Points, Miles & Credit Cards

Review: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Matt Ortile

Matt Ortile

September 6, 2023

7 min read

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. Some of all of the card offers that appear on this page are from advertisers; compensation may affect how and where the cards appear on the site; and Going does not include all card companies are all available card offers.

Table of Contents

Who is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card for?

The simplicity of the rewards structure—two points per dollar on all eligible purchases! period!—as well as the affordability of the reasonable annual_fees annual fee makes the card_name a perfect credit card for beginners looking to get started with points and miles.

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. 

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Quick Facts

card_name

card_name

Annual fee: annual_fees


Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee


Earning rate:

  • Earn 2X miles per dollar on every eligible purchase, everyday. 
  • Earn 5X miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

Recommended credit: credit_score_needed


Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full


Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application
  • Earns a consistent 2X points per dollar on all eligible purchases
  • Points transfer to airlines, or can be redeemed as statement credit for travel purchases

Cons:

Our take

An attractive welcome offer, relatively low annual fee, and the ability to transfer points to a variety of airline partners make this card a great way to get your feet wet with using points to travel.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Review

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?

For points and miles beginners, I recommend the card_name.

Earning points with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Many credit cards offer multiple points for every dollar spent on purchases in particular categories. Some cards 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 which card earns how much and where.

The card_name takes all the guesswork out of the process. You earn 2 miles per dollar (2x) spent on all eligible purchases. It's that simple. Plus, there's no limit to the amount of miles you can earn in a billing period, in a year, ever. The sky’s the limit.

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.

Capital One Miles or Points?

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 at Going, we call them points while the currency is in your Capital One account, and then miles once they are transferred to an airline partner.

Redeeming points with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The best way to maximize your points is by transferring your points to Capital One's network of airline partners. 

You could also use your points as statement credit for travel purchases on your card. 

Capital One transfer partners

You can transfer your Capital One points to these airline partners at a 1:1 ratio:

  • 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
  • Finnair Plus
  • Qantas Frequent Flyer
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
  • Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
  • Virgin Red

In addition, Capital One points transfer to EVA Air Infinity MileageLands at a 2:1.5 ratio. This means that 1000 Capital One points become 750 EVA Air miles.

A one to one (1:1) ratio means that one Capital One point is equivalent to one mile or point with most of these loyalty programs, once transferred.

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.

Capital One hotel transfer partners

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.

Welcome offer on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The current welcome offer with the card_name is: bonus_miles_full.

The current welcome offer 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

Transferring Capital One points vs. Capital One Travel Portal

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. 

Additional 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®.

Second, cardholders receive two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to over 100 Plaza Premium Lounges through the Partner Lounge Network to use by December 31, 2024.

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.

Alternatives to the Capital One Venture Rewards Card

Alternatives to the Capital One Venture Rewards Card

card_name
card_name
card_name
card_name
Annual fee
annual_fees
annual_fees
Foreign transaction fees
foreign_transaction_fee
foreign_transaction_fee
Earning rate
  • 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. 
  • 5 Miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel.
  • 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
  • Earn 5X points per dollar spent on travel purchased through Chase Travel(SM).
  • Earn 3X points per dollar spent on online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), dining at restaurants (including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out).
  • Earn 3X select streaming services. 
  • Earn 2X points per dollar spent on all other eligible travel purchases (like airline tickets and hotel bills).
  • Earn 1X point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Welcome offer
bonus_miles_full
bonus_miles_full
Our take

The premium version of the Venture card earns the same bonus rate, but gets you complimentary access to Capital One lounges as well as Priority Pass Select (enrollment required).

This card earns points at a higher rate on travel, transit, and dining, so if you spend more in these areas, this could be a better fit.

Card benefits
  • Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel
  • Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
  • Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
  • Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
  • Points transfer 1:1 to airline and hotel travel partners
  • 10% anniversary point bonus
  • Annual $50 credit on hotel stays booked through Chase Travel(SM)
  • Trip cancellation and interruption insurance (terms apply)
  • Auto rental collision damage waiver (terms apply)
  • Baggage delay insurance
  • Purchase and extended warranty protection (terms apply)

Capital One Venture X Rewards Card

The card_name is the bigger sibling of the card_name. At annual_fees, its annual fee is higher, but it does get you complimentary access to Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network.

This more premium card also comes with a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel. If you use this, you effectively erase the difference in annual fees between the two cards. 

Read our review

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

With an annual fee of annual_fees, holding the card_name in your wallet costs the same. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is more rewarding if you spend more in travel, transit, dining, and streaming, however.

Also, this card really shines with its network of transfer partners

Read our review

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. Some of all of the card offers that appear on this page are from advertisers; compensation may affect how and where the cards appear on the site; and Going does not include all card companies are all available card offers.

Matt Ortile

Matt Ortile

Marketing

Matt Ortile writes the Going With Points newsletter at Going. He is the author of the essay collection The Groom Will Keep His Name, a columnist at Condé Nast Traveler, and working on a novel about a flight attendant. He lives in Brooklyn.

Published September 6, 2023

Last updated March 7, 2024

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