Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Which card is better?
If travel expenses make up the majority of your spending, Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a slight advantage. You’ll earn more points than you would with the Capital One card, and you’ll get more value from the rewards.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a better choice if you prefer to minimize annual fees, especially if you intend to add authorized users to the account. Not interested in playing the miles-and-points game? Capital One’s straightforward reward structure and anniversary bonus may be more appealing.
Consider the features in the table below when deciding which card is better for you.
| Card Feature |
Capital One Venture X |
Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| Annual fee |
$395 |
$550 |
| Welcome bonus |
75,000 miles if you spend $4,000 within 3 months |
60,000 points if you spend $4,000 within 3 months |
| Rewards |
10 miles per $1 on hotel bookings and car rentals (must book through Capital One Travel)
5 miles per $1 on flights (must book through Capital One Travel)
2 miles per $1 on other purchases |
10 points per $1 on hotels and car rentals (must book through Chase Travel℠)
10 points per $1 on Chase Dining purchases with Ultimate Rewards®
5 points per $1 on flights (must book through Chase Travel℠)
3 points per $1 on restaurants and travel not booked with Chase Travel
Start earning points after spending the annual $300 travel credit
|
| Travel credits |
$300 every year for bookings made through Capital One Travel
Up to $100 for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
|
$300 annually for travel purchases
Up to $100 for TSA PreCheck, NEXUS, or Global Entry |
| Anniversary bonus |
10,000 miles every year |
N/A |
| Card benefits |
Access to Capital One lounges for cardholder and 2 guests
Complimentary access to Priority Pass and Plaza Premium Group lounges for cardholder and 2 guests
Upgrade to Hertz President’s Circle status
|
Access to Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club for cardholder and 2 guests
Access to Priority Pass lounges for cardholder and 2 guests
Free Lyft Pink All Access membership for 2 years (must activate by 2024)
Free DoorDash DashPass (must activate by 2024) |
| Foreign transaction fees |
None |
None |
| Required Credit |
Excellent |
Excellent |
Why should I get the Capital One Venture X card?
You should get the Capital One Venture X card if you want to enjoy plenty of benefits with lower fees. The reward tiers are simple and easy to understand — any purchase that you make outside of Capital One Travel earns a flat rate of two miles per dollar. If you’re using the card for everyday purchases, the rewards can add up quickly.
With Capital One cards, you can use miles to book travel or pay for travel-related expenses including rental cars and cruises. Plus, you’ll get free authorized users and a yearly anniversary bonus that helps offset the annual fee.
Why should I get the Chase Sapphire Reserve card?
You should choose the Chase Sapphire Reserve card if your spending falls largely in the travel category. Although the fees are higher, you’ll earn more for travel-related purchases. The points are more valuable than Venture miles, and Chase offers better travel insurance coverage and more luxury transfer partners. If you have another Chase rewards card, you can transfer the points to your Sapphire Reserve account to maximize their value.
Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Welcome bonus
With Venture X, you can qualify for a welcome bonus of 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000. You must meet this spending target within three months of opening your account. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a similar welcome offer — you’ll get 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 within three months.
While the Chase Sapphire Reserve offer seems lower at first glance, it can actually give you more value if you’re using the points to book travel. When you redeem the 60,000 points in the Chase Travel℠ portal, they’re worth $900. By contrast, the 75,000 Capital One welcome-offer miles are worth just $750 in bookings made through Capital One Travel.
Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Rewards
As top-tier rewards cards, Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve both offer high earning opportunities. The actual reward benefits can vary considerably based on how you plan to spend and redeem the miles and points.
Which is better for earning rewards?
To start, let’s compare the different reward tiers:
| Rewards Category |
Capital One Venture X |
Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| Hotels and car rentals |
10 miles per $1 |
10 points per $1 |
| Flights |
5 miles per $1 |
5 points per $1 |
| Other travel and dining purchases |
N/A |
3 points per $1 |
| Other purchases |
2 miles per $1 |
1 point per $1 |
As you can see, both cards offer equal reward ratios for hotels, car rentals and flights when you book through the bank’s travel portal. That means your total earning potential depends on the other purchases you intend to make with the card.
Planning to charge other travel expenses, such as train tickets, vacation rentals and cruises? You’ll get higher rewards with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. It provides three points for every dollar you spend in the travel category, compared to two points per dollar with Venture X. And because Chase has a generous definition for what counts as a travel purchase, you can earn this rate on everything from taxi fares to toll bridges.
However, if you’re more likely to use your card to buy groceries, entertainment and other daily items, it’s easier to earn rewards with the Capital One card. You’ll earn two miles per dollar for these purchases; the Chase card gives you just one point per dollar for anything outside the travel category.
Which is better for redeeming rewards?
