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Christine ran her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services. This stoked a passion for points and miles and she now has over 2 dozen credit cards and creates in-depth, deta...
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There’s no doubt a premium travel rewards card can enhance the life of any frequent traveler. However, not all frequent travelers have the same priorities, making it important to select the right travel rewards card that matches an individual’s travel lifestyle, spending mix, and preferred benefits.
In order to select the right travel rewards card, especially a high-end card with premium benefits, you’ll want to invest some effort into researching your options.
Today we’re planning to make that process easier with our comparison of 2 premium travel rewards cards: the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
As we dig deep into the attributes of each card, we surprisingly find a lot of similarities. However, the details are what matters in this card comparison, and that’s where we’ll take you.
Join us as we look closely at these 2 worthy travel rewards cards to uncover the value each card has to offer.
Capital One Venture X Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — Overview
Let’s take a look at the Capital One Venture X card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card in a side-by-side comparison.
Here’s how the 2 cards compare when we look at the key benefit categories:
$395 annual fee, no charge to add up to 4 authorized users
$550 annual fee, $75 fee for each authorized user
The Value of a Welcome Bonus
If you apply for either the Capital One Venture X card or Chase Sapphire Reserve card and are subsequently approved, you’ll have a window of opportunity to qualify for a valuable welcome bonus. In order to earn the bonus, you’ll need to complete the minimum spending requirements within the time specified.
Bottom Line: The Capital One Venture X card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card each offer a generous welcome bonus that can be earned after meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period immediately after card approval.
Capital One Miles vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
You’ll have several ways to earn rewards and select from flexible options at redemption time. Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta. Image Credit: Hyatt
The Capital One Venture X card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card each earn different rewards currencies. The Capital One Venture X card earns Capital One miles that are not really miles (like frequent flyer miles) but rather flexible, transferrable points. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points that are also flexible and transferrable.
Let’s look at how you earn rewards and your options at redemption time for each of our featured cards.
Earning Potential
With both the Capital One Venture X card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you’ll find elevated earnings when using your card to purchase travel. Additionally, when you use each card’s associated proprietary travel portal to make your travel purchase, your earnings are multiplied even more.
10x points on Chase Dining purchases reserved through Chase travel portal
5x points on flights purchased via Chase travel portal
3x points on all other travel purchases
10x points on Lyft (through March 2025)
Dining
2x miles per dollar spent
3x points per dollar spent
Additional Earnings
10,000 bonus miles at card anniversary
N/A
All Other Purchases
2x miles per dollar spent
1x points per dollar spent
Bottom Line: You’ll earn rewards quickly if you use either card for general travel purchases and travel purchased via the associated travel portal. The Capital One Venture X card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card reward hotel bookings and car rentals purchased via the associated card’s travel portal at 10x and flights at 5x rewards. The Capital One Venture X card earns 2x on all other travel purchases, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns 3x rewards.
Redemption Options
When it’s time to redeem those hard-earned rewards, you’ll want to have flexibility. Fortunately, both the Capital One Venture X card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offer several options.
Here are your choices at redemption time for your Capital One miles or Ultimate Rewards points:
Redemption Option
Capital One Venture X Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Travel
Redeem miles for 1 cent each via Capital One Travel
Bottom Line: Capital One miles are generally worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel via Capital One Travel or as a statement credit for previous travel purchases. Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.5 cents each when redeemed for travel via the Chase travel portal or 1 cent each as a statement credit. Both rewards currencies can be transferred to travel partners for greater potential value.
Travel Benefits and Protections
Whether for leisure or business, a travel rewards card can enhance your journey. Image Credit: Prostock-studio via Shutterstock
Both the Capital One Venture X card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card offer these valuable travel benefits and protections:
No Foreign Transaction Fees — As expected, these premium travel rewards cards are void of any transaction fees on foreign purchases.
Global Entry, Nexus or TSA PreCheck Fee Reimbursement — Pay for your application or renewal fee with your card and receive a statement credit for up to $100. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card allows you to receive reimbursement, alternatively, for NEXUS.
Priority Pass Select Membership — Enjoy access to over 1,300 properties worldwide, including airport lounges, participating restaurants, and Minute Suites.
Visa Infinite Luxury Hotels and Resorts Collection Benefits — Receive VIP Guest status, an upgraded room when available, daily breakfast for 2, late checkout when available, an onsite amenity, and more with every booking.
Car Rental Collision Damage Waiver — Pay for your entire rental with your card, decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW coverage, and receive primary coverage for theft or damage to the rental car.
Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption — Coverage on the Capital One Venture X card is up to $2,000 per person for non-refundable common carrier tickets purchased with your card. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers coverage for un-reimbursed expenses up to $10,000 per person, per trip, $20,000 per occurrence, and $40,000 per 12-month period.
