Carnival Rewards: Tiers, Stars and What Replaced VIFP
Carnival Rewards replaced the VIFP Club on September 1, 2026. You now earn 3 Points and 3 Stars per $1 of eligible Carnival spending, including gratuities, instead of 1 point per day sailed. Gold takes 10,000 Stars, Platinum 50,000 and Diamond 100,000 in one qualifying window (the first runs 28 months, to December 31, 2028): about $3,333, $16,667 and $33,333 of eligible spending per person.
VIFP members had to opt in by August 31, 2026, according to Carnival's Australian explainer and US cruise press. Those who did and were Diamond kept Diamond for life, and Red, Gold and Platinum members have their tier guaranteed as a minimum through December 31, 2028. Members who did not opt in lost their VIFP status and history. Carnival Germany's page says members there were transferred automatically, so the opt-in rule may differ by market.
By the CruiseLookup editorial team. We reviewed Carnival's launch announcement, Carnival Australia's official program explainer and Carnival Germany's English-language program page, because the US carnival.com benefits and terms pages could not be retrieved for review. Where a detail comes only from cruise press, we say so. The spending and cruise-count calculations are our own. Updated .
VIFP ended August 31, 2026. Carnival Rewards started the next day.
- April 2025: Carnival president Christine Duffy first signaled a new loyalty program, according to cruise press reports.
- June 18, 2025: Seatrade Cruise News and The Points Guy reported the announcement of Carnival Rewards, then planned for June 1, 2026.
- September 15 to 16, 2025: after loyal cruisers pushed back, cruise press reported, Carnival added lifetime Diamond for members who reached VIFP Diamond by the cutoff, plus Platinum protection and a recurring 10,000-Star bonus.
- November 20 to 21, 2025: launch postponed to September 1, 2026. Cruise press reported the delay on these dates and said it let summer 2026 sailings count toward final VIFP status. The VIFP cutoff moved from May 31, 2026 to August 31, 2026. Many older articles still quote the May dates.
- August 29 to 30, 2026: cruise press reported an 18-hour website and systems outage for the changeover.
- August 31, 2026: last day to click "Enrol & Accept". According to Carnival Australia's official explainer, members who did not opt in lost their VIFP status and days-sailed history.
- September 1, 2026: Carnival Rewards went live. The first qualifying window runs from September 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028 (28 months). Fixed two-year windows follow from January 1, 2029.
If you missed the opt-in: by our reading, you can still join Carnival Rewards but start at Red like any new member. We found no official process to restore VIFP history after the deadline, so contact Carnival directly if your status did not carry over. Carnival Germany's page says existing VIFP members "will be transferred automatically", so the opt-in step may have differed by market.
Sources: Carnival launch announcement (Sept 1, 2026); Carnival Australia explainer (Aug 27, 2026, modified Sept 22, 2026); Carnival Germany program page. Press: Seatrade Cruise News (June 18, 2025), The Points Guy (June 18, 2025), Seatrade Cruise News (Sept 16, 2025), AwardWallet (updated Apr 8, 2026), Cruise Hive (Nov 21, 2025), Cruise Hive (Aug 31, 2026).
How you earn Points and Stars
Carnival Rewards uses two currencies. Points can be spent. Stars only decide your tier and cannot be redeemed.
- Spending: 3 Points and 3 Stars per $1 on eligible Carnival purchases, including gratuities.
- What earns nothing: taxes and fees, Fly2Fun bookings, certain fare types, and purchases paid with Points or unearned onboard credit. Carnival Germany notes that some fares, such as the Fun Rate, earn fewer Stars.
- Casino: 1 Star for each Casino Point earned, even if you spend it on Funplay during the cruise, and 1 Point for each Casino Point still unused at the end of the sailing. Spending Casino Points onboard lowers your Points but not your Stars.
- Sharing a cabin: Stars from the cruise fare are split among the enrolled guests in the stateroom. Unenrolled adults have 180 days after the cruise to enrol and claim their share; after that it is forfeited.
- Kids: guests under 18 cannot enrol. Their Points and Stars go to the responsible adult.
