Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card vs SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®
Annual fees: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card $95/yr, SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card on hotels, SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® on everyday spending.
Card data as of October 12, 2026.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardCapital One · $95/yr
- SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®
Comenity · No annual fee
Overview
- Annual fee
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card$95SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®$0Lowest
- Welcome offerCurrent public offer
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card75,000 milesSaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®—
- Rewards
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardCapital One MilesSaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®SaksFirst
- Foreign transaction fee
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardNoneSaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®None
- Network
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardMastercard World EliteSaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®Mastercard World Elite
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
- Everything else
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card2xSaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®2x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
- Travel
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- $300 Stays Credit (1st Year) · $300 one-time
- $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck · $120 every 4 years
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®—
Perks & access— means none on record
- Lounges
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Lounge access at $45/visit
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®— - Hotel status & programs
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- $50 Lifestyle Collection
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®— - Car rental
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Free Hertz Five Star Elite Status with Premium Benefits
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®— - Other perks
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Get 50% Off All Handcrafted Beverages at Capital One Cafes
- Exclusive Capital One Dining Access to Popular Restaurants
- Exclusive Capital One Entertainment Access with VIP Packages
- Zero Foreign Transaction Fees on All International Purchases
- Around the Clock 24 Hour Travel Help
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®—
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
- Trip insurance
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Travel Accident Cover at No Extra Charge
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®— - Rental car
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Secondary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver for Rental
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®— - Purchase & returns
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Automatic Price Drop Cover and Price Match Guarantee
- Purchase Security up to $10,000 per claim
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®— - Extended warranty
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Extended Warranty Protection up to $10,000 per claim
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®— - Other protections
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Credit monitoring
- Card Replacement and Cash Advance When Traveling Abroad
- Zero Dollar Fraud Liability Cover on All Unauthorized
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®—
Pros & cons
- Pros
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Unlimited 2X miles on every purchase with no category tracking required
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- One-time $300 stays credit for hotels and vacation rentals in the first year
- 75,000 mile welcome bonus after $4,000 spend in 3 months
- TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit ($120 value every 4 years)
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®— - Cons
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- $95 annual fee (only partly offset by the one-time first-year stays credit)
- No lounge access or premium travel perks like Venture X
- 5X earning requires booking through Capital One Travel portal
- 2X flat rate beaten by category-specific cards in dining, groceries, etc.
SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®—
Category-by-Category Winner
No unconditional category winner — 3 categories depend on how you earn.
Hotels
Depends: via issuer travel portal
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5X when conditions are met; SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Car Rentals
Depends: via issuer travel portal
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5X when conditions are met; SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Vacation Rentals
Depends: via issuer travel portal
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5X when conditions are met; SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Year One vs Ongoing Value
Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.
Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.
| Scenario | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $312 Credits (our usable estimate): $30 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $247 Year one: $1,402 | Rewards: $240 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $240 Year one: $240 | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $1,248 Credits (our usable estimate): $30 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $1,183 Year one: $2,338 | Rewards: $960 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $960 Year one: $960 | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
Is the Fee Difference Worth It?
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card costs $95/yr — that's $95 more than the SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $95 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card includes travel credits, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $95 fee gap for your own usage.
Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $95 fee gap means the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card needs roughly $95 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on hotels and car rentals and everyday spend.
What You Give Up
Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.
Choosing SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® means losing:
- -Global Entry credit
The Bottom Line
Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.
Published annual fees: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card $95/yr, SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® $0/yr — a $95 difference before welcome offers and credits.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card worth the higher annual fee?
- The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card costs $95/yr vs $0/yr for the SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $95 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card also lists travel credits).
- Which card earns more rewards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®?
- Both cards earn 2X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
- What benefits does the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card have that the SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® doesn't?
- The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers travel credits. The SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
- Should I get the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or the SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard®?
- Use the spend scenarios on this page: the SaksFirst World Elite Mastercard® has a lower $0/yr fee; the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $95/yr.
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.