Capital One Venture X Vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Which Card Is Better?

Now is the time to apply for the Capital One Venture X rewards credit card.

The Capital One Venture X rewards credit card is the newest premium credit card on the market and is probably the top competitor to the Chase Reserve card. Since there is a lot of overlap between these two cards, I wanted to compare the two products in order to help people make a decision.

Comparing the Venture X & Sapphire Reserve

The Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve are both very rewarding cards, so let's compare them to see which one is more rewarding. We need to get right into it.

Welcome bonuses: Venture X vs. Sapphire Reserve

There are some welcome bonuses on offer.

Capital One miles are valued at 1.7 cents each.

Capital One Venture X has a better welcome bonus.

Approval odds: Venture X vs. Sapphire Reserve

There are rules when it comes to being approved.

Capital One can be strange about approvals, but I think a lot more people are eligible for the Capital One Venture X than the Chase Reserve.

Annual fees: Venture X vs. Sapphire Reserve

The annual fees of the two credit cards are vastly different for the primary cardmember and authorized users.

The Capital One Venture X is the winner due to the lower annual fee and the fact that you can add authorized users.

Earning points: Venture X vs. Sapphire Reserve

One card is great for everyday spending and the other is great for popular bonus categories.

• The Capital One Venture X earns 2x Venture miles on all purchases; you can also earn bonus miles for travel booked through Capital One Travel, including 10x miles for hotels and rental cars and 5x miles for flights
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3x Ultimate Rewards points on dining and travel, and 1x Ultimate Rewards points on other purchases; you can also earn bonus points for travel booked through Chase Travel, including 10x points for hotels and rental cars and 5x points for flights

I don't think there's an obvious winner because it's a "your mileage may vary" situation You will come out ahead of the Capital One Venture X if you spend more than half of your money on dining and travel.

Redeeming points: Venture X vs. Sapphire Reserve

Capital One miles are valued at 1.7 cents each, but I wanted to expand on redemption opportunities.

The Capital One Venture X can be used to redeem points.

• They can be redeemed for one cent each toward the cost of a travel purchase; what’s cool is that you can book travel however you’d like, and then retroactively reimburse yourself for those purchases with statement credits
• They can be transferred to Capital One airline and hotel partners, with a vast majority of transfers being at a 1:1 ratio

Transfer ratios and times are included in Capital One mileage partners.

There are a number of ways in which points can be redeemed.

• They can be redeemed for 1.5 cents each toward the cost of a travel purchase through Chase Travel; this gets you a higher per-point value, but you are restricted to booking through the travel portal
• They can be transferred to Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio

Transfer ratios and times are included with Chase Ultimate rewards partners.

I think the Chase Reserve has the edge here. I value the two points currencies the same, but if I had to choose, I would prefer the Chase Ultimate rewards transfer partners and the higher cash-out value.

Annual credits & ongoing perks: Venture X vs. Sapphire Reserve

The annual credits help offset the annual fee.

The cost of the Reserve is only $250 per year after subtracting the $300 credit from the fee. I would argue that the Capital One Venture X does not cost you anything after taking into account the annual travel credit and bonus miles.

The Capital One Venture X is the winner because it offers both a $300 credit and 10,000 bonus anniversary miles, which is almost nothing to hold onto, if you are maximizing things properly.

Lounge access: Venture X vs. Sapphire Reserve

One of the main reasons people pick up a premium credit card is for lounge access, and this is an area where both cards are pretty good.

You can take two guests into Priority Pass lounges with you, you can get credits at Priority Pass restaurants, and both the primary cardmember and authorized users get these perks.

Capital One Venture X is the winner. You can add authorized users for free and get a Priority Pass membership with the card. The card also gives access to Capital One Lounges.

Rental car perks: Venture X vs. Sapphire Reserve

Both cards are Visa Infinite products and come with CarRentals CarRentals perks.

• The Capital One Venture X offers Hertz President’s Circle status, plus standard Visa Infinite rental car perks, which includes National Emerald Club Executive status, and discounts with Avis and Silvercar
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers standard Visa Infinite rental car perks, which includes National Emerald Club Executive status, and discounts with Avis and Silvercar

The Venture X is the winner since it offers the standard Visa Infinite perks, as well as top-tier status withhertz.

