The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) is a natural starting point for anyone new to travel rewards, thanks to its strong bonus categories, flexible Ultimate Rewards points and solid travel protections at a reasonable annual fee.
But after you’ve used it for a while, a familiar question tends to pop up: What card makes sense to add next?
For me (and many others), the answer was the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. After adding it to my wallet a few months ago, it quickly became clear why so many people pair these two cards together.
Rather than overlapping, they complement each other in a way that makes earning and redeeming rewards easier, not more complicated — welcome news for those just getting started with points and miles.
If you’re thinking about what card to pair with your Sapphire Preferred, here’s why the Venture X makes sense as a next step.
Related: 5 reasons why I’m applying for the Capital One Venture X
The Venture X complements the Chase Sapphire Preferred — it doesn’t replace it
The key to why this pairing works is that the two cards are designed to play very different roles.
The Sapphire Preferred shines as a category-focused travel card, rewarding dining, select travel purchases and everyday spending like streaming and online groceries.
It also unlocks access to Chase’s powerful Ultimate Rewards ecosystem, along with some of the best travel protections available on a mid-tier card.
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The Venture X, on the other hand, is built for simplicity and consistency. It’s the card to reach for when a purchase doesn’t fall into a bonus category, earning a flat rate on everyday spending while still delivering premium-style perks that elevate the travel experience.
Because of that, there’s very little redundancy. One card isn’t trying to replace the other. Instead, adding the Venture X allows you to keep everything that already works about the Sapphire Preferred, while strengthening your overall earning and travel strategy.
Related: How Venture X perfects premium travel benefits
The Venture X fills in the Sapphire Preferred’s everyday earning gaps
If you carry the Sapphire Preferred, you’re likely familiar with its strong bonus categories, including dining, travel and online groceries. Where the card can fall short, however, is on nonbonus spending, which are purchases that don’t neatly fit into those categories and earn just 1 point per dollar spent.
That’s where the Venture X fits in as a natural complement. The card earns 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases, along with elevated earnings when booking through Capital One Travel.
With a flat-rate structure like this, there’s no need to track rotating categories or wonder whether a purchase qualifies for bonus rewards.
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As a result, the Venture X becomes an easy default for everyday spending, such as:
- Grocery stores that don’t code as online groceries
- Retail purchases
- Utilities and subscriptions
- Miscellaneous expenses that don’t fall into a bonus category
In practice, this approach simplifies day-to-day card use. I rely on my Sapphire Preferred for dining, online grocery orders and travel booked through Chase, then use the Venture X for nearly everything else. Over time, that consistent 2 miles per dollar spent adds up quickly — especially on unavoidable everyday purchases that might otherwise earn just 1 point per dollar.
For Sapphire Preferred cardholders looking to boost earnings without adding complexity, using the Venture X as a catch-all card is an efficient way to round out a two-card setup.
Related: Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred remains the top travel rewards credit card
2 rewards ecosystems offer more flexibility when booking travel
Maximizing rewards is only half the equation — the real value comes when it’s time to redeem them. This is another area where pairing the Sapphire Preferred with the Venture X truly shines.
Holding both cards gives you access to two transferable rewards currencies. The Sapphire Preferred earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, while the Venture X earns Capital One miles.
Each program brings something different to the table. Capital One offers access to more than 15 airline and hotel loyalty partners, while Chase provides transfers to 11 airline and three hotel programs.
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Chase stands out for partners like World of Hyatt, which often offers outsize value for hotel stays, as well as airline programs such as United MileagePlus and Southwest Rapid Rewards.
Capital One, on the other hand, shines with international airline partners like Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Avianca LifeMiles and Etihad Guest, which can unlock excellent value on long-haul and premium-cabin flights.
Because there’s relatively little overlap between the two ecosystems, having both cards expands your options when award availability is limited or pricing is less than ideal. Instead of being locked into a single set of partners, you can search across both Chase and Capital One transfer programs to find the best redemption for a specific trip.
Transfer bonuses add another layer of flexibility. Chase frequently offers limited-time bonuses — sometimes as high as 50% — when transferring points to select partners. Capital One also runs periodic transfer bonuses, often in the 30% to 40% range, which can significantly reduce the number of miles needed for a redemption.
