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While Chase (together with Amex) is the nation's leading credit card provider, Capital One quickly closed the gap by adding more credit cards, especially for those looking for premium and luxury benefits.
Let's compare their credit card portfolio by category and see which of them is best for your needs.
Cashback Card Battle: What Capital One And Chase Offer?
Both Chase and Capital One offer cashback cards; each one has its benefits and limitations.
Overall, Chase cards are best for those who want to leverage Chase Ultimate Rewards for travel redemptions. Both offer robust travel and purchase protections with no annual fee.
Freedom Flex’s rotating categories can yield higher cash back, while Freedom Unlimited offers consistent cashback rates.
Capital One Quicksilver has no annual fee and is ideal for simplicity and consistent cash back on all purchases. The Savor card offers higher cashback rates – but charges an annual fee. Also, unlike Chase cards, both cards feature no foreign transaction fees.
Low-Mid-Tier Travel Cards: Which Card Is Better?
When it comes to low and mid tier travel cards, we have three main options: Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capital One Venture, and Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
The VentureOne is the most basic – it doesn't charge an annual fee, but rewards are generally low, and there are no additional significant travel benefits.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card stands out with its great points system and travel perks. In addition to rewards and a welcome bonus, it offers solid travel insurance, purchase protection, and no foreign transaction fees. Plus, points are redeemed through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, where they’re worth 25% more when used for travel.
On the other hand, the Capital One Venture card emphasizes simplicity and consistent rewards. The card also includes 2 annual access to Capital One Lounges, travel accident insurance, extended warranty protection, and no foreign transaction fees.
On the bottom line, we think that the Chase Sapphire Preferred is the leader among the three, providing more enticing rewards and benefits compared to the rest.
Luxury Travel Card: Venture X or Sapphire Reserve?
There is no doubt that these two are among the top luxury cards in the nation. Both offer high rewards rates, welcome bonuses and various luxury benefits.
The Reserve card offers $300 annual travel credit, access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide through Priority Pass Select, and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit. This card also provides extensive travel protections and points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
On the other hand, the Capital One Venture X card positions itself as a strong competitor with up to $300 in annual travel credits for bookings made through Capital One Travel, 10,000 bonus miles each account anniversary, access to Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass membership, and up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Also, it has a significantly lower annual fee than the Reserve card.
0% Intro APR: Chase Slate Edge vs. Capital One SavorOne
If you're looking for a balance transfer card with a long 0% intro APR, both Capital One and Chase offer great options. Two of the most popular choices are the Capital One SavorOne and the Chase Slate Edge.
When comparing the two, the Chase Slate Edge stands out with the longest 0% intro APR, making it a better choice for those who need more time to pay off their balance.
On the other hand, the SavorOne offers rewards, which isn't available with the Slate Edge, as well as a lower balance transfer fee.
Chase Offer More Co-Branded For Travelers
Chase offers a range of co-branded credit cards catering to specific brands and loyal customers. For example, Chase partners with United Airlines and Southwest Airlines to offer several credit card tiers, including the United Explorer Card, United Club Infinite Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus, Premier, and Priority.
These cards offers benefits such as free checked bags, priority boarding and miles on United purchases, dining, and hotels. The luxury cards may also offer access to lounges or boost points towards elite status in these airline companies.
In addition to Airlines, there are also partnerships with hotel chains. For example, Chase offers the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and Bonvoy Bold Credit Cards, as well as the IHG Rewards Club Premier and Traveler Credit Cards (for IHG, InterContinental Hotels Group). Besides offering points on hotel stays and other categories, these cards can help customers get annual free-night awards, upgrades, hotel benefits, and elite status credits.
When it comes to shopping, Chase partners with Amazon and has two co-branded cards that provide significant discounts on Amazon and more places.
Here are four cards we like:
Additional Options For Capital One Consumers
While Chase excels at partnering with travel brands, Capital One is much better at helping customers with fair credit or those who need to build credit.
The Capital One QuicksilverOne card and the Capital One Platinum Secured are great examples of such cards. While the QuiclsilverOne targets fair credit customers and also offers rewards and a welcome bonus, the Secured cards is mainly relevant for beginners.
Capital One also partners with retails such as BJ and Walmart, offering enticing cards for those who shop there.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, there is no question that Chase and Capital One are among the top three credit card issuers in the nation.
While Capital One has made significant strides by introducing lounges and premium travel perks through Capital One Travel, Chase definitely maintains an edge in travel credit cards and options for frequent travelers.
However, when it comes to credit cards for fair credit and beginners, Capital One is clearly the leader between the two.
