Which card is better, the Citi Premier card or the Capital One Venture card?

There are a lot of similarities between the Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card in both earning and redemption categories. The Capital One Venture card has more travel protections and benefits, but if these are not a priority, the card that best fits your spending mix would make the most sense. Also, transfer partners vary by card, with Capital One having more partners than Citi, so this is another factor to consider. Overall, both cards can offer good value for the right consumers.

Which are more valuable, Citi ThankYou Points or Capital One miles?

We value Citi ThankYou Points at 1.6 each and Capital One miles at 1.8 cents each in potential value when transferred to travel partners. However, if you redeem rewards earned on either card for travel via the associated travel portal, you will receive 1 cent in value per reward point or mile. All other redemption option values will vary and may result in less than 1 cent per point or mile.

Does the Citi Premier card have car rental insurance?

The Citi Premier card does not offer car rental insurance.

Is the Capital One Venture card a Visa or Mastercard?

The Capital One Venture card is a Visa Signature card.

Is the Citi Premier card a Visa or Mastercard?

The Citi Premier card is a World Elite Mastercard.

Citi Premier Card vs. Capital One Venture Card [2023 Comparison]

Are you looking for a travel rewards card but are not sure about paying the high annual fees that come with premium travel rewards cards? You might want to consider a mid-range card that has a lower annual fee, yet still provides good earning potential, flexible travel redemptions, and travel/shopping benefits and protections.

Today we’ve selected 2 very popular cards that each fit that description perfectly. The Citi Premier® Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card both offer plenty of earning potential, flexible redemption options, and additional travel/shopping benefits.

And, while the cards are very similar, you’ll find that one may be a better fit for you due to a combination of your spending mix, redemption preferences, and the card benefits you find valuable.

Look closely at each of these mid-tier rewards cards to compare all the key features and benefits.

Table of contents

Citi Premier Card vs. Capital One Venture Card — Summary
The Value of a Welcome Offer
Citi ThankYou Points vs. Capital One Miles
- Earning Potential
- Redemption Options
Travel Protections and Benefits
- Citi Premier Card
- Capital One Venture Card
Shopping Protections and Benefits
- Citi Premier Card
- Capital One Venture Card
Annual Fees and Authorized Users
Qualifying for Our Featured Cards
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Citi Premier Card vs. Capital One Venture Card — Summary
The Value of a Welcome Offer
Citi ThankYou Points vs. Capital One Miles
- Earning Potential
- Redemption Options
Travel Protections and Benefits
- Citi Premier Card
- Capital One Venture Card
Shopping Protections and Benefits
- Citi Premier Card
- Capital One Venture Card
Annual Fees and Authorized Users
Qualifying for Our Featured Cards
Final Thoughts

Citi Premier Card vs. Capital One Venture Card — Summary

We’ll expand on the features and benefits of the Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card shortly but first, let’s look at a high-level overview of the 2 cards side-by-side.

Feature or Benefit	Citi Premier® Card	Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Welcome Offer	Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months.	Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
Earning	3x points on air travel, hotels, supermarkets, gas stations, and restaurants 1x points on all other purchases	5x miles on car rentals and hotels booked via Capital One Travel 2x miles on every other purchase
Redemption Options	Redeem points for travel at 1 cent each via Citi Travel Center Transfer miles to airline and hotel partners Gift cards, statement credits, shopping at select retailers, PayPal	Redeem miles for travel at 1 cent each via Capital One Travel Redeem miles against travel purchases from the last 90 days Transfer miles to airline and hotel partners Gift cards, statement credits, shopping at select retailers, PayPal
Travel Protections and Benefits	No foreign transaction fees Rental car discounts and benefits Travel and emergency assistance Concierge
Additional Travel Protections and Benefits	Annual hotel savings benefit Mastercard Luxury Hotel and Resorts benefits	Car rental insurance Baggage insurance Roadside dispatch Gravity Haus benefits Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Fee Reimbursement Airport lounge passes (2 annually)
Shopping Protections and Benefits	Purchase protection, extended warranty ShopRunner membership
Additional Shopping Benefits	Citi Merchant Offers	Capital One Offers
Annual Fees and Authorized Users	$95 Authorized Users: $0	$95 Authorized Users: $0

The Value of a Welcome Offer

Welcome offers allow you the opportunity to accumulate a large number of rewards in a short period of time. Both the Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card have generous welcome bonuses you can earn by meeting minimum spending requirements within the first 3 months after card approval.

