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With so many credit cards on the market, finding a travel rewards card that checks off all of your must-haves can be challenging. If you’re a regular traveler but aren’t particularly loyal to one airline or hotel, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card might be what your wallet needs.
In this Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review, you’ll learn about its key features, what kind of cardholder it’s best for, and alternative cards to consider.
Incredibly Flexible Rewards
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Current Offer
Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
Rewards Rate
2X miles per dollar on every purchase, every day and 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Benefits
- Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- 20.24% - 28.24% (variable) purchase APR
Drawbacks
- Has annual fee
- Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Enjoy two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges through the Partner Lounge Network
- Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
Who should get the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?
If the thrill of earning free hotel stays and flights appeals to you, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card can help accelerate your ability to travel on rewards miles.
To qualify for this card, it is typically recommended to have good to excellent credit, which means you’ve made on-time payments and have demonstrated responsible borrowing habits.
This travel rewards credit card might not be a good fit for you if you don’t have a strong credit score or don’t travel frequently enough.
Card basics
| Card type | Travel |
| Card issuer | Capital One |
| Annual fee | $95 |
| Early spend bonus | Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening |
| Reward rate | 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, every day and 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| Recommended credit score | Excellent, Good |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
Capital One Venture benefits
- Generous early spend bonus offer: Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening after account opening. Redeeming these points via Capital One Travel can be worth $750.
- Earn unlimited miles: Earning miles is easy with the Venture card. Get 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, every day and 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- Lounge access: Cardholders will benefit from 2 complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges.
- Up to $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: To help you get to your destination faster, cardholders receive up to a $100 credit toward the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee. This benefit is available every four years as long as the account is active and in good standing.
- Flexible travel redemption options: Since Venture miles aren’t tied to a specific airline or hotel loyalty program, you’ll have the freedom to choose which carrier you fly with and where you stay for every trip. You also have the option of transferring your miles to one of the hospitality companies on the growing list of Capital One transfer partners. Overall, these travel rewards are very simple to use.
- Travel insurance 1 : When you pay for an auto rental with this card, you will have rental car insurance that can protect you against damage caused by collision or theft.
- Extended warranty: Items purchased with the Capital One Venture will get additional warranty protection with no additional charge.
- Capital One Entertainment: Receive special access to music, sporting, and dining events through the Capital One Entertainment portal. You have the option to use your rewards, your card, or a combination of the two to pay for tickets.
Drawbacks to this card
- Annual fee: You'll need to pay an annual fee of $95 for the use of this card.
- No intro APR: The Capital One Venture Rewards card does not offer a 0% intro APR on either purchases or balance transfers.
- Designed for simplicity: Because the rewards program associated with this card is designed for simplicity of use, it also isn't as powerful or as valuable as other travel rewards cards out there like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. If you're into the hobby of maximizing your travel rewards and always looking to get the most pennies per point, then the Venture Rewards Card won't be the best fit for you.
Earning & redeeming Capital One miles
Potential earnings in years one and two
Here's a look how your miles can add up with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 1 cent per mile.
Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.
Year one earnings: $1,325
Year two earnings: $575
These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model which takes a look at points earned via spending, the early spend bonus and the annual fee.
Note that this valuation does not include any of the credits that come with this card. If you take advantage of the application fee credit for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry, your value will be further increased by another $78 to $100. In addition, you may increase the value of this card by transferring your miles to Capital One's travel partners.
Best ways to earn
Earning rewards with the Venture is simple. Get 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, every day and 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Capital One Venture Rewards miles never expire as long as the account is active, and there are no limits to how many miles you can earn. This flexibility allows you to accrue as many miles as you can.
When planning for an upcoming trip, you don’t need the added inconvenience of playing credit card roulette with other rewards cards. A perk of using the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is that you can earn miles on any travel-related purchase, regardless of the carrier or hotel brand.
Maximizing your redemption
Redeeming rewards for travel purchases yields the highest redemption value. Eligible travel purchases include airlines, hotels, travel and car rental agencies, transportation, and more. To maximize rewards, you can transfer your miles to an airline or hotel loyalty program, as long as that hospitality company is a partner of Capital One Venture Rewards.
Redeeming miles for cash back and gift cards is also possible, but redemption rates are often considerably lower in value than if you were to redeem your rewards for travel.
