We’re breaking down the perks and benefits of the Chase Saphire Reserve and the Capital One Venture X, two of the top travel credit cards on the market today.

The Squad has both of these credit cards, we know them, we use them, we love them. And while both are great, each one offers different benefits with its point system, partners, and booking portal.

Kim prefers the Chase Saphire Reserve, you can use our referral link to earn 60,000 bonus points.

Brittanie prefers the Capital One Venture X, you can use our referral link to earn 75,000 bonus points.

1. Both Cards have steep annual fee.
   1. The CSR has an annual fee of $550. Each additional authorized user costs $75
      1. I have said this on many occasions that the fee is high, but pays for itself
   2. The CVX has an annual fee of $395, making it $155 less per year than the CSR
      1. Additionally, there is no annual fee for additional authorized users
         
2. Both Cards offer a $300 per year travel credit. But this is where some of those subtle differences we mentioned come into play
   1. The CVX $300 annual travel credit is only good if you book through Capital One’s travel portal
   2. Whereas the CSR is an open $300 travel credit. You need not book through the portal. Anything you spend on the card travel related the $300 credit will apply to. If you book a hotel, flight, rental car, or even pay for a parking meter, you will automatically get statement credits for the amounts purchased until you hit the $300. So the Chase card gives you greater flexibility with the travel credit
   3. But you can see with the travel credit, it brings the true annual cost of the CVX down to $95 per year and the CSR to $250
      
3. Both cards offer free Priority Pass membership which grants you select airport lounge access in airports across the world.
   1. Priority pass with Chase better than Capital One due to Capital One not having any of the restaurants included on Priority Pass
      
4. Both offer a $100 statement credit every 4 years for Global Entry application and/or renewal fee
   1. Global Entry renewal is every 5 years, so if the credit is offered every 4, you will never not have your credit card pay for your app or renewal fee. 
   2. Both equal in this regard
      
5. Both allow you to transfer points earned on your card to partner airlines for flight redemptions at an even 1:1 Ratio.
   1. Same Transfer Partners
      1. Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada, British Airways, Air France, KLM
      2. Unique to CSR
         1. Aer Lingus, Iberia, Southwest, United, Virgin Atlantic
      3. Unique to CVX
         1. Aeromexico, Cathay Pacific, Avianca, Etihad, Finn Air, Qantas, Turkish Airlines (Also includes Eva Air but at a reduced ratio not 1:1)
            
6. Both obviously allow you to earn points on purchases. Chase has the potential to earn points based on category, whereas Captial One is a flat point earned amount regardless of category
   1. Capital One is 2x miles on every purchase. You spend $100, you earn 200 points/miles
   2. Chase gives you 3x points on travel and dining, whereas all other purchases earn you 1 to 1
      
7. Each card has its own unique travel portal to book flights, hotels, car rentals, etc.
   1. As we mentioned above, we already covered how many points you would earn on each card for specific types of purchases. But each of these cards offer bonus point incentives when you book travel through their portal and pay for those purchases, not using your points.
      1. Chase and Cap 1 will give you 10X the points when booking hotels or car rentals through their portal. If you get a hotel for $100, you will get 1000 points. Also will give you 5X points on flights booked through their respective travel portals
      2. Differences between 2 portals
         1. CSR allows you to get 1.5 X point value when you book through the Chase portal. 
         2. CVX Does not give extra value on point redemption through portal.
            
8. Chase Saphire Reserve is creating many of their own lounges, Capital has some of their own too. Depending on the airports you visit will determine which one is better for you. 
   
9. Many more smaller differences between the 2 cards with the extra perks like Lyft pink, Lyft rides translating to Delta miles,Door Dash membership and credit, Instacart membership and credit, etc) 
   
10. CVX Gives 10K bonus points each anniversary, but CSR does not

Chase Saphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X – Episode Transcript

0:35

0:51

Today we’re going to talk about the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Venture X cards.

They are the two most popular travel credit cards that are out there right now.

Of course there are other big players like the American Express Platinum, but that card seems to be losing a lot of favor and getting serious competition from the Venture X and Sapphire Reserve.

1:09

So those are the two that we’re going to dive into today.

