Deal alert: Save up to 35% on a cruise with this new Amex offer

Are you planning to book a Celebrity Cruises voyage for the coming summer or beyond? You might want to do it with an American Express card.

Some American Express cardholders have begun seeing an offer for $175 back when spending $500 or more on a Celebrity cruise.

In other words, if you can find a low-cost Celebrity sailing that adds up to just $500 including taxes and fees — and pay for it with an American Express card — you'll get a whopping 35% of that money back after the transaction posts.

If you book a $1,000 cruise, the $175 in cash back would work out to a 17.5% savings — still a significant amount.

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Additionally, you can "double dip" on Celebrity savings with this offer to make it even more lucrative.

The offer can be used in conjunction with a new promotion that Celebrity has out for wave season — the period starting in January when cruise lines often roll out their best offers for the year.

Celebrity's new wave season promotion, called the Semi-Annual Sale, offers 75% off a second adult fare when purchasing a full adult fare. In addition, the line is tacking on additional savings of up to $800 in onboard credit per stateroom (based on sailing length and number of passengers in the cabin).

The Semi-Annual Sale offer is valid through March 1 for most voyages departing through April 30, 2025, and results in some three-night voyages costing as little as $168 per person, not including taxes and fees.

As of early Monday, Celebrity was touting three-, four- and seven-night sailings on its website as part of the sale starting at $168, $219 and $239 per person, not including taxes and fees.

A targeted Amex cruise promotion

Note that the Amex cash-back offer is a targeted promotion, which means not every American Express cardholder will receive it. Also, you must enroll in this specific Amex Offer in order to redeem it.

Other caveats include the stipulation that cardmembers can only enroll in the offer with one American Express card. In addition, the offer is only valid on cruise bookings made online, by calling 844-530-3783 or through a travel agent. Reservations must be booked on U.S. websites only.

The $500 spending threshold excludes money spent for onboard purchases, corporate sales and corporate sales gift cards, physical gift cards purchased online, e-gift cards and art auctions.

In addition, spending for some specialty cruises arranged with outside tour planners such as Tie the Knot cruises and LGBTQ+ Vacaya cruises is excluded from the offer.

Related: The ultimate guide to Celebrity Cruises

The offer is only for the Celebrity brand and not its Royal Caribbean Group sister brands Royal Caribbean and Silversea Cruises.

The offer expires March 31.

The new Celebrity offer is just one of several cruise-related deals that have popped up for American Express cardholders in recent months, although all the previous offers have since expired.

Staffers at TPG in recent months have also received targeted Amex Offers for booking sailings with Oceania Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Uniworld River Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Silversea.

Some examples of Amex cards where you might receive the Celebrity offer are:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express.
• American Express® Gold Card.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.

In recent days, several TPG staffers who carry American Express cards received this offer. In addition, one TPG staffer with an American Express Gold Card received a variation of the offer that brought 35,000 American Express Membership Rewards points after spending $1,000 with Celebrity.

To find out if you are eligible for the offer, check your American Express card account. If you do see the deal, it’s best to add it right away, as it might disappear. Some offers are capacity controlled.

Here's another tip: Only 100 Amex Offers are visible at one time. So, if you’re at capacity, add offers to your card and new ones may appear.

Also, don't forget that if you need to fly to or from your cruise port, Amex Travel will give you 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked on Amex Travel.

Related: The 4 types of Celebrity ships, explained

If you’re not an American Express cardholder, you might consider applying for one. The Platinum Card from American Express is offering a welcome bonus of 80,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of cardmembership.

You may also be eligible for a targeted 125,000- or 150,000-point bonus offer using the CardMatch tool (offers are subject to change at any time).

If the Platinum Card isn’t for you, read our guide on choosing the best American Express card that suits your style.

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