One of the most viewed pages on our site is about the benefits you receive for being a shareholder with your favorite cruise line. These benefits can be quite rich! In fact, in 2023 Carnival Corporation provided shareholders up to $250 in onboard credit – but that offer ended on February 28, 2024. This article walks you through changes to the new 2024 Carnival Shareholder Benefit along with big updates to the process requesting benefits.
2024 Carnival Shareholder Benefit Update
Good news, cruisers: Carnival Corporation has extended the shareholder benefit program once again! However, unlike previous years, the cruise operator only extended the program through this year. That’s right, the current program only applies to sailings completed by December 31, 2024.
According to Carnival, all benefits remain the same from last year for North America Brands:
| Length of Sailing | Onboard Credit (OBC) |
| 14 days or longer | $250 |
| Sailings 7-13 days | $100 |
| Sailings 6 days or less | $50 |
2024 Shareholder Benefit Requirements
In order to qualify for the 2024 Shareholder Benefit Program, you must own at least 100 shares of Carnival Corporation (CCL) stock. As of the time of this writing, that would be an investment of $1,665. Had you purchased the stock at Carnival’s 52-week low, it would have only cost you $837. Even at today’s stock price, just two 14-day cruises and three 7-day cruises recoups half your investment!
For current $CCL stock price information, refer to Google Finance.
All Carnival Corporation Brands Participate
It’s important to note that all of Carnival Corporation’s brands participate in the Carnival Shareholder Benefit program. While the amount of onboard credit varies by region, each brand maintains a tiered amount based on the length of your sailing. The following Carnival Corporation brands participate in the 2024 Carnival Shareholder Benefit Program:
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Princess Cruises
- Holland America Line
- Seabourn
- Cunard
- Costa Cruises
- AIDA Cruises
- P&O Cruises
Carnival Rolls Out New Way to Submit for Shareholder Benefit
Many have written to us about changes to the process on requesting the Carnival Shareholder Benefit. Over the past year, Carnival Corporation tested an updated process through an app called StockPerks. A quick search will bring up countless Facebook threads and cruise message board posts with questions about the app.
On our last attempt to request via email (the old way), we received this message from Carnival:
Carnival Corporation has engaged Stockperks to implement a more automated and streamlined process for the processing of shareholder benefits. During the ongoing transition phase, shareholders may be redirected to Stockperks to engage with our updated redemption process. The Stockperks service is governed by Stockperks’ Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and may be subject to other Stockperks policies and terms.
So what does this mean? It means a big change for how to request your Shareholder Benefit going forward.
How to Request Carnival Shareholder Benefits in 2024
With the full transition to StockPerks, Carnival now requires you to download the StockPerks app from either the Apple or Google Play Store depending on your device. While the download was quite simple, there were quite a few steps before we could actually submit our request.
Check out our Stockperks Job Aid that walks you through step-by-step how to create your Stockperks account and request your Shareholder Benefit.
Important: You must submit your request at least 3 weeks prior to your sailing.
Fine Print and Disclaimers
When talking about Shareholder Benefits, the stock market, and free onboard credit, there are some big disclaimers:
- Carnival Shareholder Benefit is available to shareholders who own a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation stock
- Carnival Shareholder Benefit available on sailings through December 31, 2024
- Requests for Carnival Shareholder Benefit must be submitted at least 3 weeks prior to your sailing (repeating this in case you missed the red bold text above!)
- Only one Carnival Shareholder Benefit can be used per stateroom (i.e., if multiple people in the stateroom own at least 100 shares of Carnival Corporation stock, only one credit will be awarded per stateroom)
- Employees, travel agents cruising at travel agent rates or interline rates, tour conductors, or anyone else cruising at a reduced-rate or on a complimentary basis are excluded from the Carnival Shareholder Benefit offer
- Carnival Shareholder Benefit is non-transferable (i.e., you cannot give your Shareholder Benefit to another cruiser)
- Carnival Shareholder Benefit can not be redeemed for cash and cannot be used for casino credits/charges charged to your onboard account
- You can not use your Carnival Shareholder Benefit to pay for gratuities*
- As with any stock purchase or investment, there is market risk. You could lose money with the investment. Additionally, as you buy/sell stock, there could be tax implications. Nothing on this page should be used to make an investment or tax decision and I retain zero liability for any decisions you may make
*While the official documents state that the Carnival Shareholder Benefit cannot be used to pay gratuities, we’ve not seen this enforced (cruise boards also confirm this). According to the official Carnival Shareholder Benefit Program, the onboard credit cannot be used, however, your mileage may vary.
