Starting Jan. 20, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is featuring a limited-time welcome bonus worth up to $1,000 in travel.
After spending $4,000 with in the first three months of opening the account, you’ll earn 75,000 bonus miles and a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit (valid for one year). This new offer is worth $250 more than the standard bonus; however, there are additional restrictions with the travel credit that are important to be aware of.
If you’re considering adding the Capital One Venture to your credit card collection, here’s what you need to know.
How valuable is this welcome bonus?
Capital One miles are exceptionally valuable and flexible when used for travel.
You can offset travel purchases with miles at a rate of 1 cent per mile, so 75,000 miles are worth $750 in travel. You can also use miles to pay for travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal (at the same rate), which pairs nicely with the second part of this offer.
You could use the $250 credit and 75,000 miles to book $1,000 in hotels, flights, rental cars, travel packages, activities or vacation rentals through Capital One Travel. Just don’t forget that the travel credit expires after one year. You can technically use the $250 credit to book travel that takes place after one year, but you must apply it before it expires.
Capital One also has a long list of airline and hotel transfer partners, which can increase the value of your rewards. You can transfer miles to these loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio (unless noted):
You can unlock a lot of potential with Capital One’s transfer partners. For example, if you want to take a vacation to a tropical beach, you could transfer miles to Avianca. Then, you could book United Airlines award flights from the U.S. to a variety of Caribbean destinations for 30,000 miles round-trip, plus taxes and fees.
How does this bonus compare to other offers?
The $95-annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card features a welcome bonus with the same $4,000 spending requirement in the first three months. However, you’ll only earn 60,000 bonus points after meeting the spending requirement. Wells Fargo’s travel partner program also has far fewer transfer options. This makes the Capital One Venture a better option for most people, unless you can’t get approved or want to take advantage of the Autograph Journey’s lucrative bonus spending categories.
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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.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
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