If you’re looking for a premium travel credit card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, The Platinum Card® from American Express and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card should be at the top of your list.
These cards have numerous benefits in common, including annual statement credit offers, airport lounge access and fee credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership.
All three of these cards let you transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners, but the available partners vary by card.
In order to pick among these three cards, compare them based on their annual fees, welcome bonuses, rewards rates and included benefits.
Despite charging annual fees of $395 or more, premium credit cards can be worth their weight in gold. After all, many of the top travel credit cards offer serious benefits like airport lounge access, fee credits for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry and automatic elite status with major travel brands. Welcome bonuses worth $750 or more in travel also provide a great incentive while giving you the chance to try out the card’s most popular benefits.
However, with their high annual fees and redundant benefits, keeping more than one premium travel credit card is likely unnecessary. It’s usually best to narrow your focus to a single card that lets you earn and redeem your points for maximum benefit. Top options include the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, The Platinum Card® from American Express and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
While each of these cards lets you earn rewards in different programs — Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards and Capital One miles, respectively — all three offer superior travel benefits and rewards you can redeem for travel, gift cards, merchandise and more.
Premium travel credit card benefits guide
Which premium travel credit card should you invest in this year? The following chart lists each of these card’s earning rates, bonus offers and annual fees.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Welcome offer
Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Earning rates
Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠.
Earn 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct.
Earn 3x points on dining worldwide.
Earn 1x points on all other purchases.
*
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
APR
20.24% – 28.74% Variable
See Pay Over Time APR
19.99% – 29.24% (Variable)
Annual fee
$795
$695
$395 (See rates and Fees)
*Note, you will start earning travel-related rewards after earning your $300 travel credit with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum vs. Capital One Venture X highlights
As you can see, each of these elite credit cards offers a lucrative rewards rate and a pricey annual fee to match. Still, there are details that help each of these cards stand out — including their welcome offers, major cardholder perks and the way they let you redeem your rewards.
We compared each card and its unique offerings to see which one beats out the others in the categories you care the most about.
Welcome bonus winner
The Amex Platinum currently offers as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points after cardholders spend $8,000 in the first six months of membership. This is valued to be an average of $3,500 when you transfer your points to a high-value transfer partner. Compared to the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s 100,000-point offer and the Venture X’s 75,000-point offer, the Amex Platinum pulls ahead.
However, the spending requirements vary for each, and if you aren’t sure you can responsibly spend $8,000 in six months (about $1,334 per month), then the other welcome offers may make more sense.
Rewards rate winner
When it comes to earning points, the Chase Sapphire Reserve wins hands down. This is mainly due to the sheer number of bonus categories you can earn points in, but also since its categories are broad and easy to maximize.
Consumers who choose the Chase Sapphire Reserve:
Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠.
Earn 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct.
Earn 3x points on dining worldwide.
Earn 1x points on all other purchases.
Note, again, that travel rewards will kick in after you earn the $300 travel credit. Additionally, outside of flights booked directly through airlines with the Amex Platinum, both cards require you to purchase travel through their respective travel portals to earn boosted rewards. Otherwise you’ll earn each card’s base rate for purchases — 1X points per dollar for the Amex Platinum or 2X points per dollar with the Venture X, respectively.
Annual fee winner
The Capital One Venture X charges an annual fee of $395 (See rates and Fees), which compares favorably against the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s $795 annual fee and the $695 annual fee the Amex Platinum charges.
Furthermore, Venture X allows you to add authorized users at no additional cost, while the other two cards charge a fee for authorized users. You still have to pay if you want your authorized users to have lounge access, though.
Foreign transaction fee winner
None of these cards charges foreign transaction fees, which means they tie in this category. If you plan to travel abroad and want to avoid paying a fee for international purchases, any of these cards could fit your needs.
Which card earns the most?
Most people who choose a premium travel credit card travel often and have the opportunity to utilize their card’s most exclusive perks. However, it’s crucial to figure out which of these cards might help you earn more points or miles over time.
