Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Which Luxury Travel Credit Card Offers More Value?

• Written by Jasmin Baron, CCC™
  

  Jasmin Baron, CCC™

  Credit Cards, Travel Rewards, Loyalty Programs, Family Travel, Credit Building, Credit Scores

  Jasmin Baron is a NACCC Certified Credit Counselor™ and CardCritics’ senior editor, responsible for editing and writing credit cards, travel rewards, loyalty program, and other credit-related content. She is passionate about personal finance education and enjoys sharing tips and tricks for making the most of credit card points and miles with her readers. Her expertise in maximizing credit card travel rewards originated from over two decades of aviation industry experience, including 18 years working as a pilot and college professor/flight instructor in her native Canada. Her work has appeared on sites such as CNN Underscored Money, Business Insider, The Points Guy, and point.me. When she’s not planning her next trip with credit card rewards, you’ll probably find her tinkering around in the kitchen, hanging out with her three kids, or playing with her dog, Benji.

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• Edited by Emily Gadd, CCC™
  

  Emily Gadd, CCC™

  Credit Cards, Personal Finance, Health and Wellness

  Emily Gadd is a NACCC Certified Credit Counselor™, editor and personal finance expert responsible for writing about personal finance and credit cards. She got her start writing and editing at Healthline. She is passionate about creating educational content that makes complex topics accessible. Emily holds a credit counselor certification, accredited by the National Association of Certified Credit Counselors (NACCC). She lives in Seattle with her husband and two cats.

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• Last Updated Dec 31, 2025

The premium credit card market has grown in recent years, offering an array of options for travelers seeking upscale perks and generous rewards. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® are two of the best travel credit cards available right now, but they’re also among the priciest. 

That said, these cards are well worth it if you can take advantage of their benefits to maximize value. You’ll want to carefully consider your spending and travel habits when comparing the Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve to make sure you choose the right card for your lifestyle. Here’s what to know if you’re deciding between these cards.

How the Cards Compare: Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve

Side By Side Comparison

Welcome Bonuses

Each of these cards offers hefty welcome bonuses that can be worth $1,000 or more in travel, especially if you’re strategic about redeeming your rewards. 

Capital One Venture X Welcome Bonus 

The Capital One Venture X currently comes with an excellent offer: LAST CHANCE: For a limited time, earn 100,000 bonus miles once you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening, equal to $1,000 in travel 

When you redeem Capital One miles through Capital One Travel or to “erase” eligible travel purchases from your statement, you’ll get a value of 1 cent per mile. But if you transfer your miles to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners and book award travel, you could get a much higher return. Here are some ideas to maximize the Capital One Venture X bonus and stretch your rewards. 

Chase Sapphire Reserve Welcome Bonus 

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can earn a whopping 125,000 points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Similar to the Venture X, you’ll often get the highest value from your rewards by transferring them to Chase’s airline and hotel partners. But at minimum, you can expect to receive 1 cent per point when you redeem rewards through Chase Travel℠ or for cash back.

CardCritics™ Opinion 

Either of these cards is a good choice if your main objective is to unlock a big welcome offer. That said, the Chase Sapphire Reserve has an edge with a higher bonus and an easier-to-manage spending requirement.

Earning Rewards 

These cards earn rewards quite differently. The Venture X is ideal for those who spend in a wide variety of categories, because it earns 2x miles on most purchases. Meanwhile, the Sapphire Reserve offers lucrative bonus categories that could boost your earning potential significantly if they line up with your typical spending patterns. 

How To Earn Rewards With Capital One Venture X 

You can’t get much more straightforward than the Capital One Venture X. Cardholders earn:

• 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles on other purchases

How To Earn Rewards With Chase Sapphire Reserve 

There’s a little more involved with the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s earning structure, which comes with travel and dining bonus categories. Cardholders earn:

• 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel, including The Edit 
• 4x points on flights booked direct 
• 4x points on hotels booked direct 
• 3x points on dining worldwide 
• 1x points on all other purchases

CardCritics™ Opinion 

If you spend a lot on travel and dining, the Sapphire Reserve is the more rewarding card, particularly if you book travel through Chase to earn 8x points on those purchases. However, the Venture X is no slouch, since it earns 2x miles on most spending (plus bonus rewards on Capital One Travel bookings). The Venture X is my go-to card for purchases that don’t earn a bonus on my other cards, such as car insurance, medical bills and pet care.

