Which card is better, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card or the Capital One Venture card?

The best card for your situation will depend on how the card’s earnings match up with your spending, whether the redemption options align with your travel goals, and if you’ll use the benefits on the card. If you’re looking for simplicity and don’t want to pay a high annual fee, the Capital One Venture card could be the better choice. If you’re a frequent traveler and find value in premium travel benefits such as worldwide lounge access, travel statement credits, travel benefits and protections, and top redemption values, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, even with its higher annual fee, could be a fit.

How do Capital One miles work?

Capital One miles are flexible, redeemable miles. You earn a set number of miles for every dollar you spend on your Capital One credit card. The miles earned are deposited in your account after each statement period closes and then subsequently available for redemption. You can redeem your miles for travel, transfer the miles to travel partners to purchase award tickets or hotel rooms, redeem for statement credits against prior travel purchases, shop at Amazon, redeem for gift cards, or for cash. Capital One miles do not expire as long as you have an active miles-earning card.

How do Ultimate Rewards points work?

Ultimate Rewards points are earned on every purchase you make with your eligible Chase credit card. There are also bonus categories that earn multiple points per dollar spent. These points are deposited into your Chase Ultimate Rewards account each statement period and are then ready for redemption. You can redeem your points via the Chase travel portal, transfer your points to airline and hotel partners, shop at Amazon and Apple, and redeem for cash, experiences, gift cards, and more. Ultimate Rewards points do not expire as long as you have an active Ultimate Rewards-earning card account.

Can I transfer Capital One miles to other accounts?

Capital One miles can be transferred to any other Capital One account at no charge. The only requirement is that the Capital One account you’re transferring to is also a miles-earning account.

Capital One Venture Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve [2023]

Selecting the appropriate travel rewards card can be a daunting task, especially when you’re first starting out. It’s a natural inclination to simply choose a card with an earning structure you understand, a few benefits you might use, and redemption options that are easy to execute.

On the flip side, a traveler might want to jump in with both feet and select a premium travel rewards card with all the bells and whistles.

Today we’re going to talk about 2 such very different rewards cards. One is a card you might consider if you were just starting out, mostly because of its simplicity but also because of its familiarity due to its advertising exposure.

The other card has a high annual fee, bonus earning categories, various flexible redemption options, and a long list of travel benefits.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® are both respectable travel rewards cards, each offering value when matched with the right type of traveler.

So, is it better to keep things simple or go for the card with all the premium offerings?

We’re about to take on that conundrum and dive deep into our 2 featured cards to assist you in determining which is the better fit for you.

Table of contents

Capital One Venture Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — Overview
Welcome Offers
- Capital One Venture Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Earning Rewards
Redeeming Rewards
Annual Fees, Authorized Users, and Transfers
Travel Benefits and Protections
- Capital One Venture Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Shopping Benefits and Protections
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Capital One Venture Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — Overview
Welcome Offers
- Capital One Venture Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Earning Rewards
Redeeming Rewards
Annual Fees, Authorized Users, and Transfers
Travel Benefits and Protections
- Capital One Venture Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Shopping Benefits and Protections
Final Thoughts

Capital One Venture Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — Overview

Before we dive into all the details, let’s look at a side-by-side overview of the Capital One Venture card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card for a glance at the overall value of each card as it could relate to your situation.

Please note that the information for the Capital One Venture Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points and has not been provided by the card issuer. Some of these benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See your respective guide to benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Feature or Benefit	Capital One Venture Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Annual Fee	$95	$550
Earnings	5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other purchases	10x points on hotel, car rentals, and Chase Dining booked through Ultimate Rewards 10x points on Lyft rides (through March 2025) 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025) 5x points on air travel 3x points on other travel and dining worldwide 1x points on all other purchases
Redemption Options	Transfer to airline and hotel partners Purchase travel through Capital One Travel at 1 cent per mile Redeem for previous travel at the rate of 1 cent per mile (within 90 days) Redeem for cash at the rate of 0.5 cents per mile Gift cards, shopping at Amazon, statement credits	Transfer to airline and hotel partners Purchase travel through the Ultimate Rewards for 1.5 cents per point Redeem for a statement credit or cash at 1 cent per point Gift cards, merchandise
Reimbursements/Statement Credits	Up to $100 reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee	Up to $300 statement credit for travel purchases Up to $100 reimbursement for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck fee
Travel Benefits/Protections	Secondary car rental insurance 2 complimentary visits to a Capital One Lounge or Plaza Premium Lounges each year Lost luggage reimbursement Roadside dispatch No foreign transaction fees Gravity Haus benefits	Primary car rental insurance Priority Pass Select membership Trip cancellation/interruption/delay coverage Delayed and lost luggage reimbursement Emergency medical, dental, and evacuation Roadside assistance Travel emergency assistance Hotel program benefits No foreign transaction fees Travel accident insurance
Shopping Benefits/Protections	Purchase protection Extended warranty	DoorDash DoorPass subscription and monthly credit Instacart+ membership and monthly credit Purchase protection Extended warranty

Welcome Offers

Welcome bonuses offer an opportunity to quickly build a bank of redeemable rewards. You’ll earn this bonus on either of our featured cards after meeting minimum spending requirements within the first 3 months after card approval.

