“Sibling” credit card pairs: Which one should you get?

If you’ve shopped around for credit cards, chances are you’ve noticed (and been confused by) the subtle differences in credit card names from the same issuer— the Capital One Venture vs. the VentureX vs. the VentureOne, for example. Many of today’s best credit cards are sibling credit cards — two or more credit cards, offered by the same issuer, with similar rewards and benefits.

In most cases, one of the siblings is a no-annual-fee credit card designed for people who want to earn credit card rewards without committing to a yearly fee. The other sibling credit card or cards offer bigger rewards and better perks, but you’ll have to pay an annual fee to take advantage of the savings.

In this guide, we’ve detailed the most popular credit card families and dissected the differences between each card.

American Express Blue Cash Cards

Best for big grocery spenders

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express are two of today’s best grocery credit cards. But rewards on grocery spending aren’t the only benefits these sibling cards have to offer.

• The Blue Cash Everyday card is a no-annual-fee card that earns 3 percent cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%, 3% Cash Back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%. 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%.
• The Blue Cash Preferred card charges a $95 annual fee (waived the first year), but cardholders get a whopping 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). Blue Cash Preferred cardholders also earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services, as well as 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).

If you’re concerned about paying $95 per year, keep in mind that it’ll only take you $132 in monthly grocery spending to earn enough rewards to cover the cost of the Blue Cash Preferred’s annual fee. If you want to max out your 6 percent cash back rewards, you’ll need to spend $500 per month on groceries before you hit the $6,000 annual cap — which shouldn’t be hard for most families.

Which card is best for you?

• The Blue Cash Preferred card might be best for you if you spend at least $132 on groceries every month.
• The Blue Cash Everyday card might be best for you if you’re hesitant to pay an annual fee or aren’t sure if you’ll spend more than $132 on groceries per month.

Capital One Savor Cards

Best for dining and entertainment spenders

If your biggest monthly expense is dining and entertainment, you’re going to want to consider a Capital One Savor card. Both the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card offer an impressive 8 percent cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases, as well as 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

How do these sibling credit cards differ?

• The Savor card, which charges a $95 annual fee, offers 4 percent cash back on dining, entertainment and select streaming services, as well a 3 percent cash back on groceries.
• The SavorOne card is a no-annual-fee card that offers 3 percent cash back on dining, entertainment, select streaming services and groceries.

Does the Savor’s annual fee get in the way of your savings? We’ve done the math, and a cardholder who annually spends $2,000 on dining, entertainment and streaming services, $800 at grocery stores and $1,000 on all other purchases every month will come out ahead with the Savor card — even after paying the $95 annual fee.

Which card is best for you?

• The Savor card might be best for you if your biggest expenses are travel, dining, entertainment and streaming.
• The SavorOne card might be best if you want to test-drive a restaurant rewards credit card before upgrading to the Savor card.

Capital One Venture Cards

Best for travel and general spenders

Believe it or not, there are four Capital One Venture cards, and these flexible cards allow you to earn Capital One Miles on travel expenses as well as everyday purchases.

Most travelers are probably going to be interested in the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which offers 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel as well as 2X miles on all other purchases. This card charges a $95 annual fee, but you’ll also receive a TSA Precheck/Global Entry application fee credit worth up to $100 as well as two complimentary airport lounge visits per year.

Frequent travelers may want to consider the Capital One VentureX Rewards Credit Card, which is a step higher on the luxury scale. This card charges a $395 annual fee, but when you add up the value of the rewards, perks and annual statement credits, many travelers could find it worth the cost.

Less-frequent travelers could take advantage of the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card, a no-annual-fee credit card that earns slightly fewer rewards than its bigger siblings. And you might also be interested in the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card for Good Credit, a card that allows you to begin earning Capital One Miles, even if you haven’t yet established an excellent credit score.

Which card is best for you?

