Capital One Venture vs Chase Sapphire Preferred®
Side-by-side comparison
| Capital One Venture | Chase Sapphire Preferred® | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $95 | $95 |
| Welcome offer | 75,000 Miles | 75,000 Ultimate Rewards® Points |
| Dining | 2x | 3x |
| Groceries | 2x | 3x |
| Gas | 2x | 3x |
| Travel | 2x | 2x |
| Streaming | 2x | 3x |
| Everything else | 2x | 1x |
| Est. yearly rewards* | $583 | $545 |
| Points type | Transfers to airlines & hotels | Transfers to airlines & hotels |
| Network | Visa | Visa |
*Estimated yearly rewards on typical household spending, every point valued at a flat 1 cent. Verified August 2026. See your own numbers in the calculator.
Welcome bonus and value over time
| Over time | Capital One Venture | Chase Sapphire Preferred® |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | 75,000 Miles | 75,000 Ultimate Rewards® Points |
| To earn it | $4,000 in 3 months | $5,000 in 3 months |
| Est. first-year value* | $1,338 | $1,430 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $588 | $680 |
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® wins on both fronts: it comes out ahead in year one on the welcome offer and stays ahead every year after. Short term or long, it is the stronger pick on the numbers.
*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent.
Perks, credits, and redemptions
| Perks | Capital One Venture | Chase Sapphire Preferred® |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge access | None | None |
| Annual credits | ~$100/yr (1 credits) | ~$230/yr (4 credits) |
| Points & redemptions | Transferable to airline & hotel partners | Transferable to airline & hotel partners |
On perks and redemptions, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® carries the heavier credit stack (about $230 a year). Weigh those against the fee, since credits and lounge access only count if you will actually use them.
Transfer partners and point value
The Capital One Venture earns Capital One miles, which transfers to Air Canada, Avianca LifeMiles, Turkish, British Airways, and Emirates. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® earns Chase Ultimate Rewards, reaching World of Hyatt, United, Air Canada, Southwest, and British Airways Avios. Most transfers are 1:1 on both, so the partners themselves, not the ratios, are what separate them.
The standout difference is the crown-jewel partner: for the Capital One Venture it is Turkish and Avianca for cheap Star Alliance premium cabins; for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® it is World of Hyatt at 1:1, widely considered the single best hotel transfer in points. Pick the program whose best partners match the trips you would actually book.
Both are $95 transferable-points travel cards, and both are excellent, which is why they’re the two most cross-shopped cards at this price. The split is philosophical: categories versus simplicity.
The Sapphire Preferred rewards specific spending and plugs into Chase’s transfer partners, headlined by World of Hyatt. The Venture earns a flat 2x on literally everything and transfers to a strong, Star Alliance-heavy partner list. Which wins depends on whether you’d rather optimize categories or never think about them.
Pros and cons
- Flat 2x miles on every purchase, nothing to track
- Transfers to strong partners like Turkish, Avianca, and Air Canada
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
- Often a bigger, easier welcome bonus
- Beaten by the Sapphire Preferred on dining, groceries, gas, and travel
- No World of Hyatt transfer, the best hotel partner in points
- No portal redemption boost
- Fewer travel protections than the Sapphire Preferred
- 3x on dining, groceries, and gas, and 2x on travel
- Transfers to World of Hyatt and United, the best-value Chase partners
- 25% redemption boost through Chase Travel plus a $100 hotel credit
- Strong travel and purchase protections
- Only 1x on non-category spend, where the Venture earns 2x
- Requires a little category awareness to beat the Venture
- Smaller everyday floor than the Venture’s flat 2x
Where each one wins
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Category spending | Sapphire Preferred | 3x dining, groceries, and gas vs a flat 2x. |
| Non-category spending | Venture | 2x on everything vs the Preferred’s 1x. |
| Transfer partners | Sapphire Preferred | Adds World of Hyatt, the crown-jewel hotel transfer. |
| Simplicity | Venture | One rate, no categories to remember. |
| Redemption boost | Sapphire Preferred | 25% portal boost plus a $100 hotel credit. |
| Annual fee | Tie | Both $95. |
The verdict
For most people who spend a normal amount on dining, groceries, and travel, the Sapphire Preferred edges it, and Hyatt is the tiebreaker. Its category rates beat a flat 2x for the average spender, and access to World of Hyatt, where points routinely stretch past two cents each, gives it a redemption ceiling the Venture can’t match. If you’ll put in even minimal effort, it’s the higher-value card.
The Venture wins for the simplicity-first spender, and it’s genuinely close. If your spending is spread across categories the Preferred doesn’t bonus, or you just don’t want to think about which card to pull out, a flat 2x on everything is a beautiful floor, and Capital One’s partners cover plenty of good redemptions. Same fee, same transferable-points idea, different personality.