Don’t delay—take the Capital One Venture Double Miles Challenge 2012 and earn 100,000 bonus miles before time runs out! This is a VERY limited opportunity to earn a quick $1,000 in travel rewards. Capital One is only giving away 1 billion miles and enforcing a strict May 1^st deadline. Last year, the miles ran out well before the stated deadline, so take action quickly to get 10x the Venture’s usual bonus!

Update March 30th, 2011: All things must pass: NerdWallet’s no longer offering the Double Miles Challenge. The Venture is still an amazing card, though – check out our review of the Capital One® VentureSM Rewards Credit Card!

How to get 100,000 bonus miles

Step one is to open a new Capital One® VentureSM Rewards Credit Card. Sorry Venture vets—the Double Miles Challenge is only open to new signers. Additionally, you’ll only be able to participate if you held a major travel credit card in 2011. If you meet both requirements, you’re eligible for the fattest signing bonus known to man.

The Venture is awarding double points on purchases made with competitor travel cards in 2011. You simply provide a year-end summary for your current travel rewards card, and Capital One awards 2 points per dollar spent. For example, if you charged $35,000 on your Chase Sapphire last year, Capital One will give you 70,000 No Hassle Miles. The maximum exchange is $50,000 charged for 100,000 bonus miles.

The only other stipulation is you must spend $1,000 within the first 3 months of signing. That’s pretty standard of any signing bonus, though generally you’ll have to spend more for bigger bonuses.

Capital One® Venture℠ Rewards Credit Card
	Money(R) Magazine's "Most Rewarding Card if you crave free airline flights" 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day Earn 10,000 bonus miles, equal to $100 in travel Redeem your miles for any travel expense No limit on the miles you can earn and miles won't expire Fly free on any airline, any time with no blackout dates No foreign transaction fees $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $59 after that
Annual Fee Signing Promo APR, variable* Intro APR Promotions $0 intro for first year; $59 after that 10,000 Capital One No Hassle Miles Bonus after spending $1,000 - in the first 90 days Min APR: 13.9%(V) Max APR: 20.9%(V) Default APR: 29.4%(V) Cash Adv: 24.9%(V) Purchase: None Bal Trans: None

How much are 100,000 miles worth?

No Hassle Miles maintain a fairly typical redemption value at a penny per point, meaning a 100,000 sum is equivalent to $1,000 in travel rewards. Even if you only charged $25,000 last year, you can still obtain a $500 bonus. Capital One No Hassle Miles can be redeemed for cruises, vacation packages, flights on any airline, stays in any hotel and car rentals at any service without restrictions or blackout dates. Points are unlimited and won’t expire for the life of your account.

But is the Venture worth it?

ABSOLUTELY. The annual fee is only $59—much lower than many cards of its caliber—and is waived the first year. The Venture accumulates rewards at a flat 2% rate on all purchases, which is the experience the Double Miles Challenge aims to emulate. And like any topnotch travel card, the Venture charges no foreign transaction fee, saving 3% on every out-of-country purchase.

Already got the Venture? Here’s another awesome signing bonus

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers the most comparable signing bonus at 50,000 Ultimate Rewards Miles. Because miles are worth 25% more when booking travel through Chase, the bonus is $625 in rewards. While dwarfed by the Venture’s potential 100k bonus, the Sapphire’s offer is nowhere near as limited. We can’t promise it will be there forever, but it has been around awhile and continues raging strong.

The Sapphire’s ongoing rewards accumulate at 2% on travel and dining purchases and 1% everywhere else. The annual fee is considerably steeper at $95, but it’s waived the first year, and you receive an annual 7% rewards dividend to help cover the cost. Like the Venture, the Sapphire does not charge a foreign transaction fee.

