The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are among some of the most popular general travel credit cards on the market. Unlike cards tied to a particular airline or hotel chain, these cards give you tremendous flexibility. You book travel however you want, then use your credit card rewards to pay for your trip.
When you compare them side by side, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card comes out ahead with its potential for long-term value, even with its $95 annual fee. Initially, you'll earn a sizable sign-up bonus, and you'll also receive generous ongoing perks and rewards.
The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card is a decent choice if you prefer a $0 annual fee or an introductory APR, but from a rewards perspective, it won't provide as much value unless you're a BofA Rewards™ program member who keeps a significant amount of money with the bank.
★ LIMITED TIME OFFER
For a limited time, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is offering new cardholders an especially rich bonus, including hundreds of dollars toward booking a stay. The issuer describes it this way: "LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $300 to use on hotel and vacation rental bookings through Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening – that’s more than $1,000 in travel value. " Get the full details here or read our review and apply here.
How the cards compare
Annual fee
Sign-up bonus
Rewards
APR
Still not sure?
Why the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is better for most travelers
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns a higher rewards rate and packs more perks that can quickly help you make your vacation plans a reality. While the $95 annual fee may be a dealbreaker for some, the incentives combined can offset its cost and still allow you to earn more value over time.
A heftier introductory bonus
By comparison, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a more generous introductory offer for new cardholders: LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $300 to use on hotel and vacation rental bookings through Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening – that’s more than $1,000 in travel value. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card requires more spending to claim the bonus, but if you plan it around a heavy-spend season, you may find that it's not too daunting to reach. If earned, it can free up money in your budget to enhance your vacation or cover other costs.
Better rewards
Looking at these cards' baseline rewards rates, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card flies 33% higher: It gives you an unlimited 2 miles per $1 spent on most purchases, plus 5 miles per $1 on hotel, vacation rentals and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel. The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card gives you an unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent. (You'll earn 3 points per $1 spent when you book travel through Bank of America.) Each card's rewards have a value of 1 cent per mile or point when redeemed for travel.
Both cards allow you to redeem rewards toward a variety of travel-related expenses like airfare, hotel stays, cruise lines, travel agencies or other options. Rewards also don’t expire for either card as long as it remains open and active.
More travel perks
Both cards skip the foreign transaction fees, allowing you to save money on purchases made abroad. But the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a longer list of travel perks that can add value to your next vacation. Among them:
Credits: Receive a credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, and get a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection.
Transfer partners: You can transfer miles to more than a dozen partner airline and hotel programs at varying rates. The value of miles transferred varies by partner and redemption options.
Auto rental collision damage waiver: Receive coverage for damage due to collision or theft when you rent an eligible car with the card.
Hertz Five Star status: This benefit allows you to receive free status upgrades, avoid waiting in line and choose from more rental car options. 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 Car Rental: Save More on Rental Cars, Vans & Trucks | Hertz ) 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.
Who might prefer the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Those who want a $0 annual fee
If an annual fee isn’t for you, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card is a decent choice. For a $0-annual-fee card, it features a decent rewards rate and the flexibility to book and redeem travel with any airline or hotel brands.
Those who want an introductory APR
Unlike the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card offers an introductory interest-free window: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 17.74%-27.74% will apply. Travel credit cards with these types of offers are uncommon, so when you encounter one it's worth considering, especially if you could use the breathing room when you’re booking a flight or a stay.
Those who are BofA Rewards customers
For customers who keep a significant amount of money with Bank of America®, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card could potentially be a better long-term deal than the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. That's because you can join the BofA Rewards program and boost your credit card earning rates. At the program's baseline "Member" tier — which requires only that you have a personal checking account with Bank of America® — you'll get a 10% rewards bonus, which takes your earning rate with the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card to 1.65x back on most purchases (instead of just 1.5x back).
You can boost your rewards rate even higher — up to a potential 2.625x back on most purchases — by keeping larger amounts of money with Bank of America®. Here's more on how the BofA Rewards program works, and what it could mean for your Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card.
Which card should you get?
While the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card has some standout features you won’t find elsewhere, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is the better choice in most cases, thanks to its lucrative sign-up bonus, its high ongoing rewards rate on most purchases, and its multiple travel-related perks.
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.
