How To Redeem Capital One Venture Miles

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When comparing travel credit cards, mileage credit cards, and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is often one of the top choices listed (for good reason). The Capital One Venture bonus, the ability to earn 2x miles per $1 spent on every purchase, 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel booking site, and travel perks make it very appealing. But naturally, you want to get the most out of the Capital One Venture miles you are earning.

Capital One has 1:1 transfer partners plus additional exclusive airline lounges. And below we’ll show you what airlines and hotels work with Capital One miles. Here’s how to redeem Capital One Venture bonus miles for maximum value.

Contents on Redeeming Capital One Miles

Use this table to jump to specific sections in this guide:

• Earning Capital One Venture Miles for Redemptions
• Transferring Capital One Venture Miles to Travel Programs
• How to Redeem Capital One Venture Miles with Transfers to These Partners
• What Travel Programs Work with Capital One Miles?
• Think Before You Transfer Miles with Capital One Venture Bonus
• Capital One Venture Miles Travel Eraser
• Using Capital One Miles for Gift Cards
• Capital One Venture Bonus Miles Transfers to Other Venture Cardholders
• Can You Get Cash Back with Capital One?
• Summary
• FAQs

Earning Capital One Venture Miles for Redemptions

Before we get into it, let’s review the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card since this is the consumer travel card to use if you are looking to maximize travel.

You earn 2x miles per dollar spent on all purchases across the board. However, earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.  

New Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card cardholders can earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

Capital One reward miles don’t expire for the life of your account, which is great news if you want to earn miles now that can be put to use for future travel.

Those Capital One miles are then easily redeemed for everything from past travel to gift cards, new bookings, to cash back. The Capital One Venture card’s annual fee is $95. And while there are many ways to redeem miles, there are certainly some that are more valuable than others.

Note that the Capital One Venture Rewards is also one of the best contactless credit cards for your wallet. This makes it a great companion when you are looking to avoid touching many surfaces. It’s also great for international travel as it has no foreign transaction fees and comes with a fee credit of up to $120 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

You can get more details in this Capital One Venture credit card review.

Bonus: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

While the Venture card is awesome, if you’re looking for a little more oomph in your travels, consider the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. This addition to the Capital One lineup includes the ability to earn unlimited:

• 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles on all other purchases

Cardholders can also enjoy unlimited access to all-inclusive amenities at the Capital One Lounge and at Priority Pass lounges worldwide. Plus, they’ll receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.

Additional benefits include $300 back annually for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get access to thousands of options. Plus, get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.

New Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card cardholders can earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

This offer is perfect for a relaxing vacation either domestically or abroad.

Get more information in our Capital One Venture X Rewards card review. You can also visit our comparison of the Venture Rewards vs Venture X.

What Capital One Credit Cards Transfer Miles?

There are several different Capital One credit cards that earn transferrable travel miles. Consumers can transfer miles with these options:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ($95 annual fee)
• Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card ($0 annual fee)
• And The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ($395 annual fee)

Business travelers can also transfer business rewards as well:

• Capital One Spark Miles for Business ($95 annual fee, waived the first year)
• Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business ($0 annual fee)

Transfer Capital One Venture Miles to Travel Programs

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card cardholders can use their Capital One miles by transferring them to leading travel programs. Since there are often great ways to gain “outsized” value for various airline award charts, this represents a huge upgrade for those looking to take special long-haul vacations in the premium cabin. You can learn more in our latest post about the Capital One travel partners and lounges.

Related Article: Best Capital One Credit Cards

Transfers Partners

The list of Capital One airline partners includes 1:1 transfer partners. Plus, cardholders can transfer miles to leading travel loyalty programs, including Capital One hotel transfer partners. Capital One says that it plans to add more participating transfer partners in the future.