Carnival Shareholder Benefit Recap Video
Check out our video recap on the benefits of being a Carnival Shareholder. We’re currently working on an updated video for 2024 that includes StockPerks details.
Will by pass this “opportunity”. Need to include date of birth, email address, and average annual income. In the next section of an additional site, one needs to identify what investment group the shares are held in, then allow access using your name and password. Did not include this or any other further information. Deleted the origianl application.
Contacted Holland America and poke with a surpervisor who informed me, “there is “no other option”. If stockperks not used the share holder will not recieve the on board credit.
Thanks for your comment, Rita. I talk about these very things in the StockPerks Step-By-Step I’m creating!! If you can get past the fact that a 3rd party is asking for your income (which is kind of odd, no?), StockPerks does provide a manual option for providing your statement so you don’t have to give them access to your financial institution:
Automatic broker connection: The app’s recommended option
Manual statement upload: the app warns that this takes longer, however, is required if you have an account with Fidelity, Edward Jones, or Ally
I’ll get the one-pager posted hopefully early next week. In there, I give tips and tricks on how to get the benefit without the risk.
I am a stickler for NOT giving out unnecessary information. As Rita stated in her review, it does ask for income – but did not require an answer – so I left it blank. DOB and email address is typical to locate your booking information and send you a reply so no issues there. There was no way I was going to provide my financial log in info but I easily uploaded a recent statement with all the info blocked out, just as I used to do via email to get credit the old way. It was really quick. Only issue I have is having 2 accounts and doing all the work over again for my spouse. Its getting annoying that everyone has their own required app but hopefully this one will pay off with other perks.
Thanks for the tip that “Annual income” is not a required field. I missed that when I first signed up! I’m also glad to hear that the statement upload worked for you without a hitch!
I just posted a complete step-by-step article for those setting up StockPerks for the first time. A post like this would have helped me, so I’m hoping it’ll reduce some pain for others. Enjoy your shareholder benefits!!
We have 250 shares of carnival shares. Who do we send a copy of these too.
That’s awesome; shareholder benefits ahoy! To request your benefit, you’ll need to download the StockPerks app and submit proof of ownership through the app. You can refer to our StockPerks step-by-step job aid that walks you through the process for help.
At this point I’m a pissed off stockholder. OBC is the only benefit of owning CCL, it no longer pays dividends and has languished as a growth stock. I will not allow Stockperks / Carnival to mine my investments for information to sell. The OBC is too minor for the cost of cruising with one of their lines.
Sorry for the frustration with the stock; it’s been a bumpy ride the past couple of years, for sure. While it took a little time to adjust to the new Stockperks process, it’s been pretty smooth now that we’ve got the hang of it. Plus, for us, it’s provided more than $5k in benefit, so it’s a no-brainer investment on our end. Of course, everyone’s experience varies. Best wishes on your portfolio. -Mark
At the risk of “beating a dead horse”, I’d like to add my total agreement with the previous comments regarding dissatisfaction with using the Stockperks app and the information it requires. I didn’t even know I had to do this until I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t getting any response from Cunard for onboard credit. It does make me question whether there’s a point to continue with Carnival stock.
I guess it all depends: is it worth $100 to go through an extra step of submitting via an app? Back in the day when we had to FAX proof in, I never once missed the opportunity to claim OBC. I’d say faxing was much worse than the new process. I created a Stockperks Job Aid that provides a cruise tip on how to avoid giving Carnival Corp. access to all of your account info. It’s an extra step you need to do once, but hopefully, that reduces some heartburn! -Mark
I received this notice from Stockperks denying my request. Is this noted in the Fine Print & Disclaimers?
Unfortunately, your application for onboard credit on your upcoming reservation (Booking #: xxxxx departing on 2024-08-18) has not been approved as it did not meet the Terms & Conditions. Specifically, you are not eligible for the onboard credit because:
This booking is a restricted discounted reservation and is not eligible for onboard credit.
Hi Tim! Sadly, the fine print and disclosures state that the Carnival Shareholder Benefit excludes anyone sailing on a reduced-rate or on a complimentary basis. Now, “reduced rate” does not mean when Carnival runs a sale on their website. Instead, it refers to casino offers, travel agent offers, free/significantly discounted sailings, etc.
Hopefully, StockPerks declining your application means you already got an AMAZING deal on the cruise you have booked!! -Mark
I received the same denial as Tim. As a Platinum member every cruise I book has a discount off the rate so basically, we are no longer elidable to ever receive the benefit. This was never a problem before stockperks took over. It appears that this perk is only for new cruisers and that repeat cruisers are no longer worthy of receiving it.
