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If you're considering the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees), you're probably not new to travel rewards. These are two of the most powerful premium credit cards out there -- built for savvy cardholders who want elevated perks, serious points-earning potential, and VIP travel benefits.
Both cards carry hefty annual fees, but they also pack in enough value to easily make up for it if you take advantage of the features.
Here's a side-by-side breakdown of how these cards stack up and what sets each one apart in 2026.
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card: A side-by-side look
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
4.90/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
4.90/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Excellent (740-850)
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
300-579
580-669
670-739
740-850
Excellent (740-850)
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
300-579
580-669
670-739
740-850
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Welcome Offer:
75,000 Miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
75,000 Miles (worth $750 in travel)
Welcome Offer:
Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
125,000 bonus points
Rewards Program:
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.
2X-10X miles
Rewards Program:
Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
8x points on Chase Travel℠, 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x points on dining, 1x points on all other purchases
Intro APR:
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Intro APR:
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR:
19.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
Regular APR:
19.49% - 27.99% Variable
Annual Fee:
$395
Annual Fee:
$795
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 locations and 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
Highlights:
Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ 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 Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are 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 Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $250 annually
We rate travel credit cards based on how well they reward frequent travelers — not just with points and miles, but with valuable perks and flexible redemption options. Our scoring prioritizes cards that offer strong earning rates and a rewarding travel experience.
Our highest-rated travel cards have:
Elevated rewards on travel or everyday purchases, with the ability to transfer points
Flexible redemption options through travel portals or transfer partners
Welcome bonuses that meaningfully offset the annual fee in the first year
Perks that improve the travel experience, like airport lounge access, statement credits, and trip protections
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best travel card recommendations. Our aim is to maintain a balanced best-of list featuring top-scoring travel credit cards from reputable brands. 'Best for' category selections on this page are determined by our editors, and a single card may be recognized in multiple categories.
Ordering within lists is influenced by advertiser compensation, including featured placements at the top of a given list, but our product recommendations are NEVER influenced by advertisers. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.
We rate travel credit cards based on how well they reward frequent travelers — not just with points and miles, but with valuable perks and flexible redemption options. Our scoring prioritizes cards that offer strong earning rates and a rewarding travel experience.
Our highest-rated travel cards have:
Elevated rewards on travel or everyday purchases, with the ability to transfer points
Flexible redemption options through travel portals or transfer partners
Welcome bonuses that meaningfully offset the annual fee in the first year
Perks that improve the travel experience, like airport lounge access, statement credits, and trip protections
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best travel card recommendations. Our aim is to maintain a balanced best-of list featuring top-scoring travel credit cards from reputable brands. 'Best for' category selections on this page are determined by our editors, and a single card may be recognized in multiple categories.
Ordering within lists is influenced by advertiser compensation, including featured placements at the top of a given list, but our product recommendations are NEVER influenced by advertisers. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.
Comparing the welcome bonus
Both cards offer strong welcome bonuses, and come with different qualifying spending criteria.
Capital One Venture X Card: Earn 75,000 Miles (worth $750 in travel) after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
One thing that makes the Chase Sapphire Reserve® bonus especially appealing is how flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be. When redeemed through Chase Travel using Points Boost offers, points can be worth up to $0.02 per point, which means that large welcome bonuses can stretch even further for select bookings.
That being said, the lower spend requirement on the Capital One Venture X Card makes it quicker and more accessible for a wider range of people.
Annual fees and travel credits
Both cards come with premium-level annual fees, which is typical for luxury travel cards. But they also offer generous annual travel credits that can fully offset the cost if used.
Main fees and travel credits:
Chase Sapphire Reserve®: $795 annual fee
Includes a $300 annual travel credit (usable only through Chase Travel)
Plus a $500 annual credit toward bookings at The Edit℠ (Broken into two $250 semi-annual credits usable from Jan-June, and July-Dec, two-night minimum required)
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: $395 annual fee (see rates and fees)
Includes a $300 annual credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel
Plus 10,000 bonus miles every year, starting on your first anniversary (worth $100 toward travel)
Based on these travel credits alone, the ongoing value of both cards more than offsets the annual fee each year.
