Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Citi Strata Premier® Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?

These three cards are great for those looking to start maximizing their rewards in the credit card game. All three have unique perks but are all geared towards traveling both nationally and abroad—all while saving hundreds to thousands of dollars.

What is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is nostalgic for me as it was my first premium credit card before I upgraded to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Right now there is an intriguing welcome offer with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card where you can get 75,000 Chase points after spending $5,000 in the first three months from the account opening.

With this large amount of points, you have a range of booking options. I personally used 60,000 Chase points to transfer to Chase’s travel partners (1:1 ratio) to book a business class flight to Europe. Long story short, I transferred to Air Canada which had a flight operated by Singapore Airlines as a booking option. This flight was from JFK to CDG (Paris, France). The flight experience was magnificent and it was my first time flying business class.

What is the annual fee?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a $95 annual fee which is not bad for someone who is making their first jump from no annual fee credit cards.

What are the earning rates for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?

The earning structure is an important aspect of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Here are the key earning rates for the card:

• 3 points per $1 spent on dining across the world
• 3 points per $1 spent on select streaming services
• 3 points per $1 spent on online grocery purchases
• 2 points per $1 spent on all other travel (besides Chase Travel℠)
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• 5 points per $1 spent on Chase Travel

The earn rates for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are conducive to someone who frequently travels with the focus on dining out and travel.

What are the DoorDash benefits?

You will receive complimentary DoorDash DashPass for 12 months which is equivalent to $120 in value. You will also get $10 off non-restaurant orders through Doordash monthly. This is one of my favorite benefits on Chase cards. It's amazing to think that with this benefit I can order a couple things from my house and save more money than if I went in person to buy something.

Does this card have foreign transaction fees?

No. You have the freedom to spend abroad without fees.

What is the $50 annual hotel credit?

If you book a hotel through Chase Travel, you will receive up to $50 in credit annually.

What is the 10% anniversary boost?

Every account anniversary, you will earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases the previous year. Let’s say you spent $15,000—you will get 1,500 bonus Chase points into your account. This is an underrated bonus that even I myself forget about—it can be a nice little bonus to get you closer to your next dream vacation.

What is the Venture Rewards Card?

The Venture Rewards card is currently offering a welcome offer of 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from the account opening. These miles can be transferred to a number of Capital One’s hotel and airline partners. The Capital One Venture Rewards card has a similar structure to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card where you can book through a travel portal (the Capital One Travel Portal) or you can transfer to their travel partners.

What is the annual fee?

The annual fee is $95—well worth it with all the benefits on this card.

What are the earning rates for the Venture Rewards card?

The earning rates for the Venture Rewards card is pretty simple:

• 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases
• 5 miles per $1 spent on travel booked through Capital One Travel

This straightforward earning structure makes it so you don’t have to stress about earning categories. You can use it for all purchases and still get decent earning rates.

What is the Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit?

You will receive an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck with the Venture Rewards card ($120 value).

What is the $50 experience credit with Capital One’s premium hotel collection?

When you book through Capital One for hotels, you can get a $50 experience credit along with daily breakfast for two and other miscellaneous benefits.

Does this card have foreign transaction fees?

No. You have the freedom to spend abroad without fees.

Do I get lounge access with the Venture Rewards card?

Unfortunately, you do not get access to the lounges with this card.

You’ll need the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card for lounge access. Lounge access is a great benefit since I can speak firsthand that the Capital One Lounges are AWESOME. I went to the Capital One Lounge at JFK airport last month and it's the best lounge I’ve been to in my life by far. The lounge had a full service cafe that you could order drinks and bakery items from as well as a full service bar. There was a buffet and a menu you could order from a QR code. The food was high quality and fresh. I wish I got a chance to check out the Cheese Experience which is something you can book upon entering the lounge. It's essentially a cheese tasting experience for about 30 minutes. If you are someone who only travels once or twice a year, you might not need a more premium card. Just stick with this one!

What is the Citi Strata Premier® Card?

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another excellent mid tier annual fee card that could be for your travels. There’s a welcome offer right now where you can earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from the account opening.

What are the earning rates for the Citi Strata Premier?

The Citi Strata Premier has a wide range of earning categories you can take advantage of:

• 3 points per $1 spent on air travel and other hotel purchases
• 3 points per $1 spent on restaurants and at supermarkets
• 3 points per $1 spent on gas & EV charging stations
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• 10 points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through cititravel.com

Does the Citi Strata Premier have foreign transaction fees?

No. You have the freedom to spend abroad without fees.

What is the annual fee?

The annual fee is $95—well worth it with all the benefits on this card.

What is the $100 Hotel Credit?

You will receive a $100 hotel credit once yearly on a stay of $500 or more booked through Citi.

How do these three cards stack up against each other?

All three cards have their pros and cons and choosing the right card all depends what you are looking for and what are your circumstances.

Final Remarks

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is best for those who want all the travel protections while getting a 1:1 transfer ratio with all travel partners. The added benefits for DashPass and the 10% anniversary bonus are unique with Chase and can go a long way. With Chase, you are maximizing your value generally as you can get more value for your points across the board. There are also a plethora of ways to earn Chase points. Check out my article about how to get Chase points with the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card here.

The Venture Rewards is great for folks who want a simple earning rate. You know that you are guaranteed a 2x earning rate for Capital One Miles. The card can also be preferable for those that want to Central/South America—With Capital One, you can transfer to Aeromexico and Avianca. I find the 2 free visits to the Capital Lounge to be an underrated benefit especially for those who are not willing to shell out the cash for a bigger annual fee card that would offer lounge access year-round. Another fantastic benefit on the Venture Rewards is the $120 Global Entry/TSA precheck application fee waiver (every 4 years). The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Citi Strata Premier do not offer this credit.

The Citi Strata Premier is best for people who don’t mind keeping track of a variety of earning categories to earn outsized value for their spend. Citi has a similar transfer partner list to Capital One and has Avianca and Aeromexico. BUT, there’s one key difference which I think is the best part of Citi’s program. Citi has American Airlines as a transfer partner which is widely regarded as one of the best points redemption programs for airlines. They also have a nice mix of hotel partners with Accor, Wyndham, Leading Hotels of the World, Preferred Hotels and Choice Privileges.

Each card has its pros and cons but all of them will get you closer to your travel goals. All three cards can either be a starting point for all your travel rewards and travel journeys or exactly where you want to stay in the credit card game.