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum vs. Capital One Venture X spending example
Let’s say you travel fairly often but also use your credit card for your regular purchases and bills. In this case, your monthly (and annual) credit card spending could look something like this:
$24,000 per year ($2,000 per month) on regular purchases, including groceries and gas
$12,000 per year ($1,000 per month) on flights booked through a travel portal
$6,000 per year in restaurant spending ($500 per month)
$3,000 in cruises per year (one cruise per year, on average)
$2,000 per year spent on hotels and car rentals booked through a travel portal
Here’s how your rewards earnings would pan out at the end of the year for each card:
Spending category
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Amex Platinum Card
Capital One Venture X
Groceries and gas
24,000 points
24,000 points
48,000 miles
Flights booked through travel portal
96,000 points
60,000 points
60,000 miles
Restaurant spending
18,000 points
6,000 points
12,000 miles
Cruises
3,000 points
3,000 points
6,000 miles
Hotels and car rentals booked through travel portal
16,000 points
10,000 points
20,000 miles
Total points per year
157,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points
103,000 Amex Membership Rewards points
146,000 Capital One miles
Obviously, there are some pretty big differences that you would notice between cards if you spent this much on travel and regular purchases throughout the year. However, like all rewards-related topics, the final outcome is determined by your specific spending habits.
Why should you get the Chase Sapphire Reserve?
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is best for consumers who want to earn 8X points on travel booked through Chase and 3X points on dining purchases. Since this card also offers 10X points on Chase Dining purchases, the value can be even higher over time.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers tons of benefits to be aware of, including a fee credit (up to $120) toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership (valued at $469) and a $300 annual travel credit that is automatically applied to travel purchases made with your card.
Other travel-related benefits include trip cancellation/interruption insurance, primary auto rental coverage, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, emergency evacuation coverage, travel accident insurance and more.
Meanwhile, this card also comes with a two-year Lyft Pink membership that includes priority airport pickups and at least 5 percent off rides (activation required by Sep. 30, 2027). A 12-month DoorDash DashPass subscription is also included, which gets you unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee on eligible orders, plus reduced service fees for a minimum of one year (activation required by Dec. 31, 2027).
The Chase Sapphire Reserve lets you cash in points for travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal, and you’ll receive boosted value out of your points when you do. Other redemption options include gift cards, cash back, statement credits and merchandise from Apple.com or Amazon.com.
The Ultimate Rewards program also lets you transfer your points 1:1 to the following Chase airline and hotel partners, the redemption option that stands to bring in the most value, according to Bankrate’s valuations.
All of Chase’s transfer partners have a 1:1 ratio.
Aer Lingus AerClub
Air Canada Aeroplan
British Airways Executive Club
Emirates Skywards
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Iberia Plus
JetBlue TrueBlue
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Southwest Rapid Rewards
United MileagePlus
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
IHG One Rewards
Marriott Bonvoy
World of Hyatt
Applicants need an excellent credit score to qualify for this credit card, which usually means having a FICO Score of 740 or higher.
Why should you get the Amex Platinum?
The Amex Platinum is usually best for frequent travelers who book airfare directly with airlines or book flights and hotels through American Express Travel. This card is also a solid option for anyone who wants the opportunity to visit more than 1,700 American Express Global Lounge Collection airport lounges across the world as well as frequent flyers who like to visit Delta Sky Clubs when they fly with Delta same-day.
The various annual credits this card offers can also make it a good value for specific types of spenders. For example, you may like this card if you spend a lot with Uber, Equinox or Walmart+ each year.
