How Do I Know the Capital One Venture Card Is Right for Me?

With its memorable “What’s in your wallet?” tagline and a host of celebrity spokespeople, you’ve likely heard of the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card.

Even though the “miles” you earn with the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card aren’t frequent flyer miles within a specific airline's program, the bank makes them sound even more attractive with no blackout dates. The card also boasts 2x miles on every purchase, which sounds equally appealing.

Whether you collect miles and points or not, you may have considered applying for this card, especially with the barrage of advertisements and recently elevated bonus. Here’s how to know if the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is a good fit for you:

» Learn more: Capital One Venture review: Easy earnings, effortless redemptions

Welcome bonus

The card’s welcome bonus is pretty nice: Earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening, or earn 50,000 miles if you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.. This is competitive with offers from cards in other flexible points programs (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card), with similar bonus points that can be redeemed for travel or transferred to an airline partner.

» Learn more: Chase Sapphire Preferred review: A must-have for travelers

Redeeming and earning miles

If you’ve been frustrated in the past because you can’t find award availability for an airline seat or hotel stay, then the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is definitely a good fit for you, as the miles can be used for any travel purchase.

And if you’re the type of person who can’t be bothered with rotating bonus categories, then the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card would be a nice option. You’ll earn double miles on everything, with no need to keep track of which card to use for what purchases.

New airline partners

Miles and points enthusiasts have traditionally snubbed this card, mostly because the “miles” you earn on it aren’t traditional airline miles. What that means is that each mile is only worth 1 cent when you use it for travel statement credits.

But now that Capital One has 15 airline transfer partners, it might be time to rethink this stance. Especially if you are already collecting miles in one of these programs:

Aeromexico Club Premier.
Air Canada Aeroplan.
Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
Alitalia MilleMiglia.
Avianca LifeMiles.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.
Emirates Skywards.
Etihad Airways Etihad Guest.
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands.
Finnair Plus.
Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club.
JetBlue True Blue.
Qantas Frequent Flyer.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.

As a bonus, the three major airline alliances are represented in Capital One’s airline partnerships, which opens up even more opportunities for travel. So figure that into the equation if you are thinking of applying for a Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card and transferring the miles to one of these airline programs.

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The bottom line

The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card won’t come with any airline perks like free checked bags, which some airline credit cards offer. However, if you’re new to miles and points, this is a good starter card since the welcome bonus alone is worth giving it a whirl. You can also dip your toe into airline program redemptions through Capital One’s airline transfer partners.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2020, including those best for: