Capital One vs. Chase Credit Cards [2023]: Which is Better?

Chase is our recommended issuer for its superb lineup of credit cards, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card. It makes sense to go with Chase if you want a large selection of cards that you can use for different types of purchases, especially if you want to redeem your rewards for travel.

But we don’t think Capital One is far off from the value that Chase can provide, and we even recommend the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card over the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® if you’re looking for a premium travel card. We also think Capital One provides better options if you want one card to use for all your purchases.

Let’s explore our Capital One vs. Chase review to see how these credit card issuers compare so you can decide which one might be better for you.

Key takeaways

• Chase is the largest bank in the U.S., while Capital One is the 10th largest.
• Both Capital One and Chase offer different types of credit cards, including travel, cashback, business, student, secured, and balance transfer cards.
• Chase has 14 travel partners compared to 18 from Capital One.
• We recommend Capital One for cards with simple earning rates.
• We generally recommend Chase over Capital One because using several Chase credit cards together can provide more earning potential.

Capital One vs. Chase comparison

Our verdict

Chase is our overall recommended option because it generally has a card for everyone, provides a way to increase your rewards value with multiple Chase cards, and has one of the best credit cards (Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card) for points-and-miles beginners who want to travel.

Capital One benefits and drawbacks

We like how Capital One has a large lineup of 30 credit cards to choose from, including travel credit cards that make it easy to earn loads of rewards on all eligible purchases. We especially like the Capital One Venture X because it has simple benefits that can provide more than enough value to justify holding onto this card.

We don’t think Capital One is especially suited for people who want plenty of in-person branches with ATMs. And, unfortunately, you typically can’t have more than two personal credit cards with Capital One. So you have to choose specific cards to go after.

Find out more about Capital One credit cards.

Chase benefits and drawbacks

We like how you can choose from over 30 different Chase credit cards and that many Chase cards provide features where you can combine points. This can make it easier to rack up rewards, as well as get more value from your rewards by transferring them to cards with higher travel redemption rates.

We also like how Chase is an established and well-known global bank with plenty of in-person locations nationwide. This can be helpful if you use other Chase services, including its bank accounts.

We think there are better options available than what Chase has to offer if you want a credit card with a simple earning rate for all eligible purchases. We also think using multiple Chase credit cards to maximize your earning potential could be complicated if you’re new to earning points and miles.

Learn more about Chase credit cards.

Capital One vs. Chase: What both companies excel at

Both Capital One and Chase provide a wide variety of credit cards to choose from, including different types of rewards cards. And apart from issuing credit cards, both banks provide other similar services, including checking accounts, savings accounts, and loans.

Chase is a much larger bank than Capital One, but both are among the 10 largest banks nationwide. This translates to lots of customer support and resources, including mobile apps and online banking.

For credit cards, neither issuer is downright better than the other. We generally prefer Chase credit cards, but there are plenty of situations where we would also recommend Capital One.

In terms of rewards programs and booking travel, there’s a lot to like about both Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Capital One miles. It’s easy to book flights, hotel stays, and car rentals with either program. You can also transfer your rewards to travel partners with Chase or Capital One.

0% intro APR: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

	Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card	Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Intro APR	0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)); 3% fee on balances transferred within the first 15 months 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable))	0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 19.49% - 28.24% (variable)); $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening; after that, $5 or 5%, whichever is greater 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 19.49% - 28.24% (variable))
Annual fee	$0	$0
Welcome bonus	Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening	Earn an extra 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases, on up to $20,000, in the first year
Earning rate	1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply)	5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Learn more	Learn more

The Capital One Quicksilver and Chase Freedom Unlimited are very similar when you compare their 0% intro APR offers, annual fees, and earning rates. But the Freedom Unlimited edges the Quicksilver with more earning potential on everyday purchases for the average cardholder.

The Freedom Unlimited provides an elevated 3% cashback rewards on dining and drugstore purchases, which you won’t find on the Quicksilver.

Winner: We like the Chase Freedom Unlimited because it has the better earning rate for everyday purchases.

Cash back: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card vs. Chase Freedom Flex℠

	Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card	Chase Freedom Flex℠
Earning rate	3% cash back on dining and entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores; 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; 10% cash back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats (through 11/14/2024); and 1% cash back on all other purchases	5% on rotating quarterly categories (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal; 3% at restaurants (including takeout and delivery) and drugstores; and 1% on all other purchases
Welcome bonus	Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening	Earn $200 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months
Annual fee	$0	$0
Redemption methods	Statement credits Mailed checks Cover purchases Travel Gift cards Amazon PayPal	Statement credits Direct deposits Travel Gift cards Amazon Transfers to other eligible Chase cards
Intro APR	0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)) 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable))	0% intro APR for15 months on balance transfers (then 19.49% to 28.24% (variable)) 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 19.49% to 28.24% (variable))
Foreign transaction fee	None	3%
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Learn more	Learn more

The Capital One SavorOne and Chase Freedom Flex are similar credit cards when it comes to their 0% intro APR offers and how you can redeem your rewards. But there are a few points of difference to consider:

• The Freedom Flex provides a high rewards rate for rotating categories, while the SavorOne focuses on set bonus categories, including different types of entertainment.
• The SavorOne has no foreign transaction fees, while the Freedom Flex charges 3%.
• The Freedom Flex lets you transfer rewards to other eligible Chase cards, potentially increasing their value.

