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Chase took the travel world by storm at the end of 2016 when it launched a brand new premium travel credit card dubbed the *chase sapphire reserve*, expanding on the success of one of the most popular travel cards available – the *chase sapphire preferred*.
The Sapphire Reserve debuted with a massive welcome offer bonus of 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points (a bonus Chase has stated is unlikely to ever return) and a $450 annual fee, firmly establishing itself as the only true competitor to *amex platinum*, which had long dominated the premium travel card market.
The card was an instant success, and upon launch, Chase ran out of the metal used to make the physical cards. Chase later stated that the rollout of the Reserve cost the firm hundreds of millions of dollars. So, just a few short years later, in early 2020, Chase introduced a few more advantages to the card and increased the Sapphire Reserve’s annual premium to $550, where it presently resides.
After four years, the card hasn’t altered much and feels stale. Chase now confronts far more competition in the premium travel card category than it did eight years ago, which has us wondering if Chase’s top travel card is due for a major redesign.
Capital One Has Entered the Chat.
Capital One entered the premium travel credit card market in the fall of 2021, unveiling the *venture x* with an amazing list of privileges and an annual fee of only $395, which is far lower than its key competitors, American Express and Chase.
The bank expanded on the success of its $95-a-year *capital one venture card*. While Chase established a roadmap for doing this with its Sapphire cards, what makes the card stand out is that it was launched with an annual cost of less than $400.
In a 2021 interview with Thrifty Traveler, Lauren Liss, Capital One’s managing vice president of U.S. cards, stated, “Right now, there is a gap in the market as (travelers) look for the right travel card.” They do not want to pay $600 for a card that has travel advantages. And they don’t want to have to keep track of a long list of advantages for which they must register. Did they use them? Didn’t they use them? I know I don’t have time for it, and we’ve heard they don’t either.”
It was evident that Liss was referring to both the *Chase Sapphire Reserve* and the *Amex Platinum*. These cards feature annual fees of $550 and $695 (see rates & fees), respectively. And, in the case of the Amex Platinum card, it does come with a laundry list of features that users must ensure they are using to justify the significant out-of-pocket expense.
To date, this has been a main selling feature for the Venture X card: premium travel perks that are very simple to use, at a much lower cost than other premium travel cards. Venture X even presents a route to come out ahead of the $395 annual charge each year with just two advantages.
In fact, given that the Venture X offers many of the same benefits of the Sapphire Reserve, like up to a $100 credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, Priority Pass lounge access, a $300 travel credit (which admittedly isn’t as strong as the one you’ll get with the Sapphire Reserve), travel insurance protections, and much more, it’s possible to carry the Venture X and the lower tier Chase Sapphire Preferred and still pay less in annual fees than by
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