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The Capital One Venture and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are designed for travelers who also enjoy decent rewards for everyday purchases.
While the cards appear similar in a number of areas, there are some crucial differences that will determine which one is the best option for you.
General Comparison
Compare Rewards: Which Card Gives More?
We’ve looked at a few aspects of the two cards, but putting the actual rewards into context can be a little tricky without a scenario comparison.
Since these cards prioritize travel rewards and benefits, we’ll assume that you’re a frequent traveler, flying every month to make our comparison. We will also assume that you use the credit card portal to book your flights and hotels.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers far more points with a higher conversion ratio, and therefore its considered as one of the best travel cards out there. Since this card also offers decent points on everyday items, it means that you don’t need to rely on travel purchases to boost your rewards balance.
Compare Welcome Bonus And Fees
This is the first area of comparison and at first glance, the sign up bonuses appear the same. However, there are some subtle differences. Both cards offer decent sign up bonus.
While both cards offer nice welcome bonuses, Capital One offers bonus miles while Chase credit cards offer bonus points. In real terms, the miles are typically worth $0.01 each, so you’ll get $600 dollars as your sign up bonus. However, if you use your points for travel via the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, they will be worth approximately $750.
Both cards also have no foreign transaction fees and an annual fee of $95 . The only real difference in the fees is in the balance transfer fee.
Compare The Perks
Capital One Venture
- Access to Premium Experiences: This includes five star meals, VIP tickets and more.
- Capital One Lounge: You can use the Capital One Lounge twice a year for free with luxury amenities.
- Capital One Travel: Capital One will price match any trips to help you to find the best deals
- TSA Precheck and Global Entry credit: You’ll get up to $100 credit for your application fee when you pay with your card.
- Hertz Five Star Status: This provides access to a wider variety of vehicles and you can skip the counter queues.
- Auto Collision Rental Damage Waiver: If you charge the entire cost of your rental to your card, you’ll have supplemental theft and collision damage cover for free.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Ultimate Rewards Additional Value: You’ll get 25% more for your points when you redeem them through the Ultimate Rewards portal.
- Anniversary Bonus: You’ll get bonus points for 10% of your total purchases from the previous year. So, if you spend $20,000, the following year, you’ll get 2,000 bonus points.
- Travel Interruption/Cancelation Insurance: If you book your trip with your card, you’ll be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip if your trip is cut short or canceled due to covered situations.
- Baggage Delay Insurance: You’ll receive up to $100 per day for five days for essential purchases if your baggage is delayed by your passenger carrier. You’ll also get up to $500 per ticket if your common carrier travel is delayed for over 12 hours.
- Auto Collision Rental Damage Waiver: If you charge the entire cost of your rental to your card, you’ll have supplemental theft and collision damage cover for free.
- Purchase Protection: New purchases are covered for up to 120 days against theft or damage. There is a claim limit of $500 and $50,000 per account. You’ll also get extended warranty protection on eligible warranties.
- TSA Precheck and Global Entry credit: You’ll get up to $100 credit for your application fee when you pay with your card.
Compare The Drawbacks
Of course, like all credit cards, the Capital One Venture and Chase Sapphire Preferred have potential drawbacks that may influence whether they are a good choice for you.
So, here we’ll highlight possible negatives, so you can make an informed decision.
Capital One Venture
- Less Attractive Rewards
The Capital One Venture offer less attractive rewards rate compared to the Sapphire Preferred card. Generally, you'll get more Sapphire Preferred points Sapphire Preferredcard if you spend the same amount of money, as well as some unique bonuses.
- Less Benefits
Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a couple of unique benefits such as baggage delay insurance, anniversary bonus and varied protections that you won't be able to get on the Venture card.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Booked through Chase
If you like to search the internet for the best possible travel deals, you’ll get penalized in your rewards. Unless you book through Chase, you’ll miss out on cash back.
Compare Redemption Options
Since the Capital One Venture pays in miles, the redemption methods are tailored towards travel products. You can redeem your card rewards for travel in two ways.
Redeem for Past Travel: If you’ve booked your travel through your preferred travel agent, website or resource using your Capital One card, you just need to sign into your Capital One account and select the “Cover Your Travel Purchases” under the Rewards tab. Alternatively, log into the Capital One portal and explore the travel offers.
You can also call the Rewards Center to receive an account credit to cover the cost with your miles.
Chase offers several ways to redeem your rewards. These include:
- Statement credit or a direct deposit: There is no minimum to redeem your rewards in this way and direct deposits are acceptable for most U.S banks.
- Amazon shopping: You can also use your rewards to pay for all or part of eligible Amazon.com orders when you link your card to your Amazon account.
- Gift cards: Chase has a variety of gift card options including for dining, entertainment and shopping.
- Travel rewards. You can leverage the Chase Ultimate Rewards platform to access competitive rates for travel products including hotel stays and flights.
How to Maximize Cards Benefits?
If you want to make the best use of your Capital One Venture card, there are some tips to help you:
Ensure you book your trips through the Capital One portal to increase your rewards to 5 miles per dollar instead of the standard 2 miles.
Watch your spending during the first three months. You’ll earn 75,000 miles once they spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
Use your card for your application fees: You’ll receive a credit of up to $100 when you sign up for TSA Precheck and Global Entry with your card.
If you want to make the best use of your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, there are some tips to help you:
Book travel through Chase: We touched on this above, but if you want maximum rewards, try to book all your travel via the card platform. You’ll get higher cash back rates and access to the free insurance products.
Check the eligible product list for the extended warranty protection. This coverage only applies to certain products, so check the list before you make a major purchase.
Buy your Peloton Before 31 March 2022. If you’re considering buying a Peloton, make sure you make your purchase before the end of March 2022, to get 5x points.
Customer Reviews: Which Card Wins?
Capital One Venture satisfied cardholders report that the card is easy to use with a simple reward structure. There are also positive comments about the fantastic travel benefits package associated with the card.
Negative reviews report there is some frustration that there are minimal rewards for non travel purchases. While this card is great for traveling, it doesn’t really offer decent rewards for your everyday purchases.
Satisfied cardholders report the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers some great rewards for travelers, particularly when you book through the Chase platform. There are also some nice travel benefits that are not offered with the Venture card.
Negative reviews report frustration with the customer service offered by Chase Travel. This is actually a third party company and if you do run into a problem, you may need to spend some time on the phone sorting it out.
When You Might Want the Venture Card?
The Capital One Venture Card is a good option for those who:
- Enjoy using miles to cover your travel plans
- Are looking for a card that focuses on travel benefits and rewards
- Enjoy luxury touches such as airport lounges and VIP experiences
When the Chase Sapphire Preferred Wins?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for those who:
- Are comfortable booking travel through Chase
- Are frequent travelers that will make good use of the travel benefits
- Like streaming services and shopping online
Compare The Alternatives
Both of these cards offer some excellent rewards for frequent travelers, particularly if you redeem your rewards on travel products. However, the differences between these two cards will determine which is the better choice for you.
Lastly, there are some alternatives that you may want to take a look before applying.
FAQ
There is no sort of limit in place how much cash back or rewards that you can earn when you are using this card over time.
Yes, you are able to pre-qualify for the Chase Sapphire Preferred. This means that you know if you can get this card without having to go through a hard credit check initially.
You can do so in a number of ways, such as spending your accumulated miles directly on travel purchases, or redeem as cash, using at participating retailers, and so on.
The reward points that you earn through making purchases with the Capital One Venture card will not expire once you keep your account open.
