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Capital One works hard to offer competitive travel credit cards. It started with Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Cardwhich offers double miles on all purchases, which can be redeemed for credits on your travel statement or transferred to partner airlines and hotels.
And recently introduced its premium Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which offers airport lounge access and valuable travel credits. Let’s take a look at these two cards and see which one is right for you.
Capital One Venture X and Venture Rewards Credit Card
Map | Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
Interest rate |
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Bonus for registration | 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening (equivalent to $750 in travel) | 60,000 bonus miles if you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months |
Annual fee | $395 | $95 |
Notable Features |
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Accumulation of miles
Regular Rewards
Both the Venture X Card and the Venture Rewards Card earn Capital One Miles and offer 2 miles per dollar on all non-category purchases (plus hotel booking and car rental rewards). However, Capital One Venture X offers 10X miles on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel, and the Venture Rewards card offers 5X miles in this category. In addition, Venture X offers 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel.
Bonus for registration
The Venture Rewards Card offers new applicants 60,000 miles worth of $600 travel miles after you use your card to spend $3,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.
Venture X offers a higher welcome bonus and higher spending requirements. New cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus miles worth $750 per trip by spending $4,000 on card purchases within three months of opening an account.
Using miles
You can redeem Capital One Miles earned with Venture and Venture X for a variety of options, including:
- Travel
- Travel from airlines and hotels
- Statement of credits for travel purchases made within the last 90 days.
- Gift cards
- Cash back
- Shopping on Amazon or PayPal
In many cases, transferring miles to a partner airline or hotel will provide the most benefit. According to The Points Guy’s monthly estimates, in some cases this can increase the value of your reward up to 1.85 cents apiece.
Here’s a look at Capital One’s transfer partners. You can transfer your miles to these partner airlines and hotels at a 1:1 ratio, unless otherwise noted:
- Aeromexico
- Airplane (Air Canada)
- Asia Miles
- Avianca
- british airways
- Emirates
- Etihad
- EVA Air (ratio 2:1.5)
- Finnair
- Flying Blue (Air France, KLM)
- Kantas
- Singapore Airlines (ChrisFlyer)
- TAP Air Portugal
- Turkish Airlines
- Accor Live Unlimited (2:1)
- Wyndham Awards
Annual fee
As a more premium travel credit card, Venture X charges an annual fee of $395. On the other hand, the Venture Rewards card charges an annual fee of $95. While Venture X’s high annual fee may turn off some potential cardholders, the variety of perks offered by the card more than make up for the annual fee.
However, for those who travel less often and are looking for a convenient and convenient travel card, the Venture Rewards card may be the best option.
Travel allowances and credit statements
Both of these Capital One credit cards offer notable perks, but the breadth of benefits offered by Venture X makes it easy to see why it’s considered a premium travel credit card.
Both cards come with:
- Access to the best culinary experiences, music events and major sporting events
- No fees for foreign transactions
- Up to $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck registration fees.
Benefits of the Venture Rewards Card include:
- Visa Subscription Benefits
- Virtual card numbers for online shopping
The Venture X Rewards Card offers:
- All the benefits of Visa Signature plus the benefits of Visa Infinite
- Up to $300 in annual return for travel bookings through Capital One Travel.
- 75,000 bonus anniversary miles every year
- Priority Pass Select membership gives you access to over 1300 lounges worldwide.
- Complimentary access to Capital One lounges (including two free guest passes per year)
- Free Hertz President’s Circle Membership
Venture X: Best for frequent travelers and big spenders.
If you’re a frequent traveler and can get a 75,000 points welcome bonus (earned after you spend $4,000 on purchases during the first three months), the Venture X is probably the right choice for you.
Travelers from all over the world will certainly appreciate access to the Venture X Lounge, various travel-related credits and enhanced Visa benefits. And despite the $395 annual fee, cardholders can easily offset it using a variety of credit statements.
Venture Rewards Credit Card: Best for modest spenders and infrequent travelers
Some use travel credit cards to gradually earn rewards from the occasional vacation. If that sounds like you, then you might be better off with the standard Venture Rewards card.
The Venture Rewards card may also be the best choice when you are unable to enjoy benefits such as airport lounge access on a regular basis. For example, if you are an infrequent traveler, you may rarely, if ever, take advantage of an airport lounge.
bottom line
Both Venture and Venture X offer travel-related value, but the right option for you depends on your spending style, frequency of travel, and attitude towards annual fees.
The Capital One Venture X Card can be useful for cardholders looking to level up their travel game with increased rewards and luxury perks, while the Venture Rewards Card can be useful for the occasional traveler who travels from time to time.
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