Cunard's World Club cruise loyalty program: Everything you need to know

Among major cruise lines, Cunard has one of the more modest loyalty programs.

The Cunard World Club loyalty program doesn't offer its top-tier members such truly epic loyalty perks as the free cruises that come with top status in the Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program.

The program only has four tiers, fewer than the programs offered by many of its competitors.

That said, compared to what's required to reach the upper echelons of most other brands' reward schemes, it's not all that difficult to claim top-level bragging rights in the Cunard World Club loyalty program — not that the typical Cunard passenger would stoop to bragging, of course.

Here, read all about the tiers, what they offer and how to reach each one.

Ways to earn points

Cunard's easy-to-navigate loyalty system elevates you to one of four tiers based on either the number of sailings you've completed with Cunard or the number of days you've cruised with the line.

Your status will be determined by whichever of those milestones you reach first. For example, if you mainly book shorter sailings, your status will be determined by the number of voyages you've taken. Conversely, you could reach a high tier by going on a smaller number of sailings if each is of considerable length.

Related: Cunard cabins and suites guide: Everything you need to know

Program tiers and benefits

The Cunard World Club loyalty program has four tiers:

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• Silver: One voyage
• Gold: Two voyages or 20 nights
• Platinum: Seven voyages or 70 nights
• Diamond: 15 voyages or 150 nights

All status changes occur after the sailing on which they are reached. No midsailing status or benefit changes are allowed.

After just a single sailing, regardless of length, cruisers are automatically enrolled in the Cunard World Club program and receive at least Silver status.

Aside from occasional discounts — the same ones to which just about every other Cunard passenger has access — this level doesn't offer much value, unfortunately.

Perks at the Silver level include:

• Member savings and special offers
• Cunard World Club desk in all international offices
• An onboard loyalty representative
• The Cunarder magazine

Thankfully, the longest Cunard cruisers will spend at the Silver level in the Cunard World Club program is one sailing, as they're bumped up to Gold status after their second voyage.

Since travelers can attain Gold status after 20 nights, it is possible for them to skip right past Silver and start at Gold if their very first sailing was longer than that. (In some cases, if a passenger's first voyage is extremely long, such as a world cruise, it's also possible for them to skip straight to Platinum or Diamond level by their second sailing.)

Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Cunard Line cruise ship

In addition to all the perks awarded at the Silver level of the World Club loyalty program, reaching Gold status brings members:

• A Gold membership pin
• A $45 credit toward an onboard Wi-Fi plan
• An invitation to the Cunard World Club cocktail party (on sailings of six nights or longer)

Next is the Platinum tier, which is reached after seven sailings or 70 total cruise nights.

In addition to the perks available to Silver- and Gold-level members, Platinum-level members of the Cunard World Club loyalty program get:

• A Platinum membership pin
• An increased $80 credit toward an onboard Wi-Fi package
• A 20% discount on onboard laundry and dry-cleaning services
• Priority check-in at the terminals in New York and Southampton, England
• A complimentary wine tasting (on sailings of six nights or longer)
• A 10% discount on White Star luggage service
• An invitation to the senior officers' party (on sailings of six nights or longer)

The Cunard World Club loyalty program's fourth tier, the Diamond level, is the pinnacle of Cunard loyalty, and it's reached after 15 cruises or 150 nights onboard. That's impressive, as some other lines require several hundred nights and dozens more sailings to reach top-level status.

Diamond rewards include all the perks afforded to Silver, Gold and Platinum members of the World Club program, as well as:

• A Diamond membership pin
• An increased $135 credit toward the purchase of an onboard Wi-Fi package
• One complimentary meal in an extra-fee dining venue (on sailings of six nights or more; choose from lunch at The Verandah or dinner at Kings Court or The Lido)
• A dedicated Diamond member contact at the World Club desk in international offices

The elite level that makes a difference

Gold is when passengers will start to see perks that represent tangible value (a lapel pin) and monetary value (free Wi-Fi and gratis drinks at the cocktail party).

The biggest jump in overall value is from Gold to Platinum, where cruisers can take advantage of discounts on laundry and luggage services — assuming they actually use them. Of course, more value is added at the Diamond level in the form of free meals and additional complimentary Wi-Fi. However, the number of sailings needed to reach that tier and the cost associated with taking those sailings make the rewards less valuable.

The perks of the Cunard World Club program aren't much to write home about in the grand scheme of things, but there are still a few nice incentives. The best one for you is subjective and depends on what you value, how you prefer to spend your time and how long your voyage is.

For example, if you're on a cruise that's more than a couple of weeks long, 20% off of laundry services could be something you'd use quite a bit. If you're techy, you might appreciate the value provided by discounted Wi-Fi when you sail. Or, perhaps there's nothing you enjoy more than a leisurely meal at a fancy restaurant where you can order an expensive steak and not have to pay for it. For some, less quantitative time-saving gestures — like priority embarkation and disembarkation — are the most sought after.

Related: Epic around-the-world cruises that will check off all your bucket list travel destinations

Bottom line

Compared with other cruise lines' loyalty programs — some of which offer free cruises for reaching the highest levels — the Cunard World Club loyalty program isn't as much of a draw. It's easier to achieve higher status quickly with Cunard than with many other brands, but the perks aren't as lucrative when passengers finally make it there.

That said, the Cunard demographic is generally composed of wealthy, sophisticated individuals who cruise because they enjoy it — not because they want to be recognized for doing so. That means they're less likely to be concerned with their Cunard status level and what it brings them.

For more information, visit the Cunard World Club page on Cunard Line's website.

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