What Travel Programs Work With Capital One Miles

• Aeromexico (1:1 ratio)
• Aeroplan (Air Canada) (1:1 ratio)
• Air France/KLM (1:1 ratio)
• Avianca (1:1 ratio)
• British Airways (1:1 ratio)
• Cathay Pacific (1:1 ratio)
• Emirates (1:1 ratio)
• Etihad (1:1 ratio)
• EVA Air (2:1.5 ratio)
• Finnair (1:1 ratio)
• Qantas (1:1 ratio)
• Singapore Airlines (1:1 ratio)
• TAP Air Portugal (1:1 ratio)
• Turkish Airlines (1:1 ratio)

Capital One also has ALL Accor (2:1 ratio), Choice Privileges (1:1 ratio), and Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio) as hotel transfer partners.

What does it mean for Capital One cardholders?

These miles could be redeemed for any travel-related expense without any blackout dates. Now, some options are eligible to transfer to these programs at a rate of 1 mile to 1 mile in the partner program. If you choose to redeem your miles as a way of directly purchasing airfare through Capital One, you can still redeem them with no blackout dates on all travel-related purchases.

Examples of other reward portals include the Citi ThankYou, American Express Membership Rewards®, and Chase Ultimate Rewards® programs. Points/Miles that you can use as money for booking travel but also transfer to other programs are the best. They offer flexibility.

Think Before You Transfer Miles with Capital One Venture Bonus

Before transferring to a travel partner, see if you are better off directly purchasing airfare using your miles through Capital One bonuses. However, if you are booking travel in the premium cabin, it can be beneficial to transfer your miles to a partner. Be sure that there is award availability for the flights you want in the transfer partner’s program before redeeming. Otherwise, you will be stuck with a bunch of miles in a foreign program that you may not be able to use.

Point transfers can be ideal for booking international travel.

Keep in mind it can take up to 5 business days for transfers to complete. However, most partners complete the transfer either instantly or within 36 hours.

Capital One Venture Miles for Travel

One of the best ways to get the most value out of your Capital One Venture miles is to use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchases. You don’t have to use special booking sites or select from a limited pool of participating partner companies like with some branded airline or hotel credit cards. You just log into your Capital One Venture card account and go to your rewards page. There, you will find an option to redeem for travel.

Purchases made from airlines, hotels, trains, car rental agencies, limousine services, bus lines, cruise lines, taxi cabs, travel agents, and timeshares are generally considered to be travel purchases. You can book through a travel agent, your favorite booking portal, or straight from an airline website, whatever you prefer, as long as you use your eligible card to foot the bill.

Redeeming Capital One Miles Through the Booking Portal

To pay directly with Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card miles, you already have instead of with cash to redeem later, you can use Capital One Travel. On your My Rewards page, you can select ‘Book a Trip,’ and you’ll be directed to the Capital One Travel portal. Mile values when booking new travel remain the same (1 cent per mile), but this form of booking often prevents you from earning additional rewards on other accounts. Earning miles via two or more methods simultaneously is called double-dipping.

Booking flights with Capital One’s booking portal is often a good option as there are no blackout dates or award restrictions, and you can’t usually double dip with airlines.

Many other sites like Airbnb and Groupon also partner with frequent traveler programs that allow you to earn miles by booking through your favorite airline’s shopping portal. That means you can essentially earn double the miles (some with the airline, some with Capital One) for purchases and still erase them from your Capital One Venture card. It’s always worth checking if you can double dip before using the Capital One Travel booking site.

Use Capital One Miles for Amazon Purchases

Another non-travel redemption can be redeeming your miles for Amazon purchases. 

First, link your Capital One and Amazon accounts through your credit card dashboard. When you’re shopping at Amazon.com and reach the checkout screen, there will be an option to pay with your current mileage balance. It’s possible to cover any remaining balance with cash.

While using your miles at this online retailer is an easy way to redeem your miles, you may be better off paying for your Amazon purchases with money so you can earn points. Then, you have a bigger balance to pay for upcoming trips.

If you insist on using your Capital One miles for shopping, Amazon.com redemptions are your most valuable non-travel option. You can also redeem points for gift cards or PayPal purchases, but your points are usually worth 0.8 cents for these two alternatives.