Looking solely at signing bonuses, the Venture offers the better value if you charged more than $31,250 on your travel card last year. If you charged less, the Sapphire’s bonus is worth more. Of course, if you plan on sticking with your new chosen card, you’ll also want to weigh ongoing rewards and annual fees. Generally, the Venture tends to yield higher rewards at a lower cost. But hey—either way, there’s nothing wrong with getting your bonus and getting out. Planning a summer vacation? Earn the signing bonus, spend it and, if you decide the card isn’t worth the price, close your account before the annual fee kicks in (but you didn’t hear it from us).

Capital One just launched its new lineup, the Capital One Spark business credit cards. No longer Venture Business and so forth, the Spark cards still remain among the best options for small business owners. The suite of six cards is headlined by two standout offers: the Capital One Spark Miles and Capital One Spark Cash. The cards offer solid rewards rates across all purchases, plus a few low-interest perks for those businesses using credit cards for working capital.

Before we detail the cards individually, we’ll talk about what Capital One has to offer on all its cards. It charges no foreign transaction fee, key for business travelers. It also offers quarterly and year-end statements that categorize expenses, and the option to personalize the card with your business’ logo.

It’s also worth noting that Capital One has voluntarily adopted the CARD Act protections, which apply only to personal cards, for its business credit cards as well. This means you’re protected from unannounced and sustained interest rate hikes, among other practices. In a time when many issuers push regular consumers to use business credit cards because they’re unregulated, Capital One’s voluntary acceptance speaks well of them.

Meet the team

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

The first, the Capital One Spark Miles, is like the Venture Business, and has one of the highest rewards rates in the business. It gives 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases, plus up to 15,000 bonus miles upon signup (10,000 when you spend $1k in 3 months, 5,000 when you sign up an employee). Our opinion of this is the same as our assessment of the Venture Business: it’s flexible, it earns a lot of rewards and it’s a darn good choice for any business that travels with any frequency. Its annual fee of $59 is waived the first year, and it pays out in No Hassle Miles, which allow you to redeem for any travel expense as a statement credit. All told, it’s one of the best small business credit cards out there.

CapOne Spark Cash for Business

The Spark Cash replaces the Business No Hassle Cash Premier, and is more or less the same as the Spark Miles, except that it earns cash back rather than No Hassle Miles. You earn 2% cash back on all purchases, plus $150 as a signing bonus, with the same requirements as the Spark Miles. It’s versatile, and cash back is the easiest form of rewards to use, so for businesses that don’t travel as much, it’s an equally solid option.

Spark Miles Select for Business

The Spark Miles Select for Business replaces the Business Platinum, earning what amounts to 1.5% rewards: 1 mile per $1 spent on all purchases, plus a 50% bonus on all your points, spent or unspent, upon your anniversary. It’s more friendly to businesses looking for capital: it offers no interest on purchases until April of 2012, and has no annual fee. Unlike the two cards above, however, it has no signup bonus.

Spark Cash Select for Business

The Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business replaces the Business No Hassle Cash Premier. It’s the same as the CapOne Spark Miles Select, except that it earns cash back.

Spark Select Business

The CapOne Spark Select Business replaces the CapOne Business Platinum Preferred, and earns 1 mile per $1 spent on all purchases. It has no annual fee, and offers 0% interest on purchases for 9 months, but has no signup bonus.

Capital One Spark Classic

The Capital One Spark Classic is equivalent to the CapOne Business No Hassle Cash and earns 1% cash back, but has no signup bonus or 0% intro APR. It’s a better option if your business can’t qualify for the Capital One Spark Cash, but compared to the other offers it’s not nearly as exciting.

Capital One credit cards are known for their industry-leading rewards rates and sweet signup bonuses. In our opinion, their best selling point is their No Hassle rewards program, which pretty much lives up to its name. The rewards are easy to redeem, they don’t expire, and unlike Citi ThankYou Points or Bank of America WorldPoints, you don’t need to rack up tens of thousands of them before you see good returns. All the cards mentioned here fall under two of the three rewards categories: the No Hassle Miles or No Hassle Cash program. Though Capital One’s low interest credit cards are nothing to write home about, where the issuer really stands out is its rewards credit cards: they tend to have exceptional rates and, as we mentioned, easy redemption options. Without further ado, here are our top picks for Capital One cards.

