Capital One offers multiple versions of its Venture-branded credit card, and you could be forgiven for mixing them up thanks to these similar-sounding names:
- The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card - Miles Boost ($0 annual fee — see rates and fees).
- The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ($95 annual fee — see rates and fees ).
- The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ($395 annual fee — see rates and fees).
All three cards share the same basic DNA: Your purchases earn a flat rewards rate, and you can use your earned miles to book travel or redeem for travel statement credit at a rate of 1 cent per mile. You can also transfer your miles to a number of airline partners. None of the cards charges a foreign transaction fee. Given that, it's tempting to want to give an edge to the card without an annual fee.
But in most respects, the VentureOne is the least valuable card of the bunch. If you charge at least $1,056 per month, the elevated rewards rates from the Venture or the Venture X both easily outshine the VentureOne, and that's before taking into account the richer bonuses and perks on those two more expensive cards.
In fact, for many travelers, the highest-fee card may emerge the victor, even for those who are usually averse to fees.
Here’s how to decide which Venture card is right for you.
How the cards compare
Annual fee
- $395
- $95
- $0
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.
Earn 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.
Earn a bonus of 40,000 miles once you spend $1,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $400 in travel.
Rewards
Unlimited 2 miles per dollar on most purchases, plus 5 miles per dollar on vacation rentals and flights booked through Capital One Travel and 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Unlimited 2 miles per dollar on most purchases, plus 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Unlimited 1.25 miles per dollar on most purchases, plus 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Other benefits
- $300 annual travel credit on bookings through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 anniversary miles each year you renew.
- Unlimited complimentary access to Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings and participating Priority Pass lounges.
- Credit of up to $120 for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck when you pay with the card.
- Extra perks when you book a hotel stay through Capital One's Premier Collection like an $100 experience credit, daily breakfast for two people and complimentary WiFi.
- Cell phone protection.
- Transfer miles to partner airline and hotel programs. Per-mile value depends on the transfer partner and how you redeem the transferred miles.
- Hertz President's Circle elite status.
- Credit of up to $120 for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck when you pay with the card.
- Transfer miles to partner airline and hotel programs. Per-mile value depends on the transfer partner and how you redeem the transferred miles.
- Extra perks when you book a hotel stay through Capital One's Lifestyle Collection like a $50 experience credit, complimentary WIFI and room upgrades when available.
- Transfer miles to partner airline and hotel programs. Per-mile value depends on the transfer partner and how you redeem the transferred miles.
Still not sure?
Why the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes out ahead
Travel credits
Though the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card carries a premium $395 fee, it also comes with travel credits that can offset that fee. You’ll get up to a $300 credit each year toward travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal.
Better bonuses
New cardholders will earn the most Venture miles off the bat with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card’s sign-up bonus: 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.
Beyond that, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus when you renew your card. That’s worth $100 toward travel (or even more if you strategically transfer to travel partners). Neither of the other cards offers an anniversary bonus.
Lounge perks
If you fly a few times a year, chances are you’ll transit through an airport with a Priority Pass lounge. Holders of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card get access to participating Priority Pass lounges.
Why some travelers might choose the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
While $300 in annual credits is appealing to many travelers, the catch is that you have to book the travel through the Capital One Travel portal. While robust, the portal may not include all the travel you’d like to book. And if you have elite status with a travel program, you may not be entitled to all the perks you’d enjoy if you booked directly or to earn any points from the booking.
Another factor to consider: When you book travel through a third party like a travel portal, you introduce another party into the reservation. If you need to change or cancel the reservation, it can be more of a headache than if you’d booked directly.
If you don’t want to book some travel through the Capital One Travel portal, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card won’t be worth it.
Who might prefer the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card - Miles Boost
No annual fee
This is the only area where the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card - Miles Boost (see rates and fees) wins out over its siblings. However, if an annual fee is a dealbreaker for you, there are other travel credit cards with no annual fee to choose from that have higher ongoing rewards rates.
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card - Miles Boost earns 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Travel hotel, vacation rental and rental car bookings, but its base rewards rate is only 1.25 miles per dollar. With so many no-fee cards earning at least 1.5% back, it can be hard to settle for less.
If you really can’t stomach an annual fee, another card may be a better fit. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, for example, offers 2% cash back on all purchases with a $0 annual fee.
Which card should you get?
If you’re looking for a travel credit card with an easy-to-understand rewards program and you spend enough per month to offset the annual fee in rewards, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card emerges as the clear winner. The $300 annual credit for travel booked through Capital One Travel and the 10,000 anniversary points outweigh the card’s annual fee, plus it offers valuable travel perks to boot.
If booking through a travel portal isn’t for you, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a good bet. Or, see here for our comprehensive list of NerdWallet's best credit cards.
More from Capital One:
Hertz President's Club status:
Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
