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Both the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) earn valuable rewards and offer high-end benefits. But which one is best for your lifestyle?
CNBC Select walks through the rewards, benefits and fees of both cards so you can choose the one that aligns with your financial and travel needs.
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with luxury perks including, hotel credits, complimentary hotel elite status, travel credits, dining credits, rideshare and delivery benefits and much more.
- Access Priority Pass lounges, including unlimited access to Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club locations.
- Up to $300 in annual travel credit each account anniversary year
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Top-tier travel and shopping protections
- High annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
- Complicated list of benefits
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase TravelSM, including The EditSM and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases.
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, a statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Get up to $150 in statement credits from January through June and again from July through December for a maximum of $300 annually when you dine at restaurants part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary subscriptions to Apple TV and Apple Music for a minimum of one year when activated by June 22, 2027, a value of $324 annually.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium credit card with a myriad of benefits and a lower annual fee than other high-end cards with similar features.
- Annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Travel
- 10,000 bonus miles after every card anniversary
- Unlimited complimentary access to 1,300+ airport lounges, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations
- Long list of valuable travel and shopping protections, including return protection, rental car coverage and trip delay reimbursement (Benefit(s) only available to accounts approved for the Visa Infinite card. Terms apply.)
- Limited bonus spending categories compared to other premium credit cards
- High annual fee
- High credit score requirement (excellent credit)
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 and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and participating Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- 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
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fees
$0
Welcome bonus
The Capital One Venture X offers a limited-time welcome bonus of 75,000 Capital One miles after spending $4,000 within the first three months. Capital One miles can be redeemed through the Capital One Travel portal or transferred to one of 15+ travel loyalty programs. When these miles are redeemed through the Capital One Travel portal, they're worth $750.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is offering new cardholders the chance to earn 100,000 Ultimate Rewards® points after they spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Similar to Capital One miles, Chase points can be redeemed through the Chase Travel℠ portal or transferred to one of its 14 airline and hotel partners. This bonus is worth at least $1,000 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. You can earn more rewards with the current welcome bonus.
Earning points
Each card has its own unique spending categories, so you'll want to choose based on where you spend the most money.
The Capital One Venture X earns:
- 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles on all other eligible purchases
The Sapphire Reserve earns:
- 8X points on purchases made through Chase Travel, including The Edit℠
- 4X points on flights booked direct
- 4X points on hotels booked direct
- 3X points on dining worldwide
- 1X points on all other purchases
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. The card offers broader bonus categories, especially for travel. Though if you do most of your travel bookings through issuer portals and don't spend a lot on dining, the Venture X could be more appealing.
Redeeming points
With the Capital One Venture X, you have a few redemption options to choose from. You can cover recent travel-related purchases with statement credits or redeem miles for travel through the Capital One Travel portal at a rate of 1 cent per point. You can also redeem miles for gift cards or cash back, but the redemption rate is less than one 1 per point. Overall, the most valuable way to redeem Capital One miles is to transfer them to one of Capital One's travel loyalty program partners, which are as follows:
Capital One transfer partners
| Capital One transfer partners | Transfer ratio |
|---|---|
| Accor Live Limitless | 2:1 |
| Aeromexico Rewards | 1:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 |
| British Airways Club | 1:1 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1:1 |
| Choice Privileges | 1:1 |
| Emirates Skywards | 4:3 |
| Etihad Guest | 1:1 |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | 4:3 |
| Finnair Plus | 1:1 |
| Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) | 1:1 |
| I Prefer Hotel Rewards | 1:2 |
| JAL Mileage Bank | 4:3 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 5:3 |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | 1:1 |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | 1:1 |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 1:1 |
| Virgin Red | 1:1 |
| Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 |
The Chase Sapphire Reserve provides similar redemption options but with different values. Firstly, you can redeem your Ultimate Rewards points by booking travel through Chase's travel portal for at least 1 cent per point. But thanks to Chase's aforementioned Points Boost feature, points can be worth up to 2 cents apiece toward select travel.
You can also redeem Ultimate Rewards points for cash back or statement credits (1 cent per point), gift cards, merchandise and more. Transferring points to one of Chase's loyalty program partners can net the most value:
Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer partners
| Chase transfer partner | Transfer ratio for Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Sapphire Reserve for BusinessSM cards | Transfer ratio for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| The British Airways Club | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Flying Blue (Air France and KLM) | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Iberia Club | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| United MileagePlus | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| IHG One Rewards | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| World of Hyatt | 1:1 | 4:3 |
| Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 | 1:1 |
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. While both cards offer a variety of redemption options, the Sapphire Reserve offers the potential for boosted rewards value on select travel bookings and higher value for cash-back redemptions.
