The Carnival Rewards program is Carnival Cruise Line’s loyalty scheme, which replaced the VIFP Club on September 1, 2026. You earn 3 redeemable points and 3 Status Qualifying Stars for every eligible dollar spent with Carnival. Stars decide your tier (Red, Gold, Platinum or Diamond) over a two-year window, and points can be spent on cruise fares and onboard extras.
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The big shift is that status now comes from what you spend rather than how many days you sail. That suits guests who book suites, excursions and drink packages, and it makes things harder for frequent cruisers on a budget. This guide covers how the new Carnival loyalty program works, what each level gets you, what happened to old VIFP members, and how much you would actually need to spend to move up a tier.
Carnival Rewards Program at a Glance
- Launch date: September 1, 2026. It was originally planned for June 1, 2026, then pushed back so summer sailings could still count toward VIFP status.
- Two currencies: Points, which you spend, and Status Qualifying Stars, which set your tier. Spending points never reduces your stars.
- Earning rate: 3 points and 3 stars per $1 on eligible Carnival purchases, including cruise fare, gratuities, shore excursions, spa, specialty dining and beverage packages.
- Tiers: Red (on enrollment), Gold (10,000 stars), Platinum (50,000 stars), Diamond (100,000 stars).
- First qualifying window: September 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028. Status earned in that window applies from January 2029 through December 2030.
- Old VIFP status: Kept through December 31, 2028 for members who opted in by August 31, 2026.
How You Earn Points and Stars
Earning works the same for everyone, whatever your tier.
Cruise and onboard spending
Each eligible dollar spent with Carnival earns 3 points and 3 stars. That covers your cruise fare and prepaid gratuities, plus onboard and pre-cruise purchases such as excursions booked through Carnival, spa treatments, specialty restaurants, drink packages, WiFi and shopping. Points and stars usually post about 14 days after your cruise ends.
What does not earn
Government taxes and port fees, Fly2Fun airfare, parking, medical charges, cancellation fees, penalties and charitable donations do not earn. Neither does anything paid with onboard credit you did not fund yourself, some future cruise credits, or purchases made with Carnival Rewards points. Some promotional fare types are also excluded, so check the terms when you book.
Casino play
Casino spending follows its own rules. You earn 1 star for every casino point, even if you later turn that casino point into Funplay onboard. You also get 1 redeemable point for every casino point still unused at the end of the sailing. For regular slot players this can be a faster route to status than cruise spending.
The Carnival Rewards Mastercard
The co-branded card, issued by Barclays for US residents, has no annual fee. It earns up to 6x points on Carnival purchases (3x from the card plus 3x from the program), 2x at restaurants and grocery stores, and 1x on everything else. For status it gives up to 4 stars per $1 on Carnival purchases combined and 1 star per $1 on everyday spending. At launch the welcome offer was 50,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days, plus a 2,500-point anniversary bonus after $2,000 of yearly spending. Existing Carnival World Mastercard holders were moved across automatically, and their FunPoints converted 1:1 into Carnival Rewards points.
Milestone rewards for days sailed
Days at sea still count for something through the separate Milestone Recognition program. Reaching 50 days sailed earns 5,000 points and a special Sail & Sign card. Every 100 days brings 10,000 points plus recognition such as a commemorative coin and onboard credit, with larger gifts at higher milestones.
Carnival Rewards Levels and Benefits Compared
These are the four Carnival Rewards levels. Each one includes everything in the levels below it. The spend figures assume the standard 3 stars per $1 with no casino play or credit card.
| Level | Stars needed | Approx. spend in 2 years | Key benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Enrollment | $0 | Earn and redeem points, members-only offers, a complimentary bottle of water each sailing |
| Gold | 10,000 | About $3,334 | Dedicated Gold phone line, one free drink on sailings of 5+ days, Gold Sail & Sign card |
| Platinum | 50,000 | About $16,667 | Early online check-in, priority check-in, boarding and debarkation, priority guest services and spa booking, preferred dining times, a second free drink, complimentary wash-and-fold laundry (1-4 bags by cruise length), Platinum pin |
| Diamond | 100,000 | About $33,334 | Guaranteed main dining time, an extra laundry bag, captain’s event invitation, Diamond Sail & Sign card and pin |
If you use the Carnival Rewards Mastercard for Carnival purchases, the spend needed drops by roughly a quarter. That works out to about $2,500 for Gold, $12,500 for Platinum and $25,000 for Diamond, all within the two-year window.
How to Reach the Next Tier
Because status is now spend-based, a little planning helps. These are the practical levers:
- Check how cabin spending is credited. Stars follow eligible spending, so it is worth confirming in your account after each sailing how the fare, gratuities and add-ons for your cabin were split between guests, and raising any gaps with Carnival.
- Prepay through Carnival. Excursions, drink packages, specialty dining and WiFi booked through Carnival earn stars. The same tour booked with an outside operator earns nothing.