Trip Delay — For trip delays of 6 hours or more, you could receive up to $500 per eligible person for unreimbursed incidentals, lodging, and meals.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement — Receive up to $3,000 reimbursement for lost, stolen, or damaged luggage.
In addition to the above benefits that our 2 featured cards have in common, each card offers its own unique collection of additional benefits.
Capital One Venture X Card
Access to Capital One Lounges and Plaza Premium Lounges — There is currently just 1 Capital One Lounge open (DFW), with others in progress, however, this benefit will become more valuable over time as the footprint expands. Cardholders have access for themselves and 2 guests to 110+ Plaza Premium Lounges.
Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Elite Status — Receive complimentary Hertz President’s Circle elite status.
Gravity Haus Benefits — Cardholders receive a $300 discount toward a membership. This entitles you to discounted hotel stays near top ski resorts, exclusive events, and discounts on your ski or snowboarding gear. This partnership will last through January 19, 2024.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
$300 Travel Statement Credit — Pay for your travel purchase with your card and receive a statement credit for up to $300. Note that you won’t earn 3x points on this $300 travel purchase.
Emergency Evacuation and Transportation — Pay for at least a portion of your trip with your card and receive up to $100,000 in coverage for emergency evacuation/transportation. Terms and conditions apply.
Emergency Medical and Dental Coverage — Receive up to $2,500 coverage for emergency medical or dental during a covered trip. A $50 deductible applies.
Roadside Assistance — Receive up to 4 free service calls each 12-month period (maximum $50 per call). Services include flat tire change, limited towing, standard winching, lock-out service, jump start service, and fuel delivery. Terms and limits apply, plus any amount over $50 is charged to your card.
Delayed Baggage — If your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours, you may qualify for up to $100 a day for up to 5 days.
Rental Car Benefits — Receive discounts, upgrades, and more with National Car Rental, Avis, and Audi on demand.
Please note that benefit descriptions have been abbreviated and not all benefits are listed. For even more information, check out these guides to Capital One Venture X card’s benefits and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s benefits.
Bottom Line: The Capital One Venture X card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card each come with a stellar collection of travel benefits and protections. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card, however, has an edge with emergency evacuation and transport, emergency medical/dental, roadside assistance, and delayed baggage.
Shopping Benefits and Protections
Shopping benefits can save you money and protections can provide coverage should something happen to an eligible item after the purchase. Here are some of the benefits and protections you can expect to find on the Capital One Venture X card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card:
Shopping Benefits
Capital One Venture X Card
Cell Phone Protection— Charge your monthly cell phone bill to your card and receive up to $800, after a $50 deductible, if your cell phone is damaged, stolen, or in the case of involuntary or accidental parting.
Capital One Offers — Log in to your account and click through Capital One Offers for cash-back on purchases at select retailers.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Chase Offers — Log into your online Chase card account and select Chase Offers for cash back on select purchases.
Shop With Chase — Earn bonus Ultimate Rewards points by shopping with your favorite retailer via the Chase Shopping portal.
DoorDash DashPass — Receive free food delivery and reduced fees with your complimentary membership through December 31, 2024. If membership is activated during the 2024 calendar year, it will expire 1 year from activation.
DoorDash $5 Monthly Credit — Receive a $5 DoorDash credit each month. The credit can be carried over for up to 2 months.
Instacart Benefits — Cardholders are eligible for a free 12-month Instacart+ membership plus a $15 monthly credit.
Shopping Protections
Both of our featured cards come with these valuable shopping protections for purchases made with your card:
Return Protection — If a merchant will not take back an eligible item, purchased with your card, within 90 days from the purchase date, you could receive up to $300 per item, with a maximum of $1,000 per account with the Capital One Venture X card, and $500 per item, $1,000 maximum per year with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
Purchase Security/Purchase Protection — If an eligible item purchased with your card is lost or damaged within the first 120 days after the purchase date, you could receive up to $10,000 per item, up to $50,000 per account per year.
Extended Warranty — For eligible purchased items with manufacturer’s warranties of less than 3 years, the warranty will be extended by 1 year.
Bottom Line: Both the Capital One Venture X card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card offer shopping benefits that can save you money and shopping protections that offer coverage should an eligible item, purchased with your card, become lost, stolen, damaged, or not accepted as a return by the associated merchant. Coverage limits apply.
Annual Fees and Authorized Users
Authorized users can also enjoy complimentary lounge access. Turkish Airlines Lounge at IAD. Image Credit: Priority Pass
Annual fees and the cost to add authorized users to your card can add up to a significant expense. It’s important to consider these fees to ensure you’re receiving bottom-line value from your chosen card.
Here’s how the Capital One Venture X card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card compare in this category:
Annual Fees
The Capital One Venture X card charges an annual fee of $395 while the Chase Sapphire Reserve card charges $550.
