Shelling out lots of of {dollars} in annual charges for premium bank cards isn’t for everybody, particularly while you’re new to the factors and miles world. Fortunately, there are many journey bank cards that may set you again lower than $100 a 12 months and nonetheless earn you profitable rewards that can assist you e-book that epic journey of your desires.
Related: The finest starter journey bank cards
Among the highest playing cards on this class are the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Both include manageable annual charges for newbies and consultants alike, at $95 per 12 months. Additionally, the Capital One rewards program underwent some main modifications in 2021 to turn into much more invaluable, and each playing cards are at present providing related welcome bonuses.
Let’s check out how these two playing cards stack up in a head-to-head comparability.
Comparing Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
Here are the fundamentals of every of those two playing cards within the main classes:
Card particulars | Chase Sapphire Preferred | Capital One Venture Rewards |
---|---|---|
Annual price | $95. | $95. |
Sign-up bonus | Earn 60,000 bonus factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. | Earn 75,000 bonus miles while you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. |
Everyday spend incomes charge | 1 level per greenback. | 2 miles per greenback. |
Bonus classes | 5 factors per greenback on all journey bought by means of Chase Ultimate Rewards.
5 factors per greenback on Lyft rides by means of March 31, 2025. 3 factors per greenback on eating, choose streaming providers and on-line grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale golf equipment). 2 factors per greenback on all different journey. 1 level per greenback on all different purchases. |
5 miles per greenback on resorts and rental automobiles booked by means of Capital One Travel.
2 miles per greenback on all different purchases. |
Value of factors/miles | 1.25–2 cents every. | 1–1.85 cents every. |
Foreign transaction charges | None. | None. |
Travel protections | Primary auto rental protection, journey cancellation and interruption insurance coverage, baggage delay insurance coverage, journey delay reimbursement, journey and emergency help providers, misplaced baggage insurance coverage. | Secondary auto rental protection, journey accident insurance coverage, roadside help, 24-hour journey help providers.* |
Other advantages | $50 annual lodge credit score, 10% annual factors bonus, prolonged guarantee safety and buy safety. | Two complimentary visits to Capital One’s airport lounges yearly, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck utility price credit score as much as $100 each 4 years, prolonged guarantee safety.* |
* Benefits solely accessible to accounts accepted for the Visa Signature card. Terms apply.
Sign-up bonus
Both playing cards are at present providing strong sign-up bonuses that may present a ton of worth to new cardholders.
Capital One Venture: The Venture Rewards card is providing 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on the cardboard throughout the first three months of account opening. At the very least, the bonus will get you $750 in journey if you happen to redeem at a hard and fast worth immediately by means of Capital One. However, the worth of the sign-up bonus rises to $1,388* if you happen to switch your miles to Capital One’s airline or three lodge switch companions, based mostly on TPG’s valuations of 1.85 cents per Capital One mile.
*Bonus worth is an estimated worth calculated by TPG and never the cardboard issuer. View our newest valuations right here.
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Chase Sapphire Preferred: The Sapphire Preferred provides 60,000 bonus factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Since factors are price 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed by means of the Chase Ultimate Rewards journey portal, the bonus is assured to be price at the very least $750 in journey (earlier than factoring within the assertion credit). But you may get a fair higher return by leveraging Chase’s airline or lodge switch companions.
If you determine to switch, TPG values Ultimate Rewards factors at 2 cents every, making this bonus price $1,200. Although, take into account that if you happen to’ve opened 5 or extra private playing cards with any issuer up to now 24 months, you received’t be eligible to get the Sapphire Preferred due to Chase’s 5/24 rule.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
It’s a detailed name, however given the array of invaluable switch companions with Chase, the Sapphire Preferred will get the nod. However, if you happen to’re not inquisitive about transferring your factors, the Venture comes out on prime. Even although the playing cards’ bonuses have an identical redemption worth when used immediately for journey, the $750 in Venture miles would not require reserving by means of Capital One Travel, whereas Chase does.
Related: How (and why) it’s best to earn transferable factors in 2023
Earning
Capital One Venture: 5 miles per greenback on resorts and rental automobiles booked by means of Capital One Travel; 2 miles per greenback on all different purchases.
Chase Sapphire Preferred: 5 factors per greenback on all journey bought by means of Chase Ultimate Rewards; 3 factors per greenback on eating, together with eligible supply providers, takeout and eating out; 3 factors per greenback on choose streaming providers; 3 factors per greenback on on-line grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale golf equipment); 2 factors per greenback on all different journey; 1 level per greenback on all different purchases.
Travel is outlined fairly broadly with the Sapphire Preferred and consists of some on a regular basis bills, comparable to tolls, parking and subway tickets. Dining consists of normal eating places, bars and occasional outlets, meals supply providers, and even most merchandising machines.
Winner: Tie.
The Capital One Venture comes out forward on on a regular basis spending, however it falls behind on the subject of particular classes.
Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred bank card assessment
Redeeming rewards
Both playing cards can help you redeem rewards towards many purchases — however journey redemptions at all times present the very best worth.
Capital One Venture: Capital One miles have turn into rather more invaluable over the previous few years. If it’s simplicity you’re after and also you don’t wish to fear about blackout dates or discovering award house, you may redeem your Venture miles at a hard and fast worth of 1 cent every towards journey bookings made by means of Capital One Travel. You may use them for assertion credit to offset any journey buy throughout the final 90 days (once more, at a charge of 1 cent per mile).
If, alternatively, you benefit from the thrill of reserving high-value premium cabin awards, you may squeeze extra worth out of your miles by transferring them to Capital One’s 17 airline and lodge switch companions. Most transfers at the moment are at a 1:1 ratio, and for the reason that card earns 2 Capital One miles per greenback on on a regular basis spending, you’re mainly incomes as much as 2 airline miles or lodge factors per greenback spent on each buy — relying on the particular program to which you switch your miles.
