Perfect for streamlined rewards from all of your spending.
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4.9
Bottom line
This card is a top pick if you want to earn easy-to-manage travel rewards on all purchases. The boosted miles on all spending — even if you’re not traveling — can easily earn 1:1 value through most of the transfer partners available.
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Flat-rate travel rewards cards like the Capital One Venture are a popular choice for people who want an easy way to earn rewards on all of their purchases. They’re an especially good fit for occasional travelers who can’t take full advantage of a card that only offers a high rewards rate on travel purchases.
With the Capital One Venture, you can earn an unlimited 2X miles on all purchases. Many other travel rewards cards only earn rewards at this rate on travel spending, so this is a valuable perk for people looking to maximize rewards on all of their purchases.
You can redeem rewards for any travel expense – as a statement credit – for any travel purchase in the last 90 days. This is another standout feature that you won’t find with co-branded travel cards that may restrict you to certain airlines or hotel brands.
Despite its value as a great everyday card, the Venture card lacks the extra travel perks available on some competing cards. That’s to be expected on a card with a low annual fee, but frequent travelers may get more value from a card with better travel perks.
Here’s how the Venture stacks up to other popular travel cards and if Capital One’s flagship travel card — the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card — is a better choice for you.
The card earns unlimited, flat-rate travel miles on all purchases, which is fantastic compared to other travel rewards cards that only earn miles towards specific flight and hotel bookings
It has no foreign transaction fees, so you don’t have to worry about accruing these charges while using the card overseas
It offers solid benefits, including up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee (unlike the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card)
The $95 annual fee isn’t entirely offset by yearly benefits, unlike the Capital One Venture X card’s fee, so look elsewhere if you want to offset yearly fees completely with cardholder benefits
Miles are worth 1 cent or less unless using select airline transfer programs, which can limit your overall earning potential
Its sign-up bonus carries a steep spending requirement
New cardholders can earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening. This bonus is worth up to $750 in travel redemptions when you book travel through the Capital One Travel portal.
The current bonus is a step up from the card’s most recent bonus of 60,000 miles (after spending $3,000 within the first three months). While the new bonus is not the card’s highest ever (100,000 miles after spending $20,000 in your first year), it is accessible with just moderate spending.
The current offer also competes well with offers you can find on the card’s top competitors in the $95 annual fee price range. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, for instance, offers 60,000 points after a $4,000 spending requirement in the first three months, worth up to $750 when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
It also matches or nearly matches the bonus offered by some of the most expensive travel rewards cards on the market, including the Capital One Venture X. It’s rare for a card with a $95 annual fee to offer a bonus as high as a card with a $395 annual fee, so now may be a great time to apply for the Venture card.
The Capital One Venture earns flat-rate rewards, meaning it earns unlimited Capital One miles at the same rate on all purchases. It also earns a boosted rewards rate for hotels and rental cars booked using Capital One Travel.
Most other travel credit cards earn rewards primarily from travel-related spending, like airfare and hotel purchases. But the Venture card’s flat-rate approach and Capital One Travel portal features make it easy to earn and redeem travel miles without sacrificing top-tier rewards value.
Other cards may offer higher rewards rates in specific categories, such as dining or gas, but you may find that you get better overall value from earning rewards on all your purchases at a solid flat rate.
You’ll earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal and unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases.
Capital One Travel can occasionally give you solid reward opportunities, but the card’s flat-rate travel miles are the main attraction if you value simplicity and usually spend more on a variety of non-travel-related expenses.
However, rival cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Citi Premier® Card offer better reward rates if your non-travel spending centers around a few popular categories such as dining, groceries or gas. Like other flat-rate cards, the Capital One Venture card can outperform these competitors if you have a diverse budget with big expenses that fall outside common bonus categories.
As a travel card, your primary redemption options are to book travel through the Capital One rewards portal, receive a statement credit for recent eligible travel purchases (within the last 90 days) or transfer miles to partner airline and hotel programs. You can also redeem miles for gift cards or purchases made via PayPal or on Amazon.com, but these non-travel options may lower the redemption value of your miles.
Issuer travel portals aren’t known for delivering the best travel booking deals, but Capital One makes it easier to get the full value from your hard-earned miles while keeping the redemption process simple. The Capital One Travel portal includes features like price prediction, price freezing, a price match guarantee and cancel-for-any-reason refund coverage (fees may apply). Capital One also provides more redemption options than many competitors, including a comprehensive list of 1:1 transfer partners and the option to use miles to cover outside travel purchases.
In fact, you shouldn’t have any problems finding an opportunity to use Capital One’s transfer partners. The latest pre-COVID travel season showed that 40 percent of the top-ranking airlines by most countries served are Capital One transfer partners.
Redeeming your miles for Capital One travel or statement credits for recent travel purchases are good options because you’ll get a 1-cent-per-mile value.