I recently took advantage of a Chase transfer bonus for an Air France-KLM Flying Blue award to Paris for just 18,750 Flying Blue miles plus taxes and fees. Thanks to a Chase 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue, I only needed to transfer 15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book the flight.
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Since I now have access to both Chase and Capital One, it is easier to compare transfer partners before moving points or miles, which often results in better award availability or fewer rewards required overall.
Capital One also stands out for its transfer flexibility. While both programs allow transfers starting at 1,000 points or miles, Capital One lets you increase transfers in increments of just 100 miles. This level of precision is something Chase Ultimate Rewards doesn’t offer, as Chase requires transfers in increments of 1,000 points.
That smaller increment can be especially useful when you just need to top off an airline or hotel account to complete a booking, though it’s still important to pay attention to transfer ratios to maximize your redemption.
For travelers who want more control over how and when they redeem rewards, access to two transferable rewards ecosystems can help stretch rewards further, particularly when award space is limited or prices spike.
Related: Why all travelers should earn transferable credit card points
You get premium travel perks without paying a premium annual fee
One of the biggest ways the Venture X elevates the Sapphire Preferred is by adding premium travel perks the Sapphire Preferred doesn’t offer on its own — most notably airport lounge access.
As a frequent traveler, lounge access always felt slightly out of reach to me, reserved for cards with eye-popping annual fees. The Venture X was the first premium card that made those benefits feel attainable.
With the Venture X, cardholders receive:
- A $300 annual statement credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel, which can effectively reduce the card’s $395 annual fee to $95 when fully used
- 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary, which TPG’s December 2025 valuations peg at $185 in value
- Airport lounge access without stepping up to an ultrapremium card
- A robust suite of travel protections
Notably, the Venture X’s annual fee has remained unchanged since its debut in 2021, even as annual fees across the premium card space have continued to rise. Between the annual travel credit and anniversary bonus miles, it’s possible to offset the card’s annual fee entirely through ongoing benefits.
CAPITAL ONE
The Sapphire Preferred, meanwhile, helps keep overall costs grounded. With its $95 annual fee, the card offers:
- A $50 annual hotel credit on eligible Chase Travel℠ bookings, effectively reducing the card’s annual fee to $45 when fully used
- Strong earnings on travel and bonus categories
- Chase’s well-regarded travel protections
- Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership to help cover food expenses while traveling — since DashPass normally costs $9.99 per month (or $96 annually), this benefit covers the card’s $95 annual fee on its own*
*Membership is valid until Dec. 31, 2027.
Taken together, this two-card setup delivers a premium-feeling travel experience, strong earnings across both everyday and bonus spending, and access to two flexible transferable currencies.
All of that comes for under $500 in combined annual fees. That’s significantly less than the cost of some single premium cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) or the American Express Platinum Card® (see rates and fees), which carry annual fees of $795 and $895, respectively.
For travelers who want access to premium perks without committing to a single high-fee card, pairing the Venture X with the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a compelling balance of value, flexibility and cost.
Related: Are premium credit cards worth the annual fee?
Who should pair the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Venture X?
This card pairing makes the most sense for travelers who already understand the basics of earning and redeeming points and are ready for more flexibility, but aren’t interested in juggling multiple premium cards or navigating overly complex benefit structures.
It’s a strong fit if you:
- Want better airport and travel perks without jumping straight to a card with a $700-plus annual fee
- Prefer simple, predictable earnings on everyday purchases alongside strong bonus categories
- Value flexibility over committing fully to one airline or hotel program
From my own experience, this pairing felt like a natural progression. I didn’t have to relearn how I used my Sapphire Preferred — I just added the Venture X where it made sense. The result was a setup that stayed easy to manage but became noticeably more rewarding when it came time to book travel.
Related: Why the Venture X should be your first premium card
Bottom line
If you already have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, pairing it with the Venture X is a smart way to level up your travel strategy.
The two cards complement each other well, covering everyday spending and key bonus categories while unlocking premium travel benefits at a reasonable combined annual cost.
Together, they form a versatile, low-friction setup that’s easy to maintain and flexible enough for everything from routine purchases to your next big trip.
To learn more, check out our full reviews of the Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Learn more: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred
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.