• The Venture card might be best for you if you want a credit card that rewards travel and everyday purchases.
• The VentureX card might be best for you if you want to maximize your Capital One Miles on flights, hotels and rental cars, as well as take advantage of premium travel perks.
• The VentureOne card might be best for you if you travel infrequently but still want to earn miles on hotels and rental cars.
• The VentureOne for Good Credit might be best for you if you’re in the process of building your credit score.

Chase Sapphire Cards

Best for travel and dining spenders

If you know anything about travel credit cards, you’ve probably heard of the Chase Sapphire cards. These sibling credit cards are two of the best travel credit cards available today — as long as you’re willing to pay an annual fee for industry-leading perks. What do you get when you join the Chase Sapphire family?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card charges a $95 annual fee, and cardholders earn 5X points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards and 2X points on all other travel, as well as 3X points on dining, select streaming services and select online grocery purchases. Plus, any points you earn are worth 25 percent more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. A $50 annual statement credit for hotel stays purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards sweetens the deal even further.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® charges a $550 annual fee — one of the highest annual fees on the market — in exchange for an impressive suite of travel perks including a $300 travel credit, a TSA Precheck/Global Entry application fee credit, airport lounge access and more. You’ll earn 10X total points on hotel stays and car rentals through Ultimate Rewards, 5X total points on air travel through Ultimate Rewards (after earning your $300 travel credit) and 3X points on general travel and restaurant purchases. Points are worth 50 percent more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

We did the math, and the way to come out ahead with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is by using all of the available perks — the annual $300 travel credit, the airport lounge access, and so on. Otherwise, you may get a better overall value out of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Which card is best for you?

• The Chase Sapphire Preferred might be best for you if you want high-level travel rewards while paying a standard annual fee.
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve might be best for you if you’re ready to pay $550 per year in exchange for some of the best travel perks in the industry.

Capital One Quicksilver Cards

Best for general spending

We love flat-rate cash back credit cards — and the Capital One Quicksilver cards are solid options, especially for people with credit scores that fall short of excellent.

The no-annual-fee Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is the best option, offering 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.5 percent cash back on all other purchases. This card requires good to excellent credit.

The Capital One Quicksilver Rewards for Good Credit card offers the same flat-rate cash back rewards as its Quicksilver sibling, but does not include the opportunity to earn a cash bonus.

The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is available to people with fair credit, offering similar rewards but with a $39 annual fee.

Which card is best for you?

• The Quicksilver might be best if you’re looking for a top cash back card with no annual fee.
• The Quicksilver for Good Credit might be best if you’re still working on improving your credit score.
• The QuicksilverOne might be best if you’re looking to earn cash back rewards while building your credit and — if all goes well — upgrading to another card in the Quicksilver family.

Ink Business Cards

Best for business owners

Small business owners can also benefit from credit card rewards, and the best credit cards for small businesses are ready to deliver. Chase offers four sibling credit cards under the Ink Business brand, each of which is designed for a small business owner with a different level of annual business spending.

• The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, a no-annual-fee card that rewards all purchases with 1.5 percent cash back, may benefit freelancers and solopreneurs with varied spending.
• The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card charges no annual fee and is worthy of consideration if you make a lot of office supply purchases.
• The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, which charges a $95 annual fee, is geared toward small businesses that do a lot of traveling.
• The Ink Business Premier^SM Credit Card is a recent addition to the Ink Business family. With an annual fee of $195 per year, it’s a good match for small business owners who can afford to grow. The Ink Business Premier is a a charge card, which means it must be paid off in full every month. It also offers top-level rewards on travel, as well as business purchases over $5,000.

Which card is best for you?

• The Ink Business Unlimited is best for small business owners who don’t do a lot of business spending but still want to earn rewards.
• The Ink Business Cash is best for small business owners who spend between $25,000 and $50,000 on their businesses per year.
• The Ink Business Preferred is best for small business owners who spend around $150,000 on their businesses per year, or who want a business credit card that rewards travel.
• The Ink Business Premier card is best for small business owners who regularly make purchases over $5,000 and are able to pay off their card in full every month.

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.