Credit Cards

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card  vs Chase Sapphire Reserve®

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Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

vs

Chase Sapphire Reserve®?

Capital One dropped a sledgehammer on the foundation of the premium card market when they Introduced the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.  I applied the day it came out, was instantly approved, and even started spending on a virtual card number before I even received the physical version. I don’t think it’s any surprise who Capital One was aiming at:  Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

One of the biggest questions I get on TikTok is which is better? The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®?

Let’s put them side by side so you can make the best decision between the two cards.

*Note, I can see a lot of use cases to carrying a Chase Sapphire Preferred® and a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card at the same time – namely that the Preferred would give you 3x Ultimate Rewards on dining and 3x Ultimate Rewards on online groceries for just $95 a year and you’d get up to a $50 hotel credit.  You could put all of your other spend on the Capital One Venture X and earn a boatload of two very valuable currencies.

Lufthansa first class

inside an airplane with seats and windows

Here is an overall look at the two super Premium Credit Cards

 

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card 
a close-up of a credit card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®a black credit card with a blue light
 

Benefit Overview

  • $395 Annual Fee
  • $300 Annual Travel Credit within Capital One Travel Portal
  • 2x miles on every single purchase without limit
  • 10x miles hotels and rentals cars in Capital One Travel Portal
  • 5x miles flights in Capital One Travel Portal
  • 10k bonus miles after each anniversary
  • 18 transfer partners – 15 are 1:1
  • Capital One Lounge Access
    • 2 guests allowed and $45 for every guest after that
    • Authorized Users get access as well
  • Priority Pass Select access with 2 guests
    • Authorized users have access
  • Primary Rental Car Coverage
  • Up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
  • 4 Authorized Users without a fee
  • Complimentary Cell Phone Insurance
  • Hertz President’s Circle Status
Benefit Overview
  • $550 Annual Fee
  • Up to $300 Travel Credit
  • 3x Ultimate Rewards on dining and travel
  • 10x Ultimate Rewards on hotels and car rentals purchased via Chase Travel℠l
    • after $300 travel credit is hit
  • 5x Ultimate Rewards on Airfare purchased via Chase Travel℠
  • 14 transfer partners – all 1:1
  • Priority Pass membership with restaurant access
    • 2 Guests
    • Authorized Users get access as well
  • Get Primary Auto Collision Coverage
  • Trip Cancellation and interruption insurance
  • 24/7 Customer Service
  • up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
  • $75 Authorized User fee

Are you eligible?

Chase and Capital One both have strict eligibility rules when it comes to qualifying for welcome offers.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card 
a close-up of a credit card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®a black credit card with a blue light
Usually these are the Capital One eligibility rules; however, it seems for many people Capital One is making an exception on enforcement for this card

 

  • Capital One will only process one credit card per 6 months…so if you’ve already applied for one in that time frame, you’re going to have to wait.
    • This means both business and personal.
    • For instance, if you recently picked up the Capital One Spark Cash Plus – you’ll need to wait until it’s been more than 6 months.
  • Current Venture Cardholders are eligible
5/24
  • Almost all of Chase’s cards are a part of their 5/24 rule. This means that you can not sign up if you have opened more than 5 credit cards in the last 24 months.

1/48

  • Specific to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can not receive a welcome bonus if you have received one on either the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Only one Chase Sapphire Premium product

  • If you currently hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve® you cannot sign up for the card. Those who currently hold both can be grandfathered into holding both, but if you only have one, you’re restricted from adding another.

You your points from either to fly on Air France’s business class – Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France and KLM is a transfer partner of both a seat in an airplane

Lounge access, rental car protections, etc

Both cards come with a Priority Pass membership; however, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with priority pass restaurant access thus giving it a distinct advantage. But.. Capital One has access to over 150 Plaza Premium lounges ( which are very nice ) and Chase does not.

You’ll  get primary rental car coverage, up to a $100 Global or TSAPre credit every 4 years, and Visa Infinite benefits

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card 
a close-up of a credit card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®a black credit card with a blue light
 
  • Priority Pass Select access with 2 guests
    • Authorized users have access
  • Plaza Premium Lounge Access with 2 guests
    • Authorized Users have access
  • Primary Rental Car Coverage
  • Up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit every 4 years
  • Visa Infinite benefits
 
  • Priority Pass membership with restaurant access
    • 2 Guests
    • Authorized Users get access as well
  • Get Primary Auto Collision Coverage
  • Up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit every 4 years
  • Visa Infinite benefits

Earn Rates:

In terms of travel earn rates, if you’re purchasing via either card’s portal you’ll earn the same rates. The biggest differences are on base rates where the Capital One Venture X earns 2 points for every dollar vs the Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns just 1. Chase Sapphire Reserve® does earn 3x on dining and general travel. For another comparison, the Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 3x dining and online groceries, 2x general travel, and carries just a $95 annual fee. This is why I think holding a Chase Sapphire Preferred alongside a Capital One Venture X could be a good use of annual fee spend.

