30 Days of Boat Drinks – Introduction

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Getting Informed

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Credit Card Plays

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Barclay Arrival Miles and Ultimate Rewards

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Membership Rewards and Cruise Privileges

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Shopping Strategies and Getting Booked

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Backup Plan

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Onboard Spending Strategies and Life On Board

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Conclusion

Now that we’ve begun preparing for spending 30 days on a cruise ship, it’s time for thinking of innovative ways to pay for this without spending cash out of pocket. I need to say from the outset that I am not a financial advisor, banker, or tax professional. The scenarios we are going to discuss over the next few weeks assume you apply for and get approved for certain card products or that you already have the points to spend. Finally, there are probably better values for some points currencies out there than spending them on cruises, but that’s not the point. The goal is spending 30 days on a ship totally on points. It’s not only doable, you can also earn even more points on your onboard spending. Here are my top suggestions for credit cards to earn the points to pay for your cruises.

Top Plays

  • The Platinum Card from American Express – Mercedes Benz version offers 50,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in 3 months.
  • Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard® – 40,000 bonus miles after $3,000 in spending on purchases in the first 90 days.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – 40,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points after $3,000 in spending on purchases in the first 3 months.
  • Chase Ink Bold and/or Chase Ink Plus – 50,000 (60,000 until June 1, 2014) bonus Ultimate Rewards points after $5,000 in spending on purchases in the first 3 months.

Starting Monday, I’ll review these currencies individually, and how they will benefit your cruising career, not to mention, how they’ll finance 30 days onboard.

MJ, November 2, 2013