Benefits
Both cards come with a list of features, including travel and lifestyle benefits. When analyzing these perks, it's important to reflect on your own needs to determine which perks you would take advantage of. The more benefits you can use, the faster you'll offset the cost of the annual fee.
The Capital One Venture X comes with:
- $300 travel credit: $300 Capital One Travel credit to use toward purchases made through Capital One Travel
- Airport lounge access: Access to Priority Pass™ and Capital One Lounge and Landing locations
- 10,000 bonus anniversary miles: 10,000 bonus miles each year, starting on your first account anniversary
- $120 TSA PreCheck®/Global Entry credit: Up to $120 every four years after you apply for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
- Complimentary Hertz President's Circle status*: Benefits include the option to skip the counter and e-return, the widest vehicle selection, guaranteed upgrades, free additional driver and more
- Cell phone insurance**: Up to $800 in coverage if your phone is stolen or damaged
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note that enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
**Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with:
- $300 annual travel credit: Up to $300 back as statement credits for any purchases that register as travel on your card statement
- Airport lounge access: Enroll to receive unlimited access to Priority Pass lounges, including Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations and select Air Canada lounges
- Global Entry, NEXUS or TSA PreCheck® credit: Up to $120 in statement credits every four years for application fees for these programs
- Credit for stays with The EditSM: Up to $500 in annual credits for prepaid stays with The Edit by Chase Travel, a selection of luxury hotels and resorts. Earn up to $250 in statement credits on up to two bookings per year (minimum two-night stay required)
- $250 Chase Hotels credit: Up to a $250 credit for select Chase Travel Hotel stays of two nights or more, made before Dec. 31, 2026
- $300 annual dining credit: Up to $150 in dining credits twice per year via the Sapphire Exclusive Tables program on OpenTable. Earn a $150 credit at eligible restaurants between Jan. 1 and June 30, and between July 1 and Dec. 31
- StubHub and viagogo credits: Up to $300 in annual StubHub and viagogo credits for concerts or events (up to $150 semiannually through Dec. 31, 2027; activation required)
- Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions: Up to $288 in annual value through complimentary Apple TV and Apple Music subscriptions (activation required; subscriptions run through June 22, 2027)
- Peloton membership: Up to $120 annual credits for Peloton memberships through Dec. 31, 2027 ($10 in monthly credit; activation required)
- IHG Elite Status: Complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status (through Dec. 31, 2027)
- Lyft perks: Up to $120 in annual, in-app Lyft credits (up to $10 in credit per month) through Sept. 30, 2027
- DoorDash perks: Enroll to receive a year of complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership when you activate by Dec. 31, 2027. Plus, earn up to $300 in annual DoorDash value through promos, including $5 in monthly promo credit at restaurants and two $10 monthly discounts on non-restaurant orders (through Dec. 31, 2027)
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. Though both cards have similar lounge access, travel credits and trusted traveler program perks, the Sapphire Reserve features a much longer list of statement credit opportunities. Given the card's high annual fee, though, you may be willing to sacrifice benefits in favor of a lower yearly cost.
Annual fee
It's important to consider the annual fee before applying for a premium credit card. High annual fees typically mean the card comes with a long list of perks and statement credits that can help offset the cost. To get the most value out of your card, it's important to take advantage of as many benefits as possible.
The Venture X has a $395 annual fee, while the Sapphire Reserve has a $795 annual fee. Additionally, the Venture X doesn't charge an annual fee for authorized users (though there's a $125 annual fee if you want them to have lounge access), while the Sapphire Reserve charges $195 per year.
Winner: Capital One Venture X. The annual fee is much more manageable, and even if you want your authorized user to have lounge access, it's a $70 cheaper than the Sapphire Reserve's yearly fee.
Which card should you get?
The Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve are excellent rewards cards for those who enjoy traveling regularly. While both cards have great benefits and generous bonus categories, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is likely the best option.
Despite its higher annual fee, the Sapphire Reserve's wider range of benefits (including hundreds of dollars more in statement credit value), Points Boost feature and massive 100,000-point welcome bonus make it an optimal premium travel rewards card.
It's important to remember that there isn't a single best credit card for everyone. The best travel credit card is the one that benefits you the most through its features, spending categories and rewards and aligns with your budget and spending style.
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For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
