The Capital One Venture Card is a very good travel rewards credit card for people with a good credit score who don't want to be tied down to a single travel provider. With an initial bonus worth hundreds of dollars in travel, double miles on all purchases and a reasonable annual fee, it’s clear why the Venture Card is so popular.
One of the keys to the
Capital One Venture Card’s success is the fact that you can use Venture miles to pay for any travel-related charges once they post to your account. This policy is great for people who like to shop around for the best deals on travel comparison sites. It also gives you a lot of booking freedom relative to most travel rewards cards.
You can learn more about the Venture Card's unique benefits below.Capital One Venture Card Review Highlights
Initial bonus worth up to $1,000 in travel
The Capital One Venture card offers
75,000 miles for spending at least
$4,000 within
3 months of account opening. That is worth $750 when redeemed for any travel-related purchase that appears on your statement. Plus, for a limited-time, you will receive a one-time $250 credit to use on Capital One Travel purchases made in your first cardholder year. That’s adds
up to $1,000 in travel.
2 miles / $1 spent on all purchases
The
Capital One Venture Card gives you
2 miles / $1 spent on most purchases. Plus, hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel yield
5 miles / $1 spent.
No foreign-transaction fee
None of Capital One’s credit cards charge foreign-transaction fees. And it is one of only two major issuers to take that step. This will save you
1.57% on all purchases processed outside the U.S., whether you’re traveling or simply buying something from an international merchant.
Reasonable annual fee
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card's
$95 annual fee might scare some applicants off, but it’s a bargain when you consider the card’s rewards. The initial bonus alone covers several years of annual fees.
Travel-booking flexibility
Unlike many other rewards cards, the Venture Credit Card doesn’t force you to book rewards travel through Capital One. Instead, you can book wherever you want and then simply use your miles to pay for the purchase when it appears on your statement.
Generous ‘travel’ definition
The fact that Venture rewards are worth less if you don’t redeem for travel could be a major drawback, depending on how “travel” is defined. Fortunately, Venture views the term pretty broadly. You’ll get full value for your miles by redeeming them for any of the following types of travel expenses:
- Airfare
- Hotel reservations
- Cruise reservations
- Vacation rentals
- Rental cars
...and more.
Travel Insurance
Capital One Venture currently offers lost or damaged luggage reimbursement and rental car insurance. If you charge your transportation, lodging, and other travel expenses to the card, these types of insurance may protect you from having to pay for lost or damaged bags, damage to a rental car, or theft of a rental car. Just remember: Benefits are available to accounts approved for the World Elite Mastercard product, subject to terms, conditions, and exclusions in the World Elite Mastercard Guide to Benefits. See account terms or application terms for more details. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply. Capital One Venture Card credit limit
Capital One assigns Venture Card credit limits based on each applicant’s credit history and ability to pay.
Built to be paid in full
Like most rewards cards,
Capital One Venture sports a rather high APR. In fact, you’re likely to receive an above-average rate for your credit standing. So it’s best not to carry a balance from month to month with this particular plastic.
It’s fair to say that the
Capital One Venture Card is an elite option for anyone with even a bit of travel on their itinerary. You just need to make sure you have the good or excellent credit needed to qualify. You can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub to find out.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.