Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture Rewards: Which $95 card should you get?
Shelling out hundreds of dollars in annual fees for premium credit cards is not for everyone, especially when you're new to the points and miles world. Fortunately, plenty of travel credit cards will set you back less than $100 a year and still earn lucrative rewards to help you book that epic trip of your dreams.
Among the top cards in this category are the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees). Both come with manageable annual fees for beginners and experts and a recommended credit score of 670 or higher.
Let's look at how these two cards stack up in a head-to-head comparison.
Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred comparison
Here are the basics of each of these two cards in the major categories:
| Card details | Chase Sapphire Preferred | Capital One Venture Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $95 | $95 (see rates and fees) |
| Sign-up bonus | Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. |
| Everyday spend earning rate | 1 point per dollar | 2 miles per dollar |
| Bonus categories | 5 points per dollar on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
5 points per dollar on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025) 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs) 2 points per dollar on all other travel 1 point per dollar on all other purchases | 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases (Through Dec. 31, 2025) 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases |
| TPG July 2024 valuation of points/miles | 2.05 cents each | 1.85 cents each |
| Foreign transaction fees | None | None (see rates and fees) |
| Travel protections | Primary auto rental coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, travel and emergency assistance services, lost luggage insurance | Master RoadAssist (fees apply)*, Trip Cancellation/Interruption Coverage*, MasterRental Insurance* |
| Other benefits | $50 annual hotel credit
10% annual points bonus Extended warranty protection and purchase protection | Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit up to $120
Extended warranty protection* |
*Benefits only available to accounts approved for the World Elite Mastercard. Terms apply.
Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome offer
Both cards are currently offering solid sign-up bonuses that can provide a ton of value to new cardholders.
The Venture Rewards card offers new card holders 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on the card within the first three months of account opening.
75,000 bonus miles you'll earn after meeting the spending requirement are worth $750 in travel if you redeem at a fixed value directly through Capital One or up to $1,388 if you transfer your miles to Capital One's airline or hotel transfer partners per TPG's July 2024 valuation of Capital One miles at 1.85 cents each.
The Sapphire Preferred is currently offering 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Since these points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed through the Chase travel portal, the bonus is guaranteed to be worth $750 in travel; however, TPG's July 2024 valuations peg Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents each, meaning this welcome offer is worth $1,230.
Winner: Sapphire Preferred. This card has the upper hand because it welcome offer has a higher value potential.
Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable points
Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits
Understandably, you don't get as many perks with a $95-a-year card as you will with a premium card that costs hundreds of dollars each year (see rates and fees for the Venture card). Still, both cards offer an array of benefits that add even more value.
The Venture Rewards benefits include no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees), extended warranty protection, and Purchase assurance for a covered loss that occurs within the first 90 days of purchase.
You'll also get up to $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit. This perk is generally seen on cards with higher annual fees, and it can make a huge difference in speeding up your journey through the airport.
The Sapphire Preferred is a Visa Signature card and offers similar benefits but kicked up a notch. Most notably, it includes primary rental car coverage rather than secondary, meaning you can submit claims directly to your card's benefits provider without involving your personal insurance policy.
Plus, the Sapphire Preferred's travel benefits are also superior — up to $500 in trip delay reimbursement if you're delayed more than 12 hours or overnight, up to $10,000 in trip cancellation and interruption insurance per person ($20,000 per trip) and up to $100 per day for up to five days in baggage delay reimbursement if your bag is delayed more than six hours.
On top of that, the card offers an annual $50 statement credit on hotel stays purchased through the Chase travel portal and a 10% anniversary points bonus.
Winner: Sapphire Preferred. You'll enjoy slightly more benefits with the Chase offering here.
Earning rewards on the Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
With the Capital One Venture Rewards, you'll earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and Capital One Entertainment purchases and 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases.
With the Sapphire Preferred, you'll get 5 points per dollar on all travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3 points per dollar on dining (including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out), 3 points per dollar on select streaming services, 3 points per dollar on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Travel is defined quite broadly with the Sapphire Preferred and includes some everyday expenses, such as tolls, parking and subway tickets. Dining includes standard restaurants, bars and coffee shops, food delivery services, and even most vending machines.
Winner: Tie. The Capital One Venture comes out ahead on everyday spending but falls behind in bonus categories, where the Sapphire Preferred shines, meaning it depends on your spending patterns.
Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card review
Redeeming rewards on the Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
Both cards allow you to redeem rewards toward many purchases — but travel redemptions always provide the best value.
If you're like TPG credit cards writer Ryan Wilcox and prefer a simple redemption option, you can redeem Venture Rewards Capital One miles at a fixed value of 1 cent each toward travel bookings made through Capital One Travel or use them to offset any recent travel purchase (again, at a rate of 1 cent per mile).
If you're not seeking travel rewards, you can redeem your miles for gift cards, cash back or on Amazon and PayPal purchases — but know it will be at subpar redemption rates.
Similarly, you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed toward travel at a fixed value or transferred. As mentioned, if you book travel reservations through Chase Travel, points have a fixed value of 1.25 cents each. You can also redeem points for gift cards and cash back, but you'll only get 1 cent per point in value.
Winner: Sapphire Preferred. You'll get a more favorable 1.25 cents per point when redeeming for travel at a fixed rate, while you can also get a rate of 1 cent per point when redeeming for cash rewards or statement credits.
Related: How to use your Capital One miles for maximum value
Transferring rewards on the Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
You can squeeze more value from your Capital One miles by transferring them to Capital One's 15-plus airline and hotel transfer partners. Most transfers are at a 1:1 ratio. Since the card earns 2 Capital One miles per dollar on everyday spending, you're earning up to 2 airline miles or hotel points per dollar spent on every purchase — depending on the specific program to which you transfer your miles.
Similarly, the way to get top value from your Chase Ultimate Rewards points is by transferring them to one of Chase's airline and hotel partners, including valuable options like United MileagePlus, Iberia Plus and World of Hyatt.
Winner: Sapphire Preferred. Chase Ultimate Rewards gets the edge for offering more lucrative transfer options (namely United and Hyatt, which are not Capital One partners).
Related: The best ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Should I get the Capital One Venture or Chase Sapphire Preferred?
While the value you can get from the cards depends heavily on your spending habits, most cardholders will be better off with the Sapphire Preferred. In most cases, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are more valuable than Capital One miles. Plus, the Sapphire Preferred earns more in bonus spending categories and offers better travel protections.
Bottom line
These two cards aren't mutually exclusive. After all, the Capital One Venture Rewards is one of the best Capital One credit cards, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best Chase credit cards on the market. They actually complement each other well if you own both.
You can use the Venture card for everyday purchases and the Preferred for travel and dining spending. Between the two sign-up bonuses, you could get at least $2,600 worth of travel in the first year for less than $200 in annual fees — a win-win if you sign up for both cards (see rates and fees for the Venture Rewards).
For more details, see our full reviews of the Venture Rewards and Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Apply here: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred
*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.