Earn 75,000 Miles Worth $750 in Travel

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• The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is offering a new welcome bonus.
• New cardholders can earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
• This card is a good choice if you’re looking for a straightforward travel card at a reasonable price.
• Read Insider’s guide to the best Capital One credit cards.

In recent months, Capital One has been extremely busy, launching brand-new cards, revamping its travel portal, and adding more ways to earn and redeem rewards. In particular, the rollout of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card made big waves last year between a massive welcome offer and excellent travel perks for an annual fee that’s much lower than competing cards.

All that attention may have overshadowed the original, much-loved Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card — but there’s a reason to give it a fresh look. Now, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is offering an increased bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

That’s worth $1,275 on average when you transfer miles to airline and hotel partners, based on Insider’s valuation of Capital One miles at 1.7 cents each. At a minimum, the bonus is worth $750 when you redeem miles at a flat rate of 1 cent apiece toward eligible travel purchases. Either way, it’s an excellent deal for a card with a $95 annual fee.

The card also comes with a solid array of travel and purchase benefits, including a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, two one-time Capital One lounge passes annually,  car rental insurance*** , extended warranty***, and purchase protection. Between the perks, ongoing earning rates, and welcome bonus offer, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a good choice for folks who are looking for an all-purpose travel card with a reasonable annual fee.

Here’s what you need to know about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to help decide if this offer is right for you.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Capital One Venture 75,000-mile bonus

The previous bonus on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was 60,000 miles after meeting minimum spending requirements, so the new offer to earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening is a much more compelling deal. That said, this isn’t the highest offer we’ve seen on the card — it’s been as high as 100,000 miles in the past.

I have the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and use it often, especially on purchases in categories that don’t earn a bonus with my other credit cards. Cardholders earn:

• 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles on all other purchases

In addition, Capital One just announced a new partnership with Turo, a car-sharing marketplace. Through May 16, 2023, cardholders can earn 5x miles when booking through the Turo app or on Turo.com.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a solid choice whether you’re a credit card rewards beginner or expert, especially because Capital One miles are so easy to earn and redeem. The simplest way to use Capital One miles is through the purchase eraser feature, which allows you to redeem miles at a rate of 1 cent each toward travel purchases made on your card within the last 90 days. 

However, you can often unlock more value when you transfer your miles to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners, which include Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Wyndham, and Choice Hotels. This can be a much better deal, especially if you redeem rewards for first- or business-class flights or upscale hotel stays.

Another option is to use miles to book travel through the Capital One travel portal. Here, your miles are also worth 1 cent each, and you can redeem them for flights, hotels, or car rentals this way. Capital One’s portal comes with handy features like price prediction and price drop protection, so booking this way can potentially save you money.

Decent benefits at a reasonable price

While the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card doesn’t come with as many benefits as its premium sibling, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (which costs $395 per year), it does offer a substantial suite of benefits for a moderate $95 annual fee.

For example, cardholders receive:

You can find out more about the card’s benefits and features in our full Capital One Venture card review.

Should you apply for the Capital One Venture or Venture X?

If you’re at all a frequent traveler, you may actually be better off with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. It, too, is offering a substantial welcome bonus offer: 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. And despite its $395 annual fee, it can prove to be a better value than the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

That’s because the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with premium benefits that can more than offset the yearly cost. For instance:

• Cardholders receive up to $300 in annual statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One***
• It offers the primary cardholder and up to four authorized users complimentary access to Priority Pass and Capital One airport lounges***
• On each card anniversary, you’ll receive a bonus of 10,000 Capital One miles (worth at least $100 in travel)***
• It’s a Visa Infinite card, so it comes with premium benefits including primary car rental insurance, cell phone protection, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and trip delay protection***

Here’s a side-by-side comparison to  break down the differences:

If you’re torn between the two cards, be sure to read our comparison of the Capital One Venture and Venture X to help you make the best choice.

Jasmin Baron, CEPF

Editor