Some highlights of Capital One’s switch companions embody United flights to Hawaii for 7,500 miles one-way in financial system or 12,500 miles in enterprise class by means of Turkish Miles & Smiles, Lufthansa enterprise class with no gasoline surcharges by means of Avianca LifeMiles for 63,000 miles one-way and American Airlines enterprise class to Europe by means of Etihad Guest for 50,000 miles one-way.
If you’re not looking for journey rewards, you possibly can redeem your miles for present playing cards, money again or on Amazon and PayPal purchases — however know will probably be at subpar redemption charges.
Related: How to make use of your Capital One miles for optimum worth
Chase Sapphire Preferred: As with the Venture card, Ultimate Rewards factors might be redeemed towards journey at a hard and fast worth or transferred. As beforehand talked about, if you happen to e-book journey reservations by means of the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, factors have a hard and fast worth of 1.25 cents every.
However, the best way to get prime worth out of your factors is by transferring them to considered one of Chase’s 11 airline and three lodge companions, all at a 1:1 ratio. Partners embody acquainted applications comparable to United MileagePlus, British Airways Executive Club and World of Hyatt, providing you with many choices to e-book home and worldwide award journeys.
You may redeem factors for present playing cards and money again, however you’ll solely get 1 cent per level in worth.
Related: The finest methods to make use of Chase Ultimate Rewards factors
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Although the Capital One Venture card now provides extra switch companions, Chase Ultimate Rewards will get the sting for providing a higher variety of profitable switch choices (specifically United and Hyatt, which aren’t Capital One companions). Plus, you’ll get a extra favorable 1.25 cents per level when redeeming for journey at a hard and fast charge, whereas you can even get a charge of 1 cent per level when redeeming for money rewards or assertion credit.
While the flexibility to redeem Capital One miles to cowl any journey buy you make is sweet, the Chase Sapphire Preferred nonetheless provides the very best long-term worth on the subject of redemption decisions.
Related: Review of the Capital One Venture Rewards bank card
Other advantages
Understandably, you aren’t going to get as many perks with a $95-a-year card as you’ll with a premium card that prices lots of of {dollars} every year. Still, each playing cards supply an array of advantages that add much more worth.
Capital One Venture: Among the options of this card aren’t any overseas transaction charges, prolonged guarantee safety, buy safety and Visa Signature journey advantages, comparable to journey accident insurance coverage, misplaced baggage reimbursement and secondary auto rental protection. The card additionally provides two complimentary visits to Capital One’s airport lounges yearly and an as much as $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck utility price credit score. This is a perk typically seen on playing cards with larger annual charges, and it will probably make an enormous distinction in dashing up your journey by means of the airport. (Benefits solely accessible to accounts accepted for the Visa Signature card. Terms apply.)
Chase Sapphire Preferred: Since that is additionally a Visa Signature card, it provides virtually the identical advantages however kicked up a notch. Most notably, it consists of main rental automotive protection moderately than secondary, which implies that you would be able to submit claims on to your card’s advantages supplier with out involving your individual private insurance coverage coverage in any respect. Plus, the Sapphire Preferred’s journey advantages are additionally superior — as much as $500 in journey delay reimbursement if you happen to’re delayed greater than 12 hours or in a single day, as much as $10,000 in journey cancellation and interruption insurance coverage per particular person ($20,000 per journey) and as much as $100 per day for as much as 5 days in baggage delay reimbursement in case your bag is delayed greater than six hours.
On prime of that, the cardboard provides an annual $50 assertion credit score on lodge stays bought by means of the Chase Ultimate Rewards journey portal and a ten% anniversary factors bonus.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
The card provides an annual lodge credit score and extra intensive journey protections, together with journey delay and baggage delay reimbursement. Most importantly, the Sapphire Preferred provides main rental protection, whereas the Venture Card’s profit is secondary. If you’re ever concerned in a fender bender whereas in a rental automotive, the safety supplied by the Sapphire Preferred can prevent quite a lot of problem and cash.
While it’s good that the Venture Card provides the 2 airport lounge visits and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck utility price credit score, there are a variety of different playing cards that provide this as nicely.
Bottom line: Which one do you have to select?
In the Chase Sapphire Preferred versus the Capital One Venture Card battle, the Chase Sapphire Preferred comes out forward of the Capital One Venture Rewards. On paper, it provides a extra invaluable sign-up bonus, higher journey protections and superior redemption choices.
However, the best choice for you is determined by your private spending patterns and redemption targets on the finish of the day. For instance, the Venture card earns extra factors on on a regular basis spending, however it may be simpler to search out worth by means of Chase’s switch companions than with Capital One companions’ choice. The Sapphire Preferred provides extra intensive journey protections, however the Venture’s Global Entry or TSA PreCheck utility price credit score may be fairly invaluable down the road.
You don’t essentially want to think about the 2 playing cards as mutually unique. After all, the Capital One Venture Card is without doubt one of the finest Capital One bank cards, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred is without doubt one of the finest Chase bank cards in the marketplace immediately. They really complement one another if you happen to received each. Use the Venture card for on a regular basis purchases and the Preferred for eating and different journey spending.
Plus, between the 2 sign-up bonuses, you may get almost $3,000 price of journey within the first 12 months for lower than $200 in annual charges — a win-win if you happen to determine to enroll in each playing cards.
Official utility hyperlink: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card with 75,000 bonus miles after assembly minimal spend necessities.
Official utility hyperlink: Chase Sapphire Preferred with 60,000 bonus factors after assembly minimal spend necessities.
Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox.
Source: thepointsguy.com”