Best 4 Capital One Travel Credit Cards

By Daria Uhlig

August 5, 2022

South_agency / Getty Images

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.

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.

Keep reading to learn more about 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.

Besides using your rewards for travel, you can also use them toward Amazon.com purchases and purchases made via PayPal Checkout.

Pros

• 1.25 miles per dollar spent
• 0% introductory APR on purchases for 15 months, followed by 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.

Use your Venture miles for flights or hotels, transfer them to a loyalty program or use them toward purchases when you shop at Amazon.com or check out with PayPal.

Pros

• Earn two Venture miles per dollar spent on any purchase
• 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

Cons

• Steep $95 annual fee
• No introductory rate for purchases or balance transfers

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’ve not 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.

Pros

• 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

Cons

• 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 $395 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. You’ll also earn 10,000 bonus miles on your account anniversary every year, once you’ve paid the annual fee.

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.

Pros

• High miles earning potential
• Generous new cardmember offer
• More perks than other Capital One travel cards

Cons

• No introductory APR
• High annual fee
• Excellent credit required

Which Is the Best Capital One Travel Card for You?

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.

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.

Cynthia Measom contributed to the reporting for this article.

Rates are subject to change; unless otherwise noted, rates are updated periodically. All other information on accounts is accurate as of Aug. 5, 2022.

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.

About the Author

Daria Uhlig

Daria Uhlig is a personal finance, real estate and travel writer and editor with over 25 years of editorial experience. Her work has been featured on The Motley Fool, MSN, AOL, Yahoo! Finance, CNBC and USA Today. Daria studied journalism at the County College of Morris and earned a degree in communications at Centenary University, both in New Jersey.