Amex renamed its cruise perk the Cruise & Yacht Collection. Here is what Platinum cardholders get, when to use it, and which banks should build a rival.
The collection spans 20 cruise lines and yacht brands, and the names AMEX leads with are hotel-at-sea brands: the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Orient Express Sailing Yachts and Aman at Sea, with Virgin Voyages and Explora Journeys called out as newer partners. (I covered Ritz-Carlton’s challenges last year, so I will leave that story where it is, they have recovered some since then.) AMEX is clearly positioning this as a luxury product, not a mass market cruise discount.
The rules narrow eligibility. Only some select sailings qualify, cruises must be five nights or longer (this is a larger limitation for some lines than others), and the primary cardholder must be a named passenger on the reservation. Cardholders can pay with Membership Rewards points, but AwardWallet notes that Membership Rewards redemptions for cruises have historically been poor value, and I agree. Pay cash, earn the 2x and save your points for premium cabin flights as is often the advice from Live And Let’s Fly and its Boarding Area peers.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
