An epic loyalty program perk offered by 3 cruise lines is about to disappear
Call it the end of an era for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises fans who also like to sail on Azamara.
A popular loyalty perk long offered by the three cruise brands — the ability for a member in one of the lines' loyalty programs to get reciprocal benefits in both of the other brands' loyalty programs — is coming to an end, effective Wednesday.
The change comes two years after the parent company of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, known as Royal Caribbean Group, sold Azamara to private equity firm Sycamore Partners, resulting in it becoming a stand-alone cruise company.
As of Wednesday, members of Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program and Celebrity's Captain's Club loyalty program will continue to receive reciprocal benefits. However, they won't receive reciprocal benefits when sailing with Azamara.
Members of Azamara's Azamara Circle loyalty program, in turn, won't be able to get reciprocal benefits when sailing with Royal Caribbean or Celebrity.
Additionally, Azamara and Celebrity loyalty program members won't earn points cumulatively in both programs, something that has been the case since the founding of Azamara in 2007.
Related: The ultimate guide to Azamara cabins and suites
In short, beginning Wednesday, the Azamara Circle program will be completely independent for the first time in its history.
Two key things to note about the transition:
- Members of Celebrity's Captain's Circle program will keep points earned from past sailings with Azamara.
- Members of the Azamara Circle program will keep points earned from past sailings with Celebrity only if they have completed at least one Azamara sailing by Wednesday. In other words, Azamara Circle members who have racked up points in the program over the years solely by sailing on Celebrity ships will lose those points (and their current status at the line) as of Wednesday.
The ability for cruisers with high levels of status with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity to get reciprocal benefits when sailing with Azamara, and for cruisers with high levels of status with Azamara to get reciprocal benefits when sailing with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, was a valuable perk for fans of all three brands.
Related: The ultimate guide to Azamara
Under terms of the reciprocity, Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society members who reached the Diamond level (80-174 points) in that program, for instance, would be recognized on Azamara ships as if they had Discoverer level (300-749 points) in the Azamara Circle program.
That would get them a 50% discount on a Wi-Fi package, a 20% savings on spa treatments, a 15% discount on a drinks package and a free bag of laundry service once per cruise — perks that could result in hundreds of dollars in savings on board Azamara ships.
They also would receive access to priority boarding in some ports and invitations to onboard events for loyalty program elite members.
Celebrity Captain's Club members who hit the Elite level (300-749 points) of that program would be recognized at the same Discoverer level in the Azamara Circle program. Captain's Club members at the higher Elite Plus (740-2,999 points) and Zenith (3,000-plus) levels of that program would receive the benefits of the highest Discoverer Plus (740-2,999 points) and Discoverer Platinum (3,000-plus points) levels of the Azamara program.
Related: 5 things we love about Azamara's newest ship
Azamara's highest Discoverer Platinum level brings such perks as completely free Wi-Fi and 25% discounts on spa treatments and drinks packages.
In addition to Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, Royal Caribbean Group currently owns a full or partial interest in three other cruise brands: Silversea Cruises, TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. However, the parent company only offers reciprocal loyalty benefits between its Royal Caribbean and Celebrity brands.
The Silversea brand has a relatively simple loyalty program without separate program tiers.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
- The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
- The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
- A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
- 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
- 15 ways cruisers waste money
- The 15 best cruise ships for people who never want to grow up
- What to pack for your first cruise
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Unlimited up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Housing payments may include transaction fees, depending on the payment method
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 3 months + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.