Best Card for Travel: the CapOne Venture Rewards

Very few credit cards offer the equivalent of 2% back on all purchases. The Capital One Venture Rewards card offers best rewards deal of pretty much all travel credit cards: 2 No Hassle miles per $1 on every purchase. Moreover, those No Hassle miles are pretty flexible: they’re unlimited, they don’t expire, and you can use them as a statement credit offsetting travel expenses rather than limiting yourself to one plane ticket on one designated carrier.

One major perk for travelers is that the Venture has no foreign transaction fee. This charge can set you back as much as 3% of what you spend overseas, so an international traveler will easily get good value out of the waived F/X fee. And, last we checked, Venture Rewards is the only 2% card with no foreign transaction fee and complimentary concierge service. The $59 annual fee is waived in the first year. Those things are pretty hard to find all together, so Capital One gets major kudos for that.

Best No-Fee Card: the Capital One Cash

The Capital One Cash card, launched in August, is pretty much the best no-fee rewards credit card in the business. Generally, you’re lucky to get 1.25% rewards, and you often have to settle for a base 1% rate. With the Cash, however, you can do better. You’ll earn 1% cash back on all purchases and no annual fee, but if you make your payments on time for a whole year, you’ll get an additional 50% bonus on that cash back, bringing the overall rewards rate up to 1.5%. You can redeem your cash back via check, statement credit or gift card, and best of all, you can also set up automatic redemptions. This is godsend for busy folks who might otherwise forget to redeem their hard-earned rewards (you know who you are). Finally, its year-long 0% introductory APR period is pretty snazzy. With no annual fee and a high rewards rate, the Cash is easy to use and a good long-term companion.

Best Student Card: the Journey Student Rewards

To be fair, CapOne only has one student card, so the Journey Student Rewards card is a winner by default. However, that’s not it say it doesn’t have its own merits. While the APR is a bit high at 19.8%, it does offer no annual fee, 1% cash back on all purchases, and a 25% bonus each month when you pay your bill on time, bringing the total reward rate to 1.25%. Just like the Cash card, your cash rewards doesn’t expire, and are easy to redeem. It’s also worth mentioning you only need average credit to qualify for this card, so it’s good for students trying to build credit, but you really need to pay your bills on time to make this card worth your while. To help keep you up to date, Capital One will send you texts alerts or emails when your statements are due.

Best Credit Card for Bad Credit: the Capital One Secured

The Capital One Secured is one of the best secured cards out there, mostly because of its accessibility. For one thing, CapOne will consider you straight out of bankruptcy, while BofA and others have you wait six months or more. For another, they have a really low security deposit: $49, $99 or $200 for a $200 credit limit, and you can pay in installments if you don’t have the cash upfront. You can also easily “graduate” to an unsecured credit card, and increase your credit limit as well. The annual fee is among the lowest at $29, though it’s not waived the first year.

Best Business Card: the Capital One^® Spark^℠ Cash for Business

The Capital One^® Spark^℠ Miles for Business used to be known as the Capital One® Venture for Business^℠, and is corporate counterpart to the Capital One® Venture^℠ Rewards Credit Card card, which helps make it another one of our top recommendations. You’ll earn the same 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases, and there’s no annual fee for the first year (it’s $59 after that). It gives 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 during the first 3 months. You can earn an additional 5,000 miles when you sign up for an employee card within the first 60 days. It’s also got a few extra business perks: You’ll get a free itemized report of your spending at the end of the year (very useful for tax time), free employee cards, and fraud liability protection. Just as the Venture is a leader in the overall rewards category, the Venture Business tops the list of small business credit cards.

Don’t sacrifice good rates and rewards just because you have fair credit! Even people with average credit can enjoy cash back with their purchases. Read on for reviews of the best credit cards for fair credit, which can earn you a lot more than you think.