Before you redeem your rewards with these cash-back rewards cards, it’s important to understand the approximate value of your points and miles:
-
Capital One Venture miles: 0.5 cent each for cash back, 1 cent each for travel booked through Capital One Travel
-
Chase Ultimate Rewards points: 1 cent each for cash back, 1.5 cents each for travel booked through Chase Travel℠
Let’s say you earn 10,000 Capital One Venture miles. By our calculations, you could redeem them for $50 cash back or $100 in travel booked through Capital One Travel. If you earn 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you could get $100 cash back or $150 in travel through Chase Travel.
Transferring your points or miles can impact what they’re worth. Chase offers a 1:1 transfer ratio to all their hotel and airline transfer partners. Capital One usually does the same, but there are a few less-favorable exceptions.
Do you have strong brand preferences? Look closely at the hotel transfer partners for each of these hotel credit cards. Chase partners with luxury brands such as Hyatt, Intercontinental and Marriott, while Capital One works with Accor, Choice and Wyndham.
You’ll also want to compare the airline transfer partners for these airline credit cards. While Capital One doesn’t allow transfers to any U.S. airlines, Chase offers 1:1 transfers to Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and JetBlue.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is the clear winner when it comes to redeeming rewards.
Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Travel perks
Both cards offer top-notch benefits, but there are a few key differences that could affect your decision.
$300 annual travel credit
With either card, you’ll get $300 in travel credits every year. However, Sapphire Reserve credits are more flexible — they’re automatically applied to any purchase you make in the travel category. With Venture X, you can only use the credit to pay for bookings in the Capital One Travel portal.
Airport lounge access
A Priority Pass membership is included with both cards; you’ll get unlimited access for yourself and two guests. Capital One also provides entrance to Plaza Premium Group lounges and the three Capital One lounges in Denver, Dallas and Washington Dulles. The Chase card gets you into the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club. There are only two locations open currently — Boston and Hong Kong — with five more set to launch soon.
If you add authorized users to either card, they receive the same lounge-access benefits. This is where Capital One pulls ahead; it’s free to add users to your card, while Sapphire Reserve comes with a fee.
Travel insurance
Travel insurance comes standard on both cards; each one includes coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, car rental collision damage and lost luggage. The Capital One card also comes with cell phone protection.
Chase wins this category thanks to its higher coverage limits. It offers up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip, while the competitor caps out at $2,000. The Sapphire Reserve card also provides up to $100,000 for an emergency evacuation.
Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Other card benefits
The Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards offer a variety of additional benefits:
-
Extended warranty. Both cards offer free one-year extended warranties for items with an original warranty of three years or less. The benefits are equal: $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per cardholder.
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Purchase protection. With either card, you’ll get purchase protection for qualified retail purchases up to $10,000. Sapphire Reserve provides this benefit for 120 days from the original purchase date; with Venture X, you’ll get 90 days of purchase protection.
-
Return protection. The Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards both include 90 days of return protection with a maximum claim value of $1,000 per year. Capital One has a limit of $300 per item, while Chase caps claims at $500 per item.
Here, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers more favorable terms.
Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Rates and fees
The Capital One Venture X card has a significantly lower annual fee ($395) than the Chase Sapphire Reserve card ($550).
In addition, Capital One offers a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to cardholders each year. That’s the equivalent of $100 in credit for the Capital One Travel portal.
The higher Chase fee may be worth it if you’re a frequent traveler — after all, the card makes it easier to earn points for travel purchases, and the points are more valuable than Capital One miles. Plus, your annual travel credits will apply to a broader range of travel purchases. If you’re an active-duty service member, Chase may waive the annual fee.
When it comes to credit card interest charges, Venture X has a variable APR of 19.99%-29.99%, while Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a variable APR of 22.49%-29.49%. Your terms will vary, but if you’re well-qualified, Venture X may offer you a lower rate.
Do you need to add authorized users? Again, the Venture X card is the better option; each user is free. You’ll need to pay $75 per year for each authorized user on your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
Neither card charges foreign transaction fees, which is useful for international travelers.
Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Eligibility
The Venture X is Capital One’s premier travel credit card. As such, you need excellent credit to qualify. You must not have a history of bankruptcy or defaulted loans; Capital One also requires you to have a $5,000+ loan or credit card for at least three years.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card also has strict eligibility criteria. Although the bank doesn’t publish specific credit score requirements, you likely need at least a 740. You must not already be the primary cardholder for another Chase Sapphire card — however, you may be able to upgrade from Sapphire Preferred after a year.
Should I get the Capital One Venture X card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve card?
When you’re looking for a premium travel rewards card, the Capital One Venture X and the Chase Sapphire Reserve are both excellent options.
The Sapphire Reserve has a slight competitive edge, especially if you have high travel expenses and you want to get the most from your rewards. The Venture X could be the better option if you want to minimize fees and maximize the earning potential for non-travel charges.
Before you make a final decision, you may want to consider these other travel rewards cards and see if one of these is a better fit:
