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The right travel rewards card could help you save on future vacations, whether heading to the beach with your family or sneaking in a romantic weekend away. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are popular travel rewards cards worth considering. Each has an impressive welcome offer, generous rewards, and other valuable benefits for travelers.
While both cards have some excellent perks, one is likely better for your wallet. This Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture comparison will help you determine which card is best.
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture overview
Annual fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture Rewards each have a $95 annual fee. Both cards provide enough benefits and rewards to help offset their cost, so neither card is necessarily better than the other based on the annual fee alone.
Winner: It’s a toss-up
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Welcome bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture offer these welcome bonuses:
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Chase Sapphire Preferred: Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening — worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel.
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Capital One Venture: Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months, plus a $250 Capital One Travel credit — equal to $1,000 in travel.
While each card requires a $4,000 minimum spend to earn the welcome bonus, the Venture card offers $250 more in value when booking through the card issuer's travel platform.
Learn more: Get up to $1,000 toward travel with Capital One Venture's limited-time welcome offer
Winner
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Rewards
These cards begin to differentiate themselves in the rewards categories. Here are the rewards rates for the Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture:
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Chase Sapphire Preferred:
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5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel
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3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases
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2x points on all other travel purchases
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1x points on all other purchases
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Capital One Venture:
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5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
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2x miles on all other purchases
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Overall, the Chase Sapphire Preferred has higher rates in its bonus categories. However, the Capital One Venture provides a straightforward base earning rate of 2x miles on all eligible purchases.
The Sapphire Preferred earning rate is better if your everyday expenses closely align with its categories. But, since that might not always be the case, we think the Capital One Venture is a better fit for most people. You can easily use it for all your purchases without dropping below a 2x rate.
Winner
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Redemption options
Knowing how to redeem points or miles in a rewards program is an important part of selecting a rewards credit card. These are the redemption options for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture:
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Chase Sapphire Preferred:
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Travel
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Dining
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Experiences
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Transfers to more than a dozen travel partners
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Pool points from other eligible Chase credit cards
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Pay Yourself Back
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Cash back (electronic deposit or statement credit)
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Gift cards
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Apple online purchases
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PayPal
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Amazon
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Capital One Venture:
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Travel
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Entertainment
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Transfers to more than 15 travel partners
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Cover past travel purchases
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Cash back (mailed check or statement credit)
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Gift cards
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PayPal
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Amazon
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The Sapphire Preferred has a few more redemption options than the Capital One Venture, but that doesn’t immediately make it the better choice. Both cards provide travel and transfer options to airline and hotel partners, which we think are some of the best ways to cash in rewards on travel credit cards.
The Capital One Venture has more transfer partners, but they aren’t necessarily better than Chase's partners, as it depends on the airlines and hotels you prefer. We like that you can combine points between eligible Chase cards, but this option won’t apply to everyone.
Winner: It’s a toss-up
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Other benefits
Here are some additional benefits you can take advantage of with both cards:
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Chase Sapphire Preferred:
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25% points bonus to bookings made through the Chase Travel portal
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Up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel
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Anniversary points bonus of 10% of your total purchases made the previous year
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Complimentary access to DashPass by DoorDash for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027
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Travel protections (trip cancellation and interruption insurance, auto rental coverage, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, and travel accident insurance)
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Purchase protections (purchase protection and extended warranty coverage)
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No foreign transaction fees
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Capital One Venture:
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Up to a $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fees
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$50 experience credit, room upgrades, and early check-in at eligible Lifestyle Collection hotels
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Hertz Five Star elite status, offering free upgrades, a wider selection of vehicles, and more
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Travel and purchase protections (specific coverage can vary by whether you’re issued a Visa or Mastercard)
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No foreign transaction fees
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Both cards have useful benefits, but we think the Sapphire Preferred is easier to keep in the long run because of its hotel credit (up to $50 in statement credits for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel) and 25% bonus to Chase Travel bookings.
