I rarely travel without getting some part of my travel for free. I’ve used various credit cards over my life to get free flights, hotels and even to cover my Lyft rides to and from the airport. I usually get one or two new credit cards a year like the Capital One Venture Card to help me stretch my travel budget. The more money I save, the more money I have to book more travel! I know. I’m obsessed!
The Capital One Venture Card is the first credit card in awhile that I’ve actually held onto for a few years instead of cancelling it after I’ve earned and spent my miles or points bonus.
It has the easiest program I’ve used and has some really nice perks. Here are my top 5 Capital One Venture Card Benefits!
Capital One Venture Card Perk # 1
First, if approved for a new Capital One Venture Card you get a bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. That’s worth a minimum of $750 in free travel and with a few tips from your best friend, many thousands of dollars.
Fly you and your love on that romantic trip to Paris and kiss under the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower. Wander Italy in search of the best gelato or pizza place. Take a business class flight to Barcelona to admire the architecture of Antonio Gaudi with miles to spare. Save your cash for some Cava and tasty tapas while you’re there!
The possibilities are endless. Business class flights from the US to Europe are usually near $3,000. I’d say that’s worth the $95 annual fee. This card also doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees which can really add up on an international adventure.
It’s easy to meet the spending requirement to earn the Capital One Venture Card bonus. I recommend automating all of your monthly bills that don’t charge an extra fee for using a credit card.
You would be surprised at all the bills you can automate with a credit card. I’ve automated my car insurance payment, water bill, electricity bill as well as the usual internet, streaming services and cell phone bills.
It does take a few minutes of work on the front end to set up each account, but then I save a ton of time and stress knowing that my bills are all paid, on time, every month.
I never have to worry if I have stamps, that I forgot to pay a bill while on vacation or that an error will mess up my checking account. Set up one autopay to pay your Capital One Venture card and that’s it!
Capital One Venture Card Perk # 2
Second, Capital One Venture Card gives two miles for every dollar you spend on the card. If you meet the spending requirement for the 75,000 mile bonus by spending $4,000 in the first three months that will give you an additional 8,000 miles. That’s a grand total of 83,000 miles! Not too shabby. 🙂
If you get the Venture card, as I did, you also get 5x the miles on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel. If you upgrade to the Venture X the annual fee is $395, but you get an annual $300 travel credit. Plus you get 10x miles for hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel.
Redeem miles through Capital One Travel for flights, hotels or car rentals for 1 cent/mile OR score a great deal on your own flights and erase the charge using the “Cover travel purchase” option.
Better yet use the “Convert Rewards” option and transfer your miles to one of Capital One’s Transfer partners to make your miles stretch even further.
You can transfer miles at a one to one ratio per 1000 miles to the following partners except where noted:
- Aeromexico
- Air Canada
- Air France/KLM
- Accor Hotels
- Cathay Pacific
- Avianca
- British Airways (Can also move miles from British Airways to Aer Lingus and Iberia)
- Choice Hotels
- Emirates
- Etihad Airways
- EVA Air (1000 Capital One miles =750 EVA Air miles)
- Finnair
- Quantas
- Singapore Airlines
- TAP Airlines
- Turkish Airlines
- Virgin Airlines
- Wyndham Hotels
Perk # 3
Third, you get 5 Star Status with Hertz Rental Car which means you can skip the counter, head straight to the lot and pick your own car.
It’s such a time saver not to have to wait in line and I love the freedom to pick which vehicle suits my particular vacation. Is it a sporty car for a beach vacation or an SUV for those mountain drives? You decide!
Hertz 5 Star Status also lets you earn points for free rental days and upgrades from Hertz Dream Car Collections,
Perk # 4
Fourth, Capital One Venture Card members also get complimentary access to free all inclusive lounges twice per year. This can be a lifesaver if you have a long layover. Relax away from the airport crowds. Sample the free restaurant quality food instead of waiting in line for fast food AND enjoy a free full bar! Cheers to that!!
If the airport your visiting doesn’t have a Capital One Lounge don’t worry. You also have access to over 100 locations in their Partner Lounge Network.
Perk # 5
Lastly, if you don’t already have have TSA pre-check or Global Entry, no problem! The Capital One Venture card will reimburse you the application fee up to $100 for either TSA pre-check or Global Entry once every 4 years.
I decided to take advantage of this great perk and it has been so wonderful not having to remove my shoes, liquids or laptop from my bag when I go through airport security. Plus the lines are so much shorter, especially on busy travel days like over the holidays.
Here’s a tip from your best friend. If you will be doing any international trips at all get the Global Entry card. Enter your Known Traveler Number when you make your flight reservations and they will grant you TSA Pre-Check on your domestic flights. It’s like how we used to fly before 9/11.
Global Entry does require a brief interview with Homeland Security, but I was able to complete mine as I was returning to the U.S. from Barcelona on my last international flight home. No need to make an extra trip and it will save you time going through customs when you return home on your next trip!
These are just my favorite perks from the Capital One Venture card. There are many others like free gift cards, PayPal and Amazon credits and cash back. However, if you are looking to maximize your miles then I recommend using them for flights. This will give you the highest return on investment of your valuable miles. If you’re ready to apply here is my link.
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Have your own favorite travel card? Leave me a comment. I love finding new ways to travel better and more often!