Cruise deal alert: This new Amex offer will let you double dip on savings
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Are you about to book an Oceania Cruises voyage for the coming year? If so, you might get a nice bonus if you pay with an American Express card.
Some American Express cardholders on Tuesday began receiving an offer for 5 additional Membership Rewards points for every dollar spent on an Oceania cruise, up to a maximum of 50,000 points. That's on top of the base level of points normally earned on such a transaction.
In other words, assuming you normally get 1 point for every dollar you spend on a cruise using an American Express card, you now can get 6 points in total when booking an Oceania voyage.
To put it another way, for every $1,000 you spend on an Oceania sailing, you'll get 6,000 Membership Rewards points — a significant amount. TPG currently values Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, meaning that these 6,000 points would be worth $120 at our valuation — equal to 12% of the money you'd be spending.
If you book a $10,000 cruise, the 60,000 points you accumulate would be worth $1,200.
Additionally, you can "double dip" on Oceania savings with this offer to make it even more lucrative.
You can use the offer in conjunction with a new promotion that Oceania launched for wave season — the period starting in January when cruise lines often roll out their best offers for the year.
Oceania's new wave season promotion, called the 20th Anniversary Sale, offers up to an $800 per cabin shipboard credit when booking one of more than 100 sailings departing in 2023 and 2024.
The 20th Anniversary Sale is valid through Feb. 28.
As of Tuesday, Oceania was touting seven-night sailings on its website as part of the sale starting at $1,499 per person, not including taxes and fees.
A targeted Amex cruise promotion
Note that the Amex bonus points offer is a targeted promotion, which means not every American Express cardholder will receive it. Also, you must enroll in this specific Amex Offer to redeem it.
Another caveat: Cardmembers can only enroll in the offer with one American Express card. Additionally, the offer is only valid on cruise bookings made either online at Oceania's website, by calling 855-623-2642 or through a travel agent. Reservations must be booked on U.S. websites only.
Purchases that qualify for the additional points include the fare for an Oceania cruise as well as Oceania excursions and packages booked and paid for online in advance of the cruise. However, onboard purchases including excursions and packages booked and paid for once on the ship and charges for onboard spa treatments are excluded from the promotion.
You also will not get additional points for purchasing Bon Voyage Gifts, Oceania Cruises Bed Collection selections, Land Tour Series tours, Culinary Discovery Tours and hotel programs.
Related: The 3 types of Oceania ships, explained
The offer is only for sailings with the Oceania brand — not its Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings sister brands Norwegian Cruise Line and Regent Seas Cruises.
The offer expires March 31.
The new Oceania offer is the second cruise-related deal that has surfaced for American Express cardholders this month.
Staffers at TPG in recent days have also received targeted Amex Offers for booking sailings with Celebrity Cruises.
Some examples of Amex cards where you might receive the Oceania offer are:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express.
- American Express® Gold Card.
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
On Tuesday, several TPG staffers who carry American Express cards received the new Oceania offer.
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 5 best destinations you can visit on an Oceania ship
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 $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of cardmembership.
You may also be eligible for a targeted 80,000- or 125,000-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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