Points, Miles & Credit Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture: Which $95 Annual Fee Card Should You Pick?

June 15, 2026

7 min read

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In life, we’re constantly asked to choose between two options, and that’s true when it comes to travel credit cards.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Card are two entry-level travel cards that are great for folks who want to start earning points and miles. How do you choose which one is right for you?

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Card

Let’s start with how the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Card are similar.

Let’s start with how the card_name and card_name are similiar.

Each card carries an annual fee of annual_fees, which means the barrier to entry is relatively low.

In addition, both cards come with a foreign_transaction_fee foreign transaction fee, which means that you will not pay extra pesky fees when you use your card internationally. Instead, your credit card issuer converts the purchase into US dollars based on the exchange rate on the date of the transacation.

Both beginner cards earn points or miles that transfer to a handful of airline and hotel partners. They also both come with nice welcome offers that can get you at least a head start toward a free flight.

Since the cost of holding the cards is equal, how do they compare? Which one is right for you?

Earning points or miles

I say this often but pay close attention to your card’s earning rates. While a welcome offer is exciting, the bonus points or miles your card earns on your daily purchases will matter in the long term.

The card_name and card_name differ most when it comes to earning bonus points or miles.

Capital One Venture Rewards Card

Capital One refers to its currency as "Miles," so we'll use that terminology throughout.

The card_name is quite simple: you’ll earn 2X miles per dollar spent on all eligible purchases.

That’s it. Nothing else to think about.

Going to a football game? Buying tickets to a concert? This card will earn you 2X miles on every purchase.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The card_name earns bonus points in several spending categories. The card’s sweet spots are in experiences like travel, food, and streaming services.

More specifically, you’ll earn:

Earn 5X points per dollar spent on travel purchased through Chase Travel(SM).
Earn 3X points per dollar on dining, select streaming services and online groceries
Earn 3x points on gas stations and electric vehicle charging
Earn 3x points on vacation home rentals, such as Airbnb and VRBO
Earn 2X points per dollar on all other travel purchases
Earn 1X points on all other purchases

Get airfare deals for your points and miles with Going

Welcome offers

Both cards come with welcome offers granting you thousands of flexible travel points after spending a certain amount. Their offers are:

Capital One Venture Rewards Card

bonus_miles_full

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

bonus_miles_full

I’d argue that the welcome offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is more valuable because of where you can transfer its points. I’ll explain more below.

Transfer partners

The best way to maximize the value of your credit card points or miles is to transfer them to the bank's airline and hotel partners. Called “transfer partners” or “travel partners,” you convert your hard-earned credit card currency into airline miles with a specific airline.

Both the card_name and the card_name transfer to a lot of the same international airlines. Common transfer partners with each include:

Chase and Capital One airline transfer partners

Air Canada Aeroplan

British Airways Executive Club

Emirates Skyward

Flying Blue (loyalty program for Air France and KLM)

Singapore Airlines

Virgin Atlantic (also called Virgin Red)

Capital One Venture Rewards Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards card also has Avianca LifeMiles and Turkish Miles&Smiles among its transfer partners. We have sent several Going deals making use of these partners.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

However, I think it is Chase Sapphire Preferred’s travel partners where the card really shines. In addition to the partners listed above, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has several US domestic airlines as partners including, United MileagePlus, Southwest Airlines, and JetBlue.

To be perfectly honest with you, the breadth of transfer partners for a relatively low annual fee is why the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is my favorite card in my wallet.

Unique transfer partners by issuer

Chase

Capital One

Iberia

JetBlue

Southwest Airlines

United MileagePlus

Aeromexico

Avianca LifeMiles

Cathay Pacific

Eithad Guest

EVA Air

Finnair

Qantas

TAP Air Portugal

Turkish Miles&Smiles

Extra card perks and protections

Capital One Venture Rewards Card

Both cards come with a statement credit up to $120 for Global Entry, TSA Precheck®, or NEXUS credit every four years.

You can use this application credit once every four years. And, if you already have it you could use this card’s credit for a loved one’s application.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card also comes with some of the best-in-class travel and is one of our top picks for credit cards with rental car insurance because it comes with Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.

This is the full list of travel protections that the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers:

Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: Up to $10,000 reimbursed per person if your trip is cancelled or cut short by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations.
Auto rental collision damage waiver: Primary coverage
Baggage delay insurance: Reimburses baggage delays over 6 hours up to $100 a day for five days.
Trip delay insurance: Up to $500 per ticket when your carrier is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay. Can include meal and lodging expenses.

Should you get the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Capital One Venture Rewards Card?

For most people, the card_name is the better option, simply because Chase points are more valuable than Capital One Miles (their term for points).

Still, if you’d rather not track categories, and just want to earn a flat 2X points per dollar, then the card_name might be the better option for you.

Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t have both. They complement each other and allow you to earn more points together.

Still need to think about it? Read our reviews of each card to help you decide.