Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Review
Key Takeaways
The Capital One Venture Rewards card is one of the best entry points into transferable points. It offers a 75,000-mile signup bonus relative to its $95 annual fee, along with unlimited 2x miles on all purchases and useful benefits like Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit and "Cover Your Purchases" function. We generally suggest starting with this card because of the Venture Family Rule, as getting the Venture X first can make you ineligible for this bonus later.
Why This Card Could Be Right For You
The Venture Rewards card works well for beginners or as a companion card in a two-player game.
- 75,000-mile sign-up bonus after meeting the minimum spend of $4,000
- Reasonable $95 annual fee
- 2x miles on all purchases
- 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit ($120)
- Access to 14 airline and 2 hotel transfer partners
- Capital One’s unique "Cover Your Purchases" function lets you wipe out nearly any travel-related charge, including Airbnb and VRBO, at 1:1 value
When The Usual Advice Doesn't Apply
This card may not be a great fit if:
- You’re flying solo in the hobby and can maximize the superior perks of the Venture X
- You’re comfortable with higher annual fees and want better long-term value
- You’re looking for premium card benefits like lounge access and anniversary bonuses
What to Know About Capital One Miles
Capital One is a flexible point system we use for travel items that other systems don't cover
- Partner transfers are niche airlines and hotel brands, making the points more difficult to maximize
- Using an award search tool such as PointsYeah makes finding flights with those airlines more realistic
- Simple redemptions for erasing travel can be useful for cruises & rental cars (at 1¢/point so value isn’t maximized)
- Capital One is particularly attractive to businesses with large spending
How The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Fits In The Capital One Miles Ecosystem
The Venture Rewards card plays an important role in Capital One's travel rewards ecosystem and is often the best starting point for those interested in the Venture family.
- Start here: Because of the Venture Family Rule, we generally recommend getting the Venture Rewards card before the Venture X. Getting the Venture X first can make you ineligible for the Venture Rewards welcome offer.
- Premium option: The Venture X offers a 75,000-point signup bonus and premium travel benefits for a $395 annual fee.
- The annual fee is largely offset by a $300 Capital One Travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles each year.
- First-year value: The Venture Rewards card offers strong value because of its high signup bonus relative to its annual fee, making it an excellent entry point into the Capital One ecosystem.
- Downgrade option: If you are not getting enough value from the card after the first year, consider downgrading to the VentureOne before the next annual fee posts.
If maximizing welcome offers is your goal, the Venture Family Rule generally means you'll want to obtain cards in the order of VentureOne, Venture Rewards, and then Venture X. However, because the VentureOne's welcome offer is relatively weak, many people will choose to skip it and start with the Venture Rewards instead.
My Experience, No Filter
We picked up the Venture early on when we weren’t yet ready for premium fees. It worked well that first year as we landed a 90k bonus and learned the value of flexible redemptions. Eventually, I upgraded to the Venture X, and now we use that as our long-term keeper. This card still comes in handy during brief pauses between bonuses, but it’s not one we’ll hold forever.
Card Information
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Capital One Venture Rewards Application Rules
If you have received a signup bonus from a higher tiered card, you are ineligible to receive a bonus from a lower tiered card in that same card family.
Card approval not subject to 5-personal-cards-in-24-months rule
You won’t be approved for a second Capital One card if you’ve opened one in the past six months
Best for Series
Below is a snapshot of where this card performs best compared to the other cards in our database:
