Amex Classic Green Card vs. Capital One Venture Card [Detailed Comparison]

Key Takeaways

• The American Express^® Classic Green Card is designed for travel enthusiasts, earning 3x points on dining, travel, and transit and 1x points on everything else.
• The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5x miles on car rentals and hotels booked via Capital One Travel and 2x miles on everything else.
• With similar benefits, choosing the right card depends on your preferred rewards, bonus categories, and the perks you will use.

If you’re in the market for a new card that earns transferable rewards without a hefty annual fee, the American Express^® Classic Green Card* and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are strong options to consider.

Given that, how should you decide which card is the best option for you? In this guide, we will provide a detailed comparison of everything that each card has to offer, including their rewards, benefits, credits, protections, fees, and more. Without further ado, let’s jump right into the comparisons.

Update:

The American Express^® Classic Green Card is not available for new applicants. However, if you have the American Express^® Gold Card or Platinum Card^® from American Express, you may be able to downgrade to the Amex Classic Green card.

*The information regarding the American Express^® Classic Green Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Overview

Before we do a deep dive into all of the details of each card, here is a quick comparison table to give you an approximation of the strengths of each card.

For the most part, both the Amex Classic Green card and the Capital One Venture card offer a lot of similar benefits, protections, and redemption options.

Now, let’s take an in-depth look at each category to help narrow down your search.

Welcome Offer Comparison

Amex Classic Green Card

American Express^® Classic Green Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

This card can provide a great way to accumulate Membership Rewards points on eligible travel, transit, and at restaurants.

All information about American Express^® Classic Green Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points.

American Express^® Classic Green Card

This card can provide a great way to accumulate Membership Rewards points on eligible travel, transit, and at restaurants.

Welcome Offer

No welcome offer is available.

None

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $0

Annual Fee

$150

APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

Update: The American Express^® Classic Green Card is no longer available for new applicants, but is available via product change. 
The Amex Classic Green card is an excellent all-around travel rewards card, earning 3x Membership Rewards points on eligible travel and transit purchases, as well as at restaurants, with access to American Express transfer partners and a reasonable annual fee.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3x points at restaurants worldwide, on all eligible travel purchases, and on transit purchases
• Up to $219 per calendar year in statement credits after you pay for a CLEAR+ membership with the card
• Access to American Express transfer partners

Cons

• $150 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 3X Membership Rewards^® points on travel, including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals.
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards^® Points on transit purchases, including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards^® points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US.
• $219 CLEAR+ Credit: Receive up to $219 per calendar year in statement credits when you pay for your CLEAR+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the American Express^® Classic Green Card.
• Payment Flexibility: When it comes to paying your bill, you have options. You can always pay in full. You also have the flexibility to carry a balance with interest or use Plan It^® to split up large purchases into monthly payments with a fixed fee, up to your Pay Over Time Limit. You may be able to keep spending beyond your limit – you’ll just need to pay for any new purchases in full when your bill is due.
• Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 12 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased on the same Eligible Card, up to $300 per trip, maximum 2 claims per eligible account per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees: No matter where you’re traveling, when you use your American Express ^® Classic Green Card there are no foreign transaction fees.
• $150 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Capital One Venture Card

LIMITED-TIME OFFER

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

Welcome Offer

Earn more than $1000 in Travel Bonuses with a limited-time $300 Capital One Travel stays credit, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening—that's more than $1,000 in travel value. 

$300 Travel Credit + 75k miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,650

Annual Fee

$95

APR

Purchases: 19.49% - 28.49% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent Credit

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• Up to a $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• Limited elite benefits

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $300 to use on hotel and vacation rental bookings through Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening – that’s more than $1,000 in travel value
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Top rated mobile app

Financial Snapshot

• APR: Purchases: 19.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

Bottom Line:

Our valuation of Amex Membership Rewards points and Capital One miles are relatively close, at 2.2 cents per point and 1.8 cents per mile, respectively. That said, while we value Amex Membership Rewards points more, the Capital One Venture card usually offers a much larger welcome offer than the Amex Classic Green card.

Comparing Earning Potential

One of the best ways to determine if a card is right for you is if the bonus categories it offers match your spending habits, allowing you to earn as many points as possible.