Your miles’ value will vary when transferred to partner loyalty programs, but that could work in your favor. Your miles may dip below 1 cent in value (just book through Capital One in that case), but some partners could boost your value to 2 cents per mile on average, according to Bankrate’s most recent estimations.
Overall, your worst value by far is to redeem for cash back. Doing this will cut your miles’ value to about 0.5 cents per mile.
Transferring miles for a better value is your most lucrative option, netting you up to 2 cents for every mile. This is followed by booking travel through Capital One, covering previous travel and redeeming for gift cards (since these each may offer a 1:1, 1-cent value per mile). Even redeeming your miles for PayPal or Amazon.com purchases is a better option than direct cash back since your miles will have a 0.8-cent value.
Your miles don’t expire for the life of your account and there are no blackout dates, so you’d be better off saving them for a rainy day than cashing them in for a half-sized check.
For its price tag, the Venture card’s benefit roster carries a handy selection of travel and shopping protections. But compared to competitors like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you’re missing quite a few top travel perks — such as trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance, trip delay insurance and baggage delay insurance.
In case you’re in a pinch or planning your trip, the Venture card provides a few services to make things easier. As a Visa Signature card, perks include complimentary concierge assistance plus premium benefits at exclusive events and locations, including more than 900 Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection properties and more than 60 Sonoma County wineries.
The Venture card can come in handy if you frequently rent vehicles during your travels. Complimentary Hertz Five Star status, provided with your card membership, comes with upgraded vehicle selection, car classes and customer service.
Capital One Access also offers exclusive presale tickets and other member experiences. Additionally, by paying with your card, you’ll receive staple features like an auto rental collision damage waiver, an up to $100 credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck and extended warranty coverage.
Global Entry and TSA PreCheck are nearly expected on any competitive travel card. However, this benefit is the only bonus credit to help offset this card’s annual fee and it only amounts to $25 per year in estimated value. That means you’ll have to mainly rely on rewards spending — unlike a few other cards in its class.
Your Venture card grants you special entry rates and two complimentary visits per year to the issuer’s inaugural Capital One Lounge. Not many card issuers have their own dedicated airport lounges outside Amex’s luxurious Centurion Lounges, but Capital One is planning to include a range of premium amenities, including regionally curated grab-and-go food stations, bartended dining and areas dedicated to exercise and relaxation.
Only the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Capital One Lounge is open so far — which pales in comparison to the over 40 Centurion Lounges worldwide — but more are planned for 2023. Standard Venture cardholders will be able to visit them for free twice per year, with a discounted $45 price for extra visits (the same as guest pricing).
If airport lounges are your oasis, you might want to consider upgrading to the Venture X. Capital One’s premium card not only provides Priority Pass Select and Plaza Premium Lounge memberships for access to over 1,300 more lounges globally, but also comes with complimentary Capital One Lounge access (including two complimentary guest visits per year).
Capital One’s assistant program, Eno, is like your account management system rolled into one helpful assistant. It monitors your account for fraud, sends alerts, creates virtual credit card numbers and provides useful account info, like your current balance.
Perhaps the most interesting of these features is its virtual credit card number perk. Virtual credit cards are getting harder to come by, and Eno provides another layer of protection when you shop online by saving a unique virtual card number for each merchant you transact with.
The Capital One Venture is a low-maintenance, low-fee way to earn travel miles. It has no foreign transaction fees and the $95 annual fee can be offset if you are able to spend at least $396 per month.
If you’re still opposed to an annual fee, the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card doesn’t charge one, though there are better travel cards with no annual fee.
Other than the annual fee, there aren’t many potential ongoing costs to keep up with, except for the 20.24 percent to 28.24 percent variable APR. This is on par with the current average interest rate and similar to rates on competing cards, but we recommend paying off your balance in full each month regardless to avoid eating away at your rewards earnings.
Given its small list of perks, it’s clear that this card’s main value comes from its straightforward travel rewards program. But if you’re more of a “show me the money” type, the only ongoing Venture card feature with a clear monetary value is the up to $100 application fee credit you’ll receive every four years for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry .
That means you’ll have to rely primarily on rewards spending each year to make up for the $95 annual fee. Here’s a look at what you’d have to spend each year to offset the annual fee:
Some competing cards in the Venture’s class provide more benefit value to offset annual fees. Depending on your spending habits, the $95 may not be much of a concern, especially if you plan to transfer miles for an average of 2 cents per mile (Bankrate’s valuation). The 75,000-mile sign-up bonus is pretty hefty, too — enough to cover the annual fee for at least seven years, even if you only get 1 cent per mile in redemption value.