Capital One transfer partners
There are over 15 airline and hotel partners available to eligible Capital One cardholders. The minimum transfer for all partners is 1,000 miles, but the ratio at which you can transfer your miles varies depending on the partner.
| Airline | Airline Alliance | Min. Transfer | Transfer Ratio |
| AeroMexico | SkyTeam | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Air Canada | Star Alliance | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Air France | SkyTeam | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Avianca | Star Alliance | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| British Airways | Oneworld | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Cathay Pacific | Oneworld | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Emirates | N/A | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Etihad Airways | N/A | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| EVA Air | Star Alliance | 1,000 | 2:1.5 |
| Finnair | Oneworld | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Qantas | Oneworld | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines | Star Alliance | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| TAP Air Portugal | Star Alliance | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Turkish Airlines | Star Alliance | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Virgin Atlantic (through Virgin Red) | N/A | 1,000 | 1:1 |
Capital One also has three hotel transfer partners: Accor Live Limitless (ALL), Choice Privileges, and Wyndham Rewards. All three require a minimum transfer of 1,000 miles but the transfer ratios of each differ.
| Hotel | Min. Transfer | Transfer Ratio |
| Accor | 1,000 | 2:1 |
| Choice | 1,000 | 1:1 |
| Wyndham | 1,000 | 1:1 |
In addition, there are occasionally bonus opportunities where airlines will offer extra miles for a limited time so it’s always a good idea to investigate any limited-time offers that might be available before making a transfer so you don’t miss a good opportunity.
Also, be aware of how long it might take to transfer your miles from Capital One to the partner program. For example, you might be able to see an almost instant transfer from Capital One to Air Canada, allowing you to turn your Capital One miles into airline miles and then book a flight almost immediately. However, your points might take up to 36 hours to appear in your Singapore Airlines account.
Check the fine print carefully before you transfer your miles to an airline program to make sure you understand the rules and you know what you’re getting. Each partner will have its own policies, so you may be subject to limitations based on availability, timing, and other factors when booking. Once you transfer your Capital One miles to a partner, you have to follow the rules of those individual programs.
Capital One Venture Rewards FAQs
How do I redeem Capital One Venture miles?
To redeem miles on completed travel purchases using your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you can use the Capital One travel portal or call the Rewards Center to receive a statement credit.
You can also make new travel bookings online at CapitalOne.com or by calling the Rewards Center to book flights, hotels, and car rentals using your earned miles.
What credit score do you need to get a Capital One Venture?
Successful applicants for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card typically have good or excellent credit scores. According to FICO, the credit scoring model describes a good score as 670 to 739. A higher credit score suggests you’re a lower-risk borrower.
Do note that numerical credit scores are provided as guidelines only and are not a guarantee of approval.
Does the Capital One Venture offer an introductory APR?
The Capital One Venture does not offer an introductory APR on either purchases or balance transfers.
If you're planning to make a large purchase, consider the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card card which offers 0% intro APR for 15 months (then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)) on purchases. You can compare the Capital One Venture vs. Quicksilver cards directly to see which better fits your budget.
Which card is better: the Capital One Venture Rewards or the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card?
If you are trying to decide between the Capital One Venture vs. Capital One VentureOne cards, then there are a few things to consider. The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has an annual fee of $0, but it also has a smaller early spend bonus and earns fewer miles per dollar spent.
One feature the VentureOne offers that the Venture card does not is an introductory APR. The VentureOne gives you a 0% intro APR on purchases for 18 months, then 19.24% - 29.24% (variable) APR. It also gets you a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, then 19.24% - 29.24% (variable) APR. There is a 3% fee on balances transferred within the first 18 months.
So if you are not as frequent of a traveler, you prefer not to pay an annual fee, and you have some big purchases coming up that you'd like to finance with a 0% intro APR credit card, then the VentureOne might be a better fit for you. If you are looking for travel perks and think the insurance and benefits make up for the annual fee, then go for the Venture card.
Other cards to consider
Although the Capital One Venture Rewards offers an impressive lineup of card benefits for frequent flyers and avid travelers, there are other cards that are considered to be among the best rewards cards for travel that could be a better fit for you.
If you spend a decent amount on travel expenses and restaurant purchases each month, you may want to consider the American Express® Gold Card. While the Amex Gold card has a higher $250 annual fee, it also comes with a $120 dining credit (select benefits require enrollment). Coupled with the 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, after that 1X) and at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 3X on flights booked directly with airlines or on Amextravel.com, and 1X on all other eligible purchases, this card could be a great fit for travelers who are also foodies.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is also worth considering if you intend to do a fair amount of traveling. Like the Venture card, rewards are easy to earn and it offers a competitive welcome bonus that lets you earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
Unlike the Venture card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers bonus categories for certain types of spending that may help you rack up your travel rewards more quickly. The long list of Chase transfer partners also makes it one of the most powerful travel cards out there. You can compare the Capital One Venture vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred cards directly and see which better fits your needs.
Incredibly Flexible Rewards
Why We Like It
Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
See how these cards compare:
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American Express® Gold Card
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you make $4,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of card membership
- Rose gold is back! Choose your color.
- $120 in dining credits
- $120 in Uber Cash
- No foreign transaction fee
- $250 annual fee. Terms apply.
- Select benefits require enrollment.
- See rates and fees
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
- 5X points on Lyft rides and travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 25% more value when redeeming rewards for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 10% anniversary point bonus each year
- $50 annual credit on hotel stays booked through Ultimate Rewards
- Premium travel protection benefits
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