Regardless of which card you select, you can earn a welcome offer that can exceed $1,000 in value. Here’s a snapshot of the cards’ current offers.

We value Citi ThankYou Points at 1.6 cents each and Capital One miles at 1.8 cents each, which results in current welcome offers having similar values. Welcome offers change, though, so be sure to compare the most current offers before applying for either card.

Bottom Line: Both the Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card have generous welcome offers, worth hundreds of dollars, that can be earned after meeting spending requirements in the first 3 months after card approval.

Citi ThankYou Points vs. Capital One Miles

Couple walking on beach — The best potential value for your rewards is to redeem for travel. Image Credit: Asad Photo Maldives via Pexels

Citi ThankYou Points and Capital One miles are very similar. One reason is that Capital One miles are not really miles, as in frequent flyer miles, but actually function just like Citi ThankYou Points when it comes to either earning or redeeming.

Here’s how the 2 cards compare when we look at how points/miles are earned on each card and the options at redemption time.

Earning Potential

Travelers will like earning rewards on their travel purchases, but also enjoy accumulating rewards quickly via everyday purchases.

Earning Category	Citi Premier Card	Capital One Venture Card
Travel	3x points per dollar spent on flights and hotels 1x points all other travel	5x miles per dollar spent on car rentals and hotels via Capital One Travel
Supermarkets, Gas Stations, Restaurants	3x points	2x miles
All Other Purchases	1x points	2x miles

To illustrate how points/miles are earned on our 2 featured cards, let’s look at a modest and simple annual spending mix sample to see how spending translates into rewards for each card:

$3,000 on flights
$2,000 on hotels
$6,000 at the supermarket, on gas, and at restaurants
$10,000 for all other spending

The points/miles earnings on each card would be as follows:

Citi Premier card — 9,000 ($3,000 x 3x), 6,000 ($2,000 x 3x), 18,000 ($6,000 x 3x), and 10,000 ($10,000 x 1x), for a total of 43,000 points
Capital One Venture card — 6,000 ($3,000 x 2x), 10,000 ($2,000 x 5x miles via Capital One Travel), 12,000 ($6,000 x 2x), and 20,000 ($10,000 x 2x) for a total of 48,000 miles

With an estimated value of 1.6 cents per point, the Citi Premier card would generate $688 in estimated value, while the Capital One Venture card at 1.8 cents per point, would generate an estimated $864 in value.

Of course, the actual value you receive will depend on how you redeem your rewards. If you redeemed points/miles via the card’s associated travel portal for 1 cent each, for example, you’d realize $433 in value with the Citi Premier card and $480 with the Capital One Venture card.

Your actual results will also differ depending on your spending mix. It can be helpful to do the math on a sample scenario using your own estimated spending numbers before you select a card.

Bottom Line: The Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card are similar when it comes to earning rewards on travel and on everyday spending. The better earning card for you will depend on your spending mix and how you prefer to redeem your rewards.

Redemption Options

You’ve accumulated a lot of points and now it’s time to reap the benefits and redeem your rewards for something special.

Fortunately, both the Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card earn valuable flexible rewards that offer several options at redemption time.

Let’s look at how the cards compare when you’re ready to redeem your points.

Redemption Option	Citi Premier Card	Capital One Venture Card
Travel	Transfer points to airline and hotel partners Redeem for 1 cent per point via Citi Travel Center	Transfer miles to airline and hotel partners Redeem for 1 cent per mile via Capital One Travel
Additional Redemption Options	Statement credits, gift cards, shopping at select online retailers Donate to charity Transfer to Sears Shop Your Way	Statement credits, gift cards, PayPal checkout

Redeeming rewards for travel purchases via your card’s associated travel portal results in a value of 1 cent per point but you’ll have the potential for greater value when you transfer points to hotel or airline partners.

The number of transfer partners differs by card, but the cards have several in common. If transfer partners are a key redemption priority, you’ll want to review these before selecting a card.

