Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred: Sapphire Shines a Bit Brighter
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The and the don’t provide the multitude of perks you’d find with ultra-premium travel cards, but they both offer quite a bit of value thanks to generous sign-up bonuses and comparatively modest annual fees.
The stands out for how simple it is to use, but the comes out slightly ahead because the points it earns are worth 25% more when you redeem them for travel through Chase. If you carry other cards that earn points, like the or , you can transfer points to your to redeem for that higher rate.
Here’s how to decide which is right for you.
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The boasts higher point-earning opportunities, depending on your spending. In general, Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are worth 1 cent each. But if you redeem them for travel booked through Chase, their value rises to 1.25 cents apiece. That effectively makes your rewards rate 2.5% on travel and dining and 1.25% on everything else. It's also the choice if you're the type who strives to squeeze maximum value out of your rewards, especially since you can transfer points earned on certain other Chase cards to the , supersizing your stash of rewards.
Chase boasts some big-name transfer partners, too, including JetBlue, Southwest, United and Marriott Bonvoy.
And if you’ve ever experienced travel plans completely falling apart, you’ll appreciate the card’s built-in travel protections:
The offers rental car coverage and travel accident insurance, which is helpful, but doesn’t go above and beyond.
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The is a remarkably easy card to use. Not only do you earn 2 miles per $1 on all purchases, so there’s no need to keep track of spending categories, but redeeming for travel is as simple as requesting a statement credit when you use the Purchase Eraser feature. Capital One considers purchases from the following merchants to count as travel: airlines, hotels, rail lines, car rental agencies, limousine services, bus lines, cruise lines, taxi cabs, travel agents and timeshares. Miles are worth one cent each when redeemed for travel.
You can also transfer miles to more than a dozen airline and hotel loyalty programs, but Capital One only offers JetBlue as a domestic partner.
You can transfer Capital One miles to other Capital One cards that earn miles, including the and , which is a definite advantage. You can also transfer cash rewards to the Capital One cards that earn miles.
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Both cards have their upsides, but the comes out slightly ahead because of its higher point redemption rate, robust list of transfer partners and comprehensive travel protections. If you’d simply prefer the flexibility to book however you want and pay with rewards later, the is probably more your speed.
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