How do you take one of the best entry-level travel rewards credit cards and make it even better? By adding a $250 travel credit to an already great welcome bonus offer, that's how.
That's exactly what Capital One is doing with its longtime favorite *capital one venture card*, offering travelers a 75,000-mile bonus after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months, plus a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in the first year of account opening.
That's up from the standard welcome offer of 75,000 Capital One Miles when you spend $4,000 in the first three months … and it's one of the best offers we've seen on the Venture Card, period. There's no telling exactly how long this offer will last, but we can say with certainty that it's only here for a limited time.
Beyond the big bonus offer, you'll earn unlimited 2x miles on all purchases and get added travel perks, like a credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, not often seen on other cards with a similar $95 per year price tag.
Just remember: Credit cards are serious business. You should never apply for a credit card if you're already in debt, and never charge more to a credit card than you can afford to pay off immediately. However many points and miles you can earn, they're not worth it.
Here's everything you need to know about the Capital One Venture Card.
Read more: A Full Review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Card
Capital One Venture Card Overview
- Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full
- Earn unlimited 2x miles on every purchase
- Earn 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
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Access to Capital One’s Lifestyle Collection, a curated selection of hotels and vacation rentals that come with a suite of benefits – including a $50 experience credit, room upgrades and early check-in, when available – on every stay
- Up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Two free annual passes to visit the new Capital One Lounges (Capital One is cutting this benefit effective Dec. 31, 2024)
- Fly on any airline or stay in any hotel, with no blackout dates
- Capital One miles don't expire for as long as you have the card
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 Annual Fee
Learn more about the *capital one venture card*
Are You Eligible For This Offer?
Just like all banks, Capital One has rules for determining who is and isn't eligible for a new card that go far beyond the usual credit check. Unfortunately, with Capital One, most of these rules are unwritten – which means it's anyone's guess whether or not they'll be applied to you and your application.
Still, enough data points and trends have emerged over the years to give us a bit of information that can help get you approved for a Capital One credit card. Here's what we know.
- This one is pretty clear as it's right in the terms: You can't earn a bonus on the same card within 48 months. This means if you've had a Venture Rewards card before, it needs to be at least four years since you earned a bonus in order to be eligible for this new offer.
- Even if you currently have the *venture x* in your wallet, you're still eligible for the Venture Rewards Card and this big bonus offer. Unlike some other banks, Capital One does not have a family rule for its cards.
- Many data points suggest that Capital One will only allow you to hold two personal credit cards at any given time. That said, this rule seems to be applied inconsistently at best – so even if you already have a pair of Capital One cards, it could be worth applying anyway.
- If you have applied and been approved for any other Capital One credit card within the past six months, it's likely that any new credit card application will not be approved. Again, there are exceptions to this rule but in general, you can only add one new Capital One card (personal or business) every six months.
Not sure if the Venture Card is right for you? See our full comparison of the Capital One Venture and Venture X Card.
How to Use Capital One Miles
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of transferring points and jumping through hoops to book a free flight or hotel, this is the right option for you. You won’t find an easier way to use points on travel. Just book your flight, hotel, rental car, or other travel expense with your Capital One card, then go back and remove the purchase using miles.
Thrifty Tip: Use Capital One Miles to make a cheap flight – like the ones we send out as part of our Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alert service – free by removing the travel charge from your statement after the fact.
Every mile is worth one cent apiece, which means this 75,000-mile bonus gets you at least $750 toward travel. You can also book flights, hotels, and rental cars through the Capital One Travel portal (but you shouldn't) or send your points to an impressive array of Capital One transfer partners to get even more value out of these miles.
Some of our favorite Capital One travel partners include Air France/KLM, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, and Turkish Airlines.
Here's the full list of transfer partners:
| Program | Type | Ratio | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeromexico | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air France/KLM | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| British Airways | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Cathay Pacific AsiaMiles | Airline | 1:1 | Up to five business days |
| Emirates | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Etihad | Airline | 1:1 | Up to 1 day |
| EVA Air | Airline | 2:1.5 | Up to five business days |
| Finnair | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Qantas | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Singapore | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| TAP Air Portugal | Airline | 1:1 | Same day |
| Turkish Airlines | Airline | 1:1 | Same day |
| Virgin Red | Other | 1:1 | Same day |
| Accor | Hotel | 2:1 | Up to two business days |
| Wyndham | Hotel | 1:1 | Same day |
| Choice Hotels | Hotel | 1:1 | Same day |
Having the option to go the easy route or take things to the next level through transfer partners is what makes Capital One miles – and the Venture Card – such a great place to get started.
Read more: The Best Ways to Use Capital One Miles
How to Use the Capital One Travel Credit
The sweetener with this limited-time offer is the $250 Capital One Travel credit … but what's it good for? And how do you use it?
For starters, new cardmembers will get this credit right away. Unlike the big point bonus, this travel credit does not require you to meet a minimum spending requirement in order to earn it. That's pretty much unheard of in the world of credit card sign-up bonuses.
The next thing to note is that the credit is only valid for one year and expires on your account open date's first anniversary. But that doesn't mean that you'll need to complete your travel by that date.
So long as you use it to book a flight, hotel, or rental car before it expires, you can actually travel well beyond that date. Just be warned: If your plans change and you have to cancel after the expiration date, you won't get that credit back. If you need to make any changes while the credit is still valid, it will be restored and you can use it for something else.
Unlike the annual $300 Capital One Travel credit that comes with the Capital One Venture X card, this is a one-time $250 travel credit you can only get as part of this limited-time welcome offer on the Venture Card. You won't get another one each year.
Now that we've got some of the finer details out of the way, let's discuss how to actually use the credit and more importantly, what type of travel you should try to use it on.
For those unfamiliar, Capital One Travel works very similarly to other online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia and Priceline. You can book flights with most airlines, as well as chain and boutique hotels, rental cars, and even vacation rentals all through Capital One Travel.
To use your new credit, simply log in to your Capital One account online and click the “travel” button under “rewards.”
Once you find something that you want to book, the credit will automatically be applied at checkout. You can use it up across multiple purchases or all at once. Unfortunately, since the credit is applied as a discount on the purchase price and not a statement credit, you won't earn any extra rewards on that $250 credit. That's a small bummer but not the end of the world as you're still getting $250 worth of travel for free.
Just know that pricing across all the different travel portals will vary wildly. Earlier this year, we ran hundreds of searches comparing Capital One Travel to competitors like Chase Travel℠ and and Hopper (which actually powers the Capital One Travel portal) as well as booking directly with a hotel, airline, or rental car agency. What we found was that these pricing discrepancies are most prevalent with hotel bookings, while flights and rental cars were most consistent.
The lesson learned is that no matter if you're booking with Capital One Travel, Expedia, or direct, it's important to do a little price shopping to ensure you're getting a good deal.
Bottom Line
Capital One is out with an awesome, limited-time bonus offer on the *capital one venture card*, giving travelers a $250 Capital One Travel credit, plus a 75,000-mile bonus after spending $4,000 on the card in the first three months.
We don't know for sure when this offer will end but if the Venture Card has been on your radar, now's the time to apply – this is one of the best offers we've ever seen!