- Timing: Points post about 14 days after the cruise ends.
Practical tip: enrol every adult in the cabin before you sail, so no one's share of the fare Stars is at risk.
Sources: Carnival launch announcement; Carnival Australia explainer; Carnival Germany program page.
Carnival Rewards tiers and what they cost to reach
Thresholds are Stars earned within one qualifying window. The spending columns divide the Stars by 3 and round to the nearest dollar. The couple column assumes both people are enrolled and Stars split equally (our assumption).
- Stars needed
- On enrolment
- Eligible spend per person
- $0
- Eligible spend for a couple
- $0
- Stars needed
- 10,000
- Eligible spend per person
- $3,333
- Eligible spend for a couple
- $6,667
- Stars needed
- 50,000
- Eligible spend per person
- $16,667
- Eligible spend for a couple
- $33,333
- Stars needed
- 100,000
- Eligible spend per person
- $33,333
- Eligible spend for a couple
- $66,667
| Tier | Stars needed | Eligible spend per person | Eligible spend for a couple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | On enrolment | $0 | $0 |
| Gold | 10,000 | $3,333 | $6,667 |
| Platinum | 50,000 | $16,667 | $33,333 |
| Diamond | 100,000 | $33,333 | $66,667 |
Gold: 10,000 ÷ 3 = $3,333.33 per person, or $6,666.67 for two.
Platinum: 50,000 ÷ 3 = $16,666.67 per person, or $33,333.33 for two.
Diamond: 100,000 ÷ 3 = $33,333.33 per person, or $66,666.67 for two.
How the two-year windows work
- The first window runs September 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028 (28 months). From January 1, 2029, windows are fixed two-year periods.
- Reach a new tier mid-window and you are upgraded straight away.
- Status earned in one window lasts for the rest of that window and the whole of the next one.
- Stars reset to zero at the end of each window.
By our reading, a member who reaches Platinum in March 2027 keeps it through the end of the first window (December 31, 2028) and the following window, which would run January 1, 2029 to December 31, 2030.
Sources: Carnival launch announcement; Carnival Australia explainer.
Carnival Rewards perks by tier
These are the benefits listed on Carnival Germany's English-language program page. Trade press reported the same perks for US sailings, but we could not review the US benefits page directly, so check carnival.com before you sail.
- Main perks
- Earn and redeem Points; member-only offers; Red Sail & Sign card; one complimentary 1.5-liter bottle of water
- Main perks
- Gold member service; Gold Sail & Sign card; 1 complimentary drink on cruises of 5 days or more; the 1.5-liter water bottle
- Main perks
- 2 complimentary drinks; preferred main dining time; priority specialty dining reservations; complimentary wash-and-fold laundry (1 to 4 bags depending on cruise length); online check-in from 16 days before sailing; priority check-in, security (where available), boarding and luggage delivery; Captain's Lounge access (where available); exclusive member pin
- Main perks
- 2 complimentary drinks; invitation to a Captain's event; Diamond member service; guaranteed main dining time; priority specialty dining reservations; exclusive member pin
| Tier | Main perks |
|---|---|
| Red | Earn and redeem Points; member-only offers; Red Sail & Sign card; one complimentary 1.5-liter bottle of water |
| Gold | Gold member service; Gold Sail & Sign card; 1 complimentary drink on cruises of 5 days or more; the 1.5-liter water bottle |
| Platinum | 2 complimentary drinks; preferred main dining time; priority specialty dining reservations; complimentary wash-and-fold laundry (1 to 4 bags depending on cruise length); online check-in from 16 days before sailing; priority check-in, security (where available), boarding and luggage delivery; Captain's Lounge access (where available); exclusive member pin |
| Diamond | 2 complimentary drinks; invitation to a Captain's event; Diamond member service; guaranteed main dining time; priority specialty dining reservations; exclusive member pin |
The Diamond list on that page does not repeat the Platinum laundry and priority perks. Cruise press reported at launch that Diamond laundry is now limited rather than unlimited.
Sources: Carnival Germany program page (modified Sept 3, 2026). Press: Cruise Hive (Aug 31, 2026), Cruise Mummy (Sept 2, 2026).
