Bank of America Travel and Capital One Venture – which is best for you?

Regardless of the season, tourist bonus cards are always relevant. It is important to identify the right card that suits your business or personal travel needs. Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are the two most reliable options when it comes to bonus offers and repayment flexibility. But who has more gas in the tank? Let’s take a look:

Bank of America Travel Rewards versus Capital One Venture

	Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card	Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Interest rate	1.5X points for every purchase	5X miles for hotels and rental cards booked through Capital One Travel Double miles on every purchase, every day
Bonus for registration	25,000 points if you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days	60,000 miles if you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months
Annual fee	$0	$95
Estimated annual fee ($15,900)	$239	$233
pros	Points do not expire Redeem your points for any trip or restaurant purchase Earn unlimited points	Miles do not expire during the life of the account. No minimum miles required to redeem for a trip The rate of earning 2X miles is high and easily offsets the annual fee Transfer miles to over 15 travel partners
Minuses	A minimum of 2500 points is required for travel or meals. The earning rate is 1.5 times faster than the average. Can’t transfer points Cash redemption costs only 0.6 cents per point	Paying in cash costs only 0.5 cents per mile.

Rewards and signup bonus

First, the Capital One Venture reward package is quite good for a mid-range travel pass. At hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, you earn 5X miles. However, its real strength lies in the fact that it earns 2 miles per purchase – a high reward rate for regular purchases, even among the best travel credit cards. The signup bonus is also decent: 60,000 miles if you spend $3,000 in three months. This welcome offer alone is worth $600 if you use it to travel on the Capital One Travel Portal.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards card gives you a flat rate of 1.5x on all purchases, which is pretty average. However, it offers 25,000 points (worth $250 for travel) after you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days, making the enrollment offer more affordable than the Capital One Venture card.

Overall, with a higher signup bonus and a higher earning rate on regular purchases, Capital One Venture wins in terms of rewards.

Annual fee

If you don’t want to plan on an annual fee, a Bank of America card is the way to go. Capital One Venture charges $95 per year to keep the card open.

Note, though, that if you’re inclined to spend a moderate amount on credit cards, you should take another look at the Venture card – with its double earning rate, the value of its rewards can easily outweigh the fees (we estimate an annual budget of $15,900). ).

Flexibility to redeem rewards

Although the reward packages are different, the repayment options are quite similar. Both have no earning limits or points expiration. There are no blackout booking dates on any card, and you can use points for any purchase. One slight difference is that the Bank of America Travel Rewards program allows you to use your points for credit for up to 12 months after you make a trip or purchase at a restaurant.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards program lets you redeem points for travel, cash, gift cards, and more. Keep in mind, however, that you must have at least 2,500 points to convert your points into travel credit or cash, and 3,125 points for gift cards.

Capital One miles are more versatile, especially as Capital One has evolved its travel rewards program in recent years. You can redeem your miles for trips booked through the Capital One Travel portal, gift cards or cash. You can also transfer your miles to over 15 Capital One travel partners including Avianca, British Airways, Flying Blue, Wyndham Rewards and more. Most bit rates are 1:1, but some have a ratio of 2:1.5. It doesn’t sound like much, but if you’re already a loyal passenger on a certain airline, it works to your advantage.

Bank of America Travel Rewards: Best for simple travel and no annual fees

Not surprisingly, Bank of America customers can benefit the most from this card. If you are a member of the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program and have at least $20,000 in pooled accounts with Bank of America or Merrill, you can earn up to 75% Reward Points.

Even for non-Bank of America customers, the card is a good choice. In addition to the regular 1.5x rewards, you can earn an additional 3 points per dollar when you book your trip through the Bank of America Travel Center. Everything you can add, no annual fee.

Compared to the Capital One Venture card, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card has a points advantage. Based on the rate of 1.5X times the annual expenses of $15,900 times 0.01 (1 cent per point), the Bank of America Travel Rewards card will give you about $239 in the first year. However, a Capital One Venture card with an average reward rate of 2.06, the same yearly expenses of $15,900, and a cost of 1 cent is $233 after annual fees.

We should note that there is no real incentive to use points to travel through the Bank of America Travel Center, as your card does not increase the value of points like some competitors’ cards. In addition, prices at the Bank of America Travel Center are comparable to prices on other travel sites. That’s why we recommend it to casual travelers who don’t want to deal with the hustle and bustle of more reliable travel programs.

Capital One Venture Rewards: Best for planning a trip soon

Talk about getting started quickly! With 60,000 miles if you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months and a full menu of travel purchase options, Capital One Venture delivers great upfront value. For those planning a trip within the next few months, the 60,000 points welcome offer will cover a significant portion of your vacation.

Some additional benefits include up to $250,000 in travel accident insurance, car rental insurance, and up to $100 in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. There are also no foreign transaction fees, a nice perk that offsets the $95 annual fee. One of the downsides is the low cashback rate of 0.5 cents per mile. So if you are looking for a cash back reward, this is not the strong point of this card. But for frequent travelers who spend a lot of time abroad, Venture is a much more attractive reward option.

If we’re talking purely numbers (especially given the increase in Preferred Rewards points), the Bank of America Travel Rewards card has the upper hand. However, the Capital One Venture Rewards card is a great card to access some of the best travel reward programs. In addition, the ability to transfer miles makes an already flexible travel card even more flexible and valuable.

bottom line

What kind of traveler are you? Whether you like to make occasional spontaneous trips or make strategic plans for yearly travel, one of these cards should point you in the right direction. In any case, you will have enough flexibility to repay. But when making your decision, think about what matters most to you in terms of remuneration rates and annual fees.