You don’t have to have the world’s best credit score to enjoy the benefits of a worthwhile cash back program. Thankfully, you’re out of the woods with a 650+ FICO score, so you can take advantage of offers you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. If your FICO score isn’t what it could be, don’t despair! Here are the most top rewards-earning cards for people with average credit.

Absolute best credit card for average credit: the Capital One Cash Credit Card - Average Credit

Topping our list is the Capital One Cash Credit Card - Average Credit, a killer offering from Capital One that offers accessibility and rewards. Even with less-than-stellar credit, you get:

• 1.5% rewards on all your purchases (1% back, plus a 50% points dividend on your anniversary of cardmembership)
• Easy-to-redeem cash back, so you don’t have to struggle with complicated rewards programs and point systems
• 0% APR on purchases until February 2013, so you can take your time paying off a big purchase

It has a remarkably low $39 annual fee, which actually beats out most other bad credit cards. For example, the Orchard Bank MasterCard has a $59 ongoing annual fee. Plus, like all Capital One credit cards, this one has no foreign transaction fee.

Capital One® Cash Rewards - Average Credit
	50% bonus on the cash back you earn every year 1% cash back on all purchases Earn unlimited cash rewards that don't expire Redeem cash rewards anytime for any amount, even set up automatic redemption Personalize your card with an image of your choice 0% intro APR on purchases until February 2013
Annual Fee Signing Promo APR, variable* Intro APR Promotions $39 None Min APR: 17.9%(V) Max APR: 22.9%(V) Default APR: 29.4%(V) Cash Adv: 24.9%(V) Purchase: 0% until February 2013 Bal Trans: None

Best card for average-bordering-on-bad credit: the Capital One Classic Platinum Average Credit

If you don’t quite qualify for the average-credit Capital One card mentioned above, your next best bet is the Capital One Classic Platinum Average Credit. It too has a $39 annual fee, but doesn’t have rewards. Still, you’re getting a pretty good deal, all things considered: no purchase APR until February 2013, which gives you tons of time to build up your FICO score before you’re even charged interest on your purchases.

Capital One® Classic Platinum Credit Card
	0% intro APR on all purchases until February 2013 $0 Fraud Liability if your card is lost or stolen Enjoy Platinum benefits, including 24-hour roadside assistance and extended warranty protection Pick an image for your card—choose the one shown here, any of the hundreds in our collection or add your own
Annual Fee Signing Promo APR, variable* Intro APR Promotions $39 None Min APR: 17.9%(V) Max APR: 22.9%(V) Default APR: 29.4%(V) Cash Adv: 24.9%(V) Purchase: 0% intro APR until February 2013 Bal Trans: None

Best card for immigrants: the Capital One Newcomers

Are you a recent transplant to the United States? If so, you’re in luck: Capital One has a card specifically for immigrants. Your credit score doesn’t carry over from other countries, so you have to start from scratch. But on the bright side, the Capital One Classic Platinum Average Credit is pretty much the best for doing so. There’s no annual fee, and you get 2% cash back on travel and 1% back elsewhere. It has no foreign transaction fee, of course, so it’s a great card to have if you travel home. Capital One doesn’t punish you for having no credit history – they work with you to build it up fee-free.

Capital One® Classic Platinum Credit Card
	0% intro APR on all purchases until February 2013 $0 Fraud Liability if your card is lost or stolen Enjoy Platinum benefits, including 24-hour roadside assistance and extended warranty protection Pick an image for your card—choose the one shown here, any of the hundreds in our collection or add your own
Annual Fee Signing Promo APR, variable* Intro APR Promotions $39 None Min APR: 17.9%(V) Max APR: 22.9%(V) Default APR: 29.4%(V) Cash Adv: 24.9%(V) Purchase: 0% intro APR until February 2013 Bal Trans: None

Many of the Barclays credit cards are geared toward travel. With AirTran, Priceline and Best Western credit cards available, Barclays offers a variety of travel rewards programs designed to reward loyal hotel guests and frequent flyers. Unfortunately, none of those programs are very good.

Narrow selections: Iceland or China?

