A traveler’s guide to Capital One miles

If you’re looking for a prime example of how a credit card rewards program can offset travel costs and maximize value, look no further than Capital One miles. This rewards program is user-friendly, flexible and offers a number of valuable redemption options.

In this guide we’ll take a closer look at what Capital One miles are, how you can earn and redeem them, which credit cards earn Capital One miles and everything else you need to know about this rewards program.

Capital One miles basics

Capital One miles are what you earn in Capital One’s credit card rewards program. With this program, you’ll earn miles on all qualifying purchases, which you can then redeem for travel or non-travel options. The number of miles you’ll earn varies depending on the card you have, but several Capital One cards allow you to earn more miles for certain types of travel purchases.

Who is the Capital One miles program best for?

The Capital One miles rewards program is best for people who travel frequently and would rather earn and redeem flexible travel rewards instead of cash back. Those who have more than one Capital One credit card will also likely benefit from this program.

How to earn Capital One miles

Many people don’t take advantage of the full potential of their travel rewards cards because the process can be confusing and overwhelming. Luckily, earning miles toward your next flight or hotel stay is easy with Capital One.

Make purchases with eligible credit cards

To earn miles, simply use one of the Capital One credit cards that earns them. Those cards include the following:

With these Capital One cards, there’s no limit to the number of miles you can earn. No matter which card you have, you’ll earn miles on all purchases you make.

Earn an eligible credit card’s welcome bonus

All of the above-mentioned Capital One cards with the exception of the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card for Good Credit offer welcome bonuses for new cardholders. That means you’d get the chance to earn thousands of extra miles as long as you meet certain spending requirements.

For example, you can earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 within the first three months from account opening for the Capital One Venture X. Or, you could earn 50,000 miles after spending $4,500 within the first three months with the Capital One Spark Miles for Business.

Pool together rewards from other cards

If you have more than one credit card in the Capital One ecosystem, then you may be able to maximize your rewards even further. By pairing a Capital One travel rewards credit card with an eligible cash back credit card, you can convert your cash back into miles when you transfer them to your travel rewards card. Cash back can be transferred at a rate of 1 cent:1 mile, so it’s a good deal overall.

For example, let’s say you pair the Capital One Venture X with a cash back card like the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card. If you earn $200 in cash back each year with your SavorOne, you can convert that to 20,000 miles to add to your Venture X total.

How to redeem Capital One miles

To redeem your Capital One miles, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your account. This can be done via the website or Capital One mobile app.
2. Click on the “Explore Rewards & Benefits” section. On the mobile app, you’ll see a tab at the top labeled “Redeem” which will list all the ways you can redeem your rewards. On the website, these options will be shown on the “Home” tab.
3. Choose your redemption option. If you want to move your miles to another card instead, choose “Move Rewards”

Here are all of the ways you can redeem your Capital One miles:

Redeem for travel purchases

The best way to redeem Capital One miles is for travel purchases, including transfers to Capital One travel partners. Through the Capital One travel portal, you can redeem your miles for flights, hotel stays, car rentals, vacation packages and more. Alternatively, you can redeem your miles to cover qualifying travel purchases made with your card within 90 days of purchase.

Redeem for transfers to travel partners

Capital One has more than 15 airline and hotel partners you can transfer your rewards to. As with booking travel through Capital One Travel, this is one of the best ways to redeem your rewards, since you’ll usually get far more value out of your miles.

Note that Capital One miles transfers can take up to five business days to process, but travelers on a time crunch are not out of luck. Several Capital One travel partners offer instant transfers, while others take 24 to 36 hours (rather than five business days).

Redeem for gift cards

If you don’t want to use your miles for travel, you can also redeem them for gift cards to popular merchants. Some merchants include Apple, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble.

Redeem for cash back

You can also choose to redeem your miles for cash through the “cash” section of the redemption portal. Cash back can be redeemed in the form of a statement credit, account credit or check. However, keep in mind that this is not the best way to use Capital One miles since you’ll get far less value out of this redemption method.

Redeem for event tickets

Another option is to redeem your miles for tickets to a wide variety of events — including sports, dining and music events — through Capital One Entertainment. Again, the value of the rewards isn’t as robust this way.