While the $695 annual fee on the Amex Platinum is steep, you can get significantly more value than that each year. In your first year of card membership and beyond, you can get Amex Platinum benefits that can be worth more than $2,000. They include:
Up to $240 in digital entertainment credits
Up to $200 in credits annually for prepaid hotel bookings at Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection properties via Amex Travel
$100 credit on qualifying hotel purchases (on eligible bookings of 2 or more consecutive nights with a brand in The Hotel Collection)
Up to $199 in CLEAR membership credits annually
Up to $200 in Uber Cash for rides and delivery annually
Up to $300 in eligible Equinox fitness membership credits per year (enrollment required)
Up to $155 per year in Walmart+ monthly membership credits
Up to $200 in airline fee credits annually for incidentals with a select airline
Up to $100 for Saks Fifth Avenue purchases annually
Up to $120 in application fee credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (every 4 years)
$300 credit for each eligible SoulCycle At-Home bike purchase using your card through Amex’s provided link
You’ll also get access to Priority Pass airport lounges, Amex Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs when you fly with Delta.
As a cardholder, you’ll receive Gold Status with the Hilton Honors program, Gold Elite Status with Marriott Bonvoy, baggage insurance, extended warranties, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, purchase protection and secondary auto rental insurance.
The Amex Platinum lets you redeem your American Express Membership Rewards for travel directly through American Express Travel. With this redemption option, you can expect to receive 1 cent per point in value for airfare and around 0.7 cents per point in value for hotel stays, rental cars, cruises and more.
You can also redeem your rewards for gift cards, statement credits and merchandise as well as for upgrades to business or first class on flights you already paid for.
American Express transfer partners let you transfer points at a ratio of 1:1, unless otherwise noted.
Aer Lingus AerClub
Aeromexico Rewards (1,000:1,600)
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
ANA Mileage Club
Avianca LifeMiles
British Airways Executive Club
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Delta SkyMiles
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Airways Guest
Iberia Plus
JetBlue TrueBlue (250:200)
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Choice Privileges Rewards
Hilton Honors (1,000:2,000)
Marriott Bonvoy
You need good or excellent credit to qualify for this card, which usually means having a FICO Score of 670 or higher.
Why should you get the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card?
The Capital One Venture X charges just $395 per year, (See rates and Fees), which is considerably less than the other two premium travel credit cards we profiled. This card also makes it easy to rack up rewards thanks to its easy-to-understand earning scheme that awards you 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One, 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One and 2X miles on all other purchases.
The myriad travel credits this card offers also make it a solid value.
Cardholders who choose the Capital One Venture X can benefit from a $300 annual travel credit toward Capital One Travel purchases. Cardholders also get 10,000 bonus miles on their account anniversary, Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership and access to Capital One airport lounges where available.
Other Capital One Venture X benefits include up to $120 in credits toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® membership (every four years), Hertz Gold Plus President’s Circle status*, cellphone insurance** and free authorized user cards.
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
**For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Capital One miles can be used to cover travel charged to your card at a rate of one cent per mile. Other redemption options include gift cards, cash back, purchases made through PayPal or Amazon.com or travel through the Capital One portal.
Cardholders can also transfer their miles to the following Capital One transfer partners with transfer ratios of 1:1 (unless otherwise noted).
Accor Live Limitless (1,000:500 ALL Rewards points)
Aeromexico Rewards
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Avianca LifeMiles
British Airways Executive Club
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Choice Privileges Rewards
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Airways Guest
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (1,000:750)
Finnair Plus
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
TAP Portugal Miles&Go
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Wyndham Rewards
You need excellent credit to qualify for this card, which usually means having a FICO Score of 740 or higher.
The bottom line
Any of these premium travel credit cards could work well for your spending style and travel needs, but you’ll want to look closely at each offer to find the best option for you. There’s no clear winner here, but each of these cards stands out in a few categories that could play a major role in your decision.
How do you decide? Take the time to compare these winning travel credit cards in terms of their earning rates, rewards programs and cardholder perks. In the meantime, check out other Capital One credit cards, Amex credit cards and credit cards from Chase. If you analyze each of these offers and compare them to other credit cards on the market today, chances are one will stand out as the best in your eyes.
*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visitamericanexpress.com/benefitsguidefor more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
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