Earning substantial airline miles through cruise reservations this week: Instructions provided
Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines are offering cruise passengers the opportunity to earn airline miles on their bookings, providing a new way to accumulate rewards for future travel.
Delta SkyMiles members can earn miles by booking cruises through Delta's dedicated portal, SkyMilesCruises.com. The portal offers benefits like waived deposits on eligible cruises and a 110% price guarantee within 48 hours of booking. Members can earn up to 10,000 miles on most cruises, and luxury cruises can earn up to 100,000 miles. Additionally, Delta Cruises provides the best available pricing, all current promotions, and additional bonuses like free meals in specialty restaurants, onboard credit, cabin upgrades, and other extras.
United MileagePlus members can use miles to book all or part of a cruise through United Cruises or via United.com under the MileagePlus section. Booking cruises with United miles gives roughly 0.7 cents per mile in value, which is below the typical value of United miles but can be useful if you have excess miles. You can also pay for cruises in cash and earn MileagePlus miles on the stateroom cost. Cruise bookings through United Cruises can earn up to 25,000 United miles per cruise. United’s MileagePlus program also offers broad partner options and multiple ways to earn miles.
Southwest Rapid Rewards members do not currently have a direct cruise booking portal for earning extra miles like Delta or United. However, for one to five-day cruises, Southwest Rapid Rewards members can earn 1,000 points per person for inside and ocean-view cabins, 2,500 points per person for balcony rooms, and 5,000 points per person for suites. For voyages of six days or longer, Southwest Rapid Rewards members can earn double the number of points on bookings - 2,000 points for inside and ocean-view bookings, 5,000 points for balconies, and 10,000 points for suite accommodations. Southwest does not appear to offer a similar cruise booking rewards program based on currently available information.
To find more information about earning extra miles on cruise bookings from Delta, Southwest, and United through their airline booking portals, visit each airline’s official cruise booking portal:
- Delta: SkyMilesCruises.com - United: United Cruises via United.com under MileagePlus
Check airline credit card offers associated with these airlines, as these often increase miles earned on cruise bookings. Explore airline shopping and dining portals for ancillary ways to earn miles. Look for promotions or limited-time offers on cruises from these airline portals to maximise miles earned.
Subscribing to the TPG Cruiseletter will provide updates on cruise deals and top stories. The article suggests stacking cruise line offers with airline booking portal deals can help earn up to 60,000 bonus miles, which can be used to offset the cost of flights, hotels, and other trip-related expenses. The offers from Delta Cruises and United Cruises are valid until Dec. 4, 2024, while the offer from Southwest Cruises is valid through Dec. 6, 2024. Cyber Monday deals are extending into Cyber Week, with cruise deals running through midweek and, in some cases, much longer.
- Booking cruises through Delta's SkyMilesCruises.com can earn travel rewards in the form of airline miles, with luxury cruises potentially earning up to 100,000 miles.
- United MileagePlus members can earn miles by booking cruises via United Cruises or United.com, with cruise bookings earning up to 25,000 United miles per cruise.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards members can earn travel points for cruise bookings, with inside and ocean-view cabins earning 1,000 points per person, while suites can earn up to 10,000 points for six-day or longer voyages.
- Subscribing to the TPG Cruiseletter can provide updates on cruise deals and top stories, helping travelers maximize their travel rewards.
- Stacking cruise line offers with airline booking portal deals can potentially earn up to 60,000 bonus miles, which can be used to offset the cost of flights, hotels, and other trip-related expenses.
- The offers from Delta Cruises, United Cruises, and Southwest Cruises are valid until December 2024, and Cyber Monday deals are extending into Cyber Week, with cruise deals running into midweek and, in some cases, much longer.