How VIFP tiers converted
Your VIFP tier on August 31, 2026 set your starting point, provided you opted in. According to Carnival Australia's official explainer:
- Carnival Rewards outcome
- Moved to Red. The Blue tier no longer exists.
- Carnival Rewards outcome
- Red guaranteed as a minimum through December 31, 2028.
- Carnival Rewards outcome
- Gold guaranteed as a minimum through December 31, 2028, with benefits refreshed to the new structure.
- Carnival Rewards outcome
- Platinum guaranteed through December 31, 2028, then 10,000 bonus Stars every two-year window, so these members never fall below Gold.
- Carnival Rewards outcome
- Lifetime Diamond, with no requalifying.
| VIFP tier on Aug 31, 2026 | Carnival Rewards outcome |
|---|---|
| Blue | Moved to Red. The Blue tier no longer exists. |
| Red | Red guaranteed as a minimum through December 31, 2028. |
| Gold | Gold guaranteed as a minimum through December 31, 2028, with benefits refreshed to the new structure. |
| Platinum | Platinum guaranteed through December 31, 2028, then 10,000 bonus Stars every two-year window, so these members never fall below Gold. |
| Diamond | Lifetime Diamond, with no requalifying. |
- VIFP milestone awards earned by August 31, 2026 are honored through 2030.
- Days sailed carried over only for members who opted in.
- Carnival World Mastercard FunPoints converted 1:1 into Carnival Rewards Points, according to Cruise Critic. We did not find this on an official page.
Conflicting reports on Gold: Cruise Passenger wrote on September 1, 2026 that former Gold members "lose status". Carnival Australia's official page says Red, Gold and Platinum are all guaranteed as a minimum through December 31, 2028. We follow the official wording.
Sources: Carnival Australia explainer. Press: Cruise Critic (updated Oct 9, 2026), Cruise Passenger (Sept 1, 2026).
What was removed and what was added
- VIFP Club (to Aug 31, 2026)
- 1 point per day sailed
- Carnival Rewards (from Sept 1, 2026)
- 3 Points and 3 Stars per $1 of eligible spend, plus casino play
- VIFP Club (to Aug 31, 2026)
- Blue (enrol), Red (1 to 24), Gold (25 to 74), Platinum (75 to 199), Diamond (200+)
- Carnival Rewards (from Sept 1, 2026)
- Red, Gold (10,000 Stars), Platinum (50,000), Diamond (100,000)
- VIFP Club (to Aug 31, 2026)
- Lifetime
- Carnival Rewards (from Sept 1, 2026)
- Two-year windows; only legacy VIFP Diamond is lifetime
- VIFP Club (to Aug 31, 2026)
- None (FunPoints existed only on the co-brand card)
- Carnival Rewards (from Sept 1, 2026)
- Points for cruises, excursions, specialty dining and spa
- VIFP Club (to Aug 31, 2026)
- Rewards at the 25th, 50th, 75th and 100th cruise, including onboard credit and a free 100th cruise
- Carnival Rewards (from Sept 1, 2026)
- 5,000 Points at 50 days sailed, 10,000 at 100 days, then 10,000 at every further 100 days
| Feature | VIFP Club (to Aug 31, 2026) | Carnival Rewards (from Sept 1, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Earning basis | 1 point per day sailed | 3 Points and 3 Stars per $1 of eligible spend, plus casino play |
| Tiers | Blue (enrol), Red (1 to 24), Gold (25 to 74), Platinum (75 to 199), Diamond (200+) | Red, Gold (10,000 Stars), Platinum (50,000), Diamond (100,000) |
| Status length | Lifetime | Two-year windows; only legacy VIFP Diamond is lifetime |
| Spendable currency | None (FunPoints existed only on the co-brand card) | Points for cruises, excursions, specialty dining and spa |
| Milestones | Rewards at the 25th, 50th, 75th and 100th cruise, including onboard credit and a free 100th cruise | 5,000 Points at 50 days sailed, 10,000 at 100 days, then 10,000 at every further 100 days |
Removed, as reported by cruise press
- VIFP parties (replaced by complimentary drinks)
- Welcome treat and logo gifts
- Gold pins
- Diamond one-time upgrade and specialty dinner
- Unlimited Diamond laundry
- $5 arcade credit
- Old milestone cruise discounts, onboard credit and free cruise
Added
- Spendable Points at every tier, with no minimum balance
- Complimentary drinks for Gold (1, on cruises of 5 days or more), Platinum and Diamond (2)
- Casino play that counts toward status
- Days-sailed milestones: 5,000 Points at 50 days, 10,000 Points at 100 days, then 10,000 Points at every further 100 days
- Platinum and Diamond pins that are ship-specific and dated (press report)
Milestone Points start from your next milestone. A member at 175 days sailed gets the next award at 200 days. Cruise Passenger also reported onboard credit at 100-day milestones and a coin, keepsake and gift at 500 days; we did not find these on an official page.
