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Editorial Disclosure
If you’re looking for a travel card with a modest annual fee, a lucrative sign-up bonus, and lots of transfer partners, look no further than the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Capital One just rolled out a limited-time welcome bonus that’s worth $1,000 toward travel — and potentially much more if you know how to use the miles strategically.
Below, I’ll break down all the details and explain why the card is one of the easiest to recommend.
Note that if you apply for any of my recommended cards using my referral links, I’ll receive a small commission that supports all my content. Thank you!
Massive sign-up bonus
To start, the Capital One Venture card is offering a limited-time sign-up bonus that breaks down into two components.
- $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first year as a cardholder
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
Those 75,000 bonus miles could be redeemed directly via the Capital One Travel portal, but you could stretch the value of the miles even further by transferring to a slew of partners. More on that below.
Note that you’re not eligible for the sign-up bonus if you’ve received a welcome offer on the Venture card (or the $395-a-year Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card) within the past 48 months.
2x miles on everything
Here’s where the card starts to shine. It earns 2x miles on every purchase with no caps.
That means you don’t need to keep track of bonus multipliers or spend categories. Personally, I use the Venture card for all my everyday spending. Think things like childcare, insurance bills, and parking.
Other top travel credit cards offer bonus points on travel, dining, and groceries, but the Venture card is a great catch-all for everything else.
And if you’re looking for a simple way to maximize every purchase without any extra thinking involved, this card checks that box.
$95 annual fee
I’m not sure about you, but I’m definitely starting to feel credit card fatigue with all the pricey annual fees and laundry list of credits to use.
The Venture card is simple and affordable. It’s just $95 a year, and you don’t need a spreadsheet to track the benefits.
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Lucrative transfer partners
Sure, you could redeem the miles from the Venture card directly with Capital One Travel, but you’ll often do much better by transferring them to the more than 15 travel partners.
Some top transfers include Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France Flying Blue, and Virgin Red, and you’ll find the full list here.
Travel perks and benefits
The card offers a few travel perks worth mentioning (and that easily help offset the $95 annual fee).
- No foreign transaction fees
- Hertz Five Star elite status
- Up to $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
A pricier cousin
While the Venture card might be great for starters and intermediates looking for simplicity, you might also want to consider the pricier Venture X card.
The card offers a bunch more perks that easily help justify the $395 annual fee, including:
- 10,000 bonus miles as an anniversary gift every year you keep the card
- Access to Capital One Lounges, Landings, and Priority Pass outposts
- $300 annual Capital One Travel credit
- Cell phone insurance
- Travel protections, including trip cancellation/disruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, and more
- Hertz President’s Circle elite status
What should you do?
If you’re new to the Capital One ecosystem and don’t immediately need access to the issuer’s lounge network, I’d suggest starting with the Venture card.
That way, you’ll earn the limited-time sign-up bonus without a hefty annual fee. Plus, you’ll unlock access to super valuable miles and supercharge your earnings with 2x miles on every purchase.
Even better, you’ll still be eligible for the Venture X welcome offer down the line (assuming Capital One doesn’t change the bonus eligibility rules between now and then).
Either way, you can’t go wrong with either Venture card.
And I wouldn’t blame you for choosing Venture X if you want access to Capital One Lounges—they’re among the best in the business.
Learn more: Capital One Venture
Learn more: Capital One Venture X Card
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