this Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (See Rates & Fees) is a natural starting point for those new to travel rewards because of its robust reward categories, flexible Ultimate Rewards points, and solid travel protection for a reasonable annual fee.
But after you’ve used it for a while, a familiar question often arises: What card makes sense to add next?
For me (and many others), the answer is the Capital One Ventures X Rewards Credit Card. After adding it to my wallet a few months ago, it quickly became clear why so many people pair these two cards together.
Rather than overlapping, they complement each other, making earning and redeeming rewards easier, not more complicated — which is great news for those just getting started using points and miles.
If you’re considering which card to pair with your Sapphire Preferred, it makes sense to choose the Venture X next.
Related: 5 reasons why I applied to Capital One Ventures
Venture X complements the Chase Sapphire Preferred—it doesn’t replace it
The key to why this pairing works is that the two cards are designed to play very different roles.
this Sapphire preferred As a category-focused travel card, rewards dining, select travel purchases, and everyday expenses like streaming and online groceries.
It also unlocks Chase’s powerful Ultimate Rewards ecosystem, as well as some of the best travel protection available on a midrange card.
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Venture X, on the other hand, is designed for simplicity and consistency. Use this card when purchases don’t fall into a rewards category and earn a flat rate on everyday purchases while still offering premium benefits that enhance your travel experience.
Therefore, there is very little redundancy. One card does not attempt to replace another. Instead, adding Venture X allows you to retain all the features of Sapphire Preferred while enhancing your overall revenue and travel strategy.
Related: How Venture X perfects premium travel benefits
Venture X fills Sapphire Preferred’s daily revenue gap
If you carry Sapphire preferredyou may be familiar with its robust rewards categories, including dining, travel, and online groceries. Where the card falls short, however, is on non-rewards spending, meaning purchases that don’t exactly fit into those categories, earning only 1 point per dollar spent.
This is where Venture X comes in as a natural supplement. The card earns 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases, and you can earn even more when you book with Capital One Travel.
With a flat rate structure like this, there’s no need to keep track of rotating categories or wonder if a purchase qualifies for bonus rewards.
As a result, Venture X becomes the simple default choice for everyday expenses such as:
- Grocery stores not coded as online groceries
- retail purchasing
- Utilities and Subscriptions
- Miscellaneous expenses not included in the bonus category
In fact, this approach simplifies daily use of the card. I rely on my Sapphire preferred Make dining, online grocery orders, and travel reservations with Chase, then use Venture X for just about everything else. Consistently earn 2 miles per dollar spent over time, especially on unavoidable everyday purchases that would otherwise earn you only 1 point per dollar spent.
For Sapphire Preferred cardholders looking to increase their income without adding complexity, using Venture X as a universal card is an effective way to complete a two-card setup.
Related: Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred remains the top travel rewards credit card
2 rewards ecosystems offer greater flexibility when booking travel
Maximizing rewards is only half the equation – the true value only becomes apparent when they are redeemed. This is another area of pairing Sapphire preferred The Venture X really shines.
Holding both cards entitles you to two transferable bonus currencies. The Sapphire Preferred earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, while the Venture X earns Capital One miles.
Each program brings something different to the table. Capital One offers service to more than 15 airline and hotel loyalty partners, while Chase offers transportation to 11 airline and 3 hotel programs.
Chase stands out among partners like World of Hyatt, which often offers great deals on hotel stays, as well as airline programs like United MileagePlus and Southwest Rapid Rewards.
Capital One, on the other hand, shines with international airline partners such as Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Avianca LifeMiles and Etihad Guest, which can bring excellent value to long-haul and premium cabin flights.
Since there’s relatively little overlap between the two ecosystems, having both cards can expand your options when rewards are limited or pricing is less than ideal. Instead of being limited to a set of partners, you can search Chase and Capital One transfer programs to find the best redemption options for your specific trip.
Transfer bonuses add another layer of flexibility. Chase often offers limited-time bonuses (sometimes as high as 50%) when you transfer points to specific partners. Capital One also regularly offers transfer bonuses, usually in the 30% to 40% range, which can significantly reduce the number of miles required to redeem.
