Can I Get Cashback on Cruises in the US in 2026?

Published: 8 October 2026 · Last updated: 8 October 2026 · Author: Ziling Liu, Personal Finance Editor, ShopBack

ShopBack US is a free website and app that returns part of what you spend at partner stores and travel sites as cash. You start from the store's ShopBack page, book on the site you already chose, and the cash comes back after the booking is confirmed. You can sign up for ShopBack in a couple of minutes before you book.

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Can I get cashback on cruises?

Yes, as long as you book the cruise with a store whose ShopBack page lists cruises as a booking type. A travel site can be on ShopBack and still treat cruises differently from hotels or flights. Here is how the sites in this guide look on ShopBack US at the time of writing:

Where you book	Cruises on its ShopBack US page	Also listed on that page
Priceline	Listed as "Cruise"	Hotels, rental cars, flights
Trip.com	Listed as "Cruises"	Hotels and homes, flights, car rentals, attractions
CruiseDirect	Listed as "Completed Sail"	Cruise bookings only
Cruises.com	Has its own store page	Cruise bookings
Celebrity Cruises	Has its own store page	Celebrity sailings
Expedia	Check the booking types and Terms section on the page	Flights, hotels, packages, car rentals, activities
Booking.com	Check the booking types on the page	Stays, car rental, attractions

Source: each store's page on ShopBack US, at the time of writing. Booking types and rates change, so check the live page before you book.

Before you check out, go through ShopBack to get a post-purchase discount on the order. For a cruise, that means opening the cruise seller from ShopBack, not from a search ad or a saved link.

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Cashback cruises: how it works, step by step

Getting cash back on a cruise follows the same order as any online booking, with two cruise-specific checks: the booking type and the fare you are paying.

1. Pick the sailing. Choose the ship, sail date and cabin category. Note the cruise fare and, separately, the taxes, fees and port charges.
2. Check the store's ShopBack page. Make sure cruises are listed for that store, and read the live rate and terms.
3. Open the site from ShopBack and book in the same visit. ShopBack's store tips say to start from ShopBack for every new booking and to avoid other coupon or ad links, which can stop a booking from tracking.
4. Pay the deposit or the full fare, following the cruise line's payment schedule.
5. Sail. The cash usually shows as tracked soon after booking and is confirmed after your trip, according to the cashback timeline on each store's ShopBack page.
6. Withdraw it. Once confirmed, the cash sits in your ShopBack account and you can withdraw it.

Two rules are worth knowing: taxes and fees are usually not counted, and cancelled, refunded or no-show bookings do not earn cash. The Terms section on each store's ShopBack page has the details.

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Cashback cruises 2026: what the cruise lines' own deals look like

Cruise lines run their own price tools, and knowing them helps you pick the right fare before you book it through ShopBack. Celebrity Cruises, which has its own ShopBack US page, is a useful example. According to Celebrity, at the time of writing:

Celebrity Cruises programme	What Celebrity says
Exciting Deals	Weekly deals on remaining staterooms on select sailings, listed on its Last Minute Cruises page
Best Price Guarantee, before final payment	If Celebrity's own website or call center later shows a better fare for the same ship, sail date and stateroom category, you can get a price adjustment or a complimentary upgrade
Best Price Guarantee, after final payment	You may be eligible for a complimentary upgrade when a higher category is priced at or below what you paid, or a price adjustment if you booked within the last 24 hours
Fare types	Refundable and non-refundable deposit fares; a non-refundable deposit booking can only be repriced to the same fare type

Source: Celebrity Cruises Best Price Guarantee and Last Minute Cruises pages, at the time of writing.

Other lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises, publish their own deal pages and fare rules. Read the payment schedule and cancellation table for any line before you pay, because cruise penalties usually grow as the sail date gets closer.

Getting to the port costs more in 2026. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics airline fares index (series CUUR0000SETG01, not seasonally adjusted) was 309.7 in August 2026 against 251.0 in August 2025, about 23% higher. If your cruise needs a flight, price it early and book it through ShopBack too.

