Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Solid Travel Cards With Vastly Different Perks and Annual Fees
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Written by
Bob Haegele
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Edited by
Jasmin Baron
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® are two of the most popular travel credit cards today. Both offer numerous benefits, but the best choice depends on how you intend to use your next credit card.
Those who prefer simplicity and a lower annual fee may appreciate the Venture Card, while consumers who want maximum benefits may opt for the much pricier Sapphire Reserve. We’ll take a closer look at these cards and how they compare.
How the Cards Compare: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
Side By Side Comparison
Annual Fee
Purchase and Balance Transfer APR
Welcome Bonus
Ongoing Rewards
Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day.
Pros & Cons
- No foreign transaction fee
- Double miles earned on every purchase
- Travel perks like Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Credit
PROS
- No introductory APR offer
- Limited hotel transfer partners
CONS
- Luxury Perks
- 1:1 Transfer Partners
- Premium Travel Protections
PROS
- High annual fee
- No intro APR for purchases or balance transfers
- Might not make sense for people who aren’t frequent travelers
CONS
Learn More
Welcome Bonuses
Each card offers a lucrative welcome bonus, though the value you’ll receive partly depends on how you redeem your rewards.
Capital One Venture Rewards Welcome Bonus
The Venture Card offers 75,000 bonus Capital One miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Those miles are worth $750 if you redeem them through Capital One Travel or to erase eligible travel purchases charged to your card, but you could get even more value when you transfer rewards to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Welcome Bonus
The Sapphire Reserve is currently offering a huge bonus of 125,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Points from the Sapphire Reserve are worth up to 2 cents each toward Chase Travel purchases through its new Points Boost feature, making the bonus worth up to $2,500 in travel.
CardCritics™ Opinion
Right now, the Chase Sapphire Reserve bonus is the clear winner. But you’ll have to be willing to book through Chase Travel to maximize your rewards.
Earning Rewards
Both cards are travel-focused but differ in their approach to earning rewards. The Venture Card earns a flat rate of miles on most purchases, while the Sapphire Reserve has a higher earning potential in specific categories.
How To Earn Rewards With Capital One Venture Rewards
The Venture Card doesn’t complicate things, giving you the same rate on almost every purchase. Booking through the Capital One Travel portal can still earn a higher rate. Here’s how it breaks down:
- 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles on all other purchases
How To Earn Rewards With Chase Sapphire Reserve
As one of the best Chase credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s earning rates are generous, especially for travelers. Here’s how you earn points with the card:
- 8x points on Chase Travel purchases (after the first $300 is spent on travel each year)
- 5x points on eligible Lyft rides through Sept. 30, 2027
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide, including takeout and delivery
- 1x points on all other purchases
CardCritics™ Opinion
If you spend across a wide variety of categories, the Venture Card is a better choice. However, if you spend a lot on airfare, hotels, Chase Travel bookings and dining, the Sapphire Reserve is a winner.
Redeeming Rewards
Capital One and Chase each have multiple redemption options, though the value you receive when redeeming will vary.
How To Redeem Rewards With Capital One Venture Card
The Venture Card offers several ways to redeem your miles, including transferring to partners, booking through the issuer’s travel portal and reimbursing yourself for past travel:
- Transfer to travel partners: Capital One partners with 15+ travel loyalty programs, including Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club and Wyndham Rewards
- Purchase travel: Use miles at a rate of 1 cent each for bookings through Capital One Travel
- Erase travel purchases: Redeem miles at 1 cent each for statement credits toward eligible travel purchases made with the card in the past 90 days
- Cash back: Miles are worth 0.5 cents each when you redeem this way
- Other redemptions: Redeem for gift cards or merchandise (rates vary)
Capital One’s reimbursement for past travel comes in handy. My wife is from Peru, and I have flown to the country several times to visit her family. One of my flights cost $475, and I applied 30,000 miles to erase the purchase afterward. Although I didn’t have enough to cover the entire flight, I only paid $175 out of pocket, which was a nice discount.
How To Redeem Rewards With Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Sapphire Reserve also has numerous redemption options, some of which offer a better value than the Venture Card. These include:
- Transfer to travel partners: Chase has over a dozen airline and hotel partners, including United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards and World of Hyatt
- Book travel: Redeem points through Chase Travel at 1 cent per point, or up to 2 cents per point with Points Boost
- Cash back: Redeem for a statement credit or direct deposit at 1 cent per point
- Other redemptions: Redeem for gift cards, Apple purchases or pay at checkout with Amazon and PayPal (rates vary)
CardCritics™ Opinion
Chase offers a better rate for cash back and on select bookings in its travel portal and has more U.S.-based travel partners. However, Capital One makes it convenient to use miles to reimburse past travel, a feature Chase doesn’t offer.
