Chase Sapphire Preferred Card vs. Capital One Venture Card: Which One Is Right for You?

• Written by Angela Mae
  

  Angela Mae

  Investing, credit cards, consumer loans, commercial financing, taxes, retirement, banking, fintech

  Angela Mae is a B2B and B2C writer for top finance brands and platforms. She specializes in investing, taxes, retirement planning, and consumer & commercial financing. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English and 10+ years’ experience. Through a combination of extensive journalistic experience, deep-dive research, and expert interviews, she helps brands reach their audience and inspire people to achieve financial freedom.

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• Last Updated Aug 14, 2025

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are both geared toward travel, which is great for those who want to rack up points or miles while jet-setting around the world. They also have similar:

• Annual fees
• Variable annual percentage rates, or APRs
• Welcome bonuses

When it comes to overall rewards, we feel the Sapphire Preferred Card has the edge over the Venture Card. That said, both are great entry-level cards that steer clear of the excessive fees of higher-end options from Chase and Capital One. They’re also easy to manage, making them a solid choice for any traveler’s wallet.

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card vs. Capital One Venture Card and which might be better for you.

What Makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Worth Getting?

Since first coming upon the scene in 2009, the Sapphire Preferred Card has been a go-to credit card for casual and frequent travelers alike. It offers premium benefits without the hefty price tag, as well as an array of ongoing rewards and other member perks — such as travel protection and points for most purchases.

The Sapphire Preferred Card also stands out amongst other credit cards for its flexible points redemption options. Not only can you redeem points through Chase Travel℠ or transfer them to airline and hotel partners, but you can also use them to earn cash back or purchase gift cards.

You’ll need good to excellent credit to be considered for the card (a FICO score of 670 or higher). APRs range from 19.99% - 28.24% Variable with the lowest rates reserved for the most “creditworthy” borrowers.

Here’s why you might want to consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

Welcome Bonus Worth Up to $1,312 in Travel

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card comes with a significant welcome offer of 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. At a minimum, you will get 1 cent per point, making the bonus worth $750. When you redeem your points through Chase Travel, you will get up to 1.75 cents per point, which makes the bonus worth up to $1,312. This bonus only applies to new card members who don’t currently own a Sapphire card or who’ve earned a welcome bonus from one in the past 48 months.

Rewards on Travel and Everyday Purchases

With this card, you can earn points on most purchases, including:

• 5x points for travel booked through Chase (except purchases that qualify for the card’s annual $50 Chase Travel hotel credit)
• 3x points for dining, delivery, online grocery purchases and certain streaming services
• 2x points on other travel purchases
• 1x points on all other purchases

This card also comes with a $50 annual statement credit that you can earn each anniversary year for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel.

Transfer and Pay Over Time Feature

Unlike some other travel rewards credit cards, the Sapphire Preferred Card has a 1:1 point transfer feature. This lets you move your points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners for maximum value.

This credit card also has a pay over time feature reserved for eligible cardholders. This can break eligible purchases over $100 into smaller, fixed monthly payments to make them more manageable. Payments are interest-free, but come with certain conditions.

Additional Travel Rewards and Perks

The Sapphire Preferred Card also boasts strong benefits and perks, including:

• Travel protection, which includes trip cancellation/interruption insurance, lost luggage insurance, auto rental collision damage, theft protection and other perks.
• Special deals and limited-time offers when making purchases through its partners. This includes an annual DoorDash DashPass subscription valued at $120 per year (activation required by Dec. 31, 2027).
• Anniversary bonus that lets you earn bonus points every year on the date when you opened the account. These are equal to 10% of the total purchases made in the prior year.
• Additional bonuses like the ability to earn up to 75% more value when redeeming points through Chase Travel.

Fees

No card is perfect. Like the Venture Card, the Sapphire Preferred Card comes with a few notable fees:

• $95 annual fee
• 19.99% - 28.24% Variable APR
• Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Up to $40 late payment fee
• Up to 1.72% monthly fee for using Chase Pay Over Time
• No foreign transaction fees

What Makes the Capital One Venture Card Worth Getting?

Capital One brought out the Venture Card in 2010, just a year after the Sapphire Preferred Card came out. Geared toward more casual users, this hassle-free card makes it easy to earn miles on everyday purchases.

Cardholders can redeem miles by booking a trip through Capital One Travel, gift cards or statement credits. Or they can use them to get reimbursed for qualifying travel-related expenses, provided they do so within 90 days of making the purchase.

Since launching this card, Capital One has continually found ways to improve its rewards program. And while the baseline rewards might be lower than the Sapphire Preferred Card, it’s possible to maximize them through transfers to 15+ partner travel loyalty programs.

Similar to the Sapphire Preferred Card, you’ll need good to excellent credit to qualify (670-850 on FICO’s scale). However, the variable APR is 19.99% - 28.99% (Variable), lower than Chase’s offering.

These are some of the main advantages of this card.

Welcome Bonus

Like its counterpart, the Venture Card comes with a welcome bonus that’s available to new members: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Earn Miles for Travel

The Venture Card lets you earn unlimited miles that never expire, meaning you can let them build up before using them. Aside from the welcome bonus, these are the main ways to earn miles:

• Unlimited 5x miles for rental cars, vacation rentals and hotels booked through Capital One Travel
• Unlimited 2x miles on everyday purchases

You can also transfer your miles to one of Capital One’s 15+ loyalty programs. This lets you get the maximum benefit possible.

Other Credits and Perks

The Venture Card comes with a few additional travel perks, including:

• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit: Skip the lines with up to a $120 credit toward either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.
• $50 experience credit: Enjoy a $50 credit plus additional benefits when booking a vacation rental or hotel from the Lifestyle collection.
• Price drop protection: Benefit from price drop protection and a price matching guarantee on flights, rental cars, and hotels.
• Other perks: The Venture card comes with additional benefits, such as a five-star status upgrade on rentals, access to Capital One Dining and fraud protection.

Fees

Neither the Venture Card nor Sapphire Preferred Card is particularly expensive, especially considering the benefits. But there are few fees worth knowing:

• 19.99% - 28.99% (Variable) APR
• $45 optional fee for access to Capital One Lounges
• $95 annual fee
• 4% balance transfer fee (excluding balances transferred at the transfer rate) Balance Transfer Fee applies to balances transferred at a promotional rate
• Up to $40 late payment fee
• No foreign transaction fees

Side By Side Comparison

Is the Sapphire Preferred Card or Venture Card Better For You?

When choosing a travel rewards card, consider the cost vs. the benefits of having it. Both of these cards have similar fees and APRs, so you won’t be spending much more in either case.

In terms of benefits, the Venture Card and the Sapphire Preferred Card offer very similar welcome bonuses. However, Chase has more versatile rewards than its counterpart. One factor to consider is if the transfer partners of one card are better suited for you than the other.

If you’re on the fence between the two, ask yourself what you want to use the card for. The Venture Card might be better for everyday use and the occasional trip, while the Sapphire Preferred Card is could be more rewarding for frequent travelers.