In the world of credit cards, there are generally two attributes that stand out for travel rewards fans: value and versatility.
Most of our favorite travel rewards cards rank well in both, but when it comes to versatility, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is the undisputed champion in our books.
Here’s why.
Flexible Fixed Value Miles
Sometimes, no amount of travel rewards wizardry is going to get you a decent redemption. This is where the versatility of fixed value miles comes in handy, where you “erase” your travel expenses when a normal redemption is just not possible.
These would be things like tickets to Disney through Undercover Tourist, or airlines or hotels where you do not have miles saved up, or where it is a peak travel period and a free award redemption is just not possible.
Anything that “codes” as travel on the credit card can be “erased” with miles. Each mile is worth 1 cent for these redemptions. Period.
In a pinch, you could even pay for a travel expense before you have completely earned your bonus, then redeem it later after your trip, and after the bonus has landed in your account.
Most Flexible Travel Card
Details: $95 annual fee | Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Transferable Miles
You can now transfer Capital One Venture miles to several airlines. Some of these airlines with great redemption values include Air Canada and Singapore Airlines, which allow you to redeem domestic flights on United at a solid value.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Sign-Up Bonus
With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. With 2x miles on every dollar spent, you will earn 8,000 miles after meeting the $4,000 spending requirement for a total of 83,000 Capital One miles!
After that, you earn two miles on every dollar you spend on the card. This is a higher, across the board earn than even our beloved Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Combine Miles With Any Friend Or Family
One of the standout benefits of Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is the ease of transferring your Capital One Venture miles to family and friends, making it easy to pool bonus points for big international redemptions.
Other Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Features
Annual Fee
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a $95 annual fee. As annual fees go, this is very reasonable. If you spend more than $5,000 on this card per year you will come out ahead (10,000 miles earned on the $5,000 spend = $100 flexible travel redemption).
However, if you use it to cover to your cost of Global Entry, you’ve made back your annual fee right there!
Up To $100 For TSA Pre-Check Or Global Entry
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of a few non-ultra premium credit card that gives you up to a $100 a statement credit when you use the card to apply for either TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry.
TSA Pre-Check crushes your wait time at TSA security. Global Entry expedites your reentry into the USA when you travel internationally. TSA Pre-Check comes free with Global Entry, so you’re better off just getting Global Entry.
This is usually a perk that comes with premium cards that have a far higher annual fee. For instance, this is a perk that is excluded from even the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which is our all-time favorite travel rewards card.
Pairs Well With The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
While we are discussing the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, we should note that the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card actually pairs really well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card because each card has benefits and advantages that covers what is missing from the other.
Together, the two cards cover just about all the most common features prized by travel rewards nerds.
Check out our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Airline Transfer Partners
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has among its transfer partners domestic carriers like United and Southwest, as well as British Airways. But for some airlines like Singapore Airlines, both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card transfer, which means you can build up more points even quicker.
Having both these cards in your wallet gives you access to a variety of airlines. However, if you want to fly Singapore Airlines you can earn miles in double time since they both transfer there.
Hotel Transfer Partners
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card lets you transfer points to the Hyatt and Marriott groups. On the other hand, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5x miles on hotels when booked through Capital One Travel.
These cards work together as a team because if you are able to get a great deal on Hyatt or Marriott with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card you can use that, but if you can’t the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card can still cover the expense. With these two cards in your pocket, you should be able to get a good deal anywhere you want to stay.
Earning Rate
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card lets you earn 2x per $1 on all spend. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card you earn a standard 1x for most purchases but there are some bonus categories where you can earn 2x (travel) or even 3x (dining and others) on spending.
Ease Of Pooling Points
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card lets you transfer points to anyone. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card lets you transfer only to other members of the same household.
If you are traveling with friends and want to share points the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is your better bet. Either card will allow you to pool points with members of your household.
Speed Of Earning Bonus And Points And Miles
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card posts bonus and miles earned within days of you earning them. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, like all Chase cards, do not post points earned until the end of the statement cycle. If you need points in a pinch to top off a redemption to Singapore Airlines, this is a perfect way forward.
Flexible Fixed Value
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card gives you great flexibility with redemptions on any travel paid with the card and gives you a 1 cent per mile redemption. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card does something similar with flexible travel booked through Chase Travel℠: you can redeem at 1.25 cents per point, so a $250 flight will only cost 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points.
This gives you access to two ways to get a great deal. Book through Chase Travel℠ when possible. But you can always use your Capital One Venture Miles to cover your costs anytime you find a good deal outside of Chase Travel℠
TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry:
Like we discussed earlier, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card provides a statement credit up to $100 (they allow this once every four years you have the account!), so you should get the more valuable Global Entry since it will be covered when you pay the application fee using the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Primary Auto Rental Coverage:
Here the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the top dog because it provides primary Loss or Collision Damage Waiver coverage. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card only provides secondary coverage. This means your personal automobile insurance policy would still bear the brunt of repair costs should there be an accident.
Bottom Line
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is an extremely flexible travel rewards card. Earn two miles per dollar spent and five miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked with Capital One Travel. Each point is worth one cent and can be used to “erase” travel expenses from your account.
When paired with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, your options are almost unlimited. For these reasons, we highly recommend the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, especially after you have completed your 5/24 cards.
Top Travel Rewards Offers
Top Travel Card
Details: $95 annual fee | Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Most Flexible Travel Card
Details: $95 annual fee | Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Best Card for Side Hustlers and Business Owners
Details: $95 annual fee | Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
