Capital One Venture Rewards vs Chase Sapphire Preferred
On an illustrative household's spending, Capital One Venture Rewards comes out about $139 a year ahead once both annual fees are paid.
The short version
- Over a year: Venture Rewards nets $858 and Sapphire Preferred nets $719, after fees of $95 a year and $95 a year.
- Where it flips: Venture Rewards stays ahead at every level of spending this looks at, from a fraction of that household's to many times it.
- Category by category: Venture Rewards earns more on 1, Sapphire Preferred on 12 — the table below. Pick by where most of your money goes.
- What they pay in: Venture Rewards earns Capital One Miles (1.80¢ each) and Sapphire Preferred earns Chase Ultimate Rewards (2.00¢ each) — which is why everything here is in dollars.
Priced on a household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits, perks and welcome offers are not priced; each card's page lists them.
Where each one earns more
| Spending on | Venture Rewards per $100 |
Sapphire Preferred per $100 | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants & Bars | $3.60 base rate |
$6.00 3x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Gas Stations | $3.60 base rate |
$6.00 3x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Flights | $3.60 base rate |
$4.00 2x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Hotels | $3.60 base rate |
$4.00 2x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Streaming | $3.60 base rate |
$6.00 3x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Food Delivery | $3.60 base rate |
$6.00 3x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Rideshare & Taxis | $3.60 base rate |
$4.00 2x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Public Transit | $3.60 base rate |
$4.00 2x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| EV Charging | $3.60 base rate |
$6.00 3x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Parking & Tolls | $3.60 base rate |
$4.00 2x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Car Rental | $3.60 base rate |
$4.00 2x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Vacation Rentals | $3.60 base rate |
$4.00 2x |
Sapphire Preferred |
| Everything Else | $3.60 base rate |
$2.00 base rate |
Venture Rewards |
Only categories where the two differ and at least one pays a bonus, plus everything else. No rotating or chosen categories are switched on, and a rate that needs the issuer's travel portal is not counted.
Side by side
| Venture Rewards | Sapphire Preferred | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Capital One | Chase |
| Annual fee | $95 a year | $95 a year |
| Foreign transaction fee | none | none |
| Earns | Capital One Miles | Chase Ultimate Rewards |
| A year, before the fee | $953 | $814 |
| A year, after the fee | $858 | $719 |
| Rates checked | 2026-08 | 2026-08 |
Protections one has and the other does not
| Benefit | Venture Rewards | Sapphire Preferred |
|---|---|---|
| Rental car — primary cover | — | Yes |
| Rental car — secondary cover | Yes | — |
| Purchase protection | — | Yes |
| Extended warranty | — | Yes |
| Trip delay | — | Yes |
From each issuer's benefit summary (Venture Rewards: 2026-09; Sapphire Preferred: 2026-09). Summaries leave out exclusions — read the full guide to benefits before relying on one.
Each card on its own
- Capital One Venture Rewards — every rate, where it ranks, what the issuer lists besides rewards
- Chase Sapphire Preferred — every rate, where it ranks, what the issuer lists besides rewards
- Every travel card, ranked
- Which card adds the most to your own wallet