Barclays has a long list of travel credit cards, ranging from China Airlines to Princess Cruises. While many them are tailored for customers with specific needs, you will be better off choosing a more versatile card with better rewards. Take Barclays’ Icelandair credit card for example. Let’s say you’re favorite cousin lives in Iceland, and you visit him several times a year. A credit card specific to Icelandic travel is just what you need, right?  Well, not really.

The Icelandair World Mastercard offers 2 points for every $1 spent on Icelandair travel, and $1 spent anywhere else. It has the paltry rewards program of a no-fee credit card, but comes with a $39 annual fee. The signup bonus is a mere 10,000 points, plus 1 point per dollar of transferred balance, up to 10k points. Compare that to the Capital One Venture. The Venture has a slightly higher annual fee of $59 (waived the first year), but its rewards are astronomically better. You receive 2 points for every $1 spent anywhere at all, including flights to and from Iceland. If you decide you want to get crazy and visit your other cousin in Nova Scotia, you’ll earn double points there as well. Even at home, every purchase will get you 2 points to the dollar.

The Barclays travel credit cards only give double rewards with a single company, which makes them very limiting. If you want bonus points on Aer Lingus or Best Western or Virgin America purchases, you have to pick one and only one. Why not choose a more flexible credit card that’ll earn you 2x rewards on all purchases, or if you’re not feeling the CapOne Venture, even one that gives 2x rewards on all airfare rather than just one carrier?

A (small) step up: travel site cards

A slightly better Barclays option is the Priceline card. The Priceline Rewards Visa Card will get you rewards on Priceline.com, which means you’re not limited to earning at a particular airline or hotel chain. You’ll get high reward rates on flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages and more, as long as you book them through the website. Priceline offers 4 points to the dollar on Priceline Name Your Own Price purchases, 3 points on other eligible Priceline purchases, 2 points on home improvement or groceries (you choose which), and 1 point on everything else. Again, this is an okay rewards program, but only truly worth it if you use Priceline for every single travel decision you ever make.

The better options

Though the Priceline card is the best Barclays has to offer, it still can’t hold a candle to some of the more versatile travel credit cards out there.

Another stellar travel card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It gives you 2 points for every $1 spent on dining and general travel (that’s airfare, hotels, rental insurance and so on) and 1 point for everything else. The annual fee is a bit steep at $95, but you do get the first year free and a 50,000-point signup bonus. Like the Venture, the Sapphire is a Visa Signature card, which means you get some pretty astounding additional benefits, including special access and preferred seating at events, shopping discounts, 24-hour roadside assistance, auto rental insurance, and complimentary upgrades at hotels and resorts.

In short, we wouldn’t recommend a Barclays credit card. The rewards are limiting and pretty mediocre. If you qualify for something a little better, pay the higher annual fee. You’ll be glad you did.

Capital One® Venture℠ Rewards Credit Card	Chase Sapphire Preferred℠ Card
Signing Promo
10,000 Capital One No Hassle Miles Bonus after spending $1,000 - in the first 90 days	40,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Bonus after spending $3,000 - in the first 3 months.
Intro APR Promo
Purchase: None Bal Trans: None	Purchase: None Bal Trans: None
Annual fee
$0 intro for first year; $59 after that	$0 the first year, then $95
Details
Money(R) Magazine's "Most Rewarding Card if you crave free airline flights" 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day Earn 10,000 bonus miles, equal to $100 in travel Redeem your miles for any travel expense No limit on the miles you can earn and miles won't expire Fly free on any airline, any time with no blackout dates No foreign transaction fees $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $59 after that	Earn 40,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months - that's $500 toward travel rewards! 2 points per dollar spent on travel and and at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Get 20% off airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you book through Ultimate Rewards(SM) No foreign transaction fees Receive a 7% annual dividend on all new poinst earned - even on points already redeemed 1:1 point transfer to participating frequent travel programs Direct access to expert service advisors anytime No Annual Fee for your first year - A $95 value