Which Premium Travel Card is Better? Capital One Venture X vs Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

by Daniel | Last Updated October 17th, 2024

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Choosing the right premium travel card can be tough, but today, I’m breaking down two heavyweights in the game: the Capital One Venture X and the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Whether you’re chasing that next luxury getaway or looking to rack up points with everyday spending, both cards promise epic rewards—but which one truly delivers? Well stick around as I compare these two cards, uncovering hidden perks, potential deal-breakers, and everything in between. If you’re serious about maximizing your travel and lifestyle benefits, this is a review you don’t want to miss!

Who Are These Cards Good For? And Why Should You Apply For Either One? 

The Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards are both excellent options for frequent travelers, luxury seekers, and savvy points collectors.
So here’s a breakdown of who these cards are best suited for and why you might consider applying for one:

Capital One Venture X

Who It’s For?

So the Capital One Venture X card is best suited to frequent travelers who want a simple, straightforward rewards structure.

It provides flexibility in redeeming travel miles across multiple platforms.

Along with this, it also comes with premium perks and a reasonably priced annual fee compared to other luxury travel cards.

Why Apply?

High earning potential: You get 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights.

Lower annual fee: At $395, Venture X offers great premium benefits with a lower entry cost than other high-end cards.

Easy redemption: Miles are transferable to a variety of travel partners or can be used for statement credits, making it versatile for various travel needs.

Lounge access: Venture X comes with unlimited access to Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass, and Plaza Premium Lounges, ideal for frequent travelers who value airport comfort.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Who It’s For?

Next up, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is perfect for high-spending travelers who want access to top-tier travel rewards and exclusive experiences.

It provides you with the ability to transfer your points to top airline and hotel partners like United, Southwest, and Hyatt.

And those who enjoy dining out and want extra rewards for it.

Why apply?

Excellent travel rewards: It provides Excellent travel rewards such as 3X points on travel and dining, which increases to 10X points for hotels and car rentals that are booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Top-notch transfer partners: With Chase points being incredibly valuable when transferred to some of Chase’s travel partners, it allows you to maximize your rewards with decent variety airlines and hotels.

Luxury travel perks: You will also have access to range of different luxury travel perks that includes Priority Pass lounge access, exclusive benefits with Chase’s Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, and an extensive range of travel insurance coverage.

Premium experience: Then with the $300 annual travel credit and other high-end perks like primary car rental insurance and comprehensive trip protections, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is a fantastic choice. 

Why Consider Either Card?

Ultimately, both cards offer tremendous value, but the choice depends on your personal travel habits, how you like to redeem rewards, and the type of perks you value most.

Annual Fee & Current Sign Up Bonus Of Each Card

Now from here, let’s take look at how valuable the sign-up bonus is and how much the annual fee will cost you each year for each card.
And you will see that both cards are similarly matched, at least when it comes to the sign up bonus and points earning potential.

Capital One Venture X

Now currently it is possible to earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on the card within the first 3 months of opening the account. 
And with miles being valued at 1 credit per mile, this sign up bonus is worth $750.
Now it’s worth noting that you can receive more value than this just by transferring these miles to one of the many travel partners.

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Chase Sapphire Reserve

Now with Chase Sapphire Reserve points being valued at 1.5 cents per point when redeemed for travel through Chase, this sign-up bonus is worth $900.
And much like the Capital One Venture X card, it is possible to receive quite a lot more value than this by transferring your miles to one of the travel partners. 

So whilst the more expensive Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a slightly more valuable sign-up bonus worth $900 compared to the Capital One Venture X cards $750 value, the Venture X card can potentially provide you with more value overall if you transfer the miles to one of the travel partners. 

Which Card Has The Best Points Earning Potential?

So now we know how much each card costs on an annual basis and what they are offering as a sign-up bonus, we now need to look at the points or miles earning ability of each card.
And this is obviously quite an important factor to consider when choosing any new credit card, as having the ability to earn more points or miles will eventually provide you with more value over time.

Capital One Venture X

So starting first with the Capital One Venture X card there are a few different categories that provide you with the ability to earn a reasonable amount of miles from.

Starting right at the top, it is possible to earn 10x miles on hotel and car rental purchases that are booked specifically through Capital One Travel.
If you do travel a fair bit each year and spend a reasonable amount of time staying at hotels or renting cars, you will be able to earn a ton of extra miles throughout the year.