Kim and I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Brittany has the Capital One Venture X.

So we thought breaking down the main differences between the two, the pros and the cons, would make a great mini episode for you guys.

1:25

Each of these cards offer great everyday perks, but their benefits mostly are geared towards obviously travel benefits.

Both of them have a lot of the same features, but also subtle and not so subtle differences between them.

So let’s dive right in.

Compare them so you could figure out which is best for you guys.

1:42

First of all, both of the cards do have what seems like a steep annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has an annual fee of $550, and if you wanted to add an authorized user, it’s an additional $75 on top of that.

1:58

Jamal said that the fee is high, but we really believe that the fee pays for itself.

I have the Capital One Venture X card.

This has an annual fee of $395, so it’s a little less 155 less per year.

And there is no annual fee for authorized users, so I was able to add Jamal onto my card for no additional fee.

2:18

And like Brittany said, I have said is I do believe these cards pay for themselves and making the fee not be so bad.

What do I mean by that?

Both of these credit cards give you a $300.00 per year travel credit.

But this is where some of those subtle differences we mentioned come into play.

2:37

The Capital One Venture X300 dollar annual Travel Credit is only good if you book through Capital One’s travel portal.

Whereas the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your $300.00 credit, applies to anything, and it gives it to you automatically as soon as you charge the credit card.

2:55

So you book a hotel rental car flight.

Heck, one time I even use my credit card to pay for a parking meter and it automatically took that off.

So I like the Sapphire Reserve because it just gives you a blanket and you don’t have to use it through the portal, whereas Capital One, you do have to use it through the portal, so.

3:14

Even just with that travel credit alone, it brings down the Capital One Venture X to $95 per year and the Chase Sapphire reserved to 50.

But there’s a lot more perks than just that.

One of my favorite perks is both cards actually offer you free Priority Pass membership.

3:32

Priority Pass grants you access to all airport lounges that are a part of the Priority Pass network, and there are a lot of them.

But there are a couple of subtle differences that are sneakily added in here.

As a good example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve their Priority Pass.

3:51

They have access to the same lounges as Capital One’s card, but the subtle difference here is chase through Priority Pass.

They actually and select airports have restaurant credits where if they don’t have a lounge or even if they have a lounge, they have select restaurants where you can get a certain dollar amount per person to go dine in those restaurants, which I think is an amazing feature and unfortunately the Capital One Priority Pass does not offer that.

4:20

This in and of itself will pay for itself.

Between how many times I have eaten at those restaurants.

Last time I was in the Denver lounge, I ate a full buffet and three mimosas in the two hours that I was there.

Just drinks and food alone will pay for these cards if you use them at enough airports and you travel like we do.

4:41

We’ve definitely got our money’s worth at the lounges and the free restaurants as well.

You can also bring a guest in.

I know on my Chase Sapphire Reserve I can bring 2 guests in to lounges that are covered.

I think some of them are only one guest, but mine is 2.

So both of the cards, both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Capital One Venture X, offer $100 statement credit every four years for Global Entry applications or renewal fees.

5:07

To get Global Entry, you only have to renew it once every five years and the credits offered every four, so you’ll never not have the credit card pay for your app or renewal fee.

So in this regard, both of the cards are equal.

On top of that, both cards allow you to transfer points to preferred airline partners.

5:24

So the points that you earn from your everyday purchases, you can then transfer to airline partners and redeem it through points through those airlines.

Some transfer partners that both cards participate and accept are going to be Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada, the list goes on.

5:43

What’s unique to the Chase Sapphire Reserve will maybe be Southwest, United, Virgin Atlantic, whereas the Capital One Venture X has Aeromexico, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Turkish Airways.

So a lot of the same travel partners, but they each also have their own different travel partners.

6:01

So depending on if you travel one airline more than the other, maybe take a look and see who you travel more with and that might be beneficial for you in picking who you’d like.

Of course, when you use your credit card to buy things, you earn points on your purchases.

So Chase has the potential to earn the points on categories such as travel or dining.

6:21

Whereas the Capital One card you earn a flat number of points regardless of what category.

So I like this because Ventra X, you earn two times the points or miles on any purchase and every purchase.