Card Benefits
With its recent overhaul, the Chase Sapphire Reserve has added a slew of perks offering over $2,700 in annual value, making it one of the most benefit-packed cards on the market.
The Capital One Venture Card isn’t as rich with perks, but still offers a respectable suite of travel and purchase protections.
Capital One Venture Benefits
The Venture Card offers several benefits, including a lucrative welcome bonus and easy-to-earn rewards. Its 2x miles per dollar on most purchases is why it’s one of the best Capital One credit cards. Here’s a look at some of its key perks:
- Up to $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees every four years
- Transfer miles to 15+ loyalty programs
- Hertz® Five Star status* (activation required)
- Travel insurance, including car rental insurance and travel accident insurance**
Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits
The Chase Sapphire Reserve has a long list of benefits as a premium travel card. Here are some of its key perks (activation is required for certain perks):
- Up to $300 annual travel credit
- Up to $120 credit every four years toward the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee
- Up to $500 in annual credit for The Edit (Chase’s luxury hotel program)
- Up to $300 in annual dining credit with Chase Sapphire Exclusive Tables
- Up to $300 in annual StubHub and Viagogo credit
- $250 in annual value with Apple TV+ and Apple Music
- Up to $120 annual credit toward Peloton Membership
- Up to $120 in annual Lyft in-app credits
- IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status (activation required)
- Airport lounge access with Priority Pass and Chase Sapphire Lounges
- DoorDash and DashPass benefits
- Top-notch Chase Sapphire travel insurance
Chase’s travel protections may provide peace of mind if you’re worried about trip cancellations or delays. A few years ago, I had a connection in Houston that was delayed late into the night. My route didn’t have many flights, so I had to wait until the next day to leave. To my relief, Chase fully reimbursed the room cost after I provided the receipts.
CardCritics™ Opinion
The better option depends on how you intend to use your travel card. However, the Sapphire Reserve has more potential for regular travelers, albeit with a much higher annual fee.
Fees and Costs
The Chase Sapphire Reserve generally offers more than the Venture Card, but those extra features come at a cost, primarily in a higher annual fee. Here’s how they compare.
Capital One Venture Fees and Costs
The Venture Card has a reasonable annual fee and doesn’t charge significant fees otherwise. Here’s a breakdown of its fees and costs:
- Annual fee: $95
- Purchase APR: 19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Balance transfer fee: 4% for promotional APR offers, none for balances transferred at the transfer APR
Chase Sapphire Reserve Fees and Costs
The Chase Sapphire Reserve has higher fees, meaning you must use it heavily to justify its place in your wallet. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Annual fee: $795
- Purchase APR: 20.24% - 28.74% Variable
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Balance transfer fee: $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
CardCritics™ Opinion
The obvious difference in these cards’ costs is their annual fees. The Venture Card’s fee is much lower, making it an affordable choice for those who aren’t frequent travelers. The Chase Sapphire Reserve can still offer more value, but you must use the card and its perks heavily to make it worth the fee.
How To Choose Between Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
Choosing between the Capital One Venture Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve mostly boils down to your travel and spending habits. The Venture Card is a better choice if you travel occasionally. Not only does it have a much lower annual fee, but it also earns a higher reward rate on non-travel purchases than the Sapphire Reserve.
The Sapphire Reserve may be a better choice for frequent flyers. It earns higher rates on most travel-related spending and gives you access to travel comforts like airport lounges. It also offers more travel protections than Venture Card, which can help if you have problems while on the road.
*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.
**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.
The information related to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® was collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for this product
Frequently Asked Questions About the Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture Card
Who is Chase Sapphire Reserve’s biggest competitor?
The Platinum Card® from American Express, an advertising partner, and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card are considered Sapphire Reserve’s biggest competitors. Both are premium travel cards that also offer travel credits, luxury perks, high rewards and lounge access.
What is better, Chase or Capital One?
To decide whether the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Capital One Venture Card is better depends on your travel habits, preferred perks and how you prefer to redeem rewards.
Is the Capital One Venture Card worth it?
For those seeking an entry-level travel rewards card, the Venture Card is affordable in terms of its annual fee of $95 and is flexible when redeeming your miles. The flat 2x earnings rate on most purchases makes it a hassle-free rewards system.
What is the hardest credit card to get from Capital One?
The Capital One Venture X is the hardest credit card to get from Capital One. You typically need excellent credit and a strong history of responsible credit use. Also, Capital One will look at income, credit utilization and other factors.
