Capital One vs. Chase: Which bank offers better credit cards?

inside travel credit card world, the choices can be overwhelming. You can earn refunds, mile, point — or even luxury perks like Airport lounge access or one quickly achieve elite status. Additionally, each card you open can affect the type of card and rewards you qualify for in the future. So you want to make sure the card you apply for is the right one for you.

Two of the best options are Capital One and Chase cards. Both banks issue many types credit card rewards. Let’s see which cards are the best in different categories.

Compare Capital One and Chase cards

Information about the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Earn rewards with Chase vs. Capital One

All Capital One miles-earning cards earn 1.5 to 2 miles per dollar on every purchase. You’ll also get some valuable bonus categories, such as hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

With Chase, it depends on the card you have. For example, both Sapphire preferred And Reserve sapphire Earn reward points on travel and dining. The Ink Business Preferred Credit CardOtherwise, earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each account anniversary year in the following categories:

• Tourism
• Shipping
• Telecommunications, including internet, cable and phone services
• Advertising purchases are made with social media sites and search engines

All non-rewards purchases made with these Chase cards earn just 1 point per dollar. However, if you Pair your premium card with a free annual fee Pursue unlimited freedom or Chasing freedom Flexyou can open up even more bonus categories.

Think earning unlimited double miles everywhere is easy with Capital One Venture Rewards And Capital One Spark Miles card, you’ll find it easier to earn Capital One miles unless you spend a lot in Chase rewards categories.

If you pair the right card, you can also turn your Capital One cash back rewards into transferrable miles, making them even more valuable.

Winner: Tie. Both issuers offer valuable earnings rates depending on the type of card you get.

Redeem rewards with Chase vs. Capital One

According to TPG June 2024 valuation, Capital One miles are worth 1.85 cents per mile, and Chase points are worth 2.05 cents per mile. This value is based on the average value you can expect to receive when transferring to a travel partner.

You can also use your rewards as Points have a fixed value to cover travel expenses or pay for a trip. You can use Capital One miles to cover qualified travel expenses at 1 cent per mile, but Final bonus points can top that number in a number of ways.

First, Chase points can be redeemed for 1 cent each in cash or used to pay for travel booked through Chase Travel℠. When you use points to pay for travel booked through the Chase portal, each point is worth 1.25 cents with Sapphire preferred or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card. If you have Chase Sapphire SanctuaryThat number jumps to 1.5 cents each.

Winner: Chase Ultimate Rewards is a winner at rewards redemptions thanks to better transfer rates and more lucrative travel partners.

Related: Preferred Sapphire vs Sapphire Reserve

Transfer rewards with Chase vs. Capital One

Flexibility is key to getting the most value from credit card rewards. Transferable points and miles are your best friends, and both Capital One and Chase-issued cards earn these rewards.

You earn transferable miles with these Capital One cards:

Information about Capital One Spark Miles Select has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

And you can earn transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points with these Chase cards:

Travel partners: Capital One Mile transferred to more than 15 airline and hotel partners while Chasing the ultimate bonus score Switch to 15 programs – but the number of transfer partners does not tell the whole story.

You need to consider the usefulness of your partner’s loyalty programs. Capital One has valuable partners, including Air Canada plane, AviancaMiles Life, KrisFlyer of Singapore Airlines And Air France-KLM green flight.

Chase points also transfer to Singapore Airlines and Flying Blue along with other excellent partners, such as Virgin Atlantic (great for ANA and Delta Awardsalthough there was one recently Delta awards offer a slight discount), United Airlines (book Star Alliance Award) and Hyatt (which is great because High value luxury holiday).

Winner: Chase. In general, its points are more valuable thanks to its transfer options.

Who should get a Capital One card?

Most Capital One card offers are great if you like simplicity. For example, two of Top Capital One cardsthe Venture rewards card And Spark Miles for businesses cards, both have a $95 annual fee (waived the first year for Spark Miles) and earn 2 miles per dollar or 2% cash back on every purchase (see exchange rates and fees for Joint Venture; see exchange rates and fees or Spark Miles for Biz).

If you don’t want to worry about organizing your cards in your wallet to Maximize bonus categories, either card is a great choice to get the most out of your spending. Plus, the rewards you earn are incredibly easy to use and a great value when you don’t have to spend hours figuring out how to get the most out of your miles.

Related: Best Capital One credit cards

Who should get a Chase card?

You must be below Follow the 5/24 rule to qualify for any Chase card. That means you need to have five or fewer cards approved from any bank in the past 24 months. If that’s you, start your journey into the world of points and miles with a Chase credit card.

Many of best airline credit cards, top hotel card and the most valuable popular travel cards are all issued by Chase. So it makes sense to get them before the 24/5 rule gets locked down.

Related: Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred should be your first card

Should I receive cards from both banks?

Have some strict application restrictions when applying for cards from Capital One and Chase, but can get cards from both. Aside from the 5/24 rule above, there’s no reason not to open with Chase and Capital One.

Among the restrictions, Capital One limits you to using only two personal Capital One cards at a time; co-branded card and business cards are generally not included in this limit. You’re also limited to being approved for one Capital One card every six months.

With Chase, you can’t hold both Sapphire cards at the same time. Also, if you receive a welcome bonuses on the Sapphire card in the previous 48 months, you will not be able to open a new Sapphire card.

Bottom line

When it comes to earning credit card rewards, two of the top issuers are Capital One and Chase. Between these banks, you will easily find a card that suits your needs. Chase has cards that earn super-valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which transfer toward helpful hotel and airline loyalty programs. Capital One has a line of cards that earn 2 miles per dollar or 2% cash back on every purchase, so you can’t beat the simplicity.

Which card is best for you depends a lot on your travel goals and what you want to get out of the card. In most cases, Chase has more rewarding options, but if you want cash back, you’ll want to see what Capital One offers.

Related: Best travel credit cards