As you can see, the bonus categories on both cards are quite different. Those who spend a considerable portion of their budget on travel, dining, and transit purchases are likely to fair better with the Amex Classic Green card, as you’ll earn 3x points on these purchases — 50% more than you would with the Capital One Venture card.

That said, if your purchase habits don’t regularly fall into certain categories, or you prefer to not have to worry about bonus categories at all, then earning 2x miles on all purchases with the Capital One Venture card is pretty compelling.

Redemption Options

Amex Classic Green Card

American Express Membership Rewards points offer a variety of redemption options, including transferring them to Amex’s transfer partners, booking through the AmexTravel.com portal, cash-back via a statement credit, gift cards, or shopping with select merchants.

While each person should redeem their points in whatever manner works best for their situation, our favorite way to redeem our Amex points is via the AmexTravel.com transfer partners. Thanks to these partnerships you can use your points for luxury travel experiences for a fraction of what it would normally cost.

The Green card is one of multiple Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards points.

For example, when transferring your points to Virgin Atlantic you can book one-way Delta One business class awards between the U.S. and Europe for just 50,000 points with low taxes and fees.

Capital One Venture Card

Similarly, Capital One Miles also provides multiple redemption options including transferring to the Capital One transfer partners, travel purchases through Capital One Travel, using miles to offset recent general travel purchases made with your card, gift cards, and shopping with select retailers.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, our favorite way to redeem our Capital One miles is through the Capital One transfer partners, and some of our favorites include Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca Lifemiles, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and Turkish Airlines.

Need to fly from New York to Los Angeles? You can do so in style aboard United Polaris business class for just 25,000 miles each way using the Air Canada Aeroplan program.

Hot Tip:

Read more about the best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points and how to maximize their value and the best ways to use Capital One Miles to get outsized value. 

Statement Credits Comparison

Amex Classic Green Card — CLEAR+

While the annual fee of the Amex Classic Green card is $150, it offers an annual CLEAR+ credit of up to $219. Depending on how much you value having a CLEAR+ membership, this perk can help offset the annual fee rather easily.

For those unfamiliar, CLEAR® provides an expedited security experience at select airports and stadiums nationwide using biometrics, which allows you to jump right to the front of the ID check line.

Capital One Venture Card — Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

Global Entry and TSA PreCheck are an absolute must-have for anyone who travels often, so much so that we feel that the $120 membership fee for both Global Entry and TSA PreCheck combined is a steal. Thankfully many travel rewards cards offer a statement credit for this membership and the Capital One Venture card is one of them.

Travel Benefits and Protection Analysis

Neither the Amex Classic Green card nor the Capital One Venture card is one of the best cards for travel protection and benefits, but they both offer some useful benefits.

The main perks of the Amex Classic Green card here are its trip delay coverage, and baggage protection. The Capital One Venture card offers baggage protection.

Fortunately, both cards offer secondary rental car insurance and no foreign transaction fees.

Comparing Shopping Benefits and Protections

Here is how each option keeps you covered when purchasing items with your card.

Amex Classic Green Card

• Amex Offers — Discounts and opportunities to earn more points and statement credits with 100 merchants each month
• Purchase Protection — Coverage 90 days from the date of purchase towards stolen or damaged items for up to $1,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per year
• Extended Warranty Coverage — Adds 1 year of additional warranty to extended warranties of 5 years or less
• American Express Experiences — Exclusive access to ticket presales

Capital One Venture Card

• Purchase Assurance — Coverage 90 days from the date of purchase towards stolen or damaged items

Annual Fees and Adding Authorized Users

Annual Fees

The annual fee of the Amex Classic Green card is $150, while the annual fee of the Capital One Venture card is $95. The 2 fees are relatively close, but since the Amex Classic Green card is higher, you’ll want to be certain that the benefits you value in the card outweigh that additional cost.

Authorized Users

When it comes to authorized users, you can add up to 5 cards to your Amex Classic Green card for no additional cost, and any additional cards are $35 each.

Final Thoughts

It is clear that both the Amex Classic Green card and the Capital One Venture card are excellent options for points and miles travelers.

Both have relatively similar benefits, so deciding which card is better for you might come down to the smaller details like the rewards ecosystem you prefer, the bonus categories, or a particular benefit that stands out to you.

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