Sources: Carnival launch announcement; Carnival Australia explainer; Carnival Germany program page. Press: Cruise Radio VIFP overview, AwardWallet, The Points Guy (June 18, 2025), Cruise Hive (Aug 31, 2026), Cruise Mummy (Sept 2, 2026), Cruise Passenger.
Using Points, and when they expire
- Points pay for future Carnival cruises, shore excursions, specialty dining and spa, at any tier and with no minimum balance.
- Cruise-fare redemption opened in September 2026. Onboard, you redeem through the HUB app.
- Points expire after 3 consecutive years with no earning or redeeming.
- Points cannot be transferred or pooled within a household.
- Points work on Carnival only, not on sister brands, according to The Points Guy's June 2025 report.
What a Point is worth: Carnival has not published an official cash value. Cruise Hive reported in November 2025 that Carnival estimated about 100 Points per $1, and an independent valuation published in September 2026 uses a baseline of 1 cent per Point toward cruise fare. Treat both as estimates.
3 Points per $1 × $0.01 per Point = about 3 cents back per $1 of eligible spending, or about 3%, if the 1 cent estimate holds.
Sources: Carnival launch announcement; Carnival Australia explainer. Press and estimates: The Points Guy, Cruise Hive (Nov 21, 2025), The Point Calculator (Sept 22, 2026).
What a couple earns, and how many cruises each tier takes
Two hypothetical couples, both enrolled, using the official rate of 3 Stars per $1. Carnival's rules split fare Stars among enrolled guests; we assume an equal split. We also assume the couple's onboard spending is split evenly between them.
Couple A, 7-night balcony cruise: $5,000 cruise fare (before taxes and fees) plus $1,700 onboard, including gratuities.
Fare: $5,000 × 3 = 15,000 Stars, split two ways = 7,500 each.
Onboard: $1,700 × 3 = 5,100 Stars, split two ways = 2,550 each.
Total: 10,050 Stars and 10,050 Points each. That clears Gold (10,000) on one cruise.
Couple B, 4-night cruise: $1,500 cruise fare (before taxes and fees) plus $500 onboard, including gratuities.
Total: $2,000 × 3 = 6,000 Stars, split two ways = 3,000 Stars each.
- Couple A (10,050 per cruise)
- 1 cruise (10,050 Stars)
- Couple B (3,000 per cruise)
- 4 cruises (12,000 Stars)
- Couple A (10,050 per cruise)
- 5 cruises (50,250 Stars)
- Couple B (3,000 per cruise)
- 17 cruises (51,000 Stars)
- Couple A (10,050 per cruise)
- 10 cruises (100,500 Stars)
- Couple B (3,000 per cruise)
- 34 cruises (102,000 Stars)
| Tier | Couple A (10,050 per cruise) | Couple B (3,000 per cruise) |
|---|---|---|
| Gold (10,000) | 1 cruise (10,050 Stars) | 4 cruises (12,000 Stars) |
| Platinum (50,000) | 5 cruises (50,250 Stars) | 17 cruises (51,000 Stars) |
| Diamond (100,000) | 10 cruises (100,500 Stars) | 34 cruises (102,000 Stars) |
Cruise counts are rounded up to the next whole cruise. All of them must fall inside one window: 28 months for the first window, 24 months after that. For Couple A, Platinum means 5 cruises in 28 months, about one every 5.6 months. Diamond means 10.
