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Even the most experienced points and miles expert had to start somewhere, and these days, there are more beginner-friendly cards than ever that can help points newbies get the hang of earning and maximizing travel rewards.
In my opinion, there are two important factors that determine the user-friendliness of a rewards card: how easy it is to earn points with the card, and how affordable it is to keep the card long-term. First, the points “rewards structure” should actually be simple to understand; second, it shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to actually hold onto the card over years to come. So when you’re shopping for a new (or your first!) points credit card, ask yourself: Do I know how to earn points with this card? Will I actually use it day-to-day? And can I keep it in my wallet for longer than a year?
What is the annual fee for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?
What is the welcome offer on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?
(To clarify some terminology here, Capital One calls their points currency “miles,” e.g. “You earn two miles per dollar spent.” Points and miles are commonly interchangeable, but prefer to call them points while the currency is in your Capital One account, and then miles once they are transferred to an airline partner.)
How do you earn points with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?
Many credit cards out there will offer you multiple points for every dollar you spend on purchases in particular categories. Some cards will earn you 3 points per dollar (3x) spent at gas stations, or 4 points per dollar (4x) spent at grocery stores. That’s all well and good, but it can sometimes be hard to keep track of what card earns how much and where.
Sure, you could possibly earn more points for spending at, say, restaurants if you use another credit card, but a card like this comes in handy for two reasons. First, if you only want to carry one card in your wallet, the Venture is an all-purpose workhorse—you get 2x on everything!
And second, with it, you’ll still get 2x for spending in commonly “non-bonused” categories like book stores or thrift shops (I am speaking from experience, as a book lover and thrift shopper); a specialized card will often only get you 1 point per dollar for purchases made outside its target categories. (This feature also makes the Venture a good complement to the cards you may already have that maximize your points-earning in certain categories but not in others.)
On top of that, the Venture does also offer an extra bonus category: You earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal.
What are the points transfer partners of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?
You can transfer Capital One points to these airline partners:
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France / KLM Flying Blue
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Finnair Plus
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Virgin Red
With one exception, all Capital One points transfer to airline partners at a one to one (1:1) ratio, which means that one Capital One point is equivalent to one mile or point with most of these loyalty programs, once transferred. The exception to this is EVA Air Infinity MileageLands. Capital One points transfer to EVA AIr at a 2:1.5 ratio (e.g. 1000 Capital One points become 750 EVA Air miles).
Transfer times from Capital One to its travel partners vary. Points transfers to Cathay Pacific can take up to 24 hours. Meanwhile, points transfers to EVA Air can take up to 36 hours. Points transfers to all other airline partners are relatively instantaneous.
And these are Capital One’s current hotel partners.
- ALL Accor Live Limitless
- Choice Privileges
- Wyndham Rewards
Capital One points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards; points transfer to Accor at a 2:1 ratio. Points transfers to all these hotel loyalty programs vary in speed. It can take up to two days for Accor, one day for Choice Privileges, and a few minutes for Wyndham.
On the whole, transferring points to hotels rarely maximizes the value of your points. You’re better off sticking to points transfers to airlines to get the most cents per point when you compare the cash price to the points cost.
What kinds of flights can I take using the points I earn from the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?
With the current welcome offer of 75,000 bonus miles, that can get you a wide variety of travel experiences. Here are some ideas of what you could do with those points.
- Take your family to Disney World by transferring points to British Airways Executive Club and booking partner awards for four roundtrip economy tickets on American Airlines between Dallas and Orlando for a total of 72,000 Avios (that’s British’s miles currency)
- Fly in comfort and style to see the Eiffel Tower by transferring points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue and booking a one-way award flight from New York to Paris in Air France business class for 55,000 Flying Blue miles (with enough left over to book an economy flight back for just 15,000 Flying Blue miles)
- Go on a group vacation to Hawai’i by transferring points to Air Canada Aeroplan and booking partner awards for three roundtrip economy tickets on United between San Francisco and Honolulu for as low as 75,000 Aeroplan miles in total
I highly recommend transferring your Capital One points to an airline partner rather than using the points to pay for travel through the Capital One Travel portal. You will rarely maximize the value of your credit card points by using them in travel portals. Do the math: Your 75,000 points are worth only $750 through the travel portal, whereas those four roundtrip tickets to Orlando could cost as much as $1,400. Transferring your points to airlines will stretch the value of your points way farther than they could ever go in a travel portal. (To learn how to calculate the value of your points, read this guide.)
That said, finding flights bookable with points does take time and patience. We at Going can do the work for you. We send email alerts to our Elite members when we find a good deal bookable with points and miles—often for even fewer points than the prices I’ve listed above. Here’s how it works.
What are the other benefits of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?
In addition to the ability to earn Capital One points and transfer them to airline partners, the Venture Card also has a number of benefits that make it a fit for many travelers.
First, you can receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® once every four years—that’s the cost of the application every time you have to renew membership. For those unfamiliar, TSA PreCheck® lets you expedite your security process at the airport upon departure within or from the United States (there’s no TSA PreCheck® in Europe, for example), and Global Entry speeds up the immigration process when you enter the US. If you go through the interview process for Global Entry and are approved, you automatically get TSA PreCheck®. (If you apply only for TSA PreCheck®, you do not get Global Entry automatically.)
Second, you receive two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to over 100 Plaza Premium Lounges through the Partner Lounge Network. Though there’s a cap to the number of trips you can make to a lounge, this should suffice if you don’t travel too frequently or if you prefer to minimize your time spent at the airport.
And third, the Venture card does not charge foreign transaction fees, which means you can freely use this credit card while traveling abroad without worrying about any extra charges for paying with a card.
Who is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card for?
This is also a useful card for anyone looking to beef up their points-earning strategy. The earning rate of two points per dollar on all eligible purchases could maximize the points you earn alongside more specialized, say, travel and dining cards in your wallet. (If you can pay rent or your mortgage with a credit card like this, just think of the possibilities!)
Going has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Going and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses, and recommendations are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