- Put Carnival charges on the co-branded card. Moving from 3 to 4 stars per $1 is the single biggest boost for most non-gamblers.
- Time big bookings to the window. The first window closes December 31, 2028, so a suite or long sailing booked and paid for before then counts toward status for 2029-2030.
- Consider value as well as status. Upgrading your cabin or booking a longer itinerary earns more stars, but only if you would want that trip anyway. Our roundup of the best cruise deals for 2027 can help you find sailings where the extra spend is worth it.
For many guests, Gold is reachable with one or two week-long cruises for a couple. Platinum takes the kind of spending usually associated with suites or several cruises a year, and Diamond is out of reach for most people without heavy casino play.
What Changed From the Old Carnival Rewards Program (VIFP)
Under the old VIFP Club, status was based on lifetime days sailed and never expired. Carnival Rewards changes almost all of that:
| Feature | VIFP Club (until Aug 2026) | Carnival Rewards (from Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Status based on | Days sailed | Eligible spend (stars) |
| Status length | Lifetime | Two-year cycles, then requalify |
| Redeemable currency | None for most guests | Points usable on fares and extras |
| Free Diamond upgrade and specialty dinner | Included | Removed |
| VIFP parties and milestone free cruises | Included | Discontinued |
The VIFP status match and transition rules
Existing members had to opt in personally, either through an emailed enrollment link or by logging in to their Carnival account, by August 31, 2026. Travel advisors could not do this for them. Members who opted in kept their VIFP tier through December 31, 2028. Members who did not opt in did not have their status or sailing history carried over.
After a strong backlash when the program was announced in 2025, Carnival added two protections. Diamond members who qualified before the deadline keep Diamond for life. Legacy Platinum members receive 10,000 bonus stars at the start of every two-year cycle, which guarantees them at least Gold and gives them a head start toward Platinum. Children take the status of the responsible adult on the booking.
Is the New Carnival Loyalty Program Worth It?
The honest answer depends on how you cruise. First-time and occasional cruisers come out ahead. They used to get almost nothing, and now earn points from the first dollar with no minimum to redeem. Big spenders, suite guests and casino regulars can reach Platinum much faster than the old 75 days at sea.
Loyal budget cruisers lose out. Someone who took several short inside-cabin cruises a year could build lifetime Platinum under VIFP. They are now unlikely to get past Gold. Redemptions also have no published chart and are priced dynamically, which makes it hard to compare offers and leaves room for future devaluation. Early examples suggest points are worth roughly a third of a cent each. At 3 points per dollar, that is about a 1% return on spending.
The first weeks after launch brought some friction. Guests reported mismatches between their old status and their new stars, and the website had an outage just before the switchover. Carnival has also cut Platinum priority perks such as early boarding and luggage drop-off on several sailings with very large numbers of Platinum guests, including Mardi Gras, Carnival Legend and Carnival Pride sailings in late October and early November 2026. Carnival says this is due to high Platinum numbers, which is unsurprising given that everyone’s VIFP status carries over until 2028.
If you are deciding between lines partly on loyalty perks, our Royal Caribbean vs Carnival comparison is a useful next read. And since drink packages now earn stars too, it is worth reading up on the cruise drink package loopholes that still work before you buy one.
Program terms can change, so check Carnival’s official Carnival Rewards pages before you plan a booking around a specific tier.
If you want to earn points faster from everyday spending too, our review of the Carnival credit card explains its earn rates, welcome bonus and who it suits.
FAQs
How much are 50,000 Carnival Rewards points worth?
Carnival does not publish a fixed value, and redemptions are priced dynamically by sailing and reward. Early examples work out at roughly a third of a cent per point, which would put 50,000 points somewhere around $150 to $170 in cruise spending, but your actual value depends on what you redeem them for.
How much are 10,000 Carnival points worth?
At the rates seen so far, 10,000 points usually covers something in the region of $30 to $35 of Carnival spending, such as part of a specialty dinner or a few drinks. Check the price in points against the cash price before redeeming.
How do you redeem Carnival Rewards points?
Log in to your Carnival account and apply points toward cruise fares (including deposits) or eligible add-ons such as shore excursions, specialty dining, spa treatments, drinks and shopping. There is no minimum, and you can mix points with cash. Points generally appear about 14 days after your sailing ends.
What happened to my VIFP status?
If you opted in before August 31, 2026, your VIFP tier carried over and stays in place through December 31, 2028. Diamond members keep Diamond for life, and legacy Platinum members get 10,000 bonus stars every two-year cycle. Members who did not opt in did not have their status or days sailed transferred.
Do I need the Carnival Rewards Mastercard to earn status?
No. Anyone enrolled earns 3 stars and 3 points per eligible $1 spent with Carnival. The card simply speeds things up, with up to 4 stars per $1 on Carnival purchases and 1 star per $1 on everyday spending.
