Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X: Deciding between 2 of the best travel cards
Editor's Note
Chase and Capital One are leaders in the travel rewards credit card space. If you're looking for your next travel rewards credit card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card are both great options to consider.
The Sapphire Preferred is a mid-tier travel card, while the Venture X is positioned as a premium card. Their annual fees reflect this positioning as well, with the Sapphire Preferred carrying a $95 annual fee and the Venture X a $395 annual fee.
Having a higher annual fee doesn't mean the Venture X is automatically the better card, as the Sapphire Preferred is quite a formidable opponent.
Both cards have their own transferable currency that they earn and various travel-related benefits. With the Sapphire Preferred, you'll earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, while you'll earn Capital One miles with the Venture X.
Let's jump into the similarities and differences with these cards and see which is a better fit to add to your wallet next.
Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X comparison
| Feature | Chase Sapphire Preferred | Venture X |
|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $95 | $395 |
Welcome bonus | Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening. |
Earning rates |
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Statement credits |
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Other card benefits |
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Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X welcome offer
New applicants for the Chase Sapphire Preferred can earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
TPG's December 2025 valuations peg the value of Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents apiece, making this welcome offer worth $1,538.
New applicants for the Venture X can earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening. TPG's December 2025 valuations peg the value of Capital One miles at 1.85 cents apiece, making this offer worth $1,850.
Winner: Venture X. Its current welcome bonus is worth over $300 more.
Related: Best credit card welcome offers this month
Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X benefits
Both cards offer similar benefits, such as no foreign transaction fees, shopping and travel protections, and primary rental car insurance.
The Sapphire Preferred offers cardholders:
- Up to a $50 hotel credit annually: Receive up to a $50 statement credit for eligible hotel bookings made through Chase Travel. Giselle Gomez, TPG's senior credit cards editor, used this credit for her MLB ballpark bucket list quest.
- Anniversary points bonus: Get 10% bonus points on the total spending made on your card in a given year.
- Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership (must enroll by Dec. 31, 2027): Olivia Mittak, a credit cards editor at TPG, values this benefit since she frequently uses DoorDash to get meals delivered.
- Baggage delay protection
Meanwhile, benefits unique to the Venture X include:
- Annual $300 Capital One Travel credit: Ben Smithson, TPG's senior points and miles writer, recently used this credit to book a flight over a long weekend when he couldn't find great value from award flights.
- 10,000-mile anniversary bonus: These bonus miles are worth $185 based on TPG's December 2025 valuations.
- Lounge access: Enjoy access to Capital One lounges and landings and a complimentary Priority Pass membership.
- Hertz Gold Rewards President's Circle status*
- TSA/Global Entry application fee credit
- Cellphone protection
- Ride-hailing protection
While the Venture X's travel credit can't be used outside Capital One Travel, it should still be relatively easy to use.
The Venture X provides excellent lounge access via entry to more than 1,300 Priority Pass lounges and Capital One's small but mighty network of five lounges (four lounges and one Capital One Landing).
The Venture X also includes cellphone protection, something the Sapphire Preferred lacks. However, the Sapphire Preferred has baggage delay insurance, which the Venture X does not offer.
Winner: Venture X. It provides substantially more value with the $300 Capital One Travel credit on bookings through Capital One Travel, anniversary bonus miles, lounge access, TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit and automatic elite status, but that's to be expected, as it has more than quadruple the annual fee of the Sapphire Preferred.
Related: Why you should add authorized users on the Capital One Venture X
Earning rewards with the Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X
Both cards earn at least 5 points or miles per dollar spent on travel booked through their respective portals; however, this may not be particularly useful to most, as I generally don't recommend booking through travel portals.
While the Sapphire Preferred has more bonus-earning categories, some are rather niche. It does earn 3 points per dollar spent in a few select bonus categories, including dining, which is a strong everyday bonus category, but others (like online grocery purchases or select streaming services) may not move the needle for everyone.
Meanwhile, the Venture X offers unmatched simplicity. You’ll earn at least 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases and won't have to remember bonus categories
Winner: Tie. The Sapphire Preferred has more bonus categories, but some of them are pretty niche; the Venture X provides simplicity with its earnings.
Related: Why I love my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — and will always keep it in my wallet
Redeeming rewards with the Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X
Your best bet for redeeming your rewards with either card is to use transfer partners. However, there are other redemption options for each card. Both cards' rewards can be redeemed for a fixed value in each issuer's respective travel portal, as well as for gift cards and cash back (though the latter two options provide the worst redemption value).
With the Sapphire Preferred, your points are worth up to 1.75 cents each through the Points Boost feature when redeemed for eligible travel booked via Chase Travel (see your rewards program agreement for full details). While this is still less than TPG's December 2025 valuation of Ultimate Rewards points, this serves as a solid backup redemption option if you're having trouble finding award availability.
With the Venture X, you can redeem miles at a fixed rate of 1 cent per mile for all travel-related purchases made on your card or for travel booked through Capital One Travel.
Winner: Sapphire Preferred. When redeeming points through Chase Travel, points are worth up to 1.75 cents each, whereas redeeming miles via Capital One Travel or for travel purchases are only worth 1 cent each.
Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits: Everything you need to know
Transferring rewards with the Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X
Transferring rewards you earn from either card provides maximum redemption value.
With the Sapphire Preferred, you'll have access to Chase's 13 airline and hotel partners. All partners transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
I typically transfer my Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt, as the program still uses a fixed-price award chart and provides me with outstanding value when traveling to popular destinations during peak or busy seasons.
Recently, I transferred 6,000 Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt for a brief overnight stay at the Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport, which would have cost me over $200.
With Capital One, you'll have access to 15-plus airline and hotel partners. However, not all partners (like EVA Airways) transfer at a 1:1 ratio. Chase does one-up Capital One in this area, as it has two U.S. airline partners, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines; Capital One has just one with JetBlue.
That said, both programs do have airline partners in each of the three major alliances: Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance, each of which you can also use to book domestic flights.
Augusta Stone, a credit cards writer at TPG, recently transferred 15,000 Capital One miles to Air France-KLM Flying Blue to book two one-way domestic Delta Air Lines flights.
Winner: Sapphire Preferred. Despite Capital One having more transfer partners, Chase slightly takes the edge, as it has Hyatt as a hotel partner and two domestic airline partners, and all of its transfer ratios are at a 1:1 rate.
Related: How to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value
Should I get the Sapphire Preferred or Venture X?
If you prefer solid travel protections for a lower annual fee and more U.S. airline transfer partners, then the mid-tier Sapphire Preferred is the way to go. However, if you're after a premium card with perks like lounge access, statement credits and more extensive travel protections, then I recommend opting for the Venture X.
Related: Why Capital One Venture X won the TPG Award for Best Premium Travel Credit Card
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card both deliver excellent travel value, but they serve different types of travelers.
The Venture X offers outsized premium perks like lounges, anniversary miles and simple earning, making it the better fit for frequent flyers who will reliably use those benefits and easily offset the higher annual fee.
However, the Sapphire Preferred remains one of the best mid-tier cards on the market. Its strong travel protections, flexible Chase Travel redemptions and access to high-value partners like Hyatt make it a powerhouse at about a quarter of the Venture X’s annual fee.
If you want premium perks and are comfortable paying for them, choose Venture X. If you prefer a lower annual fee with excellent value and top-tier transfer partners, the Sapphire Preferred is hard to beat. Depending on your travel patterns, either card (or even both) can be a strategic addition to your wallet.
To learn more, read our full reviews of the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Capital One Venture X.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Learn more: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
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.
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g., at hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program, and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.