Key takeaways

  • The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card lets users redeem miles for several types of travel, including airfare, hotels and vacation rentals through the Capital One Travel portal.
  • This card also comes with an annual travel credit worth $300 toward Capital One Travel purchases, which can be used directly for vacation rentals.
  • Other notable benefits of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card include access to Capital One airport lounges, a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership, 10,000 miles each cardmember anniversary, a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership and more.

While Capital One surprised everyone when it introduced the brand new Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card in 2021, this flexible rewards credit card has proven it has staying power. Even today, the card stacks up pretty nicely when you compare it to premium travel credit cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve® that have dominated this niche of the market for years.

The popularity of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is partly due to its reasonable annual fee, which is easy for most customers to justify the first year and beyond. The fact it earns flexible travel points that transfer directly to airlines and hotels also adds to its appeal, along with the card’s annual travel credits and perks like airport lounge membership.

When you break down the details of this travel credit card, it’s easy to see why anyone might want it —  especially for the first year. Read on to learn about the major benefits of this card and why you might want to use it for vacation rentals, traditional hotel bookings, airfare and more this year.

Quick details of the Capital One Venture X

  • 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months
  • 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel and 2X miles on all other purchases
  • 10,000 bonus miles when you renew your card on your account anniversary
  • Up to $300 in annual statement credits for Capital One Travel purchases
  • $395 annual fee

One of the first details you’ll notice about the Capital One Venture X is its $395 annual fee, which is much lower than the annual fees charged by other premium cards. The up to $300 annual travel credit is nearly enough to make up for the annual fee on its own if you use it, and cardholders also get 10,000 bonus miles worth $100 when they renew their card each year.

Also, note that members get other valuable perks such as credit (up to $100) toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership and Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership (valued at $469). Cardholders of the Capital One Venture X can also access Capital One airport lounges.

Finally, don’t forget that Capital One miles are extremely flexible, especially for travel. Not only can you use your miles to cover travel charged to your account, but you can transfer miles to Capital One airline and hotel partners. You can even redeem your miles for cash back, statement credits, gift cards and merchandise.

Why the Capital One Venture X is a good option for vacation rentals

While the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card came with a $200 vacation rental credit when it first hit the market in 2021, that credit is no longer available for new or existing cardholders. That said, the Capital One Venture X can still be very attractive for travelers who love to book vacation rentals due to the $300 annual travel credit that applies to travel bookings made through Capital One Travel.

For example, a quick search on the Capital One Travel platform led to us finding two- and three-bedroom apartments at the Palm Beach Resort Orange Beach a Ramada by Wyndham in Gulf Shores, Alabama, starting at just $229 per night. In Destin, Florida, we found multi-bedroom vacation rentals at Pelican Beach Resort by Panhandle Getaways starting at just $284 per night over dates this fall.

In Las Vegas, Nevada, you could use the $300 annual travel credit to stay in a two-bedroom villa at the Westgate Flamingo Bay Resort starting at around $301 per night.

These are just some of the vacation-rental style lodging options you can find within the Capital One Travel portal, but there are many others. The key to maximizing your $300 travel credit for vacation rentals is being as flexible as you can with your travel destination and your travel dates.

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Using your miles miles to book vacation rentals

Also be aware that you can use your Capital One miles to book and pay for vacation rentals in more than one way. For starters, you can book available vacation rentals through Capital One Travel using miles and get a 1:1 ratio. This means the 75,000 mile welcome offer on the Capital One Venture X is worth approximately $750 in vacation rentals booked through the platform.

You can also use Capital One miles for travel statement credits after charging a vacation rental to your card. Once again, you’ll get 1 cent per mile in value with this option, so 75,000 miles are worth $750 in travel.

In order to use miles for travel statement credits on your card, however, you have to redeem your miles to cover travel purchases within 90 days.

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Great earning rate on vacation rentals booked through Capital One

With so many available vacation rentals you can book through Capital One Travel, you should also know you can earn outsized rewards for these purchases if you opt to pay instead of using miles. That’s because the Capital One Venture X gives you 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Vacation rentals may not be “real” hotels, but the ones available through Capital One Travel count when it comes to earning these bonus rewards.

This means spending $3,000 on a week-long vacation rental getaway you were already planning could net you 30,000 miles if you booked through Capital One Travel instead of using another platform. If prices were similar either way, it would definitely make sense to make your booking through Capital One.

Other travel cards to consider

If you’re considering a premium travel credit card because you want access to superior benefits like airport lounge access and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, the usual suspects like the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve can make a lot of sense. After all, both of these travel credit cards offer these perks and more, albeit with much higher annual fees ($695 for the Amex Platinum and $550 for the Chase Sapphire Reserve).

Maybe you’re trying to avoid forking over hundreds of dollars for a travel credit card. In that case, you can always consider the traditional Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which offers a generous welcome bonus and 2X miles on all spending in exchange for a $95 annual fee.

Of course, if you want transferable points without having to pay more than $100 per year, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the most popular cards out there. This card offers 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening. In the meantime, you also earn 5X points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 5X points on Lyft rides (through March 2025), 3X points on online grocery purchases, dining and select streaming services, 2X points on other travel purchases and 1X points on everything else you buy.

The bottom line

The Capital One Venture X is an excellent credit card for vacation rentals, but it’s also useful for other types of travel. The first-year welcome bonus and ongoing rewards can also make it a solid rewards credit card for all your spending and bills.

Even so, it never hurts to compare other credit cards, including other credit cards from Capital One. And if you can’t settle on a single travel credit card, don’t be afraid to sign up for more than one.