Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a mainstay on our list of the best travel credit cards, along with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. The two premium cards are in close competition and boast comparable benefits.

Main details

Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve highlights

Although there’s overlap between the cards’ features, there are also notable differences. You might prefer one or the other based on how they perform in the following categories.

Welcome bonus winner

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

• Why it won

  The Capital One Venture X tends to offer a higher welcome bonus than the Sapphire Reserve, so it wins this round — although both cards have had limited-time offers in the past.

  Capital One miles are worth an average of 1.7 cents each when transferred to travel partners, according to the latest valuations from Bankrate. Or, if you’re after simplicity, you can redeem the miles for statement credits to cover travel purchases at a rate of 1 cent each.

  Bankrate values Chase Ultimate Rewards points for Sapphire cardholders at an average of 2 cents each when transferred to travel partners. Just like with the Venture X, Reserve cardholders can redeem points for travel through their issuer’s travel portal at a value of 1 cent each.

  So, while you might get a larger welcome bonus with the Venture X, the value of that bonus depends entirely on how you redeem it. Definitely compare your options and run the numbers based on what’s currently being offered.

Rewards rate winner

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

• Why it won

  The Chase Sapphire Reserve wins this round because it provides cardholders with more opportunities to earn boosted category rewards, even if some of those rewards rates are less lucrative than the Venture X.

  The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers:

  • Earn 8X points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including through The Edit℠
  • Earn 4X points on flights and hotels booked directly
  • Earn 3X points on dining worldwide
  • Earn 1X points on all other purchases

  Reserve cardholders enjoy a $300 travel statement credit annually, but they won’t earn those 8X points on travel purchases until they’ve redeemed that full amount for the year.

  Likewise, the Capital One Venture X offers a $300 credit for purchases made through the issuer’s portal annually, but you do earn rewards on that spending. The Venture X offers:

  • 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 per dollar on all other purchases

  The Sapphire Reserve’s 3X points on restaurant purchases and 4X points on directly booked flights and hotels provide more opportunities to earn than the Venture X, which only rewards purchases made through its travel portal and miscellaneous purchases.

  Its 2X rewards rate on other spending does beat the baseline 1X rewards rate for the Sapphire Reserve, but if you want to earn more than 2X points on eating out and travel spending beyond hotels, rental cars and airfare, you should probably choose the Sapphire Reserve.

Annual fee winner

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

• Why it won

  The Venture X’s annual fee is $400 less than the Sapphire Reserve’s annual fee ($395 vs. $795). If your goal is to minimize your upfront card ownership costs, the Venture X is by far the less expensive option.

Airport lounge access winner

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

• Why it won

  Both the Capital One Venture X and the Chase Sapphire Reserve offer a free Priority Pass Select membership, which provides complimentary access to over 1,700 airport lounges throughout the world. Entrance for the cardholder and two guests is currently included during each visit. Venture X cardholders also enjoy complimentary entry for themselves and two guests to Plaza Premium and proprietary Capital One Lounges throughout the world.

  However, this is changing on February 1, 2026, when guests will cost an additional fee for Venture X cardholders, based on lounge location and guest age.

  Additionally, both the Venture X and Sapphire Reserve allow authorized users to activate their own Priority Pass Select membership. With that said, the Sapphire Reserve charges a $195 annual fee per authorized user, while the Venture X allows you to add authorized users for free. Though, if you want the authorized user to have lounge access, you’ll need to pay a $125 lounge fee beginning February 1, 2026. For now, we’re giving the nod to the Venture X card in this category.

Which card earns the most?

The card that’s most lucrative for you depends on a few factors, such as whether you spend enough to earn a welcome bonus and how your spending fits into the rewards categories.

Capital One Venture X vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve spending example

Let’s say you book purchases through your card’s portal whenever possible, and your spending for the year looks like this:

• $3,300 in miscellaneous travel
• $4,000 on hotels and rental cars
• $5,500 on airfare
• $2,500 at restaurants
• $2,700 on all other spending

Suppose you’re using Venture X. If $4,000 of that spending takes place in the first three months, you get 75,000 bonus miles (when this offer is active). You also earn 40,000 miles from your hotel and rental car spending, 27,500 miles from airfare and 17,000 miles from the rest of your spending.

In total, you earn 159,500 miles in your first year — which Bankrate values at about $2,711 with the right Capital One travel partner or $1,595 when redeemed through Capital One travel at the standard one-cent-per-point rate. After covering the $395 annual fee, you’re left with around $2,316 in value with the right transfer partner, or $1,200 at the standard Capital One travel redemption rate.