However, The Edit℠ hotel credits on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® are a bit restrictive. It only applies to stays at specific luxury properties and requires at least a two-night minimum, which may not fit everyone's travel style or budget. If you're already booking that kind of stay regularly, it can be a big win. But if not, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers more flexible and accessible value for most travelers.
Travel perks: Lounge access, transfers, and more
Now let's get into the nitty-gritty comparison of travel perks. Choosing the right travel card sometimes comes down to one tiny detail. Like whether your home airport has a particular lounge, or whether your favorite airline is a travel partner.
Lounge access
Both cards include Priority Pass membership, which gets you into more than 1,300 lounges worldwide. Both Chase and Capital One have branded lounges, but with a much smaller footprint.
Chase Sapphire Lounges: Currently Chase has seven Sapphire lounges (BOS, LGA, JFK, PHL, PHX, SAN, and HKG), with two more opening soon in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Capital One Lounges: 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment.
Travel insurance and protections
Both the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offer excellent travel protections -- including trip cancellation/interruption coverage, trip delay reimbursement, and auto rental collision coverage. These are attractive benefits that you won't find on most credit cards.
That said, I personally tend to lean toward the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for travel protections, especially for bigger trips, since it offers slightly more coverage in certain areas.
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry
Both cards offer up to $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.
Redemption options and point value
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase uses Ultimate Reward Points. They're super flexible and can vary in value depending on what you redeem them for. For the Chase Sapphire Reserve:
Points are worth up to 2x more when redeemed through the Chase Travel portal with Points Boost offers.
1:1 transfer value to travel partners like Hyatt, United, and Air Canada.
You can pay with a combination of points + cash for travel.
Capital One Venture X Card
1:1 transfer ratio to almost all of Capital One's travel loyalty program partners
Chase has higher redemption value for average users, especially if you book through the Chase portal or transfer to Hyatt. If you're a travel hacker that likes to maximize point value, you'll probably like the Chase points ecosystem better.
Everyday spending and earning
Both cards offer strong rewards on travel spending, but they differ in where and how you earn the most.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card:
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 purchases
This flat 2X structure makes the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card a stronger everyday card, even when you're not traveling.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®:
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
Chase offers more category-based earning outside its portal -- especially if you spend heavily on dining or book direct with travel providers.
Mobile app and user experience
Both Capital One and Chase offer sleek, reliable mobile apps -- and I've used them both extensively without any major issues.
Chase: The app makes it easy to track rewards, transfer points to travel partners, and book directly through the Chase Travel portal. It's intuitive, fast, and built for people who like to maximize value.
Capital One: Has smart tools like price prediction, price matching and more, where you can get Capital One Travel's best prices on thousands of flights, hotels and rental cars.
That said, neither app stands out in a game-changing way. Both get the job done -- and for premium cards like these, that's exactly what you want.
Final thoughts: Who should get which card?
Personally, I lean toward the Capital One Venture X Card. The travel credits and anniversary miles practically offset the annual fee (see rates and fees), so even in a slower travel year, I don't feel like I'm paying out of pocket for perks I'm not using. Plus, the flat 2X miles on non-category purchases makes it an easy everyday card (not just for travel).
That said, if you're the kind of person who loves strategizing redemptions and maximizing every point, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is more up your alley. Between the up to 2x Points Boost redemptions in Chase Travel, top-tier transfer partners, and elite travel protections, it's a card that rewards effort and planning.
Both cards are excellent. It just depends which one fits your lifestyle better.
You certainly can! Many travel pros carry both to maximize different perks. Just make sure the annual fees are worth it for your spending and travel habits.
Both the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees) and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® have no foreign transaction fees and offer lounge access and travel insurance. So you're covered on those bases with either card. That being said, I'd lean towards the Chase Sapphire Reserve as it has a little stronger protections for emergencies.
The Capital One Venture X Card offers cellphone protection that can reimburse you for theft or damage to your phone. You'll need to pay your monthly cellphone bill with your Capital One Venture X Card. The Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card does not offer specific cellphone insurance. But it does provide purchase protection and extended warranty protection which can indirectly help with cellphone repairs or replacements.
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Motley Fool Stock Disclosures
JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Joel O'Leary has positions in Target. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intuit, JPMorgan Chase, and Target. The Motley Fool recommends Capital One Financial and Hyatt Hotels. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Visa.
