Capital One expands travel portal access to more cardholders, adds partner lounge access
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Capital One is continuing the trend of revamping its card offerings and features. First, we saw the relaunch of the Capital One travel portal, now transformed into a top-tier travel booking tool to help maximize every dollar spent on travel accommodations. Then, the debut of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card created a new space for mid-range travel cards competing with the likes of Chase and Amex.
Starting May 17, 2022, the issuer is expanding travel portal access to more cardholders in the Capital One family, which also means more cards earn an unlimited 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through the portal.
What is the Capital One Travel portal?
Essentially, the Capital One Travel portal allows Capital One cardholders to search for and book travel accommodations using a combination of Capital One rewards and cash. One reason to be excited about this new change is that you don’t have to be a premium travel credit card holder to access many of the features offered through the portal:
- The ability to book accommodations with a growing list of Capital One travel partners at a 1:1 value or greater
- Access to travel portal features such as price prediction, price watch, price drop protection, price match guarantee and the ability to cancel for any reason
- Information and updates on Capital One lounges
- The opportunity to earn heightened rewards on hotels and rental cars or flights booked through Capital One Travel
Who will have access to Capital One Travel?
Previously, only the following cardholders could take advantage of the Capital One travel portal:
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Spark 1.5X Miles Select*
- Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®*
The following cards have now been added:
- Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card*
- Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Spark Cash Plus
- Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit
- Capital One Spark Cash Select for Good Credit
- Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Journey Student Rewards from Capital One*
What else should Capital One cardholders look forward to?
If you were thinking of getting an entry-level travel card, the early spend bonus for the Capital One Venture Rewards card is now 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 within three months of account opening. This could be worth up to $750 toward travel via the Capital One travel portal.
Further, Capital One just announced a new, expanded Partner Lounge Network that will offer eligible cardholders access to an additional 100+ lounges worldwide. Starting June 14, 2022, eligible cardholders can access all domestic Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses, the Air France Lounge at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the MERA Business Lounges at Cancún International Airport and more. Access to Capital One’s Partner Lounge Network depends on the card you have.
How can you access Capital One Travel?
If you already have one of the eligible Capital One cards mentioned above, you’ll see the option to start booking trips when you sign in and view your rewards. If you don’t have an eligible Capital One card, you can either upgrade an existing Capital One card to one on the list above or apply for a new one using Bankrate’s CardMatch™ tool.
The bottom line: Should you use Capital One Travel to book travel accommodations?
Whether you have an eligible Capital One credit card or will soon apply for one, now seems like a great time to take advantage of all the enhanced travel features the issuer is offering. With a consistent number of steady changes and upgrades, it’s safe to say that Capital One is committed to creating a feature-rich cardholder experience full of expanding perks and benefits. The good news is that there are plenty of Capital One cards to choose from based on your spending habits and financial needs.
*The information about the Spark 1.5X Miles Select, Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®, Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card and Journey Student Rewards from Capital One has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
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.