Other redemption options may result in a value of less than 1 cent per point and therefore not a good deal.

Bottom Line: Both the Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card earn flexible rewards that offer several redemption options including an opportunity for a value greater than 1 cent per point in value by transferring rewards to hotel and airline partners.

Travel Protections and Benefits

Couple driving in car — Travel protections can provide peace of mind during your journey. Image credit: Rachel Claire via Pexels

The Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card both come with several travel protections and benefits.

Let’s start with the protections and benefits that are offered on both of our featured cards:

No Foreign Transaction Fees — Neither of our featured cards charges foreign transaction fees.
Car Rental Benefits — Citi Premier cardholders receive Mastercard special benefits of up to 25% in discounts with Avis, National, and SIXT. Capital One Venture cardholders receive complimentary Hertz Five Star elite status.
Travel and Emergency Assistance — Receive 24/7 assistance with just one phone call should you need English-speaking medical or legal referrals, assistance with emergency transport, help to replace a lost passport, and more. There is no charge for referral/assistance services, however, cardholders are responsible for actual services received from the vendors.
Concierge — Receive assistance with travel, dining, shopping, entertainment, events, and everyday needs.

Citi Premier Card

$100 Annual Hotel Savings Benefit — Book your stay via the Citi Travel Center and spend $500 or more (not including taxes/fees) to receive a statement credit of $100.
Mastercard Luxury Hotels and Resorts Benefits — Receive complimentary daily breakfast, a $100 onsite amenity, a room upgrade when available, and early check-in/late checkout.

Capital One Venture Card

Here are the additional travel protections and benefits that can be found on the Capital One Venture card:

Car Rental Insurance — Pay for your entire rental with your card, decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW insurance, and receive secondary coverage for damage or theft of the rental car. Secondary coverage means you must first file a claim with any other applicable insurance before the card coverage kicks in.
Baggage Insurance — Pay for your ticket with your card and receive up to $3,000 if your checked or carry-on baggage is lost or stolen.
Roadside Dispatch — Pay just 1 low rate (currently $59) for a service call that could include standard winching, limited towing, emergency fuel, tire changing with inflated spare, jumpstart service, and lockout service. Additional services received will be charged to your card.
Gravity Haus Benefit — Cardholders can receive a discount of $300 toward membership. Gravity Haus caters to outdoor enthusiasts and offers discounted hotels, dining, and access to special events. Members also have access to onsite gear/equipment usage, fitness centers, and co-working spaces.
Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Fee Reimbursement — Pay your application or renewal fee with your card and receive up to a $100 statement credit as reimbursement.
Airport Lounge Passes — Receive 2 complimentary 1-time use passes each year to access Capital One Lounges and Plaza Premium Lounges.

Bottom Line: While both the Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card come with a collection of travel protections and benefits, the Capital One Venture card offers additional benefits such as car rental insurance, baggage insurance, roadside dispatch, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement, and more.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Both of our featured cards come with several shopping benefits and protections. Image Credit: ShopRunner

Purchase Protection — Purchase an eligible item with your Citi Premier card and/or ThankYou Points and you could receive up to $10,000 per covered incident, up to $50,000 per year, per account if the item is damaged or stolen within the first 90 days after purchase or delivery. The Capital One Venture card’s Purchase Security offers coverage for up to $500 per claim for 90 days from the purchase date.
Extended Warranty — Coverage on the Citi Premier card extends manufacturer’s warranties for 24 additional months on eligible items purchased with the card, with a maximum total warranty, including the original warranty, of up to 7 years. With the Capital One Venture card, eligible items with manufacturer’s warranties of 3 years or less will receive 1 additional year.
ShopRunner Membership — Receive free 2-day shipping, free returns, and special offers/discounts at dozens of retailers with your complimentary ShopRunner membership.

Now, let’s look at the additional shopping benefits that come with each card.

Citi Premier Card

Citi Merchant Offers — Log in to your online Citi Premier card account, select the Citi Merchant Offers you’re interested in, make your purchase, and receive rebates in the form of a statement credit. You’ll find offers on travel, dining, retail shopping, and more.

Capital One Venture Card

Capital One Offers — Operating more like a shopping portal, cardholders log into their account, select their desired offer, and earn a fixed amount or percentage of their online shopping trip back as a statement credit.