Here’s a look at the first year and ongoing value you should expect based on a 1-cent-per-mile redemption value:
| Benefits and Costs | First-year value | Ongoing value (no welcome offers) |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly rewards* | +$327 | +$327 |
| Welcome offers | +$750 value (75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 during the first three months) | — |
| Perks (of monetary value) |
|
|
| Annual fee | -$95 | -$95 |
| Total value | $1,007 | $257 |
*Based on our formula used to calculate each card’s average rewards rates and average ongoing rewards value, using Bureau of Labor Statistics spending data and an assumed $15,900 yearly spend over three years ($1,325 per month).
Frequent Bankrate contributor Jacqueline DeMarco loves the Capital One Venture card for its streamlined rewards experience and has been collecting miles with it for the past seven years.
“I don’t enjoy figuring out which spending categories will generate the most credit card rewards. With the Capital One Venture, I was attracted to the simplicity of earning unlimited 2X miles on all purchases. For this reason, I use my Capital One Venture for most major purchases over $100, whether it’s to upgrade a phone, buy clothes or do some holiday shopping. If I charge $1,500 in a month, I know that I’ll earn 3,000 Capital One miles. It’s an uncomplicated calculation.”
“In the end, even with a $95 annual fee, my Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a bargain. This card gives me options, including flat-rate rewards, flexible flights and numerous protections.”
— Jacqueline DeMarcoPersonal finance writer
The Venture card will have a large fanbase thanks to its ease of use and rewards structure.
Travelers who want to maximize their credit card rewards with strategic spending or people who don’t spend enough to offset an annual fee may be better served with another card.
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The flat-rate rewards offered by the Venture card are appealing, but it’s worth comparing the Venture card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred to see which offers the biggest bang for your buck.
For example, the Venture card and the Sapphire Preferred both carry the same value with their sign-up bonuses. But, since Ultimate Rewards points offer a higher base redemption value, the card can be more valuable long term for ongoing spending. When you book your travel through Chase, your rewards points get a 25-percent boost, giving them a value of 1.25 cents apiece. That means 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points would have a value of $125 when redeemed for travel with Chase. Meanwhile, 10,000 Capital One miles would only have a value of $100 when redeemed through Capital One Travel, since they’re only worth 1 cent per mile each.
To have a chance at matching the Sapphire Preferred card’s point value, you’d need to transfer your Venture miles to a travel partner with a favorable transfer ratio and redemption value. It may also be easier to net more value each year with the Sapphire Preferred since its $95 annual fee could be recouped with the card’s rich list of benefits, including a yearly point bonus and hotel stay credit.
Plus, people who have multiple Chase credit cards may be able to take advantage of the Chase trifecta to unlock even more rewards-earning potential. Holding multiple cards from the same issuer potentially increases the number of categories that earn bonus rewards you can pool together. The Chase trifecta is especially valuable because you can increase the value of your rewards with a premium travel card. Depending on your goals and spending habits, this could give the Sapphire Preferred a long-term edge, especially if you pair it with a Chase card that earns high rewards for everyday spending.
Deciding between the mid-level Venture card and the entry-level Capital One VentureOne Rewards card comes down to what level of value matters most to you.
For all the perks you get with the Venture Rewards card, you’ll have to pay a $95 annual fee, while there’s no annual fee for the VentureOne. The VentureOne card also has a leg up on its premium counterpart by providing a 15-month 0 percent intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers, not to mention the possibility of a lower ongoing APR (19.24 percent to 29.24 percent, variable). For the occasional traveler looking for a card that can give you time to make interest-free payments on a past or future vacation, the VentureOne is a solid option.
However, the VentureOne only earns 1.25X miles on all purchases and has a much smaller 20,000-mile sign-up bonus (after spending $500 within the first three months), all without the $100 TSA PreCheck and Global Entry application fee credit. If you don’t have to worry about keeping interest at bay on any purchases or past debt, and you anticipate spending roughly $396 each month with your credit card, you should probably go for the Venture card over the VentureOne.
Flat-rate rewards cards generally pair best with bonus category cards that align with your biggest expenses.
The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card could be a great choice if you can take advantage of its unlimited 3 percent cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target). You can get even more value from your bonus categories by converting your cash back to Capital One miles, which the Venture can transfer to travel partners. The SavorOne card’s dining and entertainment categories can be lucrative while you’re traveling too.
You could also choose another issuer’s card that can transfer loyalty points to the same partner programs or a co-branded card that earns at your favorite airline or hotel. For example, if you’re a frequent flyer or guest at any of Capital One’s transfer partners, it may be useful to also get a co-branded airline card, or hotel card, for that particular chain.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a convenient option if you prefer simple flat-rate rewards or if you don’t spend enough on travel to justify a bonus category card or the Capital One Venture X’s $395 annual fee.
That said, its rewards and benefits are a rung below the specialized features of a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred. And if you spend more than $300 on Capital One travel bookings a year, it may be worth upgrading to the Venture X due to its extra benefits and rewards potential, which could beat those of the Venture card and make it easy to recoup the higher annual fee.
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.