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The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is the top range Capital One personal card on the market. The card currently comes with an attractive signup bonus and solid earning rates. If you are looking to get into points and miles, the card is an attractive proposition with over 10 travel transfer partners. Couple that with a very reasonable annual fee, and it is easy to see why the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a firm favorite with points and miles fans.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Key Features
Features of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card include:
- Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
- Earn unlimited and non-expiring 2x miles on every single purchase you make.
- Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- Get up to $100 worth of statement credit when you apply for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck – once every 4 years.
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase-or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel.
- You can transfer your miles to more than 15 loyalty programs.
- The card has no foreign transaction fees.
- The card carries a very reasonable $95 annual fee.
Read More: Thinking Of Cancelling Your Capital One Venture Card? Don’t!
Earning Miles On Your Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a very simple rewards structure which is 2x miles on all purchases. That’s about 1.7 to 2 cents apiece with no annual cap.
The card works best as your go-to “Everything Else Card” that can maximize your mile earnings. For instance, if you are booking flights directly with airlines, or you are best off using your American Express Platinum Card, which earns you an impressive 5X points per dollar. On the other hand, if you are dining out, then your Chase Sapphire Reserve earns you a quick and easy 3X points per dollar. Outside of the bonus categories, almost all cards earn a standard 1X per dollar.
Now, this is where the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card rides in to save the day since you improve your earning potential by earning 2x miles instead of 1x miles on categories that were not eligible on your Chase and Amex travel cards.
Read More: Capital One Secured Mastercard Review
$100 Statement Credit For Global Entry or TSA Pre✔
Global Entry membership costs $100 while TSA PreCheck(R) costs $85 and both memberships are valid for five years. You’ll get up to $100 in the form of a statement credit (valid once every four years) if you pay for membership using your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Global Entry and TSA PreCheck(R) are programs by the Department of Homeland Security. Global Entry expedites customs screening for international travelers coming into the U.S. while TSA PreCheck(R) expedites security screening for travelers departing from the U.S. Take note that Global Entry members will also be entitled to TSA PreCheck(R) benefits.
Miles Redemption
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a redemption value of 1 cent per mile when you redeem your miles for award travel on Capital One or as statement credits for travel purchases. However, you can even maximize the value of your miles because the card lets your transfer your miles to different airline and hotel programs.
You just need to pick the right partners or the right deals since some transfer partners have a low transfer value of a 2:1.5 or 2:1 ratio. But back on April 20, 2021, Capital One has updated its transfer partners list which means that some of the 2:1.5 ratios are now 1:1. Here are the card’s transfer partners and conversion ratios:
1:1 Conversion Ratio
- Aeromexico Clube Premier
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Choice Privileges
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Finnair Plus
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Wyndham Rewards
2:1.5 Conversion Ratio
- EVA Infinity MileageLands
2:1 Conversion Ratio
- ALL Accor Live Limitless
Read More: Best Redemptions Options With Capital One
Who Can Benefit From This Card?
The card has a fixed miles earning rate of 2x miles so almost anyone can benefit from this card. However, the card is perfect for two types of people:
- People who are not loyal to any airline or loyalty program.
- Travelers who want to use the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card as a secondary card to maximize their travel rewards by earning 2x miles on non-bonus category purchases.
While it may not have tons of travel perks, such as free checked bags, lounge access, and airline discounts, the Capital One Venture Credit Card’s simplicity and easy redemption process makes it a solid choice for anyone who’s looking to own a credit card.
Capital One Venture Credit Card Vs Other Cards
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers one of the highest fixed miles earning rates amongst other cards. However, it does come with a $95 annual fee that may turn away some people. If you’re looking for other flat-rate cards that don’t come with an annual fee, here are some recommendations:
Capital One Venture Credit Card VS Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
The difference between the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is the annual fees, welcome bonuses, and miles earning rates.
The VentureOne Rewards’ welcome bonus is only 20,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases within three months of getting the card. It has zero annual fees and foreign transaction fees so it’s perfect for people who don’t spend that much and those who are first-timers in getting a travel credit card.
Even though the welcome offer is small, the card’s spending threshold isn’t that high to so you can get the 20,000 miles right away with just one big purchase. It also earns an unlimited 1.25 miles per dollar on everyday purchases and 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Capital One Venture Credit Card VS Chase Freedom Unlimited
The Chase Freedom Unlimited isn’t a travel card but it’s a cashback card that lets you earn an unlimited 1.5% on all purchases. It’s a great beginner card since it doesn’t have annual fees and it also gives you a welcome bonus of $200 after spending $500 on purchases within 3 months of account opening.
But apart from its 1.5% flat rate, the card also lets you earn 5% cashback from grocery store purchases on up to $12,000 in the first calendar year (Target and Walmart purchases not included). You can also earn 5% on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards and 3% on dining and drugstores. Your points won’t expire as long as your account is open.
One thing to note is that if you hold either the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you can always convert the cashback earned from the card to Ultimate Rewards points at a ratio of 1 cent per point. This ability can make the Chase Freedom Unlimited a powerhouse Chase Ultimate Rewards earner and allows you to earn a bonus on purchases that would typically only yield 1X earning.
Capital One Venture Credit Card VS Discover It miles
Just like the Venture Rewards, the Discover It Miles is a pretty straightforward card that has a flat earning rate. It earns 1.5x miles on all purchases which you can use to redeem for cash or as a statement credit for travel purchases.
The card doesn’t have a traditional welcome bonus but they have Discover Match which automatically doubles the miles you earn in your first year. For example, if you earn 50,000 miles in your first year, you’ll get a bonus of 50,000 miles at the end of the calendar year.
Bottomline
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is perfect for beginners into the points and miles hobby. However, it also is an excellent option for experienced points aficionados. The card’s 2X earning ability makes it an ideal pairing with your primary travel card to get the maximum value out of every last cent you spend!
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