Redeem for PayPal or Amazon shopping

If you want to redeem your miles for online shopping purchases, you have two options: PayPal or Amazon. With PayPal, you’ll shop with a participating merchant and choose the option to checkout with PayPal. Then, you’ll choose your linked Capital One card and pay with Capital One miles.

Shopping with Amazon follows a similar process. First, you’ll link your eligible Capital One card to its Shop with Points program. Then, you’ll shop on Amazon and choose the option to pay with Capital One miles.

How much are Capital One miles worth?

The baseline value for Capital One miles is 1 cent each, but they can be worth up to about 1.7 cents each when transferred to a high-value travel partner, according to valuations from Bankrate. Of course, how you choose to redeem your rewards ultimately determines the value of your rewards.

How do Capital One miles compare to other programs?

Bankrate’s valuation for Capital One miles falls into the mid- to high-range for credit card rewards programs. For comparison, here is how Capital One miles stack up against points from other top credit card rewards programs when those points are redeemed with high-value transfer partners:

Capital One miles transfer partners

Transferring miles to Capital One transfer partners is an easy, straightforward process — but it’s also an irreversible one. When you transfer your miles to a loyalty partner, you won’t have any way to get them back, so make sure you only transfer what you’re planning on using. Here are the airline and hotel loyalty programs you can transfer your miles to:

• Airlines

  Currently, you can transfer Capital One miles to more than 15 airline loyalty programs. With most Capital One partners, the minimum miles allowed per transfer is 1,000. All of the following programs have a 1:1 transfer ratio (unless otherwise noted) — meaning that 1,000 Capital One miles will equal 1,000 airline loyalty points or miles — unless otherwise noted:

  • Accor Live Limitless (2:1)
  • Aeromexico Club Premier
  • Air Canada (Aeroplan)
  • Air France/KLM Flying Blue
  • Avianca LifeMiles
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
  • Choice Privileges
  • Emirates Skywards
  • Etihad Guest
  • EVA Air (2:1.5)
  • Finnair Plus
  • Flying Blue
  • Qantas Frequent Flyer
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • TAP Miles&Go
  • Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
  • Virgin Red
  • Wyndham Rewards

• Hotels

  Capital One has two hotel transfer partner loyalty programs you can transfer rewards to: Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards. The Choice Privileges loyalty program allows you to stay at any of the 12 Choice Hotel brands, including Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, MainStay Suites and the Ascend Hotel Collection.
  
  The Wyndham Rewards loyalty program offers travelers more than 50,000 locations across Wyndham Hotels brands, including Days Inn, Travelodge, Howard Johnson, Ramada and Baymont. For both partners, Capital One miles will transfer at a rate of 1:1.
  

The bottom line

The Capital One miles program is user-friendly, flexible and easy to understand. You can earn miles quickly on eligible purchases made with a Capital One travel card of your choice. Plus, there are no special categories you’ll need to remember for earning rewards and there’s no cap on the number of rewards you can earn. As for redeeming miles, the sky’s the limit — your next flight, hotel stay or vacation could be covered just by using your Capital One travel card.

If you’re not sure whether earning Capital One miles is the right move for you, consider checking out other travel credit cards and their rewards programs before you decide.

*Information about the Capital One Spark 1.5X Miles Select and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards for Good Credit has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

FAQs about Capital One miles

• Do Capital One miles expire?

  Capital One miles do not expire for the life of the account, as long as your account is in good standing. If you close your account without redeeming your rewards, you will lose your rewards.
  

• Can you share miles with friends and family members?

  Yes. If you have one of the Capital One Venture cards, you can share your miles with other Capital One Venture cardholders.
  

• How many Capital One miles do you need for a flight?

  With so many airline transfer partners, it’s difficult to determine a specific minimum of miles you’ll need for a flight. Every airline has different ways of determining rewards values. If you aren’t happy with the offers currently available on transfer partner airlines, you can always book a flight with Capital One miles through the Capital One portal. You’ll get 1 cent each when redeeming miles for a flight, which means you’ll need about 20,000 miles for a $200 flight. You can also use your Capital One travel rewards card to purchase a flight through any platform and then redeem your miles for a travel statement credit.