Authorized User Fees
There is no charge to add up to 4 additional authorized users to the Capital One Venture X card. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card charges $75 for each authorized user added to the card.
Hot Tip: Authorized users on the Capital One Venture X card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve card are eligible for their own Priority Pass Select membership that includes access for the authorized user plus 2 guests. Authorized users on the Capital One Venture X card have additional access (plus 2 guests) to Capital One Lounges and Plaza Premium Lounges.
Final Thoughts
With elevated, unlimited earning potential, flexible redemption options (including the ability to transfer rewards to travel partners), worldwide lounge access, travel statement credits, and additional travel and shopping benefits, both the Capital One Venture X card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card are good travel rewards card choices.
However, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers higher earnings on travel in general, 50% more value when redeeming points for travel, the option to Pay Yourself Back for additional redemption value, and the ability to receive 1 cent in value per point for a general statement credit. The card’s $300 general travel statement credit is also easier to use than the Capital One Venture X card’s travel credit which requires your purchase to be made via Capital One Travel.
The value of Capital One miles falls short compared to the value of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. You could receive more potential value for your miles by transferring to hotel or airline partners, but the same can be said for redeeming Ultimate Rewards points with this option.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card does have a higher fee, but the added value received could more than make up for the difference.
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.
Enrollment required through Capital One website or mobile app. Upon enrollment, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Featured Image Credit: Upgraded Points
Frequently Asked Questions
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card edges out the Capital One Venture X card with higher earnings on general travel, an easier to use $300 travel statement credit, greater value at redemption time, and a broader collection of travel insurance benefits.
However, the Capital One Venture X card does have a lower annual fee, strong earnings if you use Capital One Travel for your travel purchases, potentially greater value for your miles if you can utilize transfer partners at redemption time, and valuable cell phone protection.
Capital One miles are earned when you make purchases on your card. The miles are not frequent flyer miles but flexible and transferrable points. You can redeem your miles with Capital One Travel for travel or transfer miles to hotel or airline partners to redeem for free hotel nights or award flights.
You can also redeem Capital One miles for statement credits, gift cards, and shopping with partner retailers.
Capital One miles do not expire as long as you have an active mile-earning card.
Ultimate Rewards points are earned on purchases made with several Chase credit cards, including the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Points are held in your Ultimate Rewards account affiliated with your card as long as that card is active.
The value of Ultimate Rewards points at redemption time can differ based on the type of card you use. Ultimate Rewards points in your Chase Sapphire Reserve card account can be redeemed for up to 1.5 cents each for travel, transferred to hotel or airline partners, redeemed as a statement credit, gift cards, and for shopping with partner retailers.
In most cases, Ultimate Rewards points can also be transferred between card accounts.
Christine ran her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services. This stoked a passion for points and miles and she now has over 2 dozen credit cards and creates in-depth, detailed content for UP.
Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
3 comments
Philip
February 05, 2022
Wow, I would have thought that the VX card would compare evenly or at least a little better than the CSR. First off, the full cost of the VX card is refunded via credits so the VX card is FREE to have. Additionally, the majority of spending for most is on “everyday purchases.” The VX card earns 2x the points vs CSR (1X), even when redeemed through UR, it’s still less than what the VX card gives, so the UR isn’t helping on the majority of purchases.
While the CSR does have more coverage perks, they are mostly only with regards to travel, and once you read the fine print of the Terms and Conditions, you realize that you aren’t covered for most circumstances (I have had this card and know from first-hand experience) that they make you think you are, when they make a blanket generalization to sell you the card. SO in my opinion, most of this is just “fluff.”
However, the cell phone insurance, is actually a very real benefit with coverage that affects people every day, all day long, and $800 is one of the highest amounts out there.
While the Peloton (and others like this one) perk is nice, I don’t know anyone that actually uses them. again, fluff for most people.
Second, there wasn’t much emphasis on the fact that the additional users are FREE as well, AND they get the same Priority Pass (and other perks too) the same as the original cardholder.
So, it would be nice if the author put some math to work here and came up with a realistic amount of spending for the average person and what the points worked out to be. I guarantee you that the VX would come out on top, not in the total amount of points earned, but in relation to the extra $$ a CSR would have to shell out every year to break even to the VX card. The extra $250 in value (without adding additional cardholders) would require a LOT of extra spending to make up for the CSR. Add in the $75 additional cardholders and the CSR is even less worth it. (Maybe an average of what the author spent over the last 3 years would be a great starting point.)
SO, in conclusion, I don’t agree with the author on the result. The realistic value of the VX card outweighs the CSR every day of the week because it starts by being FREE to use. You may not have as many points, but you also wouldn’t be paying for a VX card that gives 2x on every purchase, however, you WILL most likely be paying extra for the CSR card, and for 95% of people, it won’t equal the extra money you will pay for the CSR card. VX is the clear winner!