Please note that all travel/shopping protections and benefits are not listed, only key ones were selected for comparison purposes. We’ve also abbreviated the descriptions and not included complete terms and conditions that may apply.

Bottom Line: Both the Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card offer similar shopping benefits and protections such as purchase protection, extended warranty, ShopRunner membership, and shopping offers.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

Premium travel rewards cards come with premium travel benefits — and high annual fees. The Citi Premier card and Capital One Venture card keep costs down with a lower annual fee and the ability to add authorized users without spending a lot to do so.

Annual Fee — The Citi Premier card’s annual fee of $95 and Capital One Venture card’s annual fee of $95 make it an easy comparison.
Authorized Users — Neither card charges a fee to add authorized users.

For information on how to add an authorized user to the Citi Premier card and the benefits of doing so, check out our related article.

Qualifying for Our Featured Cards

It’s recommended that you shoot for an excellent credit score, generally considered 740 or better, to be considered for the Citi Premier card.

Similarly, an excellent credit score gives you the best chance of being approved for the Capital One Venture card. Additionally, Capital One states that a successful applicant “must never have declared bankruptcy or defaulted on a loan, or medical bill, and has had a loan or credit card for $5,000 or more in the last 3 years.”

You can find out risk-free if you have Citi credit card offers available to you by using the CardMatch Tool, as Citi is one of the participating issuers. You’ll need to provide minimal information and no credit pull is done so there is no effect on your credit.

Capital One has its own pre-approval tool, but you’ll have to provide more information than the CardMatch Tool. However, it’s also risk-free and no credit pull is performed.

For more information on finding pre-approved and pre-qualified offers without affecting your credit score, this article can help.

Final Thoughts

It’s a tough call to determine which of our featured cards is a better card, as either card could be an excellent pick for the right consumer.

If you’re spending a lot on flights, at the grocery store, on gas, and dining, those are sweet earning spots for earning on the Citi Premier card. If you have heavy spending in non-bonus categories such as a major home remodel, for example, you may be better off with the Capital One Venture card as it earns 2x miles on every purchase versus the Citi Premier card at 1x on all other purchases.

All in all, selecting the card that best matches your spending, redemption preferences, and useable benefits, will make the most sense.

The information regarding the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Earn Points

Use Points

Business Credit Card Reviews

Business Guides

Air Travel Guides

Airline Points

Earn & Use Hotel Points

Hotel Loyalty Program Reviews

Citi Premier Card vs. Capital One Venture Card [Detailed Comparison]

Citi Premier Card vs. Capital One Venture Card — Summary

The Value of a Welcome Offer

Citi ThankYou Points vs. Capital One Miles

Earning Potential

Redemption Options

Travel Protections and Benefits

Citi Premier Card

Capital One Venture Card

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Citi Premier Card

Capital One Venture Card

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

Qualifying for Our Featured Cards

Final Thoughts

Frequently asked questions

Which card is better, the Citi Premier card or the Capital One Venture card?

Which are more valuable, Citi ThankYou Points or Capital One miles?

Does the Citi Premier card have car rental insurance?

Is the Capital One Venture card a Visa or Mastercard?

Is the Citi Premier card a Visa or Mastercard?

About Christine Krzyszton

Any thoughts or questions? Comment below! Cancel reply

Advertiser Disclosure

Citi Premier Card vs. Capital One Venture Card — Summary

The Value of a Welcome Offer

Citi ThankYou Points vs. Capital One Miles

Earning Potential

Redemption Options

Travel Protections and Benefits

Citi Premier Card

Capital One Venture Card

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Citi Premier Card

Capital One Venture Card

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

Qualifying for Our Featured Cards

Final Thoughts

Frequently asked questions

Which card is better, the Citi Premier card or the Capital One Venture card?

Which are more valuable, Citi ThankYou Points or Capital One miles?

Does the Citi Premier card have car rental insurance?

Is the Capital One Venture card a Visa or Mastercard?

Is the Citi Premier card a Visa or Mastercard?

About Christine Krzyszton

Any thoughts or questions? Comment below! Cancel reply

Related Posts

Advertiser Disclosure