Points value: at the 1 cent estimate above, Couple A's 10,050 Points each are worth about $100.50 per person, or $201 for the couple, toward a future cruise.
The takeaway: a couple spending about $6,700 or more on one cruise (fare before taxes plus onboard spending) reaches Gold in one trip, but Platinum and Diamond now reward big spenders and very frequent cruisers. Under VIFP, Couple B's four short cruises would have added days sailed toward lifetime status.
Sources: Earning rate and thresholds from the Carnival launch announcement and Carnival Australia explainer. Spending amounts are illustrative, not Carnival prices.
Carnival Players Club and Carnival Rewards
The casino has its own program, Carnival Players Club. Since September 1, 2026, the Casino Points it awards also build Carnival Rewards status. Under VIFP, status counted days sailed only, so casino play did not count.
- Slots: 1 Casino Point per $2 played (coin-in).
- Video poker: 1 Casino Point per $5 played.
- Table games: based on game, average bet and time played; Carnival publishes no rate.
- Players Club perks include discounted or free rooms (taxes, fees, port expenses and deposit not included) and drinks while playing (21+).
10,000 Stars (Gold) from slots alone: 10,000 Casino Points × $2 = $20,000 of slot play.
The same 10,000 Stars from cruise spending: about $3,333.
Playing to earn status rarely beats paying for the cruise. Casino offers, including Carnival's FunMatch status match, still carry costs: FunMatch guests pay a $100 per person non-refundable deposit, cruise fees of up to $411 and taxes of up to $175.99. See our cruise casino programs guide for how Carnival compares with other lines.
Gamble only with money you can afford to lose. If gambling is a problem for you or someone you know, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Sources: Carnival Players Club; Carnival Casino FunMatch; Carnival launch announcement.
The Carnival Rewards Mastercard, briefly
The Carnival Rewards Mastercard, issued through Barclays in the US (not offered in Australia, according to Cruise Passenger), replaced the Carnival World Mastercard. According to Carnival's launch announcement, it earns up to 6X Points on Carnival purchases (3X from the card plus 3X from the program), 2X on restaurants and groceries and 1X on everything else, plus up to 4 Stars per $1 on Carnival purchases combined with program Stars and 1 Star per $1 elsewhere. It also lists a 2,500-Point anniversary bonus after $2,000 of spending and 0% promotional APR for 6 months on Carnival cruise bookings.
Welcome bonus figures conflict. Carnival's launch announcement says 50,000 bonus Points after $1,000 of purchases in the first 90 days. The Points Party reported on September 11, 2026 that the Barclays page showed 20,000. Check the offer on the application page before you apply.
Sources: Carnival launch announcement. Press: The Points Party (Sept 11, 2026), Cruise Passenger (Sept 1, 2026).
Who comes out ahead under Carnival Rewards
Better off
- Couples who spend about $6,700 or more on a single cruise, who now reach Gold on one sailing
- Big onboard spenders, since gratuities and onboard purchases earn
- Casino players, whose play now counts toward status
- VIFP Diamonds, who kept Diamond for life
- Anyone who wanted spendable Points, which VIFP never had
Worse off
- Frequent sailors on short, low-fare cruises, who now need many more trips for Platinum
- VIFP members who missed the August 31, 2026 opt-in
- Anyone counting on lifetime status, which now lasts one window plus the next
- Former Diamonds who valued the removed upgrade, dinner and unlimited laundry
To see how Carnival's spend-based model compares with lines that still count nights or cruises, read our cruise loyalty programs guide and the Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor guide.
What happened to Carnival VIFP?+
How do you earn Carnival Rewards Points and Stars?+
How much do you have to spend for Carnival Rewards Diamond?+
What happened to VIFP members who did not opt in?+
Do Carnival casino points count toward Carnival Rewards?+
Do Carnival Rewards Points expire?+
What are Carnival Rewards Points worth?+
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