Hi Philip. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Both are excellent travel rewards cards and either card could be a good choice depending on your personal situation. If a person spends a lot on travel directly with airlines and hotels (3x vs. 2x), has cell phone coverage elsewhere, doesn’t care about adding authorized users, or perhaps the associated transfer partners aren’t their preference, the CSR may be a better choice. The better card will be the one that matches your spending mix, redemption preferences, and has benefits you can actually utilize. Sounds like the CapOne Venture X card may be the better choice for you personally.
Beth K
March 26, 2023
The CSR card is by far the better value for our family. I agree with the author, it depends upon your specific preferences/needs. One of us is a “road warrior,” staying in hotels and flying weekly for work. In just the first month of use with the 60k added points for meeting the minimum spend we received a total over 200,000 points. We have added the card to our 3 kids’ Lyft accounts and are getting 10x on all of their rides. When you are looking at $500+ a month in rides it really adds up. We are using all the perks this card offers and have already had savings in excess of the extra $230 in fees you pay to use the CSR instead of Venture X. The one thing the author didn’t spend as much time explaining needs to be mentioned – if you are a Marriott user this card lets you transfer points 1- 1 into your Bonvoy account. Right now Chase/Marriott has an additional promotion giving you an extra 50% on all transfers to Bonvoy. We just transferred out the first 200,000 points and received an additional 100,000 points directly into our Bonvoy account. We are very pleased with this card.
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3 comments
Philip
February 05, 2022
Wow, I would have thought that the VX card would compare evenly or at least a little better than the CSR. First off, the full cost of the VX card is refunded via credits so the VX card is FREE to have. Additionally, the majority of spending for most is on “everyday purchases.” The VX card earns 2x the points vs CSR (1X), even when redeemed through UR, it’s still less than what the VX card gives, so the UR isn’t helping on the majority of purchases.
While the CSR does have more coverage perks, they are mostly only with regards to travel, and once you read the fine print of the Terms and Conditions, you realize that you aren’t covered for most circumstances (I have had this card and know from first-hand experience) that they make you think you are, when they make a blanket generalization to sell you the card. SO in my opinion, most of this is just “fluff.”
However, the cell phone insurance, is actually a very real benefit with coverage that affects people every day, all day long, and $800 is one of the highest amounts out there.
While the Peloton (and others like this one) perk is nice, I don’t know anyone that actually uses them. again, fluff for most people.
Second, there wasn’t much emphasis on the fact that the additional users are FREE as well, AND they get the same Priority Pass (and other perks too) the same as the original cardholder.
So, it would be nice if the author put some math to work here and came up with a realistic amount of spending for the average person and what the points worked out to be. I guarantee you that the VX would come out on top, not in the total amount of points earned, but in relation to the extra $$ a CSR would have to shell out every year to break even to the VX card. The extra $250 in value (without adding additional cardholders) would require a LOT of extra spending to make up for the CSR. Add in the $75 additional cardholders and the CSR is even less worth it. (Maybe an average of what the author spent over the last 3 years would be a great starting point.)
SO, in conclusion, I don’t agree with the author on the result. The realistic value of the VX card outweighs the CSR every day of the week because it starts by being FREE to use. You may not have as many points, but you also wouldn’t be paying for a VX card that gives 2x on every purchase, however, you WILL most likely be paying extra for the CSR card, and for 95% of people, it won’t equal the extra money you will pay for the CSR card. VX is the clear winner!
Christine Krzyszton
February 05, 2022
Hi Philip. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Both are excellent travel rewards cards and either card could be a good choice depending on your personal situation. If a person spends a lot on travel directly with airlines and hotels (3x vs. 2x), has cell phone coverage elsewhere, doesn’t care about adding authorized users, or perhaps the associated transfer partners aren’t their preference, the CSR may be a better choice. The better card will be the one that matches your spending mix, redemption preferences, and has benefits you can actually utilize. Sounds like the CapOne Venture X card may be the better choice for you personally.
Beth K
March 26, 2023
The CSR card is by far the better value for our family. I agree with the author, it depends upon your specific preferences/needs. One of us is a “road warrior,” staying in hotels and flying weekly for work. In just the first month of use with the 60k added points for meeting the minimum spend we received a total over 200,000 points. We have added the card to our 3 kids’ Lyft accounts and are getting 10x on all of their rides. When you are looking at $500+ a month in rides it really adds up. We are using all the perks this card offers and have already had savings in excess of the extra $230 in fees you pay to use the CSR instead of Venture X. The one thing the author didn’t spend as much time explaining needs to be mentioned – if you are a Marriott user this card lets you transfer points 1- 1 into your Bonvoy account. Right now Chase/Marriott has an additional promotion giving you an extra 50% on all transfers to Bonvoy. We just transferred out the first 200,000 points and received an additional 100,000 points directly into our Bonvoy account. We are very pleased with this card.
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