Hi Forrest! When you mention a discount rate, I’m curious what discount you’re applying? Your VIFP discounts should not in any way impact the Shareholder Credit. However, travel agent rates, complimentary cruises, casino offers, etc. have always been excluded from the program (check out the fine print from the first article we wrote all the way back in 2022 pre-StockPerks).
Honestly, I think part of the reason that Carnival moved to StockPerks is that, even though discounted rates were clearly called out as excluded, due to humans processing the requests, they often didn’t understand the program, or just ignored the rules. Now, with a third-party administrating the benefits, the area of gray is gone. Definitely, not as good for those of us who received the benefit in the past (myself included!), but absolutely a stronger control of the program rules for Carnival.
Let me know which discount you’re booking; definitely curious! -Mark
We are doing a B2B in September and I just submitted the 2 cruises but did not see anywhere I could put B2B. On previous B2B cruises we said they were B2B and were given the maximum OBC because all together we are going 14 days – just wondering if this still will be the case. Thanks
Oh wow! I’ve never received the max credit when doing back-to-back cruises (14+ days)! I didn’t even know that was something I could have requested via the old way of submitting; a missed opportunity of an extra $50 (two $100 credits instead of one $250 credit). Can you let us know what you end up receiving from StockPerks? Will be great information to have for other cruisers! -Mark
So what does this mean for 2025? I booked a 35 day cruise in February 2025. Was planning on purchasing the stock in fall of 2024 for the obc. Do you know when they announce the next years perks?
This extension is unique as it only carries us through the end of the year. Typically, when Carnival announces the Shareholder Credit, it carries through until end of February when they announce their earnings recap for the prior year. We’re unsure why they only extended it until the end of 2024; it’s odd and doesn’t match what they’ve done for years. I’m hoping that the cruise operator extends the offering into 2025. It would be unlikely for them to cancel the benefit while all of their rivals offer it. At this point, we’ll just have to wait and see. Jealous for your 35 day cruise! Where are you going for that long? -mark
HI Mark
How early can I apply ? My cruise is in Feb. 2025-I see this benefit has been going on for years. Do they renew policy every year?
That’s an amazing question, and one I’ve never gotten a specific answer on. Based on your comment, I just tried to submit for my own Carnival cruise I have in February 2025 to see what would happen! I received the error message: “Cruise date must be in the future.” Um… While the title of the error is incorrect, the actual error text reads: “Onboard Credit requests cannot be submitted for cruise dates after December 31, 2024. Please submit your claim for an earlier cruise date. If your cruise is after December 31, 2024, please check back in November 2024 to submit your claim.”
So, to answer your question, it appears that you can submit approx. 3 months in advance (perhaps after final payment is due for the cruise?) I’ll test it again in early November to see what happens. But for now, I can confirm, it is too early for you to submit your benefit request.
Lastly, in terms of renewing the shareholder benefit policy… As long as I’ve been a shareholder (2015), they’ve renewed annually. With that said, it’s always been through February of the following year. Interestingly, this year, they only approved it through December of 2024. I’m watching anxiously to see what happens at the end of this year and will keep the site updated.
Thanks, again, for the question and helping me discover something new tonight. Hope you have an amazing cruise next year! -Mark
Via the old manual email process, I applied as early as 3 months and received approval. However, another time I applied 8 weeks out and was told to resubmit closer to the cruise date! With the new StockPerks process, I haven’t seen a specific period of time in which they’ll approve. To test out the theory, I’m going to submit for my February cruise now.
Has anyone seen an update about this yet? Just booked a cruise for Jan ‘25. Nor concerned about the app but would not want to miss the $100!
No update as of yet. Historically, they’ve extended the benefit until the end of February to coincide with their year-end financial plan, however, for 2024 they only extended it through December. That has us wondering what’s going on. John Heald has also indicated that the new VIFP Club updates would roll out by end of year… Are the two connected/related in some way? Will VIFP-status members at a certain level receive OBC for each sailing and lose Shareholder Credit? Or are the two completely unrelated. Time will tell, but like you, we’re very curious as we love our Shareholder Credit!!
I set up an account with Stock Perks and sent in my proof of my stock. then I heard nothing. I’m doing two lengthy cruises on Holland America and would like to get my benefits. Now I tried to login and it doesn’t know my password. so I requested a change of password. I entered a new password, but it won’t save it. It just does nothing.
I’m so frustrated.
