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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.

See also: Best credit cards with no annual fee for 2025

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

Chase Sapphire Preferred: Earn 75,000 bonus points after $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening

Capital One Venture: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel

The Capital One Venture has a smaller spending requirement for the same amount of rewards .

Winner

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

Chase Sapphire Preferred:

5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel

3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases

2x points on all other travel purchases

1x points on all other purchases

Capital One Venture:

5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel

2x miles on all other purchases

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:

Chase Sapphire Preferred:

Travel

Dining

Experiences

Transfers to more than a dozen travel partners

Pool points from other eligible Chase credit cards

Pay Yourself Back

Cash back (electronic deposit or statement credit)

Gift cards

Apple online purchases

PayPal

Amazon

Capital One Venture:

Travel

Entertainment

Transfers to more than 15 travel partners

Cover past travel purchases

Cash back (mailed check or statement credit)

Gift cards

PayPal

Amazon

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:

Chase Sapphire Preferred:

25% points bonus to bookings made through the Chase Travel portal

Up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel

Anniversary points bonus of 10% of your total purchases made the previous year

Complimentary access to DashPass by DoorDash for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027

Travel protections (trip cancellation and interruption insurance, auto rental coverage, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, and travel accident insurance)

Purchase protections (purchase protection and extended warranty coverage)

No foreign transaction fees

Capital One Venture:

Up to a $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fees

$50 experience credit, room upgrades, and early check-in at eligible Lifestyle Collection hotels

Hertz Five Star elite status, offering free upgrades, a wider selection of vehicles, and more

Travel and purchase protections (specific coverage can vary by whether you’re issued a Visa or Mastercard)

No foreign transaction fees

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

Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn't include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

The Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve have a few overlapping benefits, but we found the Venture X wins out in most head-to-head scenarios.

Here are all the details you need to know about the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards.

While the Venture and VentureOne cards have similar rewards, they differ in annual fees, welcome offers, and added benefits.

While the Capital One VentureOne Card is a solid no-annual-fee option, other travel cards can offer higher rewards.

It’s a tough battle between the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve, but the best option for you depends on which benefits align with your overall needs.

The right travel credit card can help you earn points toward your next trip with the purchases you make most. These are the best travel cards right now.