Capital One Miles: How the Program Works

To get the most out of Capital One Miles, you'll want to use them for travel.
Lindsay Konsko
By Lindsay Konsko 
Updated
Edited by Erica Corbin

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If you have a Capital One travel credit card, then you can earn Capital One Miles. Here’s what you need to know about those miles and how to get the most out of them:

Capital One Miles: The basics

Depending on which of Capital One's travel cards you’re using, you'll earn 1.25 to 2 miles for every dollar of spending. Those miles can be redeemed for up to 1 cent apiece, with travel redemptions offering the most value. You can also choose to transfer your miles to a variety of travel transfer partners, which can allow you to yield a higher value for your miles.

Capital One Miles also give you added flexibility because they don’t expire as long as your account remains open.

Cards that earn Capital One Miles

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Rewards rate: 2 miles per dollar spent.

  • Bonus offer: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

  • Annual fee: $395

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Rewards rate: 2 miles per dollar spent.

  • Bonus offer: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

  • Annual fee: $95.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Rewards rate: 1.25 miles per dollar spent.

  • Bonus offer: Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel.

  • Annual fee: $0.

Capital One Spark Miles Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 
  • Rewards rate: 2 miles per dollar spent.

  • Bonus offer: Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

  • Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95.

How to redeem Capital One Miles

Paying for travel

The best way to redeem Capital One Miles is for travel. You can either use them to book travel through Capital One, or you can redeem them for credit on your statement against travel purchases. With either option, miles are worth 1 cent apiece.

The big draw here is that you can book travel however you want — through Capital One or elsewhere, flying on any airline, staying at any hotel — and use your miles to pay for it. That's why the ubiquitous ads for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card stress that there are no blackout dates or restrictions on how you use your miles.

There is also no minimum redemption amount when using your miles for travel expenses.

Transferring to loyalty programs

Capital One lets you transfer your miles to the loyalty programs of more than a dozen airline and hotel partners. In some cases, though, the transfer ratio is less than 1:1.

Airlines

  • Aeromexico (1:1 ratio).

  • 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 (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).

Hotels

  • Accor (2:1 ratio).

  • Choice Privileges Hotels (1:1 ratio).

  • Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio).

When you transfer your miles, the value you ultimately get per mile depends on how you redeem them with the program you moved them to.

Gift cards

This redemption method will get you a value of around 1 cent per mile, too, so if a getaway isn’t achievable, there’s still a way to decent value from your rewards. You'll need a minimum of 2,500 miles to redeem for a gift card, though.

Other redemption options

You can also use your Capital One miles for cash back in the form of a check or statement credit for a non-travel purchase. But cash-back redemptions cut the value of mile in half, meaning that miles are worth 0.5 cent each. You'll need a minimum of 5,000 miles for a cash-back redemption.

Key takeaways about Capital One Miles

There isn't a lot of fine print in the Capital One rewards program that could trip you up. There’s no limit to the miles you can earn, and miles never expire as long as your account is open and in good standing. If you close your account, however, you’ll lose any unused miles.

Also, if you pay your credit card bill late and are charged a late fee, you won't earn miles during the billing cycle that the late fee was charged. But carrying a balance won’t affect your ability to earn rewards, as long as you make your minimum payment on time.

Capital One Cards from our Partners
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
4.7
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

2x-5x

Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

Miles

Intro offer

75,000

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Miles
Capital One® SavorOneSM Cash Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1%-10%

Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), plus 1% on all other purchases. Earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Earn 10% cash back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats, plus complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024. Terms apply.

Cashback

Intro offer

$200

Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
4.9
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

2x-10x

Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel, Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases.

Miles

Intro offer

75,000

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Miles
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