Double points for TPG readers! This new cruise loyalty program lets you earn across brands
Want to earn double points toward onboard credit, cash back and gift cards for booking your next cruise? Listen up.
Whether you're an avid cruiser who books so many sailings that you can't keep track of them all, someone who sails with multiple cruise lines and is tired of juggling several loyalty program accounts or someone who simply wants another way to earn more for booking a voyage or two, Cruises.com's new loyalty program is worth a look.
Cruises.com is an online travel agency and cruise booking platform that lets you browse, compare and book sailings from multiple cruise lines all in one place. Now you'll be able to earn points for booking cruises through it and its two sister sites, CruisesOnly and Cheap Cruises.
The loyalty program and related points system go live to the general public on Feb. 13, but TPG readers can take advantage of two days of early access from Feb. 11-12. During this time, they will have a chance to access the portal and start earning points before anyone else.
Plus, from Feb. 11-16, TPG readers will earn double points for any bookings made during that time. That means instead of the usual 10 points per dollar spent, you'll earn 20 per dollar.
In addition to booking cruises, members can earn 1,000 points for being early adopters, 5,000 points for filling out their profiles and 1,500 points each year on their birthdays. Those earnings alone will put you less than 1,000 points from the 8,325 points needed to earn $25 in onboard credit or cash back without having to spend a penny.
What can you snag with the points you earn?
When you rack up enough points, you can redeem them for onboard credit to use on your next voyage, cash back to retroactively offset the cost of your sailing or Visa gift cards to put toward pretty much anything you want. There's also a catalog of merchandise from which program members can choose to redeem their points. (The catalog's inventory is delightfully random and a bit reminiscent of SkyMall, featuring items like a set of meat thermometers, makeup, doormats, pet conditioner and fishing hooks.)
Example redemptions include:
- $25 cash back or onboard credit: 8,325 points
- $100 cash back or onboard credit: 33,300 points
- Bass Pro Shops sleeping bag: 19,780
- JVC wireless earbuds: 40,876 points
- Vitamix blender: 256,060 points
- Cruises.com T-shirt: 9,088 points
- Cruises.com hooded sweatshirt: 25,105 points
If you were to book a sailing that cost $2,000 ($1,000 per person) during the double-points promotional period, you would earn 40,000 points. Combined with the 1,000 early adopter points and 5,000 points for setting up your profile, you'd have 46,000 points — enough for a set of earbuds, two sleeping bags or $125 in cash back or onboard credit.
Cruises.com says it's looking to expand redemptions to eventually include options like shore excursions and even free cruises.
"We are continuously adding features ... people can redeem for," said Rosemarie Reed, senior vice president of house brands marketing for World Travel Holdings, the parent company for Cruises.com, CruisesOnly and Cheap Cruises, during an exclusive interview with TPG.
"Coming soon ... we're adding Uber Cash as something you can redeem for," Reed said. "We'll be adding hotel stays and shore excursions, so we're going to continue to add items ... that are all about the cruise experience."
What else does the program offer?
In addition to allowing cruisers to earn points, the Cruises.com Rewards program provides a place to easily track all bookings across all cruise lines, all in one spot, as long as they're booked with Cruises.com, CruisesOnly or Cheap Cruises.
Plus, you'll still earn points through each of the cruise lines, allowing you to continue to climb the ranks of their loyalty programs while you simultaneously earn points through Cruises.com. You can track all of those loyalty programs within the Cruises.com Rewards portal, too. That means no more bouncing around between individual cruise line websites or mobile apps.
"What we set out to create for people is a one-stop shop — a place that they can go to keep everything organized in one place," Reed said. "You can book any cruise line, and then you don't have to log into each cruise line's website to access your cruise line loyalty number. You can store it now in this one account. ... That's a huge benefit. I don't see that really anywhere in the marketplace other than maybe some review sites — not sites that you can continue to have a relationship with."
The program also provides tailored recommendations for sailings, discounted pricing and a watch list that allows travelers to set price alerts for voyages they're considering. Additionally, customers have access to 24/7 travel agent expertise, allowing them to quickly find answers to their most burning cruise-related questions.
How can I earn my TPG double points?
First, click here to register for a Cruises.com Rewards account. It's free to join, and you can earn an additional 5,000 points just for signing up and completing your profile. Be sure to use the same e-mail address you would use for booking a cruise.
After you've signed up, click here to visit the Cruises.com Rewards website and book a cruise between Feb. 11-16. You must book via this special TPG link between the applicable dates in order to qualify for double points.
What happens when the double points promotion ends?
After the promotion ends, you'll earn 10 points per dollar spent for any cruises booked via Cruises.com, CruisesOnly and Cheap Cruises.
All accumulated points will expire after 24 months if no bookings are made.
All points earned, both during and after the promotion, will be awarded 2 months prior to the sailing date for each voyage booked. For cruises booked less than 2 months in advance of the sailing date, points will be awarded immediately. Full terms and conditions can be found on the Cruises.com website.
Want to know more about cruise line loyalty?
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