Next, let’s crunch the numbers for the Sapphire Reserve. If $4,000 of your spending occurs in the first three months after account opening, you earn 60,000 bonus points (when this offer is active). The first $300 you spend on travel doesn’t contribute to your points earnings, so if that first $300 came from miscellaneous travel, you’re left with $3,000 in spending in that category. You earn 40,000 points on hotels and rental cars, 27,500 points on flights, 7,500 points at restaurants, 9,000 points on other travel and 2,700 points on the remaining spending.

That’s 146,700 points earned in all, with a potential value of around $2,934 when transferred to the right Chase travel partner or $1,467 if redeemed at a 1-cent-per-point value through the Chase Travel portal. After paying the $795 annual fee, you’re left with around $2,384 in value with the right transfer partner, or $672 at the standard Chase Travel redemption rate.

Which card offers a better value depends on how you redeem your rewards. If you redeem through your issuer’s travel portal, you’ll get 1 cent per point regardless of the card. But, if you want to redeem with high-value transfer partners, the Sapphire Reserve comes out slightly ahead in this example.

Why should you get the Capital One Venture X?

On top of its hefty welcome bonus and strong rewards on travel spending, the Venture X offers several credits and perks that together can be well worth the annual fee. There’s an annual $300 credit for Capital One Travel purchases, and after each anniversary of your account opening, you’ll earn 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 at the base point value).

• Additional benefits

  The Venture X’s travel benefits include Priority Pass Select membership, which gives you unlimited admission to over 1,700 airport lounges, as well as access to Capital One Lounges. You also get up to $120 in credits to cover your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees every four years.

  Through Capital One Entertainment and Capital One Dining, you can enjoy a variety of event-related perks — including early access to tickets and the opportunity to buy exclusive passes to sports games, as well as concerts, dining accommodations and invitations to experiences just for cardmembers.

  Additionally, if your cellphone is lost or stolen, the card’s protection plan has you covered for up to $800.

• Redemption options

  You can redeem miles for credits toward past travel purchases (within the last 90 days), use them to book new travel through the Capital One Travel portal or transfer them to one of Capital One’s more than 15 travel loyalty program partners. Alternatively, you can cash them in for a check or statement credit or exchange them for gift cards (though this may sacrifice redemption value).

• Recommended credit score

  You’ll need excellent credit to be approved for the Venture X, with a FICO Score of 740 to 850 typically needed for approval.

Why should you get the Chase Sapphire Reserve?

Although the card’s annual fee may sound like a high hurdle, it’s not hard to get at least that much value from the Chase Sapphire Reserve if you take full advantage of the card’s benefits. To start, you receive a $300 travel credit each year that’s automatically applied to eligible purchases, and everyday travel expenses like bus fares and road tolls count toward the credit.

• Additional benefits

  In terms of Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits, the Sapphire Reserve also offers complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. And once every four years, you can get up to $120 in statement credits to cover the cost of applying for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. You also get a slew of statement credits for businesses and products like:

  • StubHub or Viagogo
  • DoorDash
  • OpenTable
  • Apple TV+ and Apple Music
  • Lyft

  However, many of these statements are doled out monthly or semi-annually and can’t be redeemed if you don’t use them within a timely manner.

  Lastly, this Chase credit card grants numerous protections — like coverage in case of rental car collisions, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, emergency evacuation and transportation coverage, purchase protection and extended warranty protection.

• Redemption options

  You can redeem points for travel through Chase Travel or redeem them for cash with a direct deposit or statement credit, both at a rate of 1 cent per point. You can also transfer points on a 1:1 basis to a variety of partner loyalty programs.

  You can exchange points for gift cards, pay with points when you shop with PayPal or at Amazon.com or use them to gain admission to events and experiences. Lastly, you can use your points to shop at Apple or redeem them for restaurant reservations or takeout through Chase Dining.

• Recommended credit score

  You’ll likely need excellent credit to be approved for the Sapphire Reserve. That means you may have the best chance with a FICO Score of 740 to 850.

The bottom line

Both the Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve are valuable cards for avid travelers, yet the most valuable card for you depends on how you plan to use it.

The Venture X has the advantage of a lower annual fee, and its decent welcome bonus and 2X baseline rewards rate may make it an attractive choice. But the Sapphire Reserve offers better rewards rates on dining and some travel purchases.

Choosing between these cards requires thinking about how much you intend to spend and which categories that spending will fall into. Even then, you may need to break out your calculator to determine which card is best for you.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.