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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
- APR19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$95
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Sign Up Bonus
75,000Capital One Rewards Miles
Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel Dollar Equivalent: $1,350 (75,000 Capital One Rewards Miles * 0.018 base)
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a lot of value to both beginner and expert travelers. The upfront bonus and high ongoing rewards rate aren’t easy to beat, making the card a solid option for a large audience. Where it really shines is with the flexibility of the redemption process, though. You can redeem miles to cover past travel expenses, book travel through Capital One or transfer miles to any of Capital One’s airline and hotel loyalty programs.
Overview
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a lot of value to beginner and expert travelers alike. The card’s big upfront bonus and high ongoing rewards rate aren’t easy to beat, making it a solid option for a large audience. Where it really shines, though, is with the redemption process. When it comes to travel credit cards, it can be really challenging to find a way to use your rewards in the way you want.
With hotel and airline credit cards, for instance, you’re basically stuck redeeming your points or miles with the co-branded hotel or airline partner. And with some general rewards programs, you might get less value if you use your points or miles to book a flight versus a rental car or hotel.
With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, though, you’ll get a lot of flexibility. Here are some of the top redemption options that are available: redeem miles to cover past travel expenses, book travel through Capital One or transfer miles to any of Capital One’s multiple airline and hotel loyalty programs.
Perks
- Receive an application fee credit for TSA Pre✓® or Global Entry every four years
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to premier culinary events, must-see music events and major sporting events
Pros
- Simple rewards and earning structure
- Ability to earn transferable points to use with travel partners
- Relatively modest $95 annual fee
- Application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
Cons
- Other travel cards offer higher rewards rates on certain spending categories
Since its debut in 2010, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has garnered a reputation as one of the best credit cards for travel and is revered by many for its simplicity and value. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns an unlimited 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, with no bonus categories to memorize and the miles earned can be redeemed for travel purchases.
Steadily, Capital One has enhanced the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card's value and its program. They’ve added 15+ total airline and hotel transfer partners with elevated transfer rates, and cardholders also receive a statement credit of up to $100 towards Global Entry/TSA PreCheck.
The time-tested Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card comes with a $95 annual fee, but offers new cardholders an impressive sign-up bonus. Transferring your rewards to Capital One’s transfer partners can also get you outsized value out of your miles. While the exact amount will vary, depending on the transfer partner, cardholders can typically expect a return of 1 cent per mile or greater by utilizing miles this way.
Of course, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card isn’t the perfect card for everyone. Let’s dive in and see who should — and shouldn’t — apply for this card.
Main Features
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a generous sign-up bonus, simplistic earning structure of unlimited 2 miles per $1 on every purchase and a low annual fee, which makes it an uncomplicated companion to carry in your wallet.
While these features may be impressive on their own, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card's value proposition is boosted even further with these additional benefits.
- Earning rates: 5 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel, and unlimited 2 miles per dollar on everything else.
- Statement credit: Up to $100 in credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years.
- Lounge access: Two annual one-time visit passes to Capital One lounges.
- No foreign transaction fees
- 24-Hour Travel Assistance Services
- Access to premier culinary events, must-see music events and major sporting events
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Who Should Get the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
If you’re debating whether the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is worthwhile, let’s take a look at some reasons as to why it may be the right fit for you.
You want a card that has simple, yet lucrative earning potential
Make no bones about it, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a straightforward earner with lots of miles-accumulation potential. Busybody folks and consumers that don’t want to fuss with memorizing credit card bonus categories will welcome the simplicity of earning 2 miles per dollar on most purchases. Plus, cardholders can earn a whopping 5 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel.
It doesn’t hurt that the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is equipped with an impressive sign-up offer.
You plan to travel and want to get the most out of your miles
Capital One makes it very simple for cardholders to redeem their miles for travel through their own portal. However, that redemption strategy may not be the best approach to get the most bang for your buck out of those hard-earned miles.
Fortunately, you can also transfer your miles to Capital One’s 15+ airline and hotel transfer partners. The transfer ratios vary by partner but most of them transfer at a 1:1 to ratio. Some of these loyalty programs include Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club and Air France KLM’s Flying Blue, just to name just a few. If you dig a tad bit into how to redeem miles for outstanding value with these programs, you’ll encounter plenty of ways U.S.-based travelers can leverage these transfer partners to score incredible travel redemptions.
For example, you can transfer Capital One miles to the British Airways Executive Club loyalty program to book American Airlines flights. For short-haul flights, you may even encounter more favorable rates using British Airways’ loyalty program than booking directly with American Airlines, for the exact same American flight.
You Want Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® for Free
It’s almost a foregone conclusion that having Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® will save you considerable time at the airport. Preapproved flyers can skip the long lines at security and seamlessly get to where they need to go. The application fee for Global Entry costs $100 (and includes TSA PreCheck®), but the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card covers the fee entirely every four years.
If you already have Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®, you can use the credit for a family member or friend’s application fee. This perk is usually reserved for premium credit cards with annual fees north of $550, but the mid-tier Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card features this useful statement credit. While not rare to see a statement credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee as a perk on travel rewards cards, it is uncommon for a card with a nominal $95 annual fee.
Who Shouldn’t Get the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
While the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is an impressive overall card, it may not be right for everyone. Let’s examine further.
You Don’t Travel Much or Plan to Leverage Transfer Partners
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is primarily a travel card, as evidenced by its rewards redemption structure. While redeeming miles for travel purchases is extremely flexible and provides consistent value, if you aren’t traveling much (and don’t plan to) and would likely never use transfer partners to maximize the value of your points, you may want to reconsider looking at other card options.
While you can redeem your miles for cash back and Amazon purchases, you’d be doing so at a putrid rate of 0.5 cents for cash back and 0.8 cents on Amazon. To justify applying for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you'll need to at least be thinking about taking a trip sometime soon.
You Prefer Cash Back Over Travel Rewards
You’ve likely heard the phrase, “cash is king”. If you live and die by that mantra, then a card that rewards you in the form of cash back for your everyday spending is likely a better option than the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Cash back rewards are as straightforward as they come and many of the best cash-back credit cards don’t charge an annual fee. While it may take you years to accumulate enough cash back to cover the cost of an international first-class ticket — compared to a travel rewards card — if travel isn’t your primary goal, then you may want to stick with cold hard cash that only a cash back card can generate.
You Want Premium Benefits from Your Travel Rewards Card
If you desire hotel elite status, airport lounge access, and travel credits, then you probably should be considering the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card top-end sister card, the Capital One Venture X or other similar premium cards. These premium travel perks are customary on some of the most adorned cards on the market. While the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card includes some travel-friendly perks such as a $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck®, two complimentary airport lounge visits per year, and trip protection including rental car coverage, these benefits pale in comparison to what more expensive travel cards offer.
Bottom Line
Indisputably, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card delivers tremendous value to novice travelers and frequent flyers alike. Starting off with an impressive bonus offer for new cardholders, easy earning structure and high ongoing rewards, it’s no wonder this card has been a popular choice with travelers for many years.
However, if you prefer to earn cash back from your everyday purchases or seldom travel, you may want to shop around for credit cards that may align more with your preferences.
Ready to Apply for the Capital One Venture Rewards card? Start here.
Juan Ruiz
Juan has been writing and editing stories involving credit cards, loyalty programs, travel, and personal finance topics for more than 10 years. In addition to working and contributing to a number of outlets including The Points Guy, Forbes, and Business Insider, Juan was recently the editor-in-chief at Money Under 30, where he led a team of personal finance journalists. He is also an adjunct professor at Florida International University and a licensed real estate professional.
