat rate for all purchases and others a bonus rate for certain categories such as groceries and gas. The Bilt credit card will even let you earn points on your rent. They will even pay any fee associate with using a credit card to pay your rent. You can use the points for hotels or airfare. Several offers like these are discussed on a YouTube channel I’ve been watching called Ask Sebby. He has some practical advice on how to evaluate if a card might be a good fit for you.
Airline Baggage Fee Reimbursement
You scored a great deal on your airfare and you’re really happy with all the money you saved. But in packing you find that all the things you will need for the cruise just will not fit in your carry-on bag, so you need to take a checked bag with you. At the check in counter, you get the sad news that to check a bag will cost you $30 or more and if it’s overweight you may find an additional cost of $50 or more. Goodbye low-cost flight. To save money on this, many credit cards offer reimbursement for checked baggage fees. It’s not free money, but at least money you can spend on something else. These cards may have a fee so you will have to do the math and decide if it’s worth it for you. Check to see if your card offers an airline baggage fee reimbursement. The American Express Platinum offers $200 for incidental fees, such as checked bags.
Hotel Reward Points
For many cruises, you will want to add a hotel stay for the day before boarding or on return. If you are traveling overseas, you may need additional nights. If you fly to your departure port, then I strongly recommend you arrive the day before your cruise. If you are flying overseas, then I recommend you arrive two days before your sailing.When you go to price out the cost of the hotel, you may be shocked. The cost of the pre-cruise hotel can be half the cost of the entire cruise, especially if you are traveling at peak season. For instance, cruise fares for the Caribbean in mid-January and February are fairly low, but that is peak season for Florida. If you are sailing from a Florida port, you will find the hotel prices to be pretty high, especially near the beaches.To save on this expense, take a look at booking your hotel using reward points. If you travel a lot, be sure to sign up for the hotel travel reword program. Even if you don’t stay with one brand, usually the points remain active so you can add to them until you have enough points to book a free stay. Each brand runs their programs differently but in the end, just make sure your loyalty number is associated with your booking, so you get the points.If you get points from your airline miles, you often can use them for hotel stays as well. This is a nice option of you don’t plan to fly to the departure port but do want to arrive the day before.
Re-pricing Your Cruise
If you are like me, you book your cruise the day the cruise line opens up the bookings. I do this so I get the itinerary I am looking for and the best cabin location. The longer you wait, the fewer options you will have. When the bookings open for a cruise, there may be a sale or promotion going on, but probably not. That means the price you get may not be the best, but you should still book the cruise to lock in what you are looking for. After you book, keep an eye on the price or for special offers. If a better deal comes up, give the cruise line or your travel agent a call and you will find they will either re-price your booking or give you on-board credit you can use during the cruise. I have heard of people saving thousands of dollars on a cruise this way.The Tips for Travellers site lists several websites that can track cruise fares for you and I have listed some others.
Stockholder Benefits
If you own stock in one of the big three cruise corporations, you may qualify for a shareholder benefit. On average, you will get $100 stateroom credit for your cruise depending on the length of the cruise. Each line has its own rules for qualification and benefits. Here is where to get more information.
Carnival
https://www.carnivalcorp.com/static-files/50351a91-4dc0-4f6b-bfec-684647e6129f
Benefits available for:
Carnival
Princess
Holland America
Seabourn
Cunard
Costa
Royal Caribbean
https://www.rclinvestor.com/contact-us/faqs/shareholder-benefit/
Benefits available for:
Royal Caribbean
Celebrity
Norwegian Cruise Lines
Benefits available for:
Norwegian Cruise Lines
Oceania
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Travel Agent Onboard Credit
If you book your cruise through a travel agent, often they will give you an onboard credit as a thank you for your business. It costs nothing extra to book through an agent. Each agent or agency has their own programs they offer. The average deal I have gotten has been $100 for a seven-day cruise. I have heard of people getting more and I have heard of people getting less. Some travel agents don’t offer any benefits at all, so it’s worth asking about. My advice is to select an agent based on the service they give, rather than the amount of onboard credit they give. But an agent that gives good service and an onboard credit, is a great find.
Future Cruise Deposit
When you are on a cruise, you will find a desk with a cruise line agent that can help you find and book a future cruise. Even if you have a travel agent, take advantage of this free service as you can often book a better deal or book with a lower initial deposit. If you use an agent, you can transfer the booking to your agent once you arrive home or in some cases the cruise line will do that for you.You will normally be offered some onboard credit to be used on the cruise you book. It’s not usually much but, if it’s free money, I’ll take it.On my last Princess cruise, the medallion app allowed me to place a $100 deposit on a future cruise without selecting any particular cruise. This is often called an “open” booking, meaning no cruise is booked yet. I was planning on booking for 2024, but the bookings were not open yet. In this way, once the bookings did open, I could book the cruise with the $100 I had already paid, and I received a $25 onboard credit. Normally the deposit would be $250, so by using the Future Cruise Deposit, that I bought onboard, I lowered the deposit required and got the $25. This works if you know you will be booking a cruise on the line in the future.
Casino Rewards
I am not a gambler but if you do play in the casino, you might be offered a deal on a future cruise. There is no clear outline I have found of what you need to do to get any benefit. It appears to depend on how much you gamble and how eager the cruise line is to get you back onboard.I do enjoy playing Video Poker but until the lines go to non-smoking casinos, this is one way to get free money for a cruise that I will have to pass up for now.
Organize a Group Cruise
You can be a solo traveler and still travel with a group, maybe even a group of solo travelers. If you are planning a group cruise, look into booking the cruise as a group. By doing so, you can get discounts and may even qualify for a free room. Probably the best way to do this is by contacting your travel agent and seeing what kind of deals you can get.Make sure you know what you are getting into before you start this. Leading a group cruise is a big job. I have not done this before but the cruising blog https://lifewellcruised.com/how-to-plan-a-group-cruise/ has an excellent blogpost on what you are getting yourself into. Another good article can be found on https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=272
Summary
As you can see, some of these offer actual cash you can use for a cruise, others are discounts and still others just allow you to avoid paying a fee. In every case, it will lower the cost of cruising and for a solo cruiser, we pay enough as it is. Not everything on the list will apply to you, but I hope you have found something you may not have thought of before to save money.I know there are many more tips out there. What do you do to save money or get free money for a cruise?
