Capital One travel cards reward you with unlimited miles on all your purchases, including travel spending. You can redeem any number of miles to book flights, cruises, hotel stays, car rentals and ride sharing — or receive a statement credit for travel you’ve purchased as long as 90 days ago.
By Daria Uhlig
- At a Glance
- For Everyday Spending
- For Earning Miles Quickly
- For Imperfect Credit
- For Frequent Travelers
- Which Is Best
Miles also transfer to over 15 loyalty programs and can be used toward gift cards and online shopping. There are no seat restrictions or blackout dates when you redeem your rewards for travel. And Venture miles never expire, as long as you keep your account open.
Whichever Capital One travel card you choose, you’ll get special access to sports and entertainment tickets and premium dining reservations through Capital One’s program focused on premium experiences. And your benefits don’t stop at the U.S. border — you can use your card overseas without paying a foreign transaction fee.
4 Best Capital One Travel Cards
Here are the best Capital One credit cards for travel.
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card
Who it’s best for: Users with excellent credit who want a straightforward way to earn miles
If you want to earn mile rewards but don’t use a credit card often enough to justify an annual fee, consider the Capital One VentureOne Rewards credit card. You earn 1.25 miles for every dollar you spend, 5x miles per $1 for hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel and 20,000 bonus miles when you spend $500 on purchases within three months of opening your account.
Pros
- 1.25 miles per dollar spent
- 0% introductory APR on purchases for 15 months, followed by a APR
- Easy-to-earn bonus mile offer for new cardmembers
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Excellent credit is required
Capital One Venture Rewards Card
Who it’s best for: Frequent travelers who want to accumulate miles quickly
The Venture Rewards card is a good choice for those who make heavy use of their travel rewards card, thanks in part to a generous bonus offer for new cardmembers that gives you 75,000 bonus miles for spending $4,000 in the first three months, which more than offsets several years’ worth of annual fees.
Earn two Venture miles per dollar spent on any purchase and five miles per dollar spent on rental cars and hotels through Capital One Travel
Generous new cardmember offer
Up to $100 credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee when using Venture card
Can use miles for shopping instead of travel
Auto rental collision damage/theft waiver
No foreign transaction fees
annual fee
No introductory rate for purchases or balance transfers
Excellent credit required
Capital One VentureOne Rewards for Good Credit
Who it’s best for: Anyone who wants to earn miles but doesn’t qualify for cards with more benefits
You could potentially qualify for the Capital One VentureOne Rewards for Good Credit card if you haven’t been over 30 days late on a payment in the last 12 months.
Although you get fewer perks than with the other cards in this roundup, VentureOne Rewards for Good Credit rewards you with the same number of miles as the VentureOne Rewards card targeted at customers with excellent credit, and you have the same flexibility in how you use them.
1.25 miles per dollar spent
Don’t need excellent credit to qualify
Can use miles toward purchases via PayPal Checkout
No annual fee
No foreign transaction fees
High APR
No bonus mile offer for new cardmembers
No introductory APR
Capital One Venture X Card
Who it’s best for: Frequent travelers who will earn enough miles to offset the annual fee
The Capital One Venture X card is the premium travel card in Capital One’s lineup. Although it comes with a hefty annual fee, it offers 10x miles on hotels and rental cars and 5x miles on flights booked with Capital One Travel — and 2x miles on all other purchases. Each year, you’ll also earn 10,000 bonus miles on your account anniversary — once you’ve paid the annual fee — and up to $300 in Capital One Travel credits for purchases made via Capital One Travel.
The new cardmember offer is also generous with this card — 75,000 bonus miles once you’ve spent at least $4,000 in the first three months. It comes with other excellent perks, as well.
High miles earning potential
Generous new cardmember offer
More perks than other Capital One travel cards
No introductory APR
High annual fee
Excellent credit required
Which Is the Best Capital One Travel Card for You?
All of the cards offer excellent benefits, but the VentureOne Rewards card gets top billing for striking the best balance between value and features, with an introductory APR and a new cardmember bonus you can qualify for even with modest spending.
If you’re still working toward an excellent credit rating, the VentureOne Rewards for Good Credit card is your best bet for being approved for a travel rewards card.
Cynthia Measom contributed to the reporting for this article.
Is Capital One a good credit card for international travel?
Yes – all of Capital One’s credit cards are free of foreign transaction fees. Plus, Capital One cards are either Visa or Mastercard, which are widely accepted across the globe.
Which Capital One card is the best for traveling?
If you have excellent credit, the Venture Rewards card has a great balance of value and features for travelers, including up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck to make your airport experience smoother.
Yes – all of Capital One’s credit cards are free of foreign transaction fees. Plus, Capital One cards are either Visa or Mastercard, which are widely accepted across the globe.
If you have excellent credit, the Venture Rewards card has a great balance of value and features for travelers, including up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck to make your airport experience smoother.
Rates are subject to change; unless otherwise noted, rates are updated periodically. All other information on accounts is accurate as of Jan. 17, 2023.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.
