Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a popular travel reward card for good reason. The card offers many ways to quickly score points that are worth 1.25x when exchanged for travel…
You will earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 2x for all other travel purchases, 3x for lunch, online grocery shopping and streaming services, and 1x for everything else. The card also offers five types of travel insurance, potentially worth tens of thousands of dollars (and a lot of stress relief).
All things considered, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card easily justifies US $ 95 annual fee.
Capital One Venture X Vs. Reward Card Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Personal Encounters
How do these two titans of travel rewards stack up in direct comparison?
Rewards: Tie
On the surface, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card is the clear winner, with 10x on hotels and car rentals, 5x on flights, and 2x on everything else.
However, the Capital One card has smaller reward categories (three versus five offered with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card), and miles are really only redeemable for travel – heavy conversion penalties apply for cash refunds.
Since this is volume versus flexibility, I’ll call it a draw.
Bonuses: Capital One Venture X Reward Card
The Capital One Venture X reward card definitely outperforms the chase card in bonuses. Its welcome bonus is bigger and you can get more travel-related loans with Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card.
Annual Interest Rate: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card beats the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card with an annual interest rate of 15.99% -22.99% variable to the Capital One Venture X reward card 16.99% – 23.99% (variable)…
Annual fee: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is objectively a more affordable card with an annual fee of only US $ 95 vs. Capital One Venture X Rewards Card Bonus Card USD 395 (we will enter value after).
Perks: tie
Once again, the Capital One Venture X reward card makes a much stronger first impression. You will have access to over 1,300 Priority Pass international lounges and unlimited access to all-inclusive services in the Capital One Lounge. You will also get a great set of tools for booking through Capital One Travel, such as price freezes and price drop protection.
In comparison, the benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card provide better peace of mind. Trip Cancellation / Interruption Insurance, Baggage Delay Insurance, Travel Delay Insurance and Purchase Protection are all comforting security measures that Capital One does not offer.
Both lounge access and travel insurance offer relaxation while traveling, which is why I’ll call that a tie.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card pros and cons
Pros:
- Up to 10x miles ago – The Capital One Venture X Rewards Card offers unlimited industry-leading travel rewards.
- Generous welcome bonus and checkout credits – A welcome bonus of 100,000 miles plus $ 500 in combined annual travel credits means this card pays for itself pretty quickly.
- Capital One Travel is really useful – Tools like a 14-day price freeze and price drop protection can save you stress and money.
Minuses:
- Miles are not worth a dime each – Capital One penalizes you for converting miles into cash.
- Limited reward categories – Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card bonus rewards are travel-related, unlike its competitor.
- What USD 395 fee though – USD 395 cool for a credit card and if you don’t use travel loans annually it’s hard to justify.
Pros and cons of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Pros:
- Points have a multiplier of 1.25x – Your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are worth 1.25p each when redeemed for travel or in alternating tiers.
- Variety of award categories – Even when you are not traveling, you will earn 3x the money from streaming services, online grocery shopping and more.
- Expensive travel insurance – Travel cancellation / interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance and travel delay compensation are included in the price.
Minuses:
- Insufficient discharge points – Just $ 50 on hotel credit is a little sucks when compared to competitors over $ 500.
- 3x only applies to * online * grocery purchases – Disqualification of purchases in a store is an annoying restriction.
- No access to the waiting room – Even a few one-off passes would be nice, but no; with this card you will be waiting at the gate.
Why Choose Capital One Venture X Rewards Card
Maximum travel rewards
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card 10x and 5x Miles Categories cannot be affected. And since you also get 2x more on everything else, this card will pay for lots future travel.
Statement credits cover an annual fee
USD 395 starts to make sense when you consider that this card includes $ 500 worth of annual travel ticket credits for things like Airbnbs, TSA PreCheck, and Capital One Travel bookings.
Why Choose Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Glasses are good for travel or cash back
Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points cost a penny each or 1.25p if used for travel, so it won’t hurt you this month when you need cash in lieu of your plane ticket.
Lower annual fees
With a relatively modest annual fee of US $ 95, you will not feel the need to make the most of the benefits of this card to get a return on your investment.
Summary
Depending on the type of traveler you are, one of these cards is likely to make the perfect travel companion.
You may prefer a Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card if – you already spend over $ 5,000 a year on travel and plan to spend all of your bonus points on additional travel.
You may prefer a Chase Sapphire Preferred® card if – you have been traveling for a while, but not all the time, and would like to retain the ability to convert your points into cash without penalties.