Chase and Capital One are leaders in the credit card space. If you’re looking for your next travel rewards credit card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card are both great options to consider.
The Sapphire Preferred is a mid-tier travel card, while the Venture X is positioned as a premium card. Their annual fees reflect that difference: the Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee, and the Venture X has a $395 annual fee.
While the Venture X carries a much higher annual fee, it isn’t automatically the better choice.
Both cards have their own transferable currencies and travel-related benefits. With the Sapphire Preferred, you’ll earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, while you’ll earn Capital One miles with the Venture X.
Here’s how they stack up.
Quick verdict: Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X
Choose the Sapphire Preferred if you want valuable transfer partners, strong travel protections and excellent value for a $95 annual fee.
Choose the Venture X if you’ll use the $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, airport lounge access and anniversary bonus miles to help offset its $395 annual fee.
Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X comparison
| Feature | Chase Sapphire Preferred | Venture X |
|---|---|---|
|
Annual fee |
$95 |
$395 |
|
Welcome bonus |
Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. |
Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. |
|
Earning rates |
*Airbnb, Vrbo, Plum Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa |
|
|
Statement credits |
|
|
|
Other card benefits |
|
|
Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X welcome offer
New applicants for the Chase Sapphire Preferred can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
TPG’s July 2026 valuations peg the value of Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents apiece, making this welcome offer worth $2,050.
New applicants for the Venture X can earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. TPG’s July 2026 valuations peg Capital One miles at 1.85 cents apiece, making this offer worth $1,388.
Winner: Sapphire Preferred. Its welcome offer is worth 48% more.
Related: Best credit card welcome offers this month
Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X benefits
Both cards offer similar benefits, such as no foreign transaction fees, shopping and travel protections, and primary rental car insurance.
In addition, the Sapphire Preferred offers cardholders:
- Up to a $100 hotel credit annually: Receive up to a $100 statement credit for eligible hotel bookings made through Chase Travel.
- Anniversary points bonus: Get 10% bonus points on the total spending made on your card in a given year. (Benefit is being discontinued for cardholders who apply on or after June 15; if you applied prior to June 15, eligible purchases made through Oct. 1 continue to earn the 10% bonus. The points will be awarded by Jan. 31, 2027.)
- Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership: Olivia Mittak, a TPG credit cards editor, values this benefit since she frequently uses DoorDash to get meals delivered (must enroll by Dec. 31, 2027).
- Baggage delay protection
- Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus credit
- Complimentary one-year Apple TV subscription (when activated by Dec. 31)
Meanwhile, the Venture X offers:
While the Venture X’s travel credit can’t be used outside Capital One Travel, it should still be relatively easy to use.
The Venture X provides excellent lounge access via entry to more than 1,300 Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s small but mighty network of five lounges (four lounges and one Capital One Landing).
The card also includes cellphone protection, something the Sapphire Preferred lacks. However, the Sapphire Preferred offers baggage delay insurance, which the Venture X does not.
Winner: Venture X. It provides substantially more value with the $300 Capital One Travel credit on bookings through Capital One Travel, anniversary bonus miles, lounge access and automatic elite status, but that’s to be expected, as it has more than quadruple the annual fee of the Sapphire Preferred.
Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders: Why the Venture X is worth adding next
Earning rewards with the Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X
Both cards earn at least 5 points or miles per dollar spent on eligible travel booked through their respective portals; however, this may not be particularly useful to most, as I generally don’t recommend booking through travel portals for travelers who prioritize elite benefits or booking flexibility.
While the Sapphire Preferred has more bonus-earning categories, some are rather niche. It does earn 3 points per dollar spent in a few select bonus categories, including dining, which is a strong everyday bonus category, but others (like online grocery purchases or select streaming services) may not move the needle for everyone.
Meanwhile, the Venture X offers unmatched simplicity. You’ll earn at least 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases and won’t have to remember bonus categories
Winner: Tie. The Sapphire Preferred has more bonus categories, but some are niche; the Venture X offers simplicity in its earnings.
Related: Why I love my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — and will always keep it in my wallet
Redeeming rewards with the Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X
Your best bet for redeeming your rewards with either card is to use transfer partners. However, there are other redemption options for each card.
Both cards’ rewards can be redeemed for a fixed value in each issuer’s respective travel portal, as well as for gift cards and cash back (though the latter two options provide the worst redemption value).
With the Sapphire Preferred, your points are worth up to 1.75 cents each through the Points Boost feature when redeemed for eligible travel booked via Chase Travel (see your rewards program agreement for full details). While this is still below TPG’s July 2026 valuation of Ultimate Rewards points, it’s a solid backup redemption option if you’re having trouble finding award availability.
With the Venture X, you can redeem miles at a fixed rate of 1 cent per mile for all travel-related purchases made on your card or for travel booked through Capital One Travel.
Winner: Sapphire Preferred. When redeeming points through Chase Travel, points are worth up to 1.75 cents each, whereas redeeming miles via Capital One Travel or for travel purchases are only worth 1 cent each.
Related: Value simplicity? Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred is now the only card you need
Transferring rewards with the Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X
Transferring rewards you earn from either card provides maximum redemption value.
With the Sapphire Preferred, you’ll have access to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
Stephanie Stevens, credit cards writer at TPG, regularly transfers Chase points earned on her Sapphire Preferred to partners like United MileagePlus and Air France-KLM Flying Blue. Recently, she transferred 28,200 United miles for two nonstop economy flights from San Francisco to Lihue in Hawaii. The cash price for the flights was around $550 each.
With Capital One, you’ll have access to 15-plus airline and hotel transfer partners. However, not all partners (like EVA Airways) transfer at a 1:1 ratio. Chase still has an edge here thanks to valuable partners like World of Hyatt and its two U.S. airline partners, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, while Capital One has just one: JetBlue.
That said, both programs have airline partners in each of the three major alliances: Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance — which can also be used to book domestic flights.
Winner: Sapphire Preferred. Despite Chase’s reduced transfer ratio to World of Hyatt for new cardholders, it still offers one of the strongest transfer partner lineups, including two U.S. airline partners.
Related: How to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value
Should I get the Sapphire Preferred or Venture X?
If you prefer solid travel protections for a lower annual fee and more U.S. airline transfer partners, then the mid-tier Sapphire Preferred is the way to go. However, if you’re after a premium card with perks like lounge access, I recommend the Venture X.
Related: Is the Capital One Venture X right for you? How to decide
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card both deliver excellent travel value, but they serve different types of travelers.
If you’re looking for premium perks like airport lounge access, an annual travel credit and simple earning rates, the Venture X is worth its higher annual fee.
But if you’d rather keep costs low while still getting outstanding travel protections, flexible redemption options and one of the strongest transfer partner lineups available, the Sapphire Preferred is hard to beat.
Frequent travelers may even find that carrying both cards offers the best of both worlds, with the Venture X covering premium travel benefits and the Sapphire Preferred complementing it with valuable bonus categories and access to Chase’s transfer partners.
To learn more, read our full reviews of the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Capital One Venture X.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Learn more: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g., at hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program, and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