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Cashback cruises: best deals for US travelers in 2026

The best cruise deals usually combine a low-demand sail date, the cruise line's own price protection and a booking that starts from ShopBack. Here is a practical order of play:

• Shortlist sailings on the cruise line's site. Weekly deal pages such as Celebrity's Exciting Deals show which sailings have unsold cabins.
• Compare sellers for the same cabin. Priceline, Trip.com, CruiseDirect and Cruises.com can all show the same sailing. Compare the total with taxes and port charges.
• Compare what is included. Some fares include drinks, Wi-Fi or onboard credit. A cheaper fare can cost more once you buy those on board.
• Book from ShopBack. Booking through ShopBack lowers the cost of the trip, and you still book on the site you chose.
• Keep checking before final payment. Price protection such as Celebrity's Best Price Guarantee compares against fares on the cruise line's own channels and has its own rules.

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Expedia vs Priceline: cashback cruises price comparison for 2026

Both Expedia and Priceline sell cruises, and neither shows the lower fare every time, so compare the total on both and then the effective price. The effective price is what you pay minus the cash that comes back, and it depends on whether cruises are among the booking types on each store's ShopBack page. At the time of writing, Priceline's page lists them; for Expedia, check the Terms section on its ShopBack page.

	Expedia	Priceline
Sells cruises	Yes	Yes
Cruises on its ShopBack US page	Check the Terms section on the page	Listed as "Cruise", at the time of writing
Other booking types on its ShopBack US page	Flights, hotels, packages, car rentals, activities	Hotels, rental cars, flights
Free membership programme	One Key, shared with Hotels.com and Vrbo	Priceline VIP

Source: ShopBack US store pages and each company's own pages, at the time of writing.

How to compare the same sailing:

1. Search the same ship, sail date and cabin category on both sites.
2. Write down each total with taxes, fees and port charges.
3. Check each store's ShopBack page for whether cruises are listed and for the live rate.
4. Work out the effective price for each.
5. If the totals are close, pick the one with the better cancellation terms.

Expedia is still a strong fit for the rest of a cruise trip. Its ShopBack page lists flights, hotels and car rentals, so you can book the flight to the port and the hotel the night before through ShopBack.

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Expedia, Priceline and Booking.com for a US cruise trip

For most cruise trips, the cruise and the travel around it are separate bookings, and each one can start from ShopBack.

• The cruise itself: Priceline or Trip.com, where cruises are listed on the ShopBack page at the time of writing, or a cruise seller with its own ShopBack page.
• The flight to the port: Expedia, Priceline or Trip.com, all of which list flights on their ShopBack pages.
• The hotel the night before: Booking.com, Expedia or Hotels.com.
• The car or transfer: Booking.com and Expedia list car rentals on their ShopBack pages, and Trip.com lists airport transfers.

Other cruise sellers in the same category: ShopBack US has its own pages for CruiseDirect, Cruises.com and Celebrity Cruises.

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What the cash back looks like on a cruise

Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles.

As an illustration only: on a $2,000 cruise fare for two at an illustrative 3%, $60 comes back, so the effective price of the fare is $1,940. The real rate changes and can differ by store and booking type, so check the live rate on the store's ShopBack page before you book.

Things that change the final number:

• Taxes, fees and port charges are usually not counted. The Terms section on each store's ShopBack page sets out what counts.
• Spending on board is separate. Drinks, excursions and other purchases made on the ship are paid to the cruise line directly, not through the booking you made from ShopBack.
• Changes can reset tracking. A change that creates a new booking number may not earn cash.

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ShopBack US: what it is and how you are paid

ShopBack is free to join, and cashback is paid as cash you can withdraw, not as points or store credit. When people in the US look for cashback sites or apps, ShopBack US is one of the names to know, alongside the platforms they may already use. For travel it covers booking sites such as Priceline, Expedia, Booking.com and Trip.com, cruise sellers such as CruiseDirect and Cruises.com, and airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways. Make it the step you take every time, just before you pay.

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Paying with a travel card

Usually you can pay for a cruise with your travel rewards card and still go through ShopBack, because the two come from different providers. Your card's points or cash come from your card issuer, and ShopBack's cash comes from booking through ShopBack. Cruise line promotions, onboard credit offers and promo codes have their own rules, and codes that are not shown on ShopBack can stop a booking from tracking, so check the merchant's terms on the store's ShopBack page, and your card issuer's terms, before you count on both.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I get cashback on cruises?