The SavorOne is an excellent credit card for making entertainment purchases, including tickets for movies, sports, concerts, and more.

But the Freedom Flex makes sense if you want everyday purchases to fuel travel redemptions. You can transfer points from your Freedom Flex to a Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve^® and increase their travel redemption value by 25% to 50%.

Winner: It’s a tie because it depends on your preferences.

Travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

	Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earning rate	2X miles per dollar on every purchase, every day and 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel	5X points on Lyft rides and travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards; 3X points on eligible dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases; 2X points on travel; and 1X points per $1 on all other eligible purchases
Welcome bonus	Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening	Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Annual fee	$95	$95
Redemption methods	Travel Cover past travel purchases Transfers to travel partners Statement credits Mailed checks Gift cards Amazon PayPal	Travel Transfers to travel partners Chase Pay Yourself Back Statement credits Direct deposits Gift cards Amazon Transfers to other eligible Chase cards
Annual credits	Up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry every four years	$50 annual hotel credit through Chase
Travel perks	2 free visits per year to Capital One or Plaza Premium Lounges Hertz Five Star elite status	Get 25% more value on points redeemed toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Learn more	Learn more

The main differences between the Capital One Venture and the Chase Sapphire Preferred are their:

• Earning rates
• Credit perks
• Travel benefits

We like how simple it is to earn rewards with the Capital One Venture. You can earn at least 2X miles on every purchase, every day, which makes it easy to avoid having to carry multiple credit cards in your wallet for different types of purchases.

And if you occasionally travel, it’s useful to receive up to $100 application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry and potentially expedite your time in lines at the airport. Hertz Five Star elite status isn’t that useful, but two free visits per year to Capital One or Plaza Premium Lounges is a nice little bonus.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred can’t match the base earning rate on the Capital One Venture. But receiving 3X points on eligible dining, delivery, takeout, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs) might be better for you depending on your spending habits.

For benefits, we love that the Sapphire Preferred has an easy way to help offset its $95 annual fee each year in the form of a $50 annual hotel credit. Yes, this credit only works if you book the hotel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. But using the Chase travel portal has been extremely easy in our experience.

We also don’t think the Capital One Venture can compete with the synergy the Sapphire Preferred has with other Chase credit cards, including the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Freedom Flex. You can simply transfer points from those cards to your Sapphire Preferred and they’re immediately worth 25% more toward travel redemptions.

Winner: We like the Chase Sapphire Preferred because we think its benefits and synergy with other Chase cards beats what you can find on the Capital One Venture.

Luxury travel perks: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

	Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Earning rate	2X miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel	10X points on Lyft rides and Chase Dining purchases; 10X points on hotels and cars booked via Ultimate Rewards and 5X points on flights booked via Ultimate Rewards (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually); 3X points on travel and dining; and 1X points on everything else
Welcome bonus	Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening	Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Annual fee	$395	$550
Redemption methods	Travel Cover past travel purchases Transfers to travel partners Statement credits Mailed checks Gift cards Amazon PayPal	Travel Transfers to travel partners Chase Pay Yourself Back Statement credits Direct deposits Gift cards Amazon Transfers to other eligible Chase cards
Annual credits	$300 annual travel credit through Capital One Travel 10,000 anniversary miles (equal to $100 toward travel) Up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry every four years	$300 annual travel credit Up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS every four years Up to $15 in statement credits each month with Instacart+ through July 2024 $5 monthly DoorDash credit through Dec. 31, 2024 while enrolled in DashPass
Travel perks	Access to Priority Pass, Capital One, and Plaza Premium Lounges Hertz President’s Circle elite status Complimentary 6-month The Cultivist membership Access to Premier Collection hotels and resorts	Access to Priority Pass lounges and Priority Pass restaurants National Emerald Club Executive Level elite status Access to The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection
Other benefits	Free additional cardholders Cell phone protection	Get 50% more value on points redeemed toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent	Excellent
	Learn more	Learn more

The main differences between the Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Reserve include their:

• Rewards rates
• Credit perks
• Travel and other benefits

We’ve liked the Sapphire Reserve for a long time, before it had a $550 annual fee. Because back then it was much easier to get enough value out of the card’s rewards and benefits to justify the cost.

