The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card* are two of the best credit cards for travel. Both have a $95 annual fee and good welcome bonuses, but the reward structures and redemption methods differ significantly.
While the Venture Rewards card may be better for consumers who prefer simplicity — thanks to its flat rewards rate on purchases — most cardholders will be able to get more overall value out of Chase Sapphire Preferred Card due to its unique rewards and redemption structures. And while the Venture card may have some travel benefits that seem appealing at first glance — like access to the Capital One Lounge — there are some terms and conditions to keep in mind.
Compare annual fees
Winner: Tie
Both Venture and Sapphire Preferred have a $95 annual fee, so it’s a clear tie. These cards are cheaper than “premium” cards with annual fees in the $500 to $700 range, but $95 is still a sizable chunk of change. You should expect better value from credit cards with no annual fee, and you will get it if you are intentional. Just make sure you’re getting your money’s worth by comparing your projected rewards with a no-annual-fee option by reviewing your last two to three months of spending.
Welcome offer
Winner: Tie
Both cards allow you to earn similar rewards for similar spending with a credit card sign up bonus.
With Venture, you’ll earn 75,000 miles if you spend $4,000 in the first three months.
The Sapphire Preferred, by comparison, offers 75,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. If you redeem this for travel via Chase Travel℠, costs over $900. You could potentially find even higher point value if you take advantage of a point transfer to one of the Chase Travel Partnersif you feel like doing this job.
Awards
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred
The great thing about Capital One Venture Rewards is that they’re permanent – 2x miles on all purchases. Yes, you get a boost (5x miles) on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel, but other than that, you don’t have to worry about categories.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred’s reward categories are broad enough, however, that the benefit is worth the minor hassle of remembering which categories have which rewards. Earn 3x points on dining, online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and Wholesale Clubs) and select streaming servicesand 5x points on travel booked through Chase Travel℠ – not to mention 2x on all other travel – makes it easy to earn outsized rewards rates.
Redemption
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred
If you’re like me and value consistent cash redemptions, both cards let you redeem rewards as statement credit. With Venture Rewards, however, the best statement credit value will be for travel purchases from the last 90 days, while Chase Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed consecutively for each purchase.
If you redeem your points for travel, the Sapphire Preferred offers a nice 25% increase in redemption value as an incentive to do so (when redeeming through Chase Travel℠). This means your points could be worth 1.25 cents each instead of 1 cent.
Finally, note that both cards offer the option to transfer points or miles to partner travel partners on a 1:1 basis, where some users may sometimes find better than 1 cent per point value. And as it happens, the partner lists are quite similar between Capital One and Chase.
How the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Compare to Other Cards
CNET’S PICK
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Introductory offer
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75,000 bonus points
Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. That’s over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- An annual fee
- $95
- GPR
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21.49% – 28.49% Variable
- Introductory purchase APR
- N/A
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Recommended credit
A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s creditworthiness and can provide guidance on account eligibility. This does not necessarily guarantee approval for every financial product.
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Good – Excellent
- Percentage of rewards
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1x – 5x
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.; 3 times on dining, select streaming services and online groceries.; 2x on all other travel purchases.; 1x on all other purchases.
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Introductory offer
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75,000 miles
Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months of account opening, which equates to $750 in travel
- An annual fee
- $95
- GPR
-
19.99% – 29.99% (variable)
- Introductory purchase APR
- N/A
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Recommended credit
A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s creditworthiness and can provide guidance on account eligibility. This does not necessarily guarantee approval for every financial product.
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Good – Excellent
- Percentage of rewards
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2x – 5x
Earn 5X miles on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best rates on thousands of travel options; Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day.
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Introductory offer
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60,000 Membership Rewards® points
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 6 months of card membership.
- An annual fee
- $250
- GPR
-
See APR for paying on time
- Introductory purchase APR
- N/A
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Recommended credit
A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s creditworthiness and can provide guidance on account eligibility. This does not necessarily guarantee approval for every financial product.
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Good – Excellent
- Percentage of rewards
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3x – 4x
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the US; Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at US supermarkets (on purchases up to $25,000 in a calendar year, 1X thereafter).; Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
Conclusion
Both cards are solid credit cards with rewards starting at $95, but the Sapphire Preferred offers a significantly higher cap for those who spend a lot on travel and dining.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can transfer Capital One Miles to one of Capital One’s 15+ travel partners, including Air France, British Airways, Emirates, Virgin and more. To do this, simply select the “Transfer Your Rewards” option on the Capital One Rewards page.
The transfer option is also much the same and Chase currently has 14 travel partners including British Airways, JetBlue, Southwest, United, Virgin and others. To transfer Ultimate Rewards points, select your reward card in the Ultimate Rewards portal and select “Transfer to Travel Partners” as the redemption option.
For every $1,000 spent, 1% of rewards are worth $10 (and 0.5% of rewards are worth $5). So for every extra 1% in rewards, you earn an extra $10 for every $1,000. If you’re comparing a credit card with a $95 annual fee to a card with no annual fee, you’d have to spend $9,500 a year at a 1% interest rate to offset the annual fee. Welcome bonuses and other perks can also put the value of the card above the price.
All information about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has been independently collected by CNET and has not been reviewed by the publisher.
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