Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

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Welcome Bonus

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. You also earn bonus points each anniversary equal to 10% of the total purchases you made in the past year. So, if you spent $5,000, you'll get 500 bonus points.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You also get a $300 travel credit and 10,000 bonus miles on your cardmember anniversary. The bonus miles vary in value, depending on how you redeem them, but according to Capital One, this bonus is worth about $750.

These bonuses are very similar. They both require the exact same amount of spend in the same amount of time, and both are worth roughly the same amount of money. This is a tie.

Cash Back Rewards

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 5x points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x on dining, 3x points on online grocery purchases, 3x points on select streaming services, 2x points on other travel and 1x point on everything else. You also get a $50 hotel credit for hotel stays booked through Chase. Note that the grocery purchases must be made online and that this offer excludes Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs. This card also offers 25% more value for your points when you use them to purchase travel through Chase.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card earns you 2x miles on almost every purchase. However, you'll earn 10x points on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One and 5x points for flights. You can also get the $300 travel credit and the anniversary miles every year, which are worth about $100 in travel. You also get a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. You'll get access to the one Capital One airport lounge, or if your travels don't take you to Dallas/Fort Worth, you'll have access to Priority Pass airport lounges.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers more travel perks, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card does offer better rewards on streaming, online groceries, and restaurants. On the other hand, Capital One has a $300 travel credit, and Chase only has a $50 hotel credit. Which one is better for you depends on how often you travel and where you spend your money.

Here are the details for each card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Rewards:

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Rewards:  

Rates and Fees

The biggest difference between these two cards is the annual fee. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has an annual fee of $395 and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card‘s annual fee is $95.

Neither card is offering a 0% introductory APR, and neither card charges foreign transaction fees. It would seem an easy win for Chase, but the Capital One card has a statement credit and anniversary points that can slash the annual fee down to nothing. This is a close one, but we're going to give the nod to Chase for offering excellent value for an upfront low annual fee.

Who the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is Best For

There's no denying it, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a terrific card, even if you travel only a few times a year. Chase offers excellent travel benefits through Chase Ultimate Rewards. It also has many travel partners you can transfer the points to, thereby possibly getting more value out of your points. If you book a hotel through Chase, you can get a $50 hotel credit, lowering the annual fee to $45 a year. And the car rental insurance is primary insurance, which means if you get into an accident the credit card's insurance can cover your claim (Heads up: it doesn't cover liability insurance. Be sure to read the card's Guide to Benefits for more information on how this insurance works.)

Who the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is Best For

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is great value. With the $300 travel credit and the anniversary miles worth about $100, it's like Capital One is paying you $5 a year to carry this card. And, if you travel frequently and value a good airport lounge, Capital One offers access to over 1300 Priority Pass lounges. Also, Capital One can price match, so if you are booking a flight or a hotel and find a cheaper price, Capital One can match it. This is an excellent premium travel rewards card with great benefits for those who travel. But remember, if you don't travel in any given year, you'll be stuck shelling out $395 for the annual fee. The travel credit is pretty flexible, though.

Does It Make Sense to Get Both Cards?

Perhaps, but to get both bonuses, you would have to spend $8,000 in three months. This is fine if you were going to spend the money anyway, but if you run your cards up just to get the bonus, it's not worth it. Also, keep in mind that Chase has that 5/24 rule. This means that if you've applied for five or more credit cards within the last 24 months, Chase will likely deny your application, no matter what your credit score is. Also, keep in mind that if you do get both cards, you'll have to juggle benefits among two different ecosystems when you're planning a trip, Chase and Capital One. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does require more work.

Approval Odds

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Both cards require excellent credit and both seem to offer high credit limits. Apply for the card that works best for the way you travel.