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You're likely not a credit card newbie. If you're eyeing either the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees), chances are you're a savvy traveler looking to level up your rewards game -- and unlock some VIP perks.
There's a lot to compare with these two awesome travel credit cards. Both come with high annual fees, but offer big rewards that more than justify the cost.
First I'll list all the card details side by side, then I'll jump into the finer details and differences.
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card: A side-by-side look
4.50/5
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
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
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
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
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
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
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: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
300-579
580-669
670-739
740-850
Good/Excellent (670-850)
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: Excellent (740-850)
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
300-579
580-669
670-739
740-850
Excellent (740-850)
Welcome 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.
Welcome Offer:
75,000 Miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
75,000 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
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
Intro APR:
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Intro APR:
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR:
20.24% - 28.74% Variable
Regular APR:
19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)
Annual Fee:
$795
Annual Fee:
$395
Highlights:
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.
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
Member FDIC
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®
At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates and 0% intro APR offers, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and purchase protections.
Our highest-rated credit cards have:
High value through rewards or 0% intro APR offers
Attainable welcome bonuses that make up for any annual fees
Low annual fees or a balance transfer fee of 3%
Top perks such as purchase and travel protections, no foreign transaction fees, travel credits, and status upgrades
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best credit card recommendations. Our aim is to maintain a balanced best-of list featuring top-scoring 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.
At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates and 0% intro APR offers, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and purchase protections.
Our highest-rated credit cards have:
High value through rewards or 0% intro APR offers
Attainable welcome bonuses that make up for any annual fees
Low annual fees or a balance transfer fee of 3%
Top perks such as purchase and travel protections, no foreign transaction fees, travel credits, and status upgrades
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best credit card recommendations. Our aim is to maintain a balanced best-of list featuring top-scoring 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
Here are the current welcome offers for both cards:
Capital One Venture X Card: Earn 75,000 Miles after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: 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.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be worth up to 2x when booked through Chase Travel with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. So 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit can have an effective value of at least $1,000.
Annual fees and credits: Capital One Venture X Card wins here
Both cards have a high annual fee, which is common for luxury credit cards. And both offer annual travel credits which helps offset the fee without trying too hard.
Here are the current annual fees and credits.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: $795 annual fee with a $300 travel credit (must be booked through Chase Travel).
Capital One Venture X Card: $395 annual fee with a $300 travel credit (for travel booked through Capital One Travel), plus 10,000 anniversary miles ($100 value). (See rates and fees.)
Strictly comparing the travel credits and annual fees, the Chase Sapphire Reserve nets out to $250 per year. And the Capital One Venture X Card nets out to -$5 per year after credits and anniversary bonus in our estimations.
So if you're fee-sensitive, Capital One Venture X Card is the clear winner here. As long as you're taking advantage of the travel credits, the benefits fully cover the annual fee (see rates and fees).
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
Chase absolutely dominates this category. It offers:
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
Primary rental car insurance
Emergency medical and travel accident
Trip delay reimbursement
Lost/delayed baggage coverage
Capital One offers decent protections too -- but not at the level Chase does in our analysis. If you're planning big international travel, this could sway the decision.
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.
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
For booking travel, you'll receive very similar points if you book through the respective travel portals for each card issuer.
Category
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Capital One Venture X Card
Hotels & rental cars
8x (booked via Chase Travel)
10X (booked via Capital One Travel)
Flights
8x (booked via Chase Travel)
5X (booked via Capital One Travel)
Dining
3x
2X
General purchases
1x
2X
Data source: Card issuers.
But where the Capital One Venture X Card shines is in general purchases. You'll earn a flat 2X miles on all other purchases outside bonus categories with no mental math required.
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.
Get the Chase Sapphire Reserve if:
You book travel often through Chase or love Hyatt transfers
You value top-tier travel insurance and protections
You want the highest redemption value for your points
You live near a Chase Lounge and will use it often
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 cards 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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JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Joel O'Leary has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.
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