Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard® vs Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature®
Side-by-side comparison
| Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard® | Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $99 | $99 |
| Welcome offer | 40,000 points ($400) | 60,000 points ($600) |
| Dining | 2x | 2x |
| Groceries | 1x | 2x |
| Gas | 1x | 2x |
| Travel | 1x | 1x |
| Streaming | 1x | 1x |
| Everything else | 1x | 1x |
| Est. yearly rewards* | $329 | $403 |
| Points type | Locked to Amtrak Guest Rewards | Locked to Royal Caribbean |
| Network | Mastercard | Visa |
*Estimated yearly rewards on typical household spending, every point valued at a flat 1 cent. Verified August 2026. See your own numbers in the calculator.
Welcome bonus and value over time
| Over time | Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard® | Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | 40,000 points ($400) | 60,000 points ($600) |
| To earn it | $2,000 in the first 3 billing cycles | $2,500 in 90 days |
| Est. first-year value* | $630 | $1,104 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $230 | $504 |
The Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® wins on both fronts: it comes out ahead in year one on the welcome offer and stays ahead every year after. Short term or long, it is the stronger pick on the numbers.
*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent.
Perks, credits, and redemptions
| Perks | Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard® | Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge access | None | None |
| Annual credits | None | ~$200/yr (1 credits) |
| Points & redemptions | Locked to a single program | Locked to a single program |
On perks and redemptions, the Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® carries the heavier credit stack (about $200 a year). Weigh those against the fee, since credits and lounge access only count if you will actually use them.
Transfer partners and point value
Neither card earns transferable points, so redemptions are cash-back or fixed portal value on both, roughly a cent per point. There is no airline or hotel transfer angle to separate them.
The verdict
On a typical year of household spending, the Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard® earns about $329 a year in rewards and the Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® about $403, valuing every point at a flat 1 cent. The Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard® charges $99, which you clear through its rewards and perks. The Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® charges $99, but carries about $200 in annual statement credits that offset it for anyone who uses them. Counting rewards, fees, and any credits, the Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® delivers more total value, about $174 a year more for a typical spender, mostly because it earns more where you spend most, on groceries and gas. Neither leans on transferable points, so the deciding factors are the welcome offer, the card network, and which everyday perks you will actually use. On the sign-up bonus, the Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® currently has the larger welcome offer. A welcome bonus is a one-time event, so weigh it apart from the ongoing rewards.
Pick the Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® if your spending leans toward groceries, gas.