Carnival Cruise Line has launched Carnival Rewards, a new loyalty program that changes how guests can earn rewards and qualify for status. The program is designed to recognize more than simply how often someone cruises, giving Carnival guests additional ways to earn points, achieve status and receive recognition.
Launched Sept. 1, 2026, Carnival Rewards is available to everyone from first-time Carnival cruisers to longtime enthusiasts. The program has several pieces, including Carnival Rewards Points, Status Qualifying Stars, a Milestone Recognition Program and a new Carnival Rewards Mastercard.
For cruisers, the biggest change is that rewards and status now operate through separate systems. That gives guests more flexibility in how they earn and redeem rewards while creating additional ways to progress through Carnival’s loyalty levels.
How Carnival Rewards Points Work
Carnival Rewards Points are the program’s flexible currency. Guests can earn points regardless of their status level and use them toward future Carnival cruises and eligible onboard experiences.
Guests earn 3 Carnival Rewards Points for every $1 spent on eligible Carnival purchases, including gratuities. Casino activity can also generate points, with guests earning 1 Point for every Casino Point remaining at the end of a sailing.
Once earned, points can be used for a range of Carnival experiences. Eligible redemptions include future Carnival cruises, shore excursions, specialty dining and spa treatments.
Points are earned at the end of a sailing and are expected to post approximately 14 days after the cruise ends. Once the points become available, they can be redeemed immediately.
Status Is Based on Qualifying Stars
Carnival Rewards separates its rewards currency from its status system. Instead of using Carnival Rewards Points to determine loyalty status, guests earn Status Qualifying Stars.
Guests earn 3 Stars for every $1 spent on eligible Carnival purchases, including gratuities. Casino activity also contributes to status, with 1 Star awarded for every Casino Point earned. Those Stars count toward status even when the Casino Points have already been redeemed onboard for Funplay.
Carnival Rewards has four status levels:
- Red: Earned upon enrollment.
- Gold: Reached at 10,000 Status Qualifying Stars.
- Platinum: Reached at 50,000 Status Qualifying Stars.
- Diamond: Reached at 100,000 Status Qualifying Stars.
Status is earned during a two-year Status Qualifying Window. Once achieved, the status is enjoyed for the remainder of that qualifying period and throughout the following two-year status enjoyment window.
For the program’s inaugural qualifying period, guests will have from Sept. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2028, to earn Status Qualifying Stars.
Carnival Adds Milestone Recognition
Carnival Rewards also introduces a Milestone Recognition Program that focuses on the member’s lifetime relationship with Carnival. Instead of looking only at current spending or the current status window, milestones are based on the number of days a guest has sailed with Carnival.
Carnival says the milestone program is intended to celebrate guests as they reach key sailing achievements and enables enrolled members to achieve milestones faster. The announcement does not provide the specific milestone details.
New Carnival Rewards Mastercard Adds Another Earning Option
Carnival is also launching the Carnival Rewards Mastercard, which gives cardholders another way to earn rewards through everyday spending outside of their Carnival vacation.
New cardmembers can receive 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases during the first 90 days, subject to the applicable terms.
The card also offers several earning opportunities:
- Up to 6X points on eligible Carnival purchases, combining 3X points from the card with up to 3X points through Carnival Rewards.
- 2X points on eligible restaurant and grocery store purchases.
- 1X point on other purchases.
- Up to 4 Status Qualifying Stars on Carnival purchases when combined with Stars earned through Carnival Rewards.
- 1 Status Qualifying Star on other purchases.
- A 2,500-point annual anniversary bonus after spending $2,000 on purchases.
The card also includes a 0% promotional APR for six months on Carnival cruise booking purchases, subject to the applicable terms. That feature is intended to provide additional flexibility when planning and paying for Carnival vacations.
What Carnival Rewards Means for Cruisers
The new program gives Carnival guests multiple ways to participate in the cruise line’s loyalty system. A guest can earn Rewards Points for future cruises and eligible onboard experiences while separately accumulating Status Qualifying Stars toward Red, Gold, Platinum or Diamond status.
That separation is one of the most notable elements of Carnival Rewards. Points provide a way to earn and redeem value, while Stars are focused on progressing through the status levels. Lifetime sailing days are then recognized through the separate Milestone Recognition Program.
The new Carnival Rewards Mastercard adds another layer by allowing cardholders to earn points through everyday purchases and accelerate their Carnival rewards and status-qualifying activity through eligible spending.
Carnival president Christine Duffy said the program was created to move beyond a loyalty model based primarily on how often guests sail. With Carnival Rewards, the cruise line says it wants to recognize the different ways guests engage with Carnival while giving them more flexibility in how they earn and use rewards.
For Carnival cruisers, the result is a new loyalty structure that combines cruise spending, onboard activity, everyday credit-card spending and lifetime sailing achievements into different paths for earning rewards and recognition.
Source: Carnival Cruise Line
Join the Conversation
Have a thought about this cruise news? We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, questions, or cruise experience below.