Winner
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Choose the Chase Sapphire Preferred if…
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You prefer Chase transfer partners, including United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt
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You prefer Chase redemptions, including the option to pool points from multiple Chase credit cards
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You prefer this card's travel benefits, such as receiving up to $50 in annual statement credits for booking hotel stays through Chase Travel
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Your everyday expenses align with its bonus categories
We think the Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best travel credit cards available because of its low annual fee, flexible rewards program, and high-quality benefits, including travel and purchase coverages.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Annual fee$95
- Welcome offerEnding soon: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months
- Ongoing Purchases APR19.99% - 28.24% Variable
- Recommended credit scoreExcellent/Good
- Rewards rate
- 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries
- 2x points on all other travel purchases
- 1x points on all other purchases
- Benefits
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel
- Earn up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel
- On every account anniversary, earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year
Choose the Capital One Venture Rewards if…
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You prefer Capital One transfer partners, including Turkish Airlines and Wyndham Rewards
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You prefer Capital One's redemptions, including the option to cover past travel purchases
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You prefer this card's travel benefits, such as receiving a fee reimbursement for a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application
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You want a straightforward rewards rate that will help you earn elevated rewards on any eligible purchase
We think the Capital One Venture Rewards is an excellent travel credit card because of its affordable annual fee, flexible rewards, and numerous travel benefits.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Annual fee$95
- Welcome offerEarn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months, plus a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first cardholder year – that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Purchase APR19.99% - 29.24% variable
- Recommended credit scoreGood, Excellent
- Rewards rate
- 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles on all other purchases
- Benefits
- Receive up to a $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fees
- Receive a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and early check-in at eligible hotels
- Access Hertz's Five Star membership tier, offering free upgrades, a wider selection of vehicles, and more
Should I get both cards?
Applying for both cards could make sense if you can earn both welcome bonuses. However, it’s likely best to stagger your application dates because it might be challenging to meet the minimum spend requirements of both cards simultaneously.
There’s also some decent synergy between the rewards rates on both cards. If you want to help maximize your earning potential with your everyday spending habits, use the Chase Sapphire Preferred for purchases that align with its bonus categories and use the Capital One Venture Rewards for all other eligible purchases.
Other cards to consider
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Best for luxury perks
- Annual fee$395
- Welcome offerEarn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
- Purchase APR19.99% - 29.24% variable
- Recommended credit scoreExcellent
- Rewards rate
- 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 all other purchases
- Benefits
- $300 annual credit for travel bookings through Capital One Travel
- 10,000 annual bonus miles (worth $100 in travel spending; starts on your first account anniversary)
- Unlimited access for you and two guests to Capital One Lounges and 1,300+ more lounges through partner networks
Why we like it: If you’re a frequent traveler, the Capital One Venture X Card might be the right card for your wallet. This card has a higher annual fee but also a $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel. You’ll also get a credit of up to $120 every four years for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees.
Besides the travel credits, you’ll get complimentary airport lounge access to over 1,300 lounges. You’ll also get a 10,000 Capital One miles bonus on each cardmember anniversary.
Read our full Capital One Venture X review
- Annual fee$325
- Welcome offerEarn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months
- Ongoing Purchases APRSee Pay Over Time APR
- Recommended credit scoreExcellent/Good
- Rewards rate
- 4x Membership Rewards Points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x)
- 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x)
- 3x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com
- 2x Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com
- 1x Membership Rewards points on all other eligible purchases
- Benefits
- Earn up to $10 in statement credits each month when you pay with your American Express Gold Card at Five Guys, Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, and Wine.com (enrollment required)
- Up to $100 in annual statement credits ($50 semi-annually) when you use your American Express Gold Card on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants on the Resy app or Resy.com
- Up to $84 per year ($7/month) in statement credits after you enroll and pay with your American Express Gold Card at more than 9,000 U.S. Dunkin’® locations
Why we like it: Not only does the American Express Gold Card offer great perks for travelers, but it also offers some big rewards for foodies. With its bonus points at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, there’s the potential to rack up lots of bonus points on regular shopping trips and dining out. You'll also get regular statement credits for eligible dining purchases via Resy and Dunkin' Donuts.
Read our full Amex Gold Card review
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
Best for no annual fee
- Annual fee$0
- Welcome offerEarn 20,000 bonus miles after spending $500 within the first 3 months
- Purchase APR19.24% - 29.24% variable
- Introductory APR0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then variable 19.24% - 29.24% APR
- Recommended credit scoreGood, Excellent
- Rewards rate
- 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 1.25x miles on all other purchases
- Benefits
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months
- Transfer your miles to more than 15 travel partners
- Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad
Why we like it: Many travel rewards cards have annual costs, but this starter card has a $0 annual fee. The Capital One VentureOne offers a nice intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, plus you can transfer your miles directly to 15+ hotel and airline loyalty programs.
Read our full Capital One VentureOne Rewards review
This article was edited by Alicia Hahn
Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn't include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