But an increased $550 annual fee and not enough improvements on benefits make this card a tough one to hang onto unless you travel a lot. The $300 annual travel credit is easy to use on just about anything travel related. And the up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS is useful for frequent travelers.

It’s also nice that you can get a free Priority Pass Select membership. This gives you access to Priority Pass airport lounges, but also to Priority Pass restaurants — which is an added benefit you don’t receive with a Priority Pass membership from Capital One or American Express.

However, all of these benefits still might not be enough to make the $550 annual fee worth it. You would need to make frequent use of the travel benefits and/or earn loads of points from other Chase cards that you transfer to your Sapphire Reserve for the 50% travel redemption value.

With the Capital One Venture X, the math to offset the $395 annual fee is relatively simple. You receive a $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles each year that are worth $100 toward travel. That’s essentially $400 toward travel without talking about anything else.

But you also receive access to Priority Pass, Capital One, and Plaza Premium Lounges. And you can add additional cardholders for free, and they get their own airport lounge access to the same lounges.

Throw in the Hertz President’s Circle elite status, cell phone protection, and up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry and you’ve got quite the premium travel card on your hands.

Winner: We like the Capital One Venture X because it generally has better benefits and a lower $395 annual fee.

Which credit card company should you choose?

When you should choose Capital One

• You already have a relationship with Capital One and want to keep your banking services under one roof.
• You would rather use one rewards credit card for all your purchases.
• You make a lot of entertainment purchases, such as buying tickets for concerts, movies, sporting events, and more.
• You don’t mind having a low number of in-person banking locations.
• You prefer Capital One transfer partners, including Etihad, Turkish Airlines, and Wyndham.

When you should choose Chase

• You already have a relationship with Chase and want to keep your banking services under one roof.
• You’re fine carrying multiple Chase credit cards and using them for different types of purchases (e.g., one for dining, one for groceries).
• You primarily want to redeem rewards for travel.
• You like having in-person banking locations to visit if you need to.
• You prefer Chase transfer partners, including Southwest, United, and Hyatt.

What factors to consider before choosing

One card issuer won’t work for everyone, as it depends on your preferences, spending habits, and personal finance situation.

But we generally recommend Chase credit cards over Capital One because the different Chase Freedom and Chase Sapphire cards work well together for earning valuable rewards on different types of everyday purchases. For this reason, we think Chase is better than Capital One if you want to maximize your earning potential.

Capital One credit cards don’t offer the same type of synergy as Chase cards, but we like simple rewards structures. Specifically, the Capital One Venture and Venture X provide high base earning rates that beat any base earning rate from Chase. With these Capital One credit cards, you can earn at least:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 2X miles on every purchase, every day.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: 2X miles on every purchase, every day.

If you aren’t as worried about earning the most rewards possible, these types of earning rates can simplify your entire rewards strategy. There’s no need to carry around multiple cards in your wallet if you have one that provides the same elevated earning rate on just about everything.

So for simple earning, we recommend Capital One credit cards.

FAQ

Capital One vs. Chase: Bottom line

We generally recommend Chase over Capital One if you want to maximize your earning potential. You can earn high rewards rates for different types of purchases with multiple Chase credit cards. And then you can combine your rewards on one of the Chase Sapphire cards for a higher travel redemption rate.

But for simple rewards earning, we recommend Capital One over Chase. Cards like the Capital One Venture and Venture X make it easy to use one credit card for all of your purchases because of elevated base earning rates.

For more of our top recommendations, use our dedicated page to compare credit cards and find the right credit card offer for you.

Our #1 Travel Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

Learn How to Apply

Current Offer

Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months

Annual Fee

$95

Rewards Rate

5X points on Lyft rides and travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards; 3X points on eligible dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases; 2X points on travel; and 1X points per $1 on all other eligible purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
• 5X points on Lyft rides and travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 25% more value when redeeming rewards for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 10% anniversary point bonus each year
• $50 annual credit on hotel stays booked through Ultimate Rewards
• Premium travel protection benefits

Drawbacks

• Has annual fee
• Typically need to spend thousands to reap rewards

Card Details

• Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
• 5X points on Lyft rides and travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards; 3X points on eligible dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases; 2X points on travel; and 1X points per $1 on all other eligible purchases

Author Details

Ben Walker, CEPF Ben Walker, CEPF, is a credit cards and travel writer at FinanceBuzz who loves helping others achieve their travel goals through financially sound decisions. For over a decade, he has been using credit card points and miles for the sole purpose of traveling the world. Ben is a Certified Educator of Personal Finance and has been featured in The Washington Post, MSN, Debt.com, and Finder.com.

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