From here it is then possible earn 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals that are again booked through Capital One Travel.

Then everything else that you purchases on the Capital One card will earn 2x miles.

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Chase Sapphire Reserve

Starting right at the top, there are there categories to earn 10x points from, these are:

• Purchases made on hotels and car rentals that are specifically booked through Chase Travel
• Lyft rides
• Purchases made at restaurants that are that are booked through the Ultimate Rewards Program

It is then possible to earn 5x points on flights that are booked through Chase Travel.

Then all other travel related expenses that are not booked through Chase Travel will earn you 3x points.

You will also receive 3x points at restaurants, takeaway and food delivery services.

Then everything else that is purchased on the card will earn you 1 point per dollar spent. 

So the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a slightly better points earning ability than the Venture X card, but it’s worth considering where you spend a majority of your money with your credit card.

By doing this you will be able to make a better decision on which card will actually benefit you more, at least when it comes to earn points, or miles.  

Which Card Has The Best Benefits And Perks?

So now that I’ve covered the annual fee, sign-up bonus and points or miles earning potential of each card, let’s take a look at the benefits that actually come with each card and see how they compare.

Capital One Venture X

Along with this you will also have access to a handful of Capital One Lounges 

Then next benefit that is also quite valuable is the $300 annual travel credit.
To use this all you need to do is make a travel related booking through Capital One Travel.

There is then a Complimentary membership to The Cultivist that is worth $220.
This provides you with 6 months of free access for and one guest to over 60 of the best museums around the world.

You will also receive a complimentary PRIOR Subscription that is worth $149.
This is essentially a digital travel magazine that you will have unlimited access to.

Another benefits that has become quite common with travel related credit cards is a $120 credit that can be used for either TSA PreCheck or Global entry.
I have both of these and they do help to speed up getting through Airport Security.

Then each year of card ownership you will receive an anniversary bonus or 10,000 miles that is worth at least $100.

And finally you will receive Hertz President’s Circle status.
This provides you with guaranteed upgrades at select locations and a wide range of different rental vehicles to choose from.

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Chase Sapphire Reserve

The most valuable bent on offer with the Reserve card is the Priority Pass Select Membership, and this is pretty much the same as the Priory membership that comes with the Venture X card.  

Now along with this you will also have access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge which has a handful of locations that are mainly located in the US.

Another new benefit that has recently been added to the Reserve card is access to select Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges and cafes in the US, Canada and Europe when you are flying on any Star Alliance carrier.

Then just like the Venture X card you will also receive a $300 annual Trraval credit.
The main difference with the this is that it is a lot easier to make use of as you can just use the card to pay directly for a wide range of travel related expenses and receive a credit.

You will also receive a $120 credit that can be used at TSA PreCheck, Global Entry and NEXUS.

There is then a complimentary DashPass subscription that is worth $96, and this also comes with a $5 monthly credit and up to $20 each month that can be used on non-restaurant DoorDash orders. 

You will also receive a 2-year complimentary Lyft Pink All Access membership worth $199.
This comes with a variety of different perks that include Free Grubhub+ for one year, are Priority Pickup upgrades and Bike and scooter discounts in select US cities. 

Final Thoughts

Ok so that covers pretty much everything you need to know about both of these cards, and as you can see, both cards offer quite a lot of value.  

Now like any credit card that you are considering, it’s always worth taking in to account which benefits you will actually use and take advantage.

This can really make a big difference in how much value you will persoanlly receive from your chosen card.

So when it comes to deciding which one of these cards is the best card for you, it really depends on a couple of factors.

The first thing to consider like I just mentioned would be if you will actually make use of the benefits on offer with each card.
If the benefits don’t align with your lifestyle, then it might be a good idea to consider a different card. 

I’ve had the Chase Sapphire Reserve card since 2016 and really like it, I use pretty much all of the benefits that come with the card, so it is a great fit for me.

Now although I don’t have the Venture X card, I think it is a fantastic card that offer a ton of value, and best of all it is cheaper than the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, with an annual fee of $395, compared to the Reserve cards $550 annual fee.

Either way, I think both cards offer amazing value, specifically if you travel a fair amount, as that is where most of the value comes from with each card.

Now if you’ve managed to make it this far though the video don’t forget to hit the like button so more people get the chance to see this video. 

And if you would like to learn more about what the Amex Trifecta is, check out my review here.