Using Capital One Miles for Gift Cards

Capital One devalued this to 0.80

If you simply must use your miles for something other than travel, gift cards are an alternative. However, you’ll only get 0.80 cents per mile value and can redeem as few as 1,000 miles for a $10 gift card. Amazon, movie theaters, restaurants, and more are just a few of the options available. There are often other ways to get deals on gift cards, though, including double-dipping by purchasing one on sale with a credit card and then using it through a frequent traveler shopping portal.

Capital One Venture Bonus Miles Transfers to Other Venture Cardholders

Can’t use your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card miles or want to surprise someone with the extra miles they need to book their own travel? If you would prefer to gift your Capital One Venture bonus miles to someone else with a Capital One Venture account, it’s free to do so. Miles will transfer on a 1:1 basis, so gift away. Friends or family members will thank you.

Can You Get Cash Back With Capital One?

If you’re looking for cash back, note that cash back credits should be your last option when redeeming Capital One Venture miles. You can get cash back in the form of account credit or a check in the mail, but you’ll only get half the value of any other option. That’s only half a cent per dollar, making it the least valuable way to redeem your miles.

If you’re looking for cash back, you’re better off checking out the best cash-back credit card options. Some are also fee-free, making them easy to carry in your wallet.

Bottom Line on Redeeming Capital One Venture Miles

Capital One credit cards make it easy to earn and redeem Capital One miles with the Venture card. It offers maximum flexibility with minimum complications. Being able to spend normally and then decide what purchases to erase is a key feature of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. It might be one of the least complicated cards out there. Add to that the varied redemption options and good point value for all purchases across the board, and it’s a pretty solid choice.

For those seeking an easy-to-use card that doesn’t require dedicated booking portals or constantly fluctuating point or mile-earning values, the Capital One Venture card should be high on your list of travel cards to consider.

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• VentureOne vs Capital One Venture
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FAQs

How do Capital One Venture miles work?

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns unlimited 2x miles per $1 on all purchases. However, earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

You earn the same amount of miles for U.S. and international purchases.

You can redeem your Capital One Venture miles for travel, cash, and gift card rewards. Although your miles are usually most valuable when redeemed for travel statement credits, booking upcoming travel, or transferring to airline or hotel partners.

How do I redeem Capital One Venture miles?

Your Venture miles can be redeemed for travel, cash, and gift card rewards in your Capital One online account. You can redeem your miles in any amount for most reward options.

Each point is worth 1 cent each (i.e., 10,000 miles=$100) for travel statement credits (travel purchases within the last 90 days) and booking upcoming travel on the Capital One travel booking site. You can also transfer your miles to select airlines and hotels where they can be worth more than 1 cent each.

Venture miles are usually worth less than 1 cent each when redeemed for cash rewards or gift cards. 

One final option is transferring your miles at a 1:1 ratio to other Capital One Venture cardholders.

How much are Capital One Venture miles worth?

Each Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card mile is worth 1 cent each for travel statement credits and booking upcoming travel through the Capital One travel booking site powered by Orbitz. Redeeming 10,000 miles is worth $100 for these two redemption options.

You might be able to make each point worth more than 1 cent each by first transferring your miles to an airline partner and booking a flight directly from the airline.

Your miles are less valuable when redeemed for cash or gift cards. The average point value is only 0.8 cents. For example, 10,000 miles are only worth $80.

How Many Venture Miles For a Flight?

You will need 10,000 miles per $100 in flight costs. Each mile is worth 1 cent for award travel with the Capital One Venture Rewards, Capital One Venture X Rewards, or the Spark Miles for Business Credit Card.

It’s possible to pay with miles and cash through Capital One’s travel booking site if you don’t want to use 100% points to book a flight. Additionally, the travel booking site is powered by Hopper, which offers price prediction and price protection tools to help find the lowest price.

Can You Combine Capital One Miles?

Yes, you can combine the miles you earn between your Venture and Spark Miles credit cards. It’s also possible to transfer your miles to or receive miles from another Capital One customer with a Venture or Spark Miles account without transfer fees.

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