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Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card: Capital One Delivers More Value

Updated
Lyle Daly
By: Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
Writer

Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. He writes for The Ascent and The Motley Fool, and his work has appeared in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.

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Nathan Alderman has worked with The Motley Fool since 2005, making errors his arch-enemies in a variety of roles including a six-year stint as the dedicated fact-checker for The Motley Fool's premium newsletter services. As The Ascent's Compliance Lead, he makes sure that all the site's information is accurate and up to date, which ensures we always steer readers right and keeps various financial partners happy. A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan spends his spare time volunteering for civic causes, writing and podcasting for fun, adoring his wife, and wrangling his two very large young children.

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Since launching in 2016, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has been one of the most popular travel cards. It has all kinds of perks, including a fantastic travel rewards program, for a premium price tag.

Five years later, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card launched with some similar benefits and a lower annual fee. I've used both of these credit cards. Each one has saved me over $10,000 on travel costs. Keep reading to see how they compare and figure out which one's right for you.

Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card overview

As of Jun. 18, 2024
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Chase Sapphire Reserve® Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®

On Chase's Secure Website.

Apply Now for Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

On Capital One's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Excellent (740-850)

Excellent (740-850)

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

60,000 bonus points

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. 75000 Miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

75,000 Miles

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel℠.

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases.

2X-10X miles

Intro APR:

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Intro APR:

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR:

22.49%-29.49% Variable

Regular APR:

19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Annual Fee: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

$550

Annual Fee:

$395

Highlights:

  • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
  • $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
  • Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
  • 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
  • Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
  • Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
  • Member FDIC

Highlights:

  • Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
  • Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
  • Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
  • Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
  • Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
  • Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
  • Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®

On Chase's Secure Website.

Apply Now for Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

On Capital One's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

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Why the Chase Sapphire Reserve might be the best choice

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has more valuable travel rewards. Both cards let you redeem points at a fixed rate for travel bookings. But with Capital One, you get a value of $0.01 per mile. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you get $0.015 per point on Chase Travel bookings. If you have 100,000 points/miles, they'd be worth $1,500 with Chase compared to $1,000 with Capital One.

Both of these travel credit cards also let you transfer your rewards to travel partners. While Capital One has more partners, Chase has better partners. These include two of the major U.S. airlines (United and Southwest) and one of the best hotel loyalty programs (World of Hyatt).

SEE MORE: Best Chase Credit Cards

When the Capital One Venture X Card could be the better option

It's much easier to get your money's worth with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. This card costs $155 less per year. It also effectively pays for itself with just two benefits: An annual travel credit and bonus miles each account anniversary. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a travel credit, but it's not enough to cover the annual fee.

This Capital One card also offers more rewards on everyday spending. It earns a base rate of 2X miles per $1 on purchases, so you get a lot of value no matter where you use it. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has more bonus categories, but its base rate is 1x point per $1.

SEE MORE: Best Capital One Credit Cards

Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card comparison

Next, we'll go into more detail on how these top credit cards compare in the key areas.

Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card annual fee

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a $550 annual fee. It also has a $300 annual travel credit, and since this covers any purchases Chase classifies as travel, it's a breeze to use. The card is still costing you $250, though. It also has some partner benefits and spending credits, but not everyone will be able to use them. Also, many of these perks are ending within a year.

For a high-end travel card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is more affordable at $395 per year. It has a $300 annual travel credit for bookings on Capital One Travel, and you get 10,000 bonus miles every year starting on your first anniversary as a cardholder. Since you can redeem rewards at $0.01 per mile, you could use 10,000 miles to cover $100 in travel. Overall, it's not hard to come out ahead on this card's annual fee.

Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card welcome offer

Both cards have practically identical welcome offers. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. And the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers the same: 75,000 bonus miles for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.

So, is this a tie? Not quite. Keep in mind that Chase Ultimate Rewards points are generally the more valuable travel rewards. If you redeem them through Chase Travel, they're worth $0.015 per point, meaning 60,000 bonus points are worth $900 in travel. Since Capital One Venture miles are worth $0.01 per mile, you could redeem 75,000 miles for $750 in travel.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card rewards

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is loaded with bonuses, particularly for travel and dining. Here's how much it earns (note that you don't earn points on travel purchases covered by this card's $300 annual travel credit):

  • 10x points per $1 on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Travel
  • 5x points per $1 on flights booked through Chase Travel
  • 3x points per $1 on other travel purchases
  • 3x points per $1 on dining, including eligible delivery services and takeout
  • 1x point per $1 on other purchases

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is light on bonus categories. Instead, it swaps those out for a higher base rate. It earns:

  • 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • 5X miles per $1 on flights booked through Capital One Travel
  • 2X miles per $1 on other purchases

Both cards earn the same rates (5 to 10 points/miles) on bookings in their own respective travel portals. The main difference is that the Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns 3x points on all other travel purchases, as well as dining. But it only earns 1x point per $1 everywhere else. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card doesn't have bonus travel and dining rewards, but it earns twice as much (2X miles per $1) on other purchases.

Most people will probably earn more back with Capital One. Even if you spend a lot of money on travel and dining, there's a good chance you spend more overall on all the rest of your bills, including groceries and gas, utilities, streaming services, online shopping, and so on.

Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Final take

Between these two cards, I'd pick the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. In fact, I did. It's the credit card I use most, while I downgraded my Chase Sapphire Reserve® because I didn't think paying the annual fee was worth it anymore. Capital One's most impressive travel card costs less and offers more value for the typical cardholder.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a quality card, and its rewards program is arguably the best in the business. It could also do with a refresh that adds in some new perks. But if you like its current features and the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, it could be the card for you.