Building a card portfolio: Venture X vs. Sapphire Reserve

The ability to create an incredible portfolio of credit cards that helps maximize your rewards is one of the competitive advantages of Chase. Chase has more opportunities to take advantage of bonus categories than Capital One does.

The Chase cards that don't have an annual fee can be used to pool points.

• The Chase Freedom Flex^SM (review) has no annual fee and offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, for up to $1,500 of spending per quarter, plus 3x points on dining and drugstores
• The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review) has no annual fee and offers 1.5x points on all purchases, plus 3x points on dining and drugstores
• The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (review) has no annual fee and offers 5x points on the first $25,000 of combined purchases per cardmember year on office supply stores, internet, cable TV, mobile phones, and landlines, and 2x points on the first $25,000 of combined purchases per cardmember year on restaurants and gas stations
• The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (review) has no annual fee and offers a flat 1.5x points on all purchases
• The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) has a $95 annual fee and offers 3x points on the first $150,000 spent each cardmember year on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines

These cards can greatly increase the pace at which you accumulate Ultimate rewards points. It is assumed that you are willing to get multiple cards, which some people don't want to do.

Capital One has matching options as well. 3% cash back on dining, grocery stores, entertainment, and select streaming services is offered by the Capital One SavorOne Cash rewards credit card. The Capital One Venture X rewards can be converted into Capital One miles at a rate of one cent per mile if you have the card.

You can create a more robust portfolio of credit cards if you use the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

The above is a good rundown of the cards. The Capital One Venture X was the winner based on the categories I compared. I would like to give some more specific advice as to which card is better.

Who should look at the Capital One Venture X and who should look at the Chase Reserve?

Who should get the Capital One Venture X?

The Capital One Venture X may be the easiest credit card to justify. Not including the welcome bonus.

• The card has a $395 annual fee, but offers a $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, so in the long run those two perks should more or less cover the annual fee
• You’re then getting a card that offers a Priority Pass membership, Plaza Premium Lounge access, and Capital One Lounge access, not just for the primary cardmember, but also for four authorized users
• Then you also have a card that has an unbeatable return on everyday spending, plus offers valuable purchase protection, ranging from rental car coverage, to cell phone protection, to travel coverage

There isn't a premium credit card that is easier to justify.

Who should get the Chase Sapphire Reserve?

The Chase Reserve has a lot of things to offer. Being able to earn 3x UltimateRewards points on purchases is great for people who spend a lot on dining and travel.

If you like booking travel through a portal, you can redeem your points for 1.5 cents for each purchase you make. It is not possible with Capital One miles to convert Chase Ultimate rewards points into World of Hyatt points.

If you want to build a portfolio of Chase credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a good option. Chase shines at that point.

A solid hybrid strategy I’d recommend

I think there is an exciting option you can consider if you can't decide between the two. The Capital One Venture X is a nice compromise in terms of annual fees, and I think there is something to be said for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

The combination of the Venture X and the Sapphire Preferred is difficult to beat.

• You’ll pay a total of $490 in annual fees between the two cards, which is lower than the annual fee of just the Sapphire Reserve
• You’ll receive a $300 annual travel credit, plus 10,000 bonus Venture miles on your anniversary every year, which should offset all of the Venture X annual fee
• This gives you the best of both worlds — a Priority Pass membership, Plaza Premium Lounge access, and Capital One Lounge access, for you and four authorized users, great travel protection, 3x points on dining and 2x points on everyday spending, access to both card ecosystems, rental car status, cell phone protection, and so much more

Bottom line

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has been the most popular travel credit card for a long time. I think the Venture X is a better option for many people because it is very competitive with the Reserve.

There are more annual credits and miles that help offset the Venture X annual fee. The Venture X is better for authorized users as you can earn add four at no cost and they get most of the same perks.

The best of both worlds can be found with the combination of the Venture X and Sapphire Preferred.

Do you like the Venture X or the Reserve? Is it possible to have both?