So if you spend 100 bucks, you earn 200 points in miles.

6:38

For Chase, on the other hand, it’ll give you 3 times the points for travel and dining, but any other purchase that you make, you just earn one point to one mile.

Chase Sapphire Reserve is also now building up quite a few lounges in airports that are only for Sapphire Reserve customers.

6:58

There’s one here in Austin, which is amazing because there is not a Priority Pass lounge here in Austin.

They just opened one in New York City, which I know you two went to, and it was amazing.

And they have plans to pop up quite a bit more, so you can only get into it with that specific card and they are pretty nice.

7:15

To that point, Kim, so does the Capital One, Venture X.

They’re having Capital One lounges in airports now.

The only one that I know of is Denver that is open for Capital One, but of course with more coming along the way.

So each of them are having their own unique lounges outside of what they give you with Priority Pass.

7:34

But we talked about points a little bit earlier and what they give you now each card has their own unique travel portal to book flights, hotels, car rentals, etcetera.

So Brittany already touched upon the categories and what she would get.

7:49

However, if you book through the portal, each of these cards is the same in the sense that through their respective portals, if you book a hotel or rental car, you’ll get 10 times the points.

If you book a flight, you’ll get five times the points through their portals versus just.

8:08

If you were to do it outside, you would get the two times points with Capital One, or only the three times points with the chase card.

So booking through the portal will give you extra points for travel purchases.

There’s also a ton of other mini perks that are booked in The Chase.

8:26

Sapphire Reserve gives you a free DoorDash membership, which gives you reduced fees and free delivery, as well as a $5 credit every month.

You also get a membership to Lyft Pink, which gets you priority access to getting picked up by Lyft.

8:43

And when you connect your Chase card with your Lyft account, you also earn Delta miles with every Lyft ride.

You also get a free membership to Instacart and a credit each month to be put towards your use there.

And another point where the Capital One card shines a little bit more than Chase is each anniversary that you’ve had the card, the Capital One Venture X will give you 10,000 bonus miles each anniversary, whereas the Chase Sapphire Reserve does not.

9:12

And those are some of the main highlights, differences, similarities between both cards.

What card is going to be best for you of course is going to be dependent upon your travel style, what you see more value of between these.

But there are so many more subtle differences that we just don’t have time to get into.

9:30

So really compare.

But in terms of main core travel benefits, these are the highlights and similarities for you guys.

And I agree, pick whichever card is going to be best for you.

But if you learn anything from this episode, let it be that.

Do not be scared by that high annual fee, because when you add everything up and you really use the perks as they’re intended to be used, they’re paying you for this card.

9:55

Right.

And that is a good example.

Like the last thing that we just mentioned was the Capital One.

Venture X gives you the 10,000 bonus miles.

That’s equivalent to $100.

So with the $300.00 travel credit plus the 10K points, which equals $100, you’re already up $5 compared to the 395 feet plus the other perks that it gives you.

10:16

So that one in a sense is free.

I still do think the Chase Sapphire reserve is free when used right for the right traveler, but very good point, Kim.

Don’t be intimidated by these high fees.

Yes.

And if you’re someone that really wants that safety and security of like booking a trip and what if something goes wrong?

10:36

I have made so much money off of my card from trips going wrong because you have built in insurance with the Chase Sapphire Reserve as well as with the capital expenditure card and any good travel credit card to the point where I’ve gotten reimbursed for Lyft rides from faraway airports and for hotels that had to be booked because of weather cancellation.

10:54

So hey, this could be a little side hustle for you too.

One last perk that I want to mention about the Chase Sapphire Reserve that we didn’t mention is when you use your points through the portal, you get 1.5 times the value through the Chase portal.

However, you don’t get any additional value when you redeem your points through the Capital One Venture X card.

11:15

But both cards are great.

Got to see which one works best for you, your travel lifestyle.

If you’re a couple, you can always do what Jamal and I have done and Jamal has one, I have the other.

We live the perks of both.

Get those perks squatties.

Thanks so much for tuning in to just the tip.

11:32

Make sure to subscribe, leave a review and follow us on all social medias at Travel Squad Podcast.

Have a fun weekend traveling.

Bye squadies.