Capital One Venture X Credit Carda close-up of a credit card

Chase Sapphire Reserve®
a black credit card with a blue light

Chase Sapphire Preferred®a blue credit card with lines and symbols
  • 2x miles on every single purchase without limit
  • 10x miles hotels and rentals cars in Capital One Travel Portal
  • 5x miles flights in Capital One Travel Portal
  • 3x Ultimate Rewards on dining and travel
  • 10x Ultimate Rewards on hotels and car rentals purchased via Chase Travel℠
  • 5x Ultimate Rewards on Airfare purchased via Chase Travel℠
  • 5x Ultimate Rewards on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards – Chase Travel℠ Portal
  • 3x Ultimate Rewards on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
  • 3x Ultimate Rewards on select streaming services
  • 3x Ultimate Rewards on online grocery purchases
    • (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)

Earn a huge multiplier on bookings made in portal – this could be a great way to earn bonus points on hotels that don’t have reward programs like the Peninsula.a stuffed animal on a stone wall

Welcome Offer + Annual Fee:

Chase made a massive splash, and the internet went crazy, when it dropped the Chase Sapphire Reserve® 100k offer in 2016. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that….it’s currently much, much less. I think Capital One has gone for a simpler approach and dangles an anniversary bonus to retain membership.

If you add up the credits that each card yields the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ends up giving customers $400 of credit on a $395 annual fee. You’re ahead $5 if you use up those credits every year you keep the card. It’s basically a free card if you use the credits.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® on the other hand gives a $300 travel credit ( which is much easier to use than Capital One Venture X since it isn’t tied to the portal ) on a $550 annual fee. You’re paying out of pocket $250 for the card.

Also…the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card includes 4 authorized users free of charge whereas the Chase Sapphire Reserve charges $75 per AU.

 

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card 
a close-up of a credit card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®a black credit card with a blue light
  • 75k welcome offer after $4k spend in 3 months
  • 60k Welcome Offer after $4k spend in 3 months
    • May see 70k when logged in
  • $395 Annual Fee
    • $0 for up to 4 Authorized Users
  • $550 Annual Fee
    • $75 per authorized user
  • Up to $300 Annual Travel Credit within Capital One Travel Portal
  • up to $300 Travel Credit
    • This is a very broad travel category
  • 10,000 Capital One Miles on every cardmember anniversary

Transfer Partners

A look at the transfer partners of Capital One and Chase. Note that Capital One is a 1:1 partner on all but Accor and EVA – Chase is 1:1 across the board. Chase has more domestic partners than Capital One, but Capital One’s list is really great. If you want more in depth uses of each one check out these posts:

In portal redemptions:

  • Capital One Venture X = 1 penny per point
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve = 1.5 pennies per point
a group of logos on a white background a group of logos on a white background
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card 
a close-up of a credit card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®a black credit card with a blue light
Aeromexico Club Premier Aer Lingus AerClub
Air Canada Aeroplan Air Canada Aeroplan
Avianca LifeMiles Air France KLM Flying Blue
Air France Flying Blue British Airways Executive Club
British Airways Executive Club Emirates Skywards
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Iberia Plus
Choice Privileges JetBlue TrueBlue
Etihad Guest Southwest Airlines
Emirates Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Finnair Plus Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Qantas Frequent Flyer United Mileage Plus
Singapore Airlines IHG Rewards
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Marriott Bonvoy
Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles World of Hyatt
Wyndham Rewards
Virgin Red
EVA transfers 2:1.5
Accor: 2:1

a man sitting in a chair holding a camera

Other bennies:

These are a toss up depending on where you spend most.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card a close-up of a credit card Chase Sapphire Reserve®a black credit card with a blue light
  • Hertz President’s Status
  • Cell phone insurance
  • Return Protection
    • $300 a claim, $1000 a year
 
  • DoorDash DashPass for 12 months ( must activate by 12/31/24 )
    • DashPass would ordinarily by $9.99 a month
  • Return Protection
    • $500 a claim, $1000 a year
  • 10x Ultimate Rewards on Chase dining ( must book via Chase portal )
  • Lyft Pink All Access
    • Free for 2 years, worth $199 a year
      • activate by 12/31/24
    • 50% the 3rd year
    • Other benefits
      • Free Priority Pickup upgrades to get picked up faster
      • Member-exclusive pricing including 10% off all Lux rides
      • Cancellation forgiveness, cancel up to 3 times per month for free
      • In-app roadside assistance for your own car, free up to 4 times a year
      • Free SIXT car rental upgrades
      • Free, unlimited 45-min classic bike rides
      • Free unlimited ebike and scooter unlocks
      • Discounted ebike and scooter rates
      • 3 bike or scooter guest passes per year
  • 10x Ultimate Rewards on Lyft through 3/2025

Overall:

If you spend $400 a year on travel in the Capital One portal with your Capital One Venture X Credit Card you’re getting every thing else the card provides free of charge since it gives an annual $300 travel credit and 10k Miles on your account anniversary. That completely offsets the $395 fee. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® as a comparison would offset $300 worth of travel, but charge $550 every year. That leaves you spending $250 to keep the card in your wallet…personally I’d use that $250 to add either a Chase Sapphire Preferred® or an American Express® Gold Card to my wallet.

 

 

 

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card


4.8
4.8/5
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is a great starter card that earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott.

Welcome Offer

60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months

Annual Fee

$95

Points Earned

Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards

  • 3x on dining
    •  including eligible delivery services for takeout
  • 3x on select streaming services
  • 3x on online grocery purchases
    • (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
  • 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel Portal
  • 2x on all other travel
  • $50 Annual Credit on hotel stays purchased via Chase Travel
    • The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
  • 10% Anniversary Bonus
    • Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred® continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel Portal and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including primary rental car insurance, purchase protections, etc.
  • Points are transferrable to 13 Ultimate Rewards partners
  • Redeem in the Chase Travel center for 1.25 cents per point
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
    • Primary rental car coverage is my favorite

We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.

Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.

Main Cast: 

Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.

Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.

If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners

Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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