Next, we'll go into more detail on how these top credit cards compare in the key areas.
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card annual fee
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a $550 annual fee. It also has a $300 annual travel credit, and since this covers any purchases Chase classifies as travel, it's a breeze to use. The card is still costing you $250, though. It also has some partner benefits and spending credits, but not everyone will be able to use them. Also, many of these perks are ending within a year.
For a high-end travel card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is more affordable at $395 per year. It has a $300 annual travel credit for bookings on Capital One Travel, and you get 10,000 bonus miles every year starting on your first anniversary as a cardholder. Since you can redeem rewards at $0.01 per mile, you could use 10,000 miles to cover $100 in travel. Overall, it's not hard to come out ahead on this card's annual fee.
Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card welcome offer
Both cards have practically identical welcome offers. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. And the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers the same: $750 bonus miles for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.
So, is this a tie? Not quite. Keep in mind that Chase Ultimate Rewards points are generally the more valuable travel rewards. If you redeem them through Chase Travel, they're worth $0.015 per point, meaning 60,000 bonus points are worth $900 in travel. Since Capital One Venture miles are worth $0.01 per mile, you could redeem $750 miles for $750 in travel.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X Card rewards
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is loaded with bonuses, particularly for travel and dining. Here's how much it earns (note that you don't earn points on travel purchases covered by this card's $300 annual travel credit):
- 10x points per $1 on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Travel
- 5x points per $1 on flights booked through Chase Travel
- 3x points per $1 on other travel purchases
- 3x points per $1 on dining, including eligible delivery services and takeout
- 1x point per $1 on other purchases
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is light on bonus categories. Instead, it swaps those out for a higher base rate. It earns:
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on other purchases
Both cards earn the same rates (5 to 10 points/miles) on bookings in their own respective travel portals. The main difference is that the Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns 3x points on all other travel purchases, as well as dining. But it only earns 1x point per $1 everywhere else. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card doesn't have bonus travel and dining rewards, but it earns twice as much (2X miles per $1) on other purchases.
Most people will probably earn more back with Capital One. Even if you spend a lot of money on travel and dining, there's a good chance you spend more overall on all the rest of your bills, including groceries and gas, utilities, streaming services, online shopping, and so on.
Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card