Redeeming Rewards 

The Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve earn flexible, transferable rewards that are best used for travel — but there are other, less compelling redemption options as well. 

How To Redeem Rewards With Capital One Venture X 

The Venture X earns Capital One miles that you can use in several ways: 

• Transfer to airline and hotel partners: Transfer miles to Capital One travel partners, including JetBlue TrueBlue, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Wyndham Rewards and Accor Live Limitless (value varies by partner and redemption)
• Capital One Travel: Redeem miles for flights, hotels, car rentals and vacation rentals through the Capital One travel portal (1 cent per mile)
• Purchase eraser: Use miles to “erase” eligible travel purchases made with your card in the past 90 days (1 cent per mile) 
• Gift cards: Buy gift cards from popular merchants using miles (value varies, usually 0.8 to 1 cent per mile)
• Pay with miles: Redeem miles with PayPal or at Amazon checkout to cover your purchase (0.8 cents per mile)
• Cash back: Use miles for cash back as a statement credit or check (0.5 cents per mile)
• Experiences: Redeem miles through Capital One Entertainment for tickets to exclusive events, concerts, sports games and theater productions (value varies)

How To Redeem Rewards With Chase Sapphire Reserve 

With the Sapphire Reserve, you’ll earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points that can also be redeemed in many ways:

• Transfer to airline and hotel partners: Transfer points to Chase’s travel partners, including United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt (value varies by partner and redemption)
• Chase Travel: Redeem points through Chase Travel to book flights, hotels, rental cars, activities, tours and cruises (1 to 2 cents per point) 
• Cash back: Use points for a statement credit or direct deposit (1 cent per point)
• Shop with points: Use points to pay at checkout with participating retailers, such as Amazon, PayPal and Apple (rate varies)
• Gift cards: Buy gift cards from popular merchants using points (usually 1 cent per point)
• The Shops at Chase: Use points to buy merchandise from Chase’s retail site (1 cent per point)

CardCritics™ Opinion 

Some redemption methods are similar between these two cards, but if you prefer the flexibility of redeeming rewards for cash back, choose the Sapphire Reserve, which offers 1 cent per point toward statement credits or direct deposit. With the Venture X, you’ll get half that value.

Otherwise, look at each card’s transfer partners to see which align with your future travel. While Capital One and Chase have a handful of common partners, each program has some that are unique to it.

For example, the Sapphire Reserve can make the most sense if you fly United Airlines or Southwest, because you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to both programs at a 1:1 ratio. 

But if you’re a fan of Wyndham or Choice Hotels, the Venture X could be the better pick, because both chains’ loyalty programs partner with Capital One.

Card Benefits 

These cards’ built-in perks are major differentiators. Although the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Capital One Venture X share a few benefits, such as airport lounge access and travel insurance, you’ll find a much longer list of extras on the Sapphire Reserve. 

Capital One Venture X Benefits 

If you don’t want to wade through a massive list of statement credits and perks, Capital One Venture X benefits are probably more your style. It’s easy to justify the card’s $395 annual fee — I’ve held this card for several years and always get a value that’s much higher than the annual fee (without having to jump through a ton of hoops).

Here’s what to expect:

• $300 Capital One Travel credit each account anniversary year that you can use toward flights, hotels, car rentals and vacation rentals booked through the platform
• 10,000-mile bonus each account anniversary (worth at least $100 in travel)
• Access Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required)
• Access to luxury hotel bookings through the Capital One Premier Collection, which includes a $100 experience credit, daily breakfast for two, room upgrades when available and early check-in/late checkout when available 
• Up to $120 in credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees every four years
• Cell phone insurance of up to $800 per claim (with a $50 deductible) when you use your card to pay your wireless bill
• Strong travel insurance, including primary car rental insurance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, lost luggage reimbursement and trip delay reimbursement
• Purchase security, extended warranty and return protection

Most people will find the Venture X worth it if they only use the $300 Capital One Travel credit and the 10,000-mile anniversary bonus, which together outweigh the annual fee in value. 

Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits 

When the Chase Sapphire Reserve increased its annual fee to $795 in mid-2025, it also added a slew of new statement credits and other goodies. Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits can provide over $2,700 in annual value, but you’ll have to put in significant effort to make the most of them.

