Key takeaways

  • The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a higher welcome bonus and rewards rate compared to the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card.
  • The Bank of America card has no annual fee, while the Capital One Venture card charges a $95 annual fee.
  • Neither card charges foreign transaction fees, but the Capital One Venture card allows for transfers to airline and hotel partners.
  • To qualify for either card, you typically need a good to excellent credit score.

If you’re a frequent traveler hoping to earn rewards toward future trips, there are several travel credit cards to keep on your radar. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card are two popular options due to their miles and points rewards, welcome bonuses and cardholder perks.

If you’re on the fence about either of these travel credit cards, it’s worth comparing the rewards potential to the cost. Learn how the Capital One Venture and Bank of America Travel Rewards cards stack up in the categories you care about.

Card features

Features Capital One Venture Bank of America Travel Rewards
Welcome bonus 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel 25,000 points when you spend $1,000 within 90 days of account opening, equal to $250 in travel
Rewards rate Unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, plus 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel Unlimited 1.5X points on all purchases
Intro APR None 0% introductory APR for first 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.24% to 28.24% Variable APR will apply. A 3% fee (min $10) applies to all balance transfers in the first 60 days.
Annual fee $95 $0

Capital One Venture vs. Bank of America Travel Rewards category winners

The Capital One Venture card comes out ahead in most categories. However, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card wins in terms of the annual fee.

Badge Welcome bonus winner

Capital One Venture

  • The Capital One Venture’s 75,000-mile welcome bonus (earned after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months) is the clear winner compared to the Bank of America Travel Rewards’s 25,000-point bonus (earned after spending $1,000 in purchases within 90 days of account opening).

    The Capital One Venture’s bonus is worth $750 toward travel, while the Bank of America Travel Rewards’s bonus is worth $250 toward travel.

Badge Rewards winner

Capital One Venture

  • The Capital One Venture card will get you ahead in terms of rewards power. It lets you earn an unlimited 2X miles for every purchase you charge to your credit card, plus 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

    The Bank of America Travel Rewards card offers unlimited 1.5X points for every purchase.

Badge Annual fee winner

Bank of America Travel Rewards

  • The Bank of America Travel Rewards card wins because it doesn’t charge an annual fee. The Capital One Venture card comes with a $95 annual fee.

Badge Popularity among Bankrate users winner

Capital One Venture

  • When browsing Bankrate’s best travel cards, 5.87 percent of Bankrate users clicked to apply for the Capital One Venture card, compared to 5.23 percent who clicked to apply for the Bank of America Travel Rewards card in 2023.

    But as for approval likelihood, a little over half of Bankrate applicants were approved for Bank of America Travel Rewards, versus the slightly under half of applicants who were approved for Capital One Venture.

Which card earns the most?

Since the Capital One Venture card offers 2X miles on every purchase (versus the Bank of America Travel Rewards card’s 1.5X points), you can earn more rewards for every dollar. But Capital One Venture’s $95 annual fee could take a chunk out of your rewards, depending on your spending style.

Example of using Capital One Venture vs. Bank of America Travel Rewards

Let’s say you plan to spend $6,000 a year on your credit card.

With the Capital One Venture card, you would earn 12,000 miles in a year, which is worth $120 in travel. You would also pay a $95 annual fee, which leaves you with $25 in rewards value.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards card would let you earn 9,000 points, which is worth $90 in travel. But you wouldn’t have to pay an annual fee.

In this case of lower spending on an ongoing basis, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card might be a better fit. But things change when you consider earning the welcome bonus in your first year or working to redeem your rewards for maximum value.

Capital One Venture’s welcome bonus of 75,000 miles kicks in once you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. So assuming you spend that $4,000 of your annual $6,000 in time to earn the welcome bonus  (earning 2X miles on that spending), you’d earn 87,000 miles in the first year. That’s worth $870 in travel statement credits. After subtracting the annual fee, that’s a $775 value.

You’d get Bank of America Travel Rewards’s welcome bonus of 25,000 points once you spent $1,000 within the first 90 days on your way to your annual $6,000 spend. With 1.5X earned plus the bonus, you’d have 34,000 points in your first year. That’s worth $340 in travel.

It’s easy to see how the Capital One Venture card offers more value in your first year, but maybe not on an ongoing basis when your redemption is simply as statement credit to cover travel purchases.

Card $6,000 spent annually $6,000 spent annually (first year, including welcome bonus)
Capital One Venture travel rewards value $25 (minus annual fee) $775 (minus annual fee)
Bank of America Travel Rewards value $90 $340

However, if you focus on redeeming your Capital One miles for top value by transferring them to a high-value travel partner, the situation changes. According to Bankrate’s latest valuations, Capital One miles are worth about 1.7 cents each when redeemed this way. Your rewards value changes significantly in that case.

Card $6,000 spent annually $6,000 spent annually (first year including welcome bonus)
Capital One Venture travel rewards value $109 (when redeemed via high value transfer partners, minus annual fee) $1,384 (when redeemed via high value transfer partners, minus annual fee)
Bank of America Travel Rewards value $90 $340

Why you should get the Capital One Venture card

There are plenty of reasons to choose the Venture card from Capital One, including its superior rewards rate. Here are more factors to consider.

Card benefits

This card offers cardholders up to $100 in credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Other Capital One Venture benefits include 24-hour travel assistance, auto rental insurance, travel accident insurance and extended warranties on eligible items.

Redemption options

The Capital One Venture card lets you cash in your miles at a rate of 1 cent each to cover travel purchases made on your card within the last 90 days. And with no miles expiration, blackout dates or booking site limitations, you have flexibility.

And remember, you can get even more bang for your buck by transferring miles to Capital One’s airline and hotel transfer partners. Bankrate’s valuation of Capital One miles — when transferred to a high-value travel partner — is about 1.7 cents each.

Recommended credit score

You typically need good to excellent credit, in the 670 to 850 range, to qualify for this Capital One card.

Why you should get the Bank of America Travel Rewards card

The Travel Rewards card from Bank of America can be a good option if you don’t want to pay an annual fee. But there are other considerations to keep in mind.

Card benefits

This card doesn’t have as many perks as other travel cards, but it does come with the intro APR as well as the ability to redeem points up to one year after the purchase was made (versus Capital One Venture’s 90 days). You’ll also get the typical free access to your credit score, digital wallet technology and online banking options. And Bank of America Preferred Rewards members can earn 25 percent to 75 percent more points for every purchase.

Redemption options

The Bank of America Travel Rewards card lets you redeem points at a rate of one cent each to cover travel purchases charged to your card within the last year. These points can be cashed in as gift cards, a statement credit or cash. Beyond typical travel expenses, you can also get rewarded for things like dining and event tickets.

Recommended credit score

You typically need a good to excellent credit score of 670 or higher to qualify.

The bottom line

Both the Bank of America Travel Rewards and Capital One Venture cards offer points or miles for each dollar you spend and flexibility when it comes to cashing in your rewards. However, the Capital One Venture may have higher earning potential if you can spend enough to justify the annual fee and are willing to transfer your rewards to high-value travel partners.

Compare these two options with the best credit cards on the market today before you decide.

Information about the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card was last updated on March 22, 2024.

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.