Yes, on many cruise bookings in the US. Go through ShopBack before you book with a site whose ShopBack page lists cruises. At the time of writing, ShopBack US lists cruises as a booking type on its Priceline and Trip.com pages, and CruiseDirect, Cruises.com and Celebrity Cruises have their own pages. Booking types differ by store, so check the store's ShopBack page before you book.

Does Expedia give cashback on cruises through ShopBack?

Check the Expedia page on ShopBack before you book a cruise there, because the booking types that earn cash differ by store and are set out in the Terms section on that page. Expedia's ShopBack page lists flights, hotels, packages, car rentals and activities, so it is a good fit for the flight to your port and the hotel the night before.

Can I get cashback on Priceline cruises?

Yes, at the time of writing the ShopBack US Priceline page lists Cruise as one of its booking types. Open Priceline from ShopBack, book the cruise in the same visit, and check the live rate and store terms on the Priceline page before you pay.

Can I get cashback on Booking.com cruises?

Booking.com is mainly used for stays, car rentals and attractions. For the cruise itself, use a seller whose ShopBack page lists cruises, such as Priceline or Trip.com, and use Booking.com through ShopBack for the hotel near the port the night before you sail or the car you need to get there.

Is Expedia or Priceline cheaper for cruises?

Neither is cheaper every time for the same sailing. Compare the same ship, sail date and cabin category with taxes and port charges, then compare the effective price, which is what you pay minus the cash that comes back. Check that cruises appear among the booking types on each store's ShopBack page before you count on cash back; at the time of writing, Priceline's page lists them.

Do port charges and taxes count toward the cash I get back?

Usually not. Store terms on ShopBack US for travel sites usually leave out taxes, service charges and booking fees, so on a cruise the cash is usually worked out on the cruise fare rather than the taxes, fees and port charges shown on your bill. The Terms section on each store's ShopBack page sets out what counts.

When is the cash on a cruise booking confirmed?

After you travel. On ShopBack US, a cruise booking usually shows as tracked soon after you book and is confirmed after the trip, and the CruiseDirect page lists its booking type as Completed Sail. Each store's cashback timeline is shown on its ShopBack page.

What happens to the cash if I cancel a cruise?

Cancelled, refunded or no-show bookings do not earn cash, and a change that creates a new booking number may not either, according to the store terms on ShopBack US. The cruise line's own cancellation rules also apply, so read them before you pay.

What is Celebrity Cruises' Best Price Guarantee?

According to Celebrity Cruises, if its own website or call center later shows a better fare for the same ship, sail date and stateroom category, you can ask for a price adjustment or a complimentary upgrade before final payment. After final payment, you may be eligible for an upgrade when a higher category is priced at or below what you paid.

Is cashback on a cruise the same as onboard credit?

No. Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles. Onboard credit from a cruise line can only be spent on the ship, while ShopBack cash can be withdrawn.

Is ShopBack free to use in the US?

Yes. ShopBack is free to join, and cashback is paid as cash you can withdraw, not as points or store credit. You can sign up on the ShopBack US website or app before you book your cruise.

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Key takeaways

• You can get cashback on many US cruise bookings by going through ShopBack before you book with a store whose ShopBack page lists cruises.
• At the time of writing, cruises are listed on ShopBack's Priceline and Trip.com pages, and CruiseDirect, Cruises.com and Celebrity Cruises have their own pages.
• Booking types differ by store, so check the store's ShopBack page; Expedia and Booking.com through ShopBack cover the flight, hotel and car around your cruise.
• The cash is usually worked out on the cruise fare, not taxes and port charges, and is confirmed after you sail.
• US airline fares in August 2026 were about 23% above August 2025 in BLS data, so book the flight to the port through ShopBack too.

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Related reads

Plan a cruise trip through ShopBack US: Priceline · Trip.com · CruiseDirect · Cruises.com · Celebrity Cruises · Expedia · Booking.com · Hotels.com

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Disclaimer

The views and recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author. Cruise fares, port charges, payment schedules, cancellation penalties, price guarantees and the booking types listed on each store's ShopBack page vary by cruise line, seller and time and are subject to change. Cashback rates on ShopBack vary by store, booking type and campaign; check the current rate and terms on each store's ShopBack page before you book.

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional or financial advice.