Here’s what to expect (yes, the list is long):

• $300 annual travel credit each account anniversary year
• $500 credit for stays with The Edit, awarded as up to $250 in statement credits from January through June and again from July through December for prepaid bookings made with The Edit, with a two-night minimum required.
• $300 dining credit, awarded as up to $150 in statement credits from January through June and again from July through December for a maximum of $300 annually at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables
• DoorDash DashPass membership when you activate by Dec. 31, 2027
• $300 in annual DoorDash promos, up to $25 each month, including a $5 monthly promo to spend on restaurant orders and two $10 promos each month to save on groceries, retail orders, and more (through Dec. 31, 2027)
• $300 StubHub credit, awarded as up to $150 in statement credits from January through June and again from July through December for a maximum of $300 annually for StubHub and viagogo purchases through Dec. 31, 2027
• $250 Apple TV+ annual subscription credit through June 22, 2027
• $120 in annual Lyft credits, awarded as up to $10 in monthly in-app credits — and 5x total points on Lyft rides through Sept. 30, 2027
• $120 in annual credits for eligible Peloton memberships, awarded as $10 in statement credits per month through Dec.31, 2027, with activation required, and 10x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through the same date
• Up to $120 in statement credits for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS, available once every four years after the first program application fee is charged to your card

• Airport lounge access via the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club network, with two complimentary guests
• Priority Pass Select membership, with complimentary access for the primary cardmember and up to two accompanying guests
• Access to select Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafés in the US, Canada and Europe with an eligible boarding pass

• Primary auto rental coverage
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Roadside assistance
• Emergency evacuation and transportation

In addition, when you spend $75,000 or more on the card in a calendar year, you’ll receive: 

• IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status
• A $250 credit for The Shops at Chase
• $500 Southwest Airlines Chase travel credit and A-List status

There’s a lot to unpack here, but as with any card with an annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Reserve annual fee is worth it if you can get at least $795 in value per year from these benefits.

CardCritics™ Opinion 

The winning card here really depends on the benefits you’re likely to use organically and how high an annual fee you’re willing to pay. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the benefit value is higher, but so’s the upfront cost. Meanwhile, the Capital One Venture X offers a very respectable range of perks at a lower price point (and effort level). 

Fees and Costs 

It’s important to remember that the annual fees on these cards are substantial, and you’ll need to pay them on your first billing statement. Beyond that, there are other costs to consider in different situations. 

Capital One Venture X Fees and Costs 

The annual fee on the Venture X is more manageable than what you’ll find on other premium cards. Here’s what you need to know:

• Annual fee: ​​$395
• APR: 19.74% - 28.74% (Variable)
• Balance transfer fee: 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR Capital One may offer you; none for balances transferred at the transfer APR
• Cash advance fee: $5 or 5% of each advance (whichever is greater)
• Foreign transaction fee: None
• Late payment fee: Up to $40

Chase Sapphire Reserve Fees and Costs 

The Sapphire Reserve’s annual fee is even higher, and you’ll also pay other costs in some situations:

• Annual fee: $795
• Authorized user fee: $195 per year 
• APR: 19.74% - 28.24% Variable
• Balance transfer fee: $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater 
• Cash advance fee: $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater
• Foreign transaction fee: None
• Late payment: Up to $40
• Returned payment: Up to $40

CardCritics™ Opinion 

Other than annual fees, these cards are quite closely matched. That said, the Venture X annual fee is easier to justify with less effort. 

How To Choose Between the Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve 

Still weighing the Venture X vs. Sapphire Reserve? If you’re torn, consider these factors as you make your decision.

Choose the Capital One Venture X if you:

• Travel often and prefer a premium card with a lower annual fee
• Frequently book award flights and stays with Capital One’s airline and hotel transfer partners
• Can maximize the annual $300 Capital One Travel credit
• Aren’t interested in keeping track of multiple statement credits 
• Could use Capital One Lounge and Priority Pass Lounge access
• Already participate in the Capital One miles program

Choose the Chase Sapphire Reserve if you:

• Spend a lot on travel and dining
• Regularly use Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners
• Would like access to Chase Sapphire and Priority Pass Lounges
• Don’t mind navigating sometimes-complicated annual credits
• Already use platforms such as The Edit, Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables, DoorDash, Apple TV+ and other Chase partners
• Already participate in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program

I’ve held the Venture X for several years, and used to have the Sapphire Reserve, but switched to the more affordable Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card a while back. Some travelers, particularly those who can frequently visit lounges from both programs and maximize partnerships, may decide to hold both cards.

That said, the Capital One Venture X is the card I recommend for average travelers who want premium perks at a moderate price.

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.