Carnival Cruise Line and Barclays announced the Carnival Rewards Mastercard on September 1, 2026, replacing the Carnival World Mastercard as the cruise line's co-brand card and tying it to the new Carnival Rewards loyalty program.
Earning and benefits
The card carries no annual fee. Cardholders earn up to 6X points on eligible Carnival purchases, which Barclays breaks out as 3X from the card itself plus up to 3X through the Carnival Rewards program tiers. Everyday spending earns 2X at restaurants and grocery stores and 1X on everything else.
The card also feeds Carnival's status currency. Carnival purchases earn up to 4 Status Qualifying Stars, and all other purchases earn 1 Star, so ordinary spending can move a cardholder up the loyalty ladder without sailing.
New cardmembers get 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days, plus a 2,500 point anniversary bonus each year after $2,000 in annual spend. Carnival cruise bookings made with the card get a 0% promotional APR for six months.
What existing cardholders should expect
Barclays is converting current Carnival World Mastercard accounts automatically. Existing cardmembers in good standing transition to the new product during their next billing cycle, with migrations rolling out throughout September 2026. Existing Fun Points balances convert 1:1 into Carnival Rewards Points and land in the cardholder's centralized Carnival Rewards account.
No action is required from current cardholders. The practical change is that points now sit in the same account as cruise-earned rewards and can be redeemed against eligible Carnival purchases, including cabin upgrades.