Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture Rewards: Same Fee, Different Earn Mix
Card data current as of October 2026.
Both cards carry the same $95 annual fee, so the decision comes down purely to where you spend. Sapphire Preferred wins on dining, gas, and streaming; Venture Rewards' flat 2x wins on groceries, transit, and uncategorized spend. For our representative household — where groceries and everyday purchases are a big share — Venture Rewards nets about $124/yr more. A dining-heavy household can flip that: roughly $14,300/yr of dining (holding the rest at the persona) puts Sapphire Preferred ahead.
Who wins for your spending?
Defaults to a representative household budget — edit any field to match your own; the numbers below update live.
What are your points worth?
We default to a conservative value per point. Redeem for premium travel and points can be worth more; cash out and they're worth about 1¢ — set your own.
Credits you'll actually use
Each credit starts at a conservative estimate — set the dollar amount you'll really redeem on each card (most people don't use every credit). This is where the call gets personal.
Sapphire Preferred
$148 counted- DashPass$of $120
- DoorDash Promo$of $120
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit$of $120
- Hotel Credit$of $100
Venture Rewards
$40 counted- 2x Capital One Lounge Visits$of $100
- PreCheck Credit$of $120
Sapphire Preferred
$95/yr fee
$818/yr net
$966/yr after your credits
Venture Rewards
Ahead$95/yr fee
$942/yr net
$982/yr after your credits
Venture Rewards nets +$124/yr more on these numbers, before credits.
After your credits, Venture Rewards nets +$16/yr more.
Your personal crossover
- Venture Rewards wins while your dining spend stays under ~$14,267/yr; above that, Sapphire Preferred takes over — holding your other numbers fixed at what's entered above.
- Venture Rewards wins while your gas spend stays under ~$11,267/yr; above that, Sapphire Preferred takes over — holding your other numbers fixed at what's entered above.
- Venture Rewards wins while your streaming spend stays under ~$9,167/yr; above that, Sapphire Preferred takes over — holding your other numbers fixed at what's entered above.
- Sapphire Preferred wins while your everything else spend stays under ~$2,462/yr; above that, Venture Rewards takes over — holding your other numbers fixed at what's entered above.
Category by category, on our representative persona
| Category | Sapphire Preferred | Venture Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries | $112/yr $8,000 × 1× × 1.4¢ | $216/yr $8,000 × 2× × 1.35¢ |
| Dining | $252/yr $6,000 × 3× × 1.4¢ | $162/yr $6,000 × 2× × 1.35¢ |
| Travel | $196/yr $7,000 × 2× × 1.4¢ | $189/yr $7,000 × 2× × 1.35¢ |
| Gas | $126/yr $3,000 × 3× × 1.4¢ | $81/yr $3,000 × 2× × 1.35¢ |
| Streaming | $38/yr $900 × 3× × 1.4¢ | $24/yr $900 × 2× × 1.35¢ |
| Transit | $21/yr $1,500 × 1× × 1.4¢ | $41/yr $1,500 × 2× × 1.35¢ |
| Everything Else | $168/yr $12,000 × 1× × 1.4¢ | $324/yr $12,000 × 2× × 1.35¢ |
| Total (before fee) | $913/yr | $1,037/yr |
Fee & credits
Sapphire Preferred
Venture Rewards
The category table above is earn-only. The calculator's “after your credits” verdict folds in the credit amounts you set — seeded to a conservative estimate, never full face, since most people don't use every credit. For a full per-credit breakdown of Sapphire Preferred, see the worth-it calculator.
How we calculate this: each category is valued at its best-case bonus rate using conservative, program-specific point values (spend above a bonus cap is not counted; rotating quarterly bonuses and issuer status tiers are excluded). This page scopes two cards and one spend vector — it doesn't allocate spend across your whole wallet. These are estimates, not offers — always confirm current terms with the issuer. Read our full methodology ›
Frequently asked questions
- Since the fees match, which earns more?
- For our representative household, Venture Rewards — its flat 2x on groceries and everyday purchases outweighs Sapphire Preferred’s dining, gas, and streaming bonuses, netting about $124/yr more in our model. The more of your spending goes to dining, the closer it gets.
- When would Sapphire Preferred win instead?
- If your spending skews heavily toward dining (roughly $14,300/yr or more on its own), gas (roughly $11,300/yr or more), or if very little of your spending is uncategorized — Sapphire Preferred's 1x base rate is where it loses most to Venture's flat 2x.
- Do the two cards earn the same currency?
- No — Sapphire Preferred earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Venture Rewards earns Capital One miles. Both are transferable to airline/hotel partners, but the transfer partners and typical redemption value differ; we value both conservatively and consistently in this comparison.
See the full ranking for these categories
More head-to-head comparisons
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