Published starting fares for an Antarctica expedition cruise begin at $8,830 per person among the four lines we checked on September 30, 2026. That day HX listed its 12-day Highlights of Antarctica from $8,830 per person, Lindblad Expeditions listed its 12-day Voyage to Antarctica from $11,900 per person, Quark Expeditions listed its 11-day Antarctic Explorer from $12,236 per person, and Viking listed its 13-day Antarctic Explorer from $14,999.
Those are starting fares, and they don't all buy the same trip. Some include the flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and some don't, and specific departures can price well above the headline number. This guide lays out what each operator publishes, what the fare covers where the operator says so, and how points and miles can take a bite out of the bill, through bank travel portals, fixed-value miles and a card benefit that works with at least one Antarctic operator.
What the Expedition Lines Publish
Every fare below is quoted as the operator showed it on its own site on September 30, 2026. Fares move with sales and departures, so treat them as a snapshot and check the operator's page before you plan around a number.
HX
HX's Highlights of Antarctica is a 12-day trip that HX describes as an "all-inclusive Antarctica Expedition Cruise with round-trip flights from Buenos Aires." The page showed a fare from $8,830 per person, with $10,589 struck through, and a "No Solo Supplement" offer. Expedition Suites started from $11,930 per person.
HX lists what the fare includes: an overnight in Buenos Aires with breakfast before the cruise, economy flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, the hotel-to-airport transfer, all meals with coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine, beer and spirits, a wind and waterproof expedition jacket, and complimentary Wi-Fi (HX notes streaming isn't supported). The ships on this itinerary are MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen.
Lindblad Expeditions
Lindblad's Voyage to Antarctica runs 12 days round trip from Ushuaia on National Geographic Resolution or National Geographic Endurance. The page showed "From $11,900 / per person" with the line "Does not include any flights." Lindblad adds that the itinerary has recommended group flights "that will be added to your reservation during checkout at an additional cost."
The departure list shows how far a specific date can sit above the headline fare. The earliest 2026 sailing listed, November 26 to December 7 on National Geographic Resolution, started from $19,000 per person. A three-day Buenos Aires pre-trip extension started from $3,590 per person. Lindblad was also advertising up to $2,000 per person in air credits on select 2027 voyages booked by November 4, 2026.
Lindblad's What's Included page lists beer, wine, cocktails and spirits aboard all its ships except four it names, crew gratuities on National Geographic Endurance and National Geographic Resolution, kayaks and Zodiacs, a basic Wi-Fi plan, and a complimentary parka or jacket on select Arctic and Antarctic voyages. Its list of what pricing doesn't include starts with airfare and charter airfare, except where a trip says they're included.
Quark Expeditions
Quark's Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent is its classic 11- or 12-day Antarctic Peninsula itinerary, with 54 departures between November 2026 and March 2029. The page showed a starting fare of $12,236 per person, with $14,595 struck through. The 11-day version from Ushuaia on Ocean Explorer, for the 2026-27 season, started from $17,591, with $20,695 struck through.
On Quark's Antarctic listing page, several other itineraries carry an "Incl. Charter Flight & Hotel" label next to their fares, including Antarctic Peninsula: Crossing the Circle and both Antarctica by Helicopter trips, so check that line when you compare.
Viking
Viking's Antarctic Explorer runs 13 days from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. The page showed "From $14,999," alongside an end-of-season sale that Viking marked "Last day to book" on September 30. On the itinerary's last day, Viking has you disembark in Ushuaia and "transfer to the airport for your charter flight," then journey home from Buenos Aires. Viking's pre-cruise extension in Buenos Aires and the Paraná Delta started from $2,299 for three nights.
Where the Extra Money Goes
The headline fare is the cruise. What pushes the real number up is usually one of three things, all visible on the operators' own pages:
- Getting to Ushuaia. HX builds the Buenos Aires flights into the fare, and Viking's itinerary ends with a charter flight out of Ushuaia before you head home from Buenos Aires. Lindblad's Voyage to Antarctica fare doesn't include flights, and its group flights cost extra. Check whether your fare covers the flight to South America too: Viking's sale that day advertised free airfare, and Lindblad was offering air credits on select 2027 voyages.
