Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture: Which card is better?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a mighty contender thanks to big-time name recognition and the promise of ample rewards, but the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is heady competition with its own cache of rewards and perks.
In the case of Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture, Chase Sapphire Preferred has the edge in several categories. An attractive list of rewards, useful travel perks and a regularly updated slate of other card benefits all help nudge Chase into the winner’s circle.
But depending on how you plan to use your credit cards, you may find Capital One Venture to be better for your specific needs.
To help you learn what each of these rewards cards has to offer and see how signing up for a Chase or Capital One card could shape your finances, we’ll take a look at each category or perk on a granular level.
Why should I get the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?
For starters, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a higher point redemption rate, including higher rates for things like online grocery shopping, dining out and some streaming services. There are also many rewards partners if you want to shift your points. You can take advantage of some 14 airline loyalty programs and three hotel loyalty programs, giving you access to upgrades, lounges and other benefits the world over.
The final feather in Chase’s cap is the card’s robust list of travel protections. If you often find yourself exploring the planet, you’ll likely rest easier knowing you have backup if weather delays your flight or there’s a problem and you need to get home.
Why should I get the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?
The Capital One Venture card is a solid choice for people who are most interested in earning rewards for travel and everyday spending. This card gives you 2 miles per dollar for purchases outside travel and 5 miles per dollar for travel. You won’t get the same higher rates for dining and other lifestyle purchases like Chase offers, but depending on how you spend, that might not matter.
Also take a look at Capital One’s partner list. If there are airlines or hotels listed that you favor over Chase’s partners, that’s an additional reason to go for the Venture card over the Sapphire Preferred.
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture: Welcome bonus
Winner of this category: Capital One Venture Rewards
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a welcome bonus of 60,000 points. This reward is only available once you spend a minimum of $4,000 on purchases within three months of opening your account.
The Capital One Venture card seems to come out ahead here because the welcome bonus is 75,000 miles. It’s also only available when you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months of opening your account.
However, in both cases, the points or miles you get once you achieve the bonus threshold are redeemable for up to $750 of free travel. This assumes a $1.25 and $1 redemption rate for Chase and Capital One, respectively, as discussed in more detail below.
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture: Rewards
Winner of this category: Chase Sapphire Preferred
Rewards are the cornerstone of both cards, but how you earn those rewards differs significantly.
With Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can earn the following amounts in these ways:
- 5 points per dollar spent on travel purchases using Chase Travel℠
- 3 points per dollar spent on dining, eligible delivery services, select streaming services and online grocery purchases (Walmart, Target and wholesale club purchases excluded)
- 2 points per dollar spent on travel purchased without using Chase Travel℠
- 1 point per dollar spent on anything not covered above
There are sometimes limited-time-only offers as well, such as the current promotion (as of January 2024) of 5 points per dollar spent with Lyft through March 2025.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a simpler but less exciting rewards scheme:
- 5 miles per dollar spent on rental cars and hotels only when booked through Capital One Travel
- 2 miles per dollar spent on anything else
Which is better for earning rewards?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers far more ways to earn rewards. While the emphasis is on Chase Rewards travel, you can still rack up a decent number of points just for grocery shopping, going to lunch or streaming your favorite shows.
Capital One Venture Rewards only wins out if you use the card for Capital One Travel purchases, as those are the only ones eligible for top-level 5 miles per dollar rewards. The 2 miles per dollar you get for “other purchases” with Capital One beats Chase’s 1 point per dollar rate, but that only helps you come out ahead if you aren’t spending much on dining, streaming, online grocery purchases and other travel.
Which is better for redeeming rewards?
No matter which card you choose, you can redeem rewards for a huge variety of highly desirable things. Travel-related redemptions are king, though.
It’s probably easier to compare if we just look at rates for simple redemptions. Chase Sapphire Preferred has a more favorable redemption rate of 1.25 cents per point for travel or 1 cent per point for cash rewards or statement credits. Venture Miles are redeemable at a fixed rate of 1 cent per mile.
Sapphire Preferred tips the scale again courtesy of that 25% bonus just for redeeming your points through Chase Travel℠ for travel.
But before you decide, think about which of these travel cards has partners that better align with your lifestyle.
Chase Sapphire Preferred allows you 1:1 point transfers to 14 airlines and loyalty clubs.
These airlines include:
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Other partners include hotel loyalty programs such as IHG One Rewards, World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has its own list of 15 transfer partners, some at a 1:1 transfer ratio and some at 2:1 or 4:3 ratios.
