The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is packed full of luxury travel credit card perks, and it’s one of the newest entries to the travel credit card market. The card offers various travel benefits, such as airport lounge access, up to $100 in credits toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership and no foreign transaction fees—along with a serious sign-up bonus.

While the Capital One Venture X initially came out with an impressive 100,000-mile bonus (with a $10,000 minimum spending requirement), this card’s current sign-up bonus is much easier to earn. Currently, those who sign up for the Capital One Venture X can earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending just $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

This welcome bonus is by far the most generous among the various Capital One credit cards, and there are plenty of ways to maximize it to ensure you’re getting the absolute best deal. Taking advantage of the Venture X welcome bonus more than offsets the $395 annual fee and can be worth a substantial amount toward travel.

Details of the Capital One Venture X

  • Rewards: 10X miles on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel; 5X miles on flights through Capital One Travel; 2X miles on all other purchases
  • Annual fee: $395
  • Sign-up bonus: 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening
  • Intro APR: N/A
  • Regular APR: 18.49 percent to 25.49 percent variable APR

Why the Capital One Venture X sign-up bonus is interesting

While the Capital One Venture X sign-up bonus is lower than where it originally started, there are several reasons the updated bonus of 75,000 miles is still significant. The fact is, this bonus is still higher than many other premium credit cards offer (and with a lower annual fee, to boot). Also, note the overall value and flexibility Capital One miles, which are incredibly easy for cardholders to use.

Other key points include the following:

  • Highest welcome bonus offer: Currently, no other card in the Capital One lineup offers a higher welcome bonus than the Venture X. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has the same welcome bonus, which is 75,000 miles if you spend $4,000 within the first three months. The Venture X welcome bonus also rivals those offered by other top issuers, as well, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
  • High valuation per mile: The base value for Capital One miles is 1 cent per mile. However, if you choose to transfer miles to select Capital One transfer partners, it’s possible the value per mile will increase. At the absolute least, the welcome offer on the Venture X is worth $750 in travel purchases.
  • Flexibility with miles: With the Capital One rewards program, your miles never expire as long as you’re a cardholder, and there are no blackout dates to worry about. This makes the program highly flexible, giving you the opportunity to redeem rewards on your own terms—not simply because you’ll lose points after a certain time period.
  • Multiple redemption options: Capital One provides several redemption options you can choose from at any time. This includes travel, gift cards, shopping or cash back as a statement credit or check. Another benefit to the Capital One rewards program is the opportunity to redeem miles for a statement credit for past travel purchases within the last 90 days—even if they weren’t purchased through the Capital One travel portal.

How to redeem the Capital One Venture X sign-up bonus

When it comes time to redeem the Capital One Venture X credit card welcome bonus (or any other Capital One miles earned), the process is straightforward and relatively simple. Your first option is redeeming your miles through Capital One Travel. You can book airfare, car rentals and hotels directly through the portal.

One of the standout features of the Capital One rewards program is the option to redeem for a statement credit for any past travel purchases made with your credit card within the last 90 days. You no longer have to book exclusively through the Capital One portal for redemption. Instead, you’re free to scour the internet to find the best deal, use your Capital One Venture X card for the purchase and select a statement credit. You’ll receive the standard 1:1 transfer value when you choose this option.

How much is the sign-up bonus worth?

The base value of Capital One miles is 1 cent per mile when redeemed for travel, but cardholders have the potential to get even more value depending on the redemption option they choose. Generally speaking, the 75,000-mile sign-up bonus is worth at least $750 toward travel. Plus, cardholders can use their miles to book travel through Capital One or to erase other eligible travel purchases charged to their credit card within the last 90 days.

However, some Capital One transfer partners make it possible to get up to 2 cents per mile in value when it comes time to redeem, according to recent valuations from Bankrate. In that case, the welcome offer on this card could be worth up to $1,500 in travel and potentially more.

Best ways to use the Capital One Venture X sign-up bonus

Whether you choose to book directly through the Capital One Travel portal or redeem a statement credit for travel purchases you’ve made in the last 90 days, you’ll find the best redemption value in travel since you’re receiving a 1:1 transfer. If you really want to stretch the value of each mile, look for redemption opportunities with select travel partners where you’ll earn more than the base 1 cent per mile.

Redemption options to avoid

Not all redemption methods are created equal. While Capital One miles are worth 1 cent per mile toward travel, when you choose to redeem miles for statement credits or cash back, you’ll lose half the transfer value. This means each mile is only worth $0.05 cents, which significantly cuts down on the value of the bonus.

Gift cards may be tempting, too, but you should think twice before you go this route. When you transfer miles to redeem for gift cards, the value decreases to $0.08 cents per mile. Redeeming points for shopping on Amazon.com or through PayPal will also come out at $0.08 cents per mile.

For perspective, if you chose to convert the 75,000-mile sign-up bonus to a gift card, it would be worth $600. While this is quite a bit of gift card money, it’s less than the potential $750 or more in value that you can get when you redeem your rewards for travel.

The bottom line

The Capital One Venture X sign-up bonus is not one to be overlooked by those who want a solid, well-rounded travel credit card. The welcome bonus is hefty and can be redeemed in a variety of ways—whether it be travel, shopping or cash back.

There is no right or wrong way to redeem your Capital One miles if you find more use from cash back or a gift card. However, redeeming the welcome bonus for travel rewards is where a cardholder will earn the most bang for their sign-up bonus buck.