Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card vs Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®
Annual fees: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card $95/yr, Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card on hotels, Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® on dining.
Card data as of October 12, 2026.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardCapital One · $95/yr
- Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®
Barclays · No annual fee
Overview
- Annual fee
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card$95Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®$0Lowest
- Welcome offerCurrent public offer
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card75,000 milesCarnival Rewards™ Mastercard®20,000 points
- Rewards
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardCapital One MilesCarnival Rewards™ Mastercard®Carnival Rewards Points
- Foreign transaction fee
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardNoneCarnival Rewards™ Mastercard®None
- Network
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardMastercard World EliteCarnival Rewards™ Mastercard®Mastercard World
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
- Dining
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card2xCarnival Rewards™ Mastercard®2x
- Grocery Stores
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card2xCarnival Rewards™ Mastercard®2x
- Everything else
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card2xHighestCarnival Rewards™ Mastercard®1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
- Travel
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- $300 Stays Credit (1st Year) · $300 one-time
- $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck · $120 every 4 years
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®—
Perks & access— means none on record
- Lounges
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Lounge access at $45/visit
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®— - Hotel status & programs
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- $50 Lifestyle Collection
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®— - Car rental
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Free Hertz Five Star Elite Status with Premium Benefits
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®— - Other perks
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Get 50% Off All Handcrafted Beverages at Capital One Cafes
- Exclusive Capital One Dining Access to Popular Restaurants
- Exclusive Capital One Entertainment Access with VIP Packages
- Zero Foreign Transaction Fees on All International Purchases
- Around the Clock 24 Hour Travel Help
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®- 0% foreign transaction fee
- 1 Status Qualifying Star per $1 spent
- 0% APR for 15 months on transfers
- 0% APR for 6 months on cruises
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
- Trip insurance
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Travel Accident Cover at No Extra Charge
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®- Trip cancellation and interruption
- Baggage
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card—Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®
- Baggage delay insurance
- Rental car
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Secondary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver for Rental
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®- Rental car collision coverage
- Purchase & returns
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Automatic Price Drop Cover and Price Match Guarantee
- Purchase Security up to $10,000 per claim
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®- Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
- Extended warranty
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Extended Warranty Protection up to $10,000 per claim
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®— - Other protections
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Credit monitoring
- Card Replacement and Cash Advance When Traveling Abroad
- Zero Dollar Fraud Liability Cover on All Unauthorized
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®—
Pros & cons
- Pros
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Unlimited 2X miles on every purchase with no category tracking required
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- One-time $300 stays credit for hotels and vacation rentals in the first year
- 75,000 mile welcome bonus after $4,000 spend in 3 months
- TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit ($120 value every 4 years)
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®— - Cons
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- $95 annual fee (only partly offset by the one-time first-year stays credit)
- No lounge access or premium travel perks like Venture X
- 5X earning requires booking through Capital One Travel portal
- 2X flat rate beaten by category-specific cards in dining, groceries, etc.
Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®—
Category-by-Category Winner
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card wins in 4 of 4 categories. The Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® leads in 0.
Hotels
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5X vs 1X
5X via issuer travel portal
Car Rentals
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5X vs 1X
5X via issuer travel portal
Vacation Rentals
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5X vs 1X
5X via issuer travel portal
Everyday purchases
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 2X on all other spending vs 1X
Year One vs Ongoing Value
Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.
Both scenarios favor the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).
| Scenario | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $312 Credits (our usable estimate): $30 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $247 Year one: $1,402 | Rewards: $156 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $156 Year one: $156 | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $1,248 Credits (our usable estimate): $30 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $1,183 Year one: $2,338 | Rewards: $624 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $624 Year one: $624 | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
Is the Fee Difference Worth It?
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card costs $95/yr — that's $95 more than the Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $95 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card includes travel credits, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $95 fee gap for your own usage.
Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $95 fee gap means the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card needs roughly $95 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on hotels and car rentals and everyday spend.
What You Give Up
Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.
Choosing Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® means losing:
- -Global Entry credit
Which Card Is Right for You?
Get the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card if you:
- +Prefer a high flat rate across all spending
Get the Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® if you:
- +Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out
- +Do most of your spending at grocery stores
The Bottom Line
Both scenarios favor the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).
Everyday (non-bonus) spend earns 2X on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card vs 1X on the other card.
Published annual fees: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card $95/yr, Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® $0/yr — a $95 difference before welcome offers and credits.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card worth the higher annual fee?
- The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card costs $95/yr vs $0/yr for the Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $95 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card also lists travel credits).
- Which card earns more rewards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®?
- The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a higher base earn rate (2X vs 1X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
- What benefits does the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card have that the Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® doesn't?
- The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers travel credits. The Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
- Should I get the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or the Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard®?
- Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Carnival Rewards™ Mastercard® has a lower $0/yr fee; the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $95/yr.
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.