Credit Cards Travel Credit Cards

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve^®: Low Fee or Premium Benefits Win?

The premium Chase Sapphire Reserve and beginner-friendly Capital One Venture have wildly different annual fees and benefits, but both can be worthwhile if you know how to use them.

By Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®
and Harrison Pierce

Edited by Yahia Barakah, CEPF

Updated June 27, 2025

4.7

5.0

Up to $300 in annual travel credits
Great rewards on travel purchases and dining
Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
Comprehensive travel protections, including trip delay and cancellation insurance
Points are worth up to 2x on select hotels and flights when booking through Chase Travel

Our view

The Chase Sapphire Reserve^®(Rates and fees) is one of the best premium travel cards you can have in your wallet. With easy-to-use and highly valued benefits, including a host of statement credits, it can be worth the hefty annual fee if you're dedicated to getting your money's worth — but it makes you work for it.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another great product, but the comparison between these two isn't apples-to-apples. The Venture is more of a starter travel card. It's better for infrequent travelers who might be willing to graduate to a more lucrative card in the future but aren't looking for an expensive annual commitment right now.

If you're willing to pay more, you'll almost always get more benefits, and this holds true here. Although the Sapphire Reserve offers more potential value, you have to spend a lot, and wisely, to offset the annual fee and come out on top. If you wouldn't be able to take full advantage of every perk and credit of the Chase Sapphire Reserve, choose the Capital One Venture.

Learn how the Capital One Venture and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards compare here.

How we evaluate products

Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Capital One Venture is a great starter rewards card, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a premium pick with a premium price tag. Here's how they stack up.

	Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve^®
FinanceBuzz star ratings	4.7 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	5.0 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
FinanceBuzz value calculation¹ <p class="">These values are based on the <a href="https://financebuzz.com/financebuzz-credit-card-valuation">FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model</a>, which takes a look at rewards earned via spending, the welcome offer, and the annual fee. We used a valuation of 1 cent/point unless otherwise stated above. These are estimated values - your actual earnings will depend on how much you spend and in what categories.<br></p>	Year one earnings: $1,571 Year two earnings: $821	Year one earnings: $3,758 Year two earnings: $1,758
Annual fee	$95	$795
Welcome bonus	Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening — valued at $750 when redeemed for travel	Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening — valued at up to $2,500 when redeemed for travel booked through the Chase portal
Earning rate	2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25	8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠ (including The Edit℠), 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
Statement credits	Up to $120 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit $50 experience credit on Lifestyle Collection bookings	$300 travel credit Up to $120 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit Up to $300 in annual dining statement credits with participating restaurants through Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables (OpenTable) (up to $150 from January through June and up to $150 from July through December) Up to $500 in annual statement credits for prepaid hotel and resort bookings through The Edit travel collection (up to $250 from January through June and up to $250 from July through December). Two night minimum required; purchases that qualify will not earn points Up to $300 in annual statement credits for tickets purchased through StubHub through December 31, 2027 (up to $150 in statement credits from January through June, and up to $150 in statement credits from July through December). Activation required. Up to $120 in annual statement credits for Peloton membership through December 31, 2027. Activation required.
Travel perks	Hertz Five Star status Basic travel protections	Priority Pass Select membership Comprehensive travel protections Complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status through December 31, 2027 (requires activation)
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent
	Learn more	Learn more

When to go with the Capital One Venture

The Capital One Venture might be the better option if:

You want a lower annual fee
You are looking for a starter credit card
You prefer Capital One's unique transfer partners

If none of these describe you, skip on over to the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Low annual fee

The Capital One Venture has a $95 annual fee, whereas the Chase Sapphire Reserve has a $795 annual fee. Clearly, if you want to save money on an annual fee, you won't choose the Sapphire Reserve.