- The departure you pick. Lindblad's earliest 2026 departure started at $19,000 against its $11,900 headline, and Quark's specific 11-day Ocean Explorer sailing started at $17,591 against $12,236. Cabins cost more too: HX's Expedition Suites started from $11,930 against $8,830 for the base fare.
- Extensions and hotel nights. Lindblad's three-day Buenos Aires pre-trip extension started from $3,590 per person, and Viking's Buenos Aires package started from $2,299.
The international flight is the easiest piece to cover with miles, since you can book it with airline miles or transferable points like any other award ticket. The cruise fare itself is where the bank programs below come in.
How Points and Miles Can Help Pay for the Cruise
The routes that work for an expedition fare are booking through a bank's travel portal, erasing the charge with fixed-value miles, or stacking a card benefit on a cash booking.
Capital One Miles: Book Anywhere, Then Cover the Charge
Capital One's route is the most flexible for Antarctica, because you can book directly with the expedition line. Capital One lists cruise lines among the merchants "generally considered to be travel purchases," with eligibility set by the merchant's category code. After you book on your Capital One card, you redeem miles against the charge within 90 days of the date it posts, and partial redemptions are allowed.
Capital One's account terms publish the math: "multiply the cost of your travel purchase by 100." Its own example is a $200 purchase needing 20,000 miles. One thing to plan for: if you pay a deposit and then a final balance, each charge has its own 90-day window from the date it posts.
Amex Platinum: Cruise Privileges on Lindblad
The Amex Platinum Card's Cruise Privileges Program adds an onboard credit of $100 to $300 per stateroom, plus one amenity that varies by cruise line, on sailings of five nights or more with participating lines booked through AmexTravel.com or by calling the number on the back of the card. The booking needs double occupancy, the cardmember has to be on the trip, and the full cost has to be paid with an American Express card in their name.
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions is on Amex Travel's list of participating lines, and its Amex Travel page lists Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent. That same page says Platinum cardmembers earn 2X Membership Rewards points on eligible cruise bookings through Amex Travel, and that airfare booked as part of the cruise booking also earns the extra points. Payments made directly to the cruise line don't qualify. Our Amex Platinum review covers whether the card's fee makes sense for you beyond this one trip.
Chase Ultimate Rewards: Chase Travel
Chase says you can earn and redeem Ultimate Rewards points on all cruises booked through Chase Travel, which sells more than 40 cruise lines. At checkout you can pay with your card, points or a combination, though another Chase guide says to finish a cruise booking by phone with a Chase cruise specialist.
Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers earn 8x points on Chase Travel purchases, and Chase names cruises among them. Chase's Points Boost, which raises what points are worth, is described on the Sapphire Reserve page as applying to top-booked hotels and flights with select airlines. Chase's own Antarctica trip guide suggests Voyages by Chase Travel for sail-by cruises on Celebrity Cruises, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, with 8x points and perks like onboard credits.
Before you redeem, sign in and check whether the expedition line you want is bookable in Chase Travel, then compare the price with the operator's own site. Our Ponant cruise guide walks through the same Chase, Capital One and Amex routes for another line that sails to Antarctica.
A Worked Example
Say you book an expedition directly for $10,000 on a Capital One Venture X. Using Capital One's published formula, erasing the whole charge would take 1,000,000 miles, and you could erase part of it with a smaller balance.
Say instead you book a $12,000 Lindblad sailing through Amex Travel on a Platinum card. You'd earn 2X Membership Rewards, or 24,000 points, and the stateroom would get the Cruise Privileges onboard credit and amenity.
The trade is simple. Capital One lets you book directly with any operator and use miles against the fare. Amex's benefit adds onboard credit and points on a line it partners with, while you pay the fare in cash.
Which Route to Take
If you hold Capital One miles, book the expedition that suits you directly and cover the charge within 90 days of each payment posting. If you hold an Amex Platinum and like Lindblad's itinerary, book through Amex Travel for the onboard credit and 2X points. If your balance is in Chase, sign in to Chase Travel and check whether your line and dates are there before you commit, and compare that price with the operator's own. Whichever you use, put your airline miles on the flight to Buenos Aires or Santiago. For more on which cards earn the most on the cruise spend itself, see our guide to the best credit cards for cruises.
