Chase and Capital One are leaders in travel rewards credit cards. If you’re looking for your next travel rewards credit card, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and the Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card are both good options to consider.
The Sapphire Preferred is a mid-range travel card, while the Venture X is positioned as a high-end card. Their annual fees reflect this positioning, with annual fees for Sapphire Preferred at $95 and Venture X at $395.
A higher annual fee doesn’t mean the Venture X is automatically a better card, as the Sapphire Preferred is a pretty formidable competitor.
Both cards come with their own earned transferable currency and various travel-related benefits. With Sapphire Preferred, you’ll earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and with Venture X, you’ll earn Capital One miles.
Let’s take a deeper look at the similarities and differences between these cards to see which one is better to add to your wallet next.
Sapphire Preferred vs Venture X comparison
| feature | Chase Sapphire Preferred | EntrepreneurshipX |
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$395 |
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Earn 75,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. |
Earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $10,000 in purchases within the first six months of account opening. |
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Sapphire Preferred and Venture X Welcome Offer
new applicant Chase Sapphire Preferred Earn 75,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
TPG’s December 2025 valuation pegs the value of Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents each, making this popular offer worth $1,538.
New applicants to Venture X can earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 in purchases within the first six months of account opening. TPG’s December 2025 valuation puts the value of Capital One miles at 1.85 cents per mile, making the offer worth $1,850.
winner:VentureX. The current welcome bonus is worth over $300.
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Advantages of Sapphire Preferred and Venture X
Both cards offer similar benefits, such as no foreign transaction fees, purchase and travel protection, and major rental car insurance.
this Sapphire preferred Provides cardholders with:
At the same time, Venture X’s unique advantages include:
While Venture X’s travel credit can’t be used outside of Capital One Travel, it should still be relatively easy to use.
Venture
The Venture X also includes phone protection, something the Sapphire Preferred lacks. However, the Sapphire Preferred has baggage delay insurance, while the Venture X does not.
winner:VentureX. It offers more value with $300 in Capital One Travel points, anniversary bonus miles, lounge access, TSA PreCheck/Global Entry points and automatic elite status when booked through Capital One Travel, but that’s to be expected since its annual fee is more than four times that of the Sapphire Preferred.
Related: Why You Should Add Authorized Users on Capital One Venture X
Earn rewards with Sapphire Preferred and Venture X
Both cards earn at least 5 points or miles per $1 spent when booking travel through their respective portals; however, this may not be particularly useful for most people as I generally don’t recommend booking through travel portals.
Although Sapphire preferred There are many more bonus earning categories and some are quite niche. It does earn 3 points per dollar spent in some select rewards categories, including dining, which is a strong daily rewards category, but others, like online grocery purchases or select streaming services, may not be a boon for everyone.
At the same time, Venture X offers unparalleled simplicity. You’ll earn at least 2 miles for every $1 spent on all purchases, and there’s no reward category to remember
winner: tie. Sapphire First has more bonus categories, but some of them are quite niche; Venture X’s benefits are pretty straightforward.
RELATED: Why I love my Chase Sapphire Preferred card — and will keep it in my wallet all the time
Redeem rewards with Sapphire Preferred and Venture X
The best option for redeeming rewards with either card is to use a transfer partner. 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 gift cards and cash back (although the latter two options offer the worst redemption values).
along with Sapphire preferredyour points are worth up to 1.75 cents through the Points Plus feature when redeemed for eligible travel booked through Chase Travel (see your rewards program agreement for complete details). While this is still lower than TPG’s December 2025 valuation of Ultimate Rewards points, this serves as a solid backup redemption option if you’re having trouble finding available rewards.
With Venture X, you can redeem at a flat rate of 1 cent per mile on all travel-related purchases made with your card or travel booked through Capital One Travel.
winner: Sapphire is preferred. When redeeming points through Chase Travel, each point is worth up to 1.75 cents, while when redeeming miles or purchasing travel through Capital One Travel, each point is worth just 1 cent.
RELATED: Chase Sapphire Preferred Benefits: Everything You Need to Know
Transfer rewards using Sapphire Preferred and Venture X
Transferring the rewards you earn from either card provides the greatest redemption value.
along with Sapphire preferredyou’ll have access to Chase’s 13 airline and hotel partners. All partners are transferred in a ratio of 1:1.
I typically transfer my Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt because the program still uses a fixed-price rewards chart and gives me great value when traveling to popular destinations during peak or busy seasons.
I recently transferred 6,000 Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt for a one-night stay at the Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport, which would have cost me over $200.
Through Capital One, you’ll have access to more than 15 airline and hotel partners. However, not all partners (such as EVA Air) transfer at a 1:1 ratio. Chase has an edge over Capital One in this area because it has two U.S. airline partners: Southwest and United; Capital One only partners with JetBlue.
That said, both programs have airline partners in the three major alliances: Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance, which you can also use to book domestic flights.
TPG credit card writer Augusta Stone recently transferred 15,000 Capital One miles to Air France-KLM Flying Blue to use on two one-way domestic flights on Delta Air Lines.
winner: Sapphire is preferred. Although Capital One has more transit partners, Chase has a slight advantage because it has a Hyatt hotel partner and two domestic airline partners, all with a 1:1 transit ratio.
Related: How to Redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Maximum Value
Should I choose Sapphire Preferred or Venture X?
If you prefer reliable travel coverage, lower annual fees, and more American Airlines transfer partners, the mid-range Sapphire preferred is the way to go. However, if you want a premium card with perks like lounge access, statement points, and broader travel protection, then I recommend going with the Venture X.
Related: Why Capital One Ventures X Wins TPG Award for Best Premium Travel Credit Card
bottom line
this Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture X Rewards credit cards both offer excellent travel value, but they serve different types of travelers.
Venture
However, the Sapphire Preferred remains one of the best midrange cards on the market. Its strong travel protection, flexible Chase Travel redemptions, and connections to high-value partners like Hyatt make it a solid company, and its annual fee is about a quarter of Venture X’s.
If you want premium benefits and are willing to pay for them, choose Venture X. If you like low annual fees, great value, and top transfer partners, then Sapphire Preferred can’t be beat. Depending on your travel patterns, one (or even both) of these cards can be a strategic addition to your wallet.
To learn more, read our full reviews of the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture X.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Learn more: Capital One Ventures X Rewards Credit Card
For the Capital One products listed on this page, some offers may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. Please see the appropriate benefits guide for details as terms and exclusions apply.
*After enrolling through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will maintain that status level for the duration of the offer. Please note that enrollment through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g., at hertz.com) does not automatically detect cardholder eligibility for the program, and cardholders will not automatically be upgraded to the applicable status level. Additional terms apply.
