Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture: Which offers more value? #CashNews.co

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.

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.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture offer these welcome bonuses:

• 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.

• Capital One Venture: Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. That’s worth $750 if you redeem your miles for travel through Capital One Travel.

The bonuses are nearly identical. Each requires a $4,000 minimum spend in exchange for $750 in rewards when booking through the card issuer’s travel platform.

Winner: It’s a toss-up

These cards begin to differentiate themselves in the rewards categories. Here are the rewards rates for the Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture:

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.

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:

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.

Here are some additional benefits you can take advantage of with both cards:

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.

• You prefer Chase transfer partners, including United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt

• You prefer Chase redemptions, including the option to pool points from multiple Chase credit cards

• You prefer this card’s travel benefits, such as receiving up to $50 in annual statement credits for booking hotel stays through Chase Travel

• 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.

• You prefer Capital One transfer partners, including Turkish Airlines and Wyndham Rewards

• You prefer Capital One’s redemptions, including the option to cover past travel purchases

• You prefer this card’s travel benefits, such as receiving a fee reimbursement for a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application

• 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.

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.

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

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

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

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