Ugh! I’m so sorry to hear about this. We experienced some quirks that gave me pause when first setting up the application, however, thankfully, it’s been smooth sailing since. If you’ve not been able to resolve the issue yet, I would recommend sending an email to carnivalcorp@stockperks.com explaining your problem. While it took them several days to get back to me the first time, they did provide some helpful tips/tricks to resolve the problems we were facing. Hoping that things start to look up very soon and you get your Shareholder Credit for what sound to be some AMAZING sailings ahead. Curious – where are you going on your HAL cruises? We’ll be sailing vicariously through you! 🙂 -Mark
whats the matter with the old way of just sending in proof and the info needed to carnival DONT LIKE MAKING ALL THESE NEW ACCOUNTS AND GIVING INFO TO A THIRD PARTY DARNIVAL IS JUST OUTSOURCING OUR INFO TO ANOTHER COMPANY
Hi Barbara, thanks for checking out the website and sharing your thoughts about the new process. Like you, I struggled at first. I remember how excited I was to move from faxing to being able to email my proof of share ownership. It was soooo much easier just to be able to email versus having to find a fax machine and send all that paperwork in. So when Carnival announced they were rolling out a new process, I was skeptical as well. In fact, the first couple times I ran into some roadblocks. But, I will say, once I got it set up correctly, it’s become even EASIER to submit via this new process. Whether or not you choose to link your account is up to you, however, having linked the accounts myself, I can confirm it makes the process seamless. Am I a huge fan of StockPerks seeing all of my trade information for all of my accounts? Not really. But Carnival had access to it all before when I submitted my proof of ownership, so it’s actually not all that different as I reflect on it.
Hopefully, as you get into the swing of things, you’ll find the new process easier as well. I’m assuming Carnival rolled this out to help simplify the process overall (probably easier for them to adjust to than us to adjust to!) If you have any issues getting the accounts set up, you can email carnivalcorp@stockperks.com directly for support questions. Have a great rest of your day! -Mark
I must agree with Barbara and the others above. I see why on the Stockperks app reviews it is given a rating of 0-1. It sounds like Carnival has been aware of the issues for months, but the blocking, glitches in submission, concerns over intrusive personal information and privacy in this age of hacking and misuse of data have not been addressed. Perhaps this is your way of avoiding paying those stockholder benefits? Despite “Mark”‘s glowing comments, I see no upside to the movement from Carnival Corp. personally addressing their stockholders. The term “gaslighting” comes to mind.
Hi Douglas. Thanks for your comment. In terms of my “glowing comments”, I’m sharing my personal experience. Like many have expressed, the first time getting StockPerks set up did not give me a ton of confidence. I had to jump through several hoops – even having to contact StockPerks – before getting it to work. What I’ve shared in my responses is that since getting it set up successfully, I’ve had zero issues and it’s actually made the process even easier to submit as my account is linked.
In terms of privacy concerns, I actually shared a Cruise Tip on how to address the privacy concern of sharing your entire portfolio in my comprehensive post on StockPerks. While it’s an extra step, it keeps your accounts separate and only shares with StockPerks the necessary information.
In terms of “avoiding paying those stockholder benefits,” Carnival Corporation is one of multiple companies that have moved to utilize the 3rd Party StockPerks process to manage shareholder benefits. I doubt that companies like Louis Vuitton, Matterport, 1-800-Flowers, etc. are trying to cheat folks out of their shareholder benefit. Rather, the process change likely makes it easier on the company by outsourcing the processing of verification and validation of shareholder ownership.
While you may not see upside initially, if you follow the privacy tip I provide and get your account set up successfully, I’d bet you’ll find the updated process actually saves you a bit of time. And for someone like me that’s submitted via the old way more than 50 times, saving a bit of time is well worth adapting to a new process.
Thanks, again, for sharing your thoughts. -Mark
We are booked on a Princess Cruise departing on September 28, 2024. We started to fill out the information regarding a $100.00 on board credit. We saw that the form needed information regarding our personal accounts. With all of the hacking that is being done to large and small companies these days, we do not want to have our personal account information out for anyone to possibly access. We did not know there might be a way to apply for our on-board credit without opening up all of our financial information. We cruise on September 28, 2024. Is there still time to apply for the on-board credit without giving out our financial information and how do we apply for the credit? I appreciate your time in looking into this for us.
Hi there! There *may* still be time to apply, however, the manual submission process can take up to a couple weeks. It still requires the app, but you can choose to uploaded a redacted version of your statement for review. Hopefully you are able to secure the $100 on board credit for being a shareholder. Please let us know! -Mark