Although the Venture requires excellent credit, it's still largely a starter travel card. You pay a low annual fee to get a decent set of benefits and there's very little risk or strategizing involved. If you're new to the points and miles world, getting the Venture could be a good way to get your feet wet before you graduate to a more rewarding card. Although, for what it's worth, we wouldn't consider the ultra-premium Chase Sapphire Reserve to be the next step above a starter card.

Everyday earnings

The other place where the Venture outshines the Sapphire Reserve is in non-bonus category earnings.

The Sapphire Reserve earns 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠ (including The Edit℠), 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases.

The Venture Rewards earns 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25.

While the difference on the non-bonus categories might not seem like a huge difference, there are plenty of purchases you make on a day-to-day basis that wouldn't qualify for typical bonus earning categories. Being able to earn more miles on these purchases allows you to accumulate a solid chunk of miles for your next trip.

Unique transfer partners

Capital One heavily focuses on international airline partners. If you frequently travel internationally, these might be more valuable. On the other hand, Chase focuses on domestic airline and hotel brands. If you regularly travel within the U.S., this can be a great option. I prefer Capital One's transfer partners over Chase's, but this is entirely a personal preference and will depend on your travel goals. If you want access to both sets of partners, you can have cards issued from both issuers.

When to go with the Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is the better choice if:

You want airport lounge access
You want comprehensive travel protections
You want greater value for your points
You can utilize the annual travel credit and statement credits

Statement credits

The Sapphire Reserve offers up to $120 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry statement credits plus up to a $300 annual travel credit, automatically applied toward annual travel purchases on the card, which helps offset the annual fee. The Reserve also includes up to $500 in statement credits for prepaid bookings through The Edit's hotel collection (up to $250 from January through June and up to $250 from July through December) and up to $300 in annual dining credits with participating restaurants through Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables (up to $150 from January through June and up to $150 from July through December). If you manage to use all the statement credits available to you, you can do better than offsetting the annual fee.

Although some credit cards, like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, require you to redeem your travel credit through the travel portal, the Sapphire Reserve's general travel credit is flexible and easy to use. You just spend with the card, and Chase will automatically apply the credit to eligible purchases.

The only statement credit offered by the Capital One Venture is up to $120 for the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee once every four years.

Airport lounge access

The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a Priority Pass Select membership, which includes unlimited access to more than 1,300 airport lounges within the Priority Pass network. It also grants access to Sapphire Lounges by The Club. Although only a few locations are currently open, it's a quickly growing network that will be more valuable in the coming years.

The Capital One Venture previously gave cardholders two free visits per year to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges. Unfortunately, this benefit ended on December 31, 2024.

Higher point valuation

Chase Ultimate Rewards points have a base value of 1 cent per point, but their travel redemption values vary depending on which Chase credit card you have. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, travel redemptions through Chase Travel℠ could be worth between 1 and 2 cents per point. The base value is 1 cent for all cardholders, but you could qualify for up to 2 cents per point on select airline tickets and hotel bookings with the Reserve through the Points Boost program.

Note that prior to June 2025, when Chase rolled out the Points Boost program, Sapphire Reserve cardholders received a 50% bonus when booking through Chase Travel — so 10,000 points would automatically be valued at $150 through the Chase Travel portal.

Capital One miles are worth 1 cent per mile if you redeem them for travel. Thus, 10,000 miles have a redemption value of $100.

Travel coverage

Both cards offer travel protections, but the Sapphire Reserve has the most comprehensive coverage.

	Capital One Venture (World Elite Mastercard)² <p class="">For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.<br></p>	Chase Sapphire Reserve (Visa Infinite)
Trip delay reimbursement	No	Yes, up to $500 per ticket
Trip cancellation/ interruption insurance	Yes, up to $1,500	Yes, up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip
Baggage delay insurance	Yes, up to $100 per day for three days	Yes, up to $100 per day for five days
Lost luggage reimbursement	Yes, up to $1,500 per incident up to two incidents every 12 months	Yes, up to $3,000 per passenger
Auto rental collision damage waiver	Yes, primary if you do not have existing insurance/ secondary if you do	Yes, primary
Emergency evacuation and transportation	No	Yes, up to $100,000
Travel accident insurance — death and dismemberment	Yes, up to $1,000,000	Yes, up to $1,000,000
Emergency Medical and Dental	No	Yes, up to $2,500
Roadside assistance	Roadside dispatch available, but any cost is paid by the cardholder	Yes, up to $50 per incident four times per year