Some of the airline partners are:
- Aeromexico Rewards
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Choice Privileges (U.S.-based accounts only)
- Emirates Skywards
- Finnair Plus
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Virgin Red
The card’s only current hotel transfer partner is Wyndham Rewards.
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture: Travel Perks
Winner of this category: Chase Sapphire Preferred
You won’t settle the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture debate simply by looking at point transfer rates. Operating as both hotel cards and airline cards, these two cards allow you to shift points or miles to their respective airline and hotel partners.
Chase Sapphire also offers travel protections, including trip cancellation, trip interruption and delay coverage, baggage delay coverage, emergency assistance and rental car insurance.
Those Chase Sapphire travel insurance perks can come in quite handy if your plans go awry. For instance, the baggage delay coverage includes up to $100 per day for five days if your suitcases take a different flight than you do. That’s plenty of money to cover toiletries, clothes and other essentials. If your trip is delayed by more than 12 hours or you have an unexpected overnight stop en route to your destination, there’s help for that too. Chase’s trip delay reimbursement will pay up to a maximum of $500 per reservation ticket to cover your meals and accommodations.
Capital One Venture echoes the rental car coverage and adds travel accident insurance, but you’ll have to go elsewhere if you want to cover possible cancellations, delays or interruptions. Instead of those perks, Capital One throws in up to a $100 credit to cover application/enrollment fees for TSA Precheck or Global Entry (once every four years). You’ll love that fast pass paired with the two complimentary visits you’ll get each year to Capital One or Plaza Premium Lounges.
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture: Other card benefits
Winner of this category: Chase Sapphire Preferred
Some additional benefits don’t fall into the other categories, but they should absolutely be considered before you decide whether you’re going the Chase route or hopping on board with Capital One.
Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders are eligible for a $50 annual Chase Travel℠ hotel credit. You can also get a 10% annual points bonus and extended warranty and purchase protection. The last two items on that list are often overlooked but can save you a bundle of money if you buy a product with your card that doesn’t perform as expected. Other benefits are time-sensitive or limited-time-only, such as complimentary DashPass memberships from DoorDash (terms and conditions apply).
With Capital One Venture, additional perks are limited to extended warranty protection, and that benefit may not be available to all cardholders.
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture: Rates and fees
Winner of this category: It’s a tie!
One major aspect of the Chase Sapphire vs. Capital One Venture debate has to do with the fees you’ll pay for the privilege of using each card. Luckily, the main consideration is easy to remember: Both cards carry an annual fee of $95. They’re also tied for foreign transaction fees ($0 across the board).
But with all this talk of perks and rewards, we must also look at the credit card interest rates you’ll be paying on those big, point-earning purchases. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card charges 21.49% - 28.49% variable APR on all new purchases. For Capital One Venture Rewards, the range is a bit wider, at 19.99% - 29.99% variable APR.
Some credit cards incentivize applicants with offers of a 0% introductory APR for a certain period, where failing to pay on time each month could hurt your credit score and lead to lots of unintended interest charges. You won’t need to worry about that with either of these cards, as introductory APR rates aren’t offered.
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture: Eligibility
Winner of this category: It’s a tie!
Neither card has super-specific eligibility requirements — you don’t have to belong to a certain club or work at a preferred company to apply. There are no official credit score requirements either, but most rewards-based credit cards with similar perks require a good credit score.
Assume you need a VantageScore or FICO credit score of at least 690 to be eligible for Chase Preferred and 670 or higher for Capital One Venture. It will also help if you have a low income-to-debt ratio, no recent late payments or loan defaults and no bankruptcy declarations within the last five years.
Should I get the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?
To reach a final verdict regarding Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred, we have to review every category and also take individual needs into account.
You might be better off with the Capital One Venture Card if you like to book through Capital One Travel and use the card for miscellaneous purchases. Chances are more people will be satisfied with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card though, given its superior rewards scheme, expansive partner list and oodles of travel perks.
But there’s one huge caveat everyone should keep in mind. These two cards are not mutually exclusive. You don’t necessarily have to choose one or the other. Applying for and using both cards responsibly could help you maximize rewards in every possible way. Just be strategic about when and how you do your spending.
First, revel in the tingly feeling you’ll get from doubling up on welcome bonuses. Then, rely on your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for travel, dining, online grocery shopping and other higher-reward activities. Get out your Capital One Venture Card for all “miscellaneous” purchases and take advantage of the double miles for each dollar you spend.