I recently took advantage of Chase’s transfer bonus to transfer an Air France-KLM Flying Blue award to Paris for just 18,750 Flying Blue miles (plus taxes and fees). Thanks to Chase’s 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue, I only had to transfer 15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book the flight.
Since I now have access to Chase and Capital One, it’s easier to compare transfer partners before transferring points or miles, which often results in better award availability or fewer awards overall.
Capital One also stands out for its transfer flexibility. While both plans allow transfers to begin with 1,000 points or miles, Capital One allows you to increase transfers in 100-mile increments. Chase Ultimate Rewards doesn’t offer this level of precision because Chase requires transfers to be made in 1,000-point increments.
Smaller increments are especially helpful when you just need to top up your airline or hotel account to complete your booking, but it’s still important to pay attention to transfer ratios to maximize your redemption rate.
For travelers who want more control over how and when they redeem rewards, access to two transferable rewards ecosystems can help further expand rewards reach, especially if reward space is limited or prices are skyrocketing.
Related: Why All Travelers Should Earn Transferable Credit Card Points
You get premium travel benefits without paying an additional annual fee
One of the biggest ways Venture X improves Sapphire preferred It’s by adding premium travel benefits that Sapphire Preferred doesn’t offer on its own – most notably airport lounge access.
As a frequent traveler, lounge access has always felt a bit out of reach for me, available only on credit cards with outrageous annual fees. Venture X is the first premium card to make these benefits within reach.
With Venture X, cardholders receive:
- Book through Capital One Travel and get a $300 annual statement credit, which effectively reduces the card’s $395 annual fee to $95 when maxed out
- 10,000 bonus miles per account anniversary, TPG December 2025 valuation of $185
- Access airport lounges without buying a value card
- A powerful set of travel protection
It’s worth noting that the annual fee for the Venture Between the annual travel points and anniversary bonus miles, the card’s annual fee is fully offset by ongoing benefits.
this Sapphire preferredAt the same time, it helps keep overall costs stable. The card has an annual fee of $95 and offers:
- Receive a $50 annual hotel credit on qualifying Chase Travel℠ bookings, which effectively reduces the card’s annual fee to $45 when fully used
- Strong revenue in travel and bonus categories
- Chase’s highly regarded travel protection
- A free DoorDash DashPass membership can help pay for groceries while traveling — and since DashPass typically costs $9.99 per month (or $96 per year), this offer pays for the card’s $95 annual fee*
*Membership is valid until December 31, 2027.
All in all, this two-card setup offers a premium travel experience, strong earnings on daily and bonus payouts, and the use of two flexible transferable currencies.
The combined annual fee for all of this is less than $500. This is significantly less than the cost of some individual premium cards, e.g. Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and charges) or American Express Platinum Card® (see Rates and Fees), annual fees are $795 and $895 respectively.
For travelers who want premium benefits without committing to a high-cost credit card, pairing the Venture X with the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a compelling balance of value, flexibility, and cost.
Related: Are premium credit cards worth the annual fee?
Who should pair Chase Sapphire Preferred with Venture X?
This card pairing makes the most sense for travelers who already know the basics of earning and redeeming points and are ready for more flexibility, but aren’t interested in using multiple premium cards at once or navigating an overly complex benefits structure.
It’s perfect for you if you:
- Want better airport and travel benefits without outright purchasing a card with an annual fee of over $700
- Love the simplicity, predictable income and generous bonus categories for everyday purchases
- Value flexibility over total commitment to one airline or hotel program
Based on my own experience, this pairing feels like a natural progression. I didn’t have to relearn how to use Sapphire Preferred — I just added Venture X where it made sense. The result is a setup that is both easier to manage and more valuable when booking travel.
Related: Why the Venture X should be your first premium card
bottom line
If you already own the Chase Sapphire Preferred, pairing it with the Venture X is a smart move to enhance your travel strategy.
The two cards complement each other, covering everyday spending and key reward categories while unlocking premium travel benefits at a reasonable combined annual cost.
Together they form a versatile, low-friction setup that’s easy to maintain and flexible enough to handle everything from everyday purchases to your next big trip.
To learn more, check out our full reviews of Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Learn more: Capital One Ventures X Rewards Credit Card
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred
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.