Partner benefits

As a Sapphire Reserve cardholder, you get benefits from several different partners. You can earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through September 2027, a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership for a minimum of one year (activate by 12/31/2027), 10x total points on eligible Peloton purchases over $150 (up to 50,000 total points) through December 31, 2027, and a suite of benefits on hotel bookings through The Edit.

In comparison, the Venture Rewards card only offers Hertz Five Star status and a $50 experience credit to use onsite when booking a Lifestyle Collection property.

Transfer partners

Both the Capital One Venture and Chase Sapphire Reserve allow you to transfer points and a 1:1 ratio to several leading programs. There's some overlap between the transfer partners. For instance, both cards offer transfers to Air Canada, Emirates, Air France/KLM, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic. However, each has unique transfer partners that might be more or less valuable, depending on where you like to fly or which hotels you want to visit.

Partners unique to Capital One:

Aeromexico Club Premier
Cathay Pacific ‒ Asia Miles
Avianca LifeMiles
Choice Privileges
Etihad Guest
Finnair Plus
Qantas Frequent Flyer
TAP Miles&Go
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Wyndham Rewards

Partners unique to Chase:

AerClub, loyalty program of Aer Lingus
Iberia Plus
JetBlue TrueBlue
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
United MileagePlus
IHG Rewards Club
Marriott Bonvoy
World of Hyatt

A closer look at the welcome bonuses

The Capital One Venture offers a welcome bonus. New cardholders can enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. This gives a total value of $750.

The Sapphire Reserve allows new cardholders to earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This could be worth up to $2,500 when redeemed for travel through Chase Travel.

FAQs

Is the Capital One Venture a good card to use abroad?

Yes, the Capital One Venture is a good card to use abroad because it has no foreign transaction fees.

Can I upgrade my Chase Sapphire Preferred to Reserve without a hard inquiry?

Yes, you can typically upgrade your Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card to Reserve without a hard inquiry after a year as a cardholder. Note that you typically won't receive a welcome bonus if you upgrade. A new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you previously had the same card, previously earned a new cardmember bonus for the same card, or if you currently have any other Sapphire personal card.

Is Capital One Venture better than the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card?

The Venture is different from the Quicksilver — one isn't better. The Quicksilver is a no-annual-fee cash back card with an extended low intro APR offer, while the Venture is a miles-earning travel card with an annual fee. These cards are targeted to different consumers.

Can I get hotel credit from Chase Sapphire Reserve?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers an annual travel credit, which can be used on hotel stays.

Does Capital One Venture offer TSA PreCheck?

Yes, the Capital One Venture credit card offers a $120 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee statement credit once every four years.

Bottom line

There's no question that the Chase Sapphire Reserve is the better credit card when compared to the Capital One Venture Rewards. However, you're comparing apples to oranges — a $95 annual fee card will have different benefits than a $795 annual fee card.

When deciding on a credit card, analyze your spending habits and travel goals to ensure the card of your choosing aligns with your lifestyle. Although the Sapphire Reserve is a fantastic card, it might not be the most suitable option for someone who rarely travels in the same way the Venture might not be ideal for a full-time digital nomad.

You can always pair them to maximize your benefits if you can't decide between them. I have the opposite pairing — the Venture X with the Sapphire Preferred, but the benefits are comparable. Pairing cards tend to unlock their full potential.

Premium Travel Benefits

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

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Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

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Rates and fees

Current Offer

Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee

$795

Rewards Rate

8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠ (including The Edit℠), 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Card Details