Here’s how these cards stack up with regard to these initial bonuses.

Capital One Venture Card

Welcome offers for the Capital One Venture card may vary, but you can expect to receive a reasonable bonus. Miles may be worth potentially more when transferred to airline and hotel partners.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The welcome bonus offered on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is worth 1.5x more when redeemed through the Chase travel portal or transferred to airline and hotel partners for potentially even greater end value.

Earning Rewards

Woman paying at restaurant cafe dining out — Both the Capital One Venture card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card earn elevated rewards on dining out. Image Credit: WavebreakMediaMicro via Adobe Stock

The Capital One Venture card earns rewards in the form of Capital One miles, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns Ultimate Rewards points.

While redemption values differ, here’s how the 2 cards compare when earning rewards on every purchase you make.

Card	Earnings
Capital One Venture card	5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other purchases
Chase Sapphire Reserve card	10x points on hotels, car rentals, and Chase Dining booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal 10x points on Lyft rides (through March 2025) 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025) 5x points on airfare purchased through the Chase travel portal 3x points on travel and dining worldwide 1x points on all other purchases

We’ve put together complete guides on the best ways to earn lots of Capital One miles and Ultimate Rewards points so you can learn even more.

Bottom Line: If you want simplicity, you won’t find a better earning structure than the Capital One Venture card with a minimum of 2 miles per dollar earned on every purchase. If you’re a frequent traveler and have a lot of associated spending, however, you’ll find greater upside earning opportunities and travel benefits with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Redeeming Rewards

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 First Class - From Rear — Both Capital One miles and Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to airline frequent flyer programs to book award flights. Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 first class. Image Credit: Greg Stone

Capital One miles earned on the Capital One Venture card are not the same as frequent flyer miles — the miles function as redeemable miles similar to the Ultimate Rewards points earned on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

When you’re ready to redeem your rewards on either card, you’ll find several options, although values vary depending on the redemption option you select.

Redemption Option	Capital One Venture Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Transfer to Travel Partners	Transfer to nearly 20 airline and hotel programs with most at a 1:1 ratio	Transfer to over a dozen airline and hotel programs at a 1:1 ratio
Purchase Travel via the Card’s Travel Portal	Purchase travel through Capital One Travel at 1 cent per mile	Purchase travel through the Ultimate Rewards for 1.5 cents per point
Statement Credit/Cash-back	Redeem for previous travel at the rate of 1 cent per mile (within 90 days) Redeem for cash at the rate of 0.5 cents per mile	Redeem for a statement credit or cash at 1 cent per point
Other Redemption Options	Gift cards, Amazon	Gift cards, Amazon, Apple, experiences

While redemption options on each card are similar, the rewards currencies can differ significantly in the value received. The sweet spot for Capital One miles is transferring the miles to travel partners for the best potential value.

Ultimate Rewards points can also be transferred to travel partners for potentially more value, plus you have the option to redeem the points for 1.5 cents each on the Chase travel portal. When redeeming Capital One miles for travel with Capital One Travel, miles are only worth 1 cent.

Ultimate Rewards points are much more valuable overall, however, as points could also be redeemed for cash at 1 cent each versus Capital One miles at 0.5 cents each.

Here are some great ideas for redeeming your Capital One miles and Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value.

Bottom Line: Ultimate Rewards points earned on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card are more valuable than Capital One miles as the Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for 1.5 cents each towards travel or 1 cent per point for statement credits or cash-back.

Annual Fees, Authorized Users, and Transfers

The Capital One Venture card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card are in different leagues regarding earning rewards, redeeming rewards, and benefits offered. The same differences hold true regarding annual fees, adding authorized users, and transfers between accounts.

Annual Fees

The Capital One Venture card currently charges an annual fee of $95. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has an annual fee of $550.

Authorized Users

The Capital One Venture card does not charge a fee to add an additional user to your card. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card charges $75 to add an authorized user. Authorized users do, however, receive worldwide lounge access via Priority Pass Select membership and some travel/shopping benefits and protections.

Transfers Between Accounts

The Capital One Venture card allows free transfers of Capital One miles to any account that is eligible to earn miles. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card allows no-fee transfers to family members’ accounts in the same household.