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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Reviews
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review: Simple elevated earnings, low annual fee
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
September 9, 2026 • 14 min read
GISELLEFLISSAK/GETTY IMAGES
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
This mid-tier travel rewards card has remained popular for over a decade due to its straightforward earning structure and flexible redemption options.
Cardholders can redeem rewards for recent travel purchases or transfer to more than 15 airline and hotel loyalty programs, maximizing value.
Notable perks include no foreign transaction fees, a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, complimentary car rental status, and price protection on select bookings.
The card is best suited for those seeking simplicity, flexible travel redemptions and moderate annual costs.
What to consider
The highest bonus-earning rates apply only to select travel booked through the issuer's portal.
No airport lounge access or annual statement credits are included, and only one U.S. airline is a transfer partner.
Eligibility for the welcome bonus is restricted if you have recently earned a bonus on a similar product within the last 48 months.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of this card with premium alternatives and guidance on maximizing redemptions through transfer partners.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
It has remained a valuable mid-tier travel rewards card due to its straightforward earning rates and no foreign transaction fees. Plus, you have multiple ways to redeem your rewards, including covering recent travel purchases at a fixed rate and transferring your miles to any of the 15-plus Capital One airline and hotel partners. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: The basics
The Capital One Venture Rewards offers at least 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, making it an excellent everyday spending card. Plus, it offers 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. These earning rates make the Capital One Venture Rewards card an appealing and good option for consumers who want to use one card for all their purchases.
Unlike many of the other best everyday spending cards, the Venture Rewards card stands out by offering no foreign transaction fees. The card carries a $95 annual fee but offers a $50 experience credit on every Lifestyle Collection booking, complimentary Hertz Five Star status and up to a $120 statement credit (every four years) when you use your Venture card to apply for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Plus, cardholders enjoy price prediction and free price drop protection when booking flights through Capital One Travel.
The Capital One Venture Rewards earns miles that you can redeem for travel, cash back, gift cards, experiences and more. But you can also transfer your miles to 15-plus travel loyalty programs, including Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Choice Privileges.
The price prediction appears anytime you search for a flight through Capital One Travel. It provides guidance on whether to book now and also estimates how pricing is likely to change if you wait to book.
CAPITAL ONE TRAVEL
If the price prediction advises booking now, Capital One Travel will automatically apply price drop protection to that purchase at no additional charge. Then, you'll receive up to $50 of the difference back if the price drops within 10 days.
CAPITAL ONE TRAVEL
These two features often give me the confidence I need to book or continue to track prices. I've gotten money back on several flights via the automated price drop protection, which is always a nice surprise.
Price match guarantee on select travel bookings
You also have some protection if you book a flight, hotel or rental car through Capital One Travel and then find a better price for the same flight, hotel or rental car on another site within 24 hours of booking. Specifically, you can call Capital One Travel, submit a price match claim and then get a travel credit for the difference if the agent can verify the lower price.
I've successfully done price match guarantees for several flights, with the phone calls often taking under 10 minutes. Keep in mind, though, that the itinerary must be an exact match to what you booked on Capital One Travel, and you must submit your claim within 24 hours of making your reservation through Capital One Travel. The price must be in dollars and available to the general public without any coupons, promotions or member discounts.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit
Capital One Venture Rewards cardholders receive up to a $120 statement credit every four years for the application fee for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. The credit will apply to whichever program is applied to first, so consider your application timing if you plan to pay for applications to both programs with your card.
SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
I love having Global Entry, as it lets me get through U.S. immigration queues quickly, and it also gives me TSA PreCheck. I'd pay the Global Entry application fee even if my Capital One Venture Rewards card didn't offer a statement credit, so this perk effectively gives me (up to) $120 back every four years.
Complimentary Hertz Five Star status
Capital One Venture Rewards cardholders can enroll in complimentary Hertz Five Star status through the "Benefits" tab of the Capital One website or mobile app. However, it may take up to 72 hours after you register for Hertz status for the upgrade to take effect, so don't wait until you're about to pick up your rental car to register.
I like having Hertz Five Star status, as it provides upgrades when available, 25% more points and a wider choice of vehicles at Ultimate Choice locations.
Perks on eligible Lifestyle Collection stays
Each time you make an eligible Lifestyle Collection booking through Capital One Travel, you'll get a $50 experience credit to enjoy during your stay. The booking must be made in the cardholder's name, and the cardholder must be staying on the eligible booking.
CAPITAL ONE TRAVEL
If you are staying at a hotel, the hotel will apply the credit at checkout to qualifying charges up to $50. Check with the hotel to determine which charges are qualifying, and then charge qualifying charges to your room during your stay. If you're staying at a vacation rental, the host provider will apply the credit when you book an eligible experience with a Capital One credit card. However, at some vacation rental properties, you may get the experience credit as a gift card.
You'll also enjoy other perks on eligible Lifestyle Collection stays, including complimentary Wi-Fi, early check-in and late checkout. However, early check-in and late checkout are only provided when available, and bookings may have a minimum stay requirement. At hotels, you are also eligible for a room upgrade (subject to availability).
Capital One Dining and Entertainment
Capital One Venture Rewards cardholders also get access to Capital One Dining and Capital One Entertainment.
The entertainment platform may be your ticket to cardholder-only VIP packages and hard-to-secure tickets to popular games, concerts and shows.
Meanwhile, the dining platform can help you secure hard-to-get reservations at top restaurants and provide access to exclusive dining events.
Capital One miles are easy to earn and redeem yet still offer significant value. Here's what you should know about earning and redeeming Capital One miles.
Earning miles
The Capital One Venture Rewards offers simple-to-remember earning rates. Specifically, you'll earn 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases.
These earning rates make the Capital One Venture Rewards an excellent option, whether it's your only card or you use it primarily for purchases that wouldn't earn bonus rewards on other cards. I often use my Capital One Venture Rewards for purchases that would earn just 1 point or mile per dollar spent if I used another rewards credit card.
Redeeming miles
One of the big positives of the Capital One Venture Rewards is the flexibility of its miles. However, the two best ways to redeem Capital One miles are to cover recent travel purchases and to transfer earnings to select airline or hotel loyalty programs.
Redeeming Capital One miles to cover recent travel purchases gives you 1 cent per mile and is incredibly easy. Once you make an eligible travel purchase with your card, you'll have 90 days to log into the Capital One app or website and redeem rewards to cover your purchase.
As long as you get more than 1 cent per mile when transferring miles to partners, this is the most valuable redemption option. However, TPG's September 2026 valuations peg the value of Capital One miles at 1.85 cents each. So, you'll usually want to choose airline or hotel programs that offer at least this much value for your miles when you transfer them.
Downsides of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to consider
The Capital One Venture Rewards won't be the right card for everyone. Here are some drawbacks to keep in mind:
Bonus earning outside Capital One Travel is limited, with most purchases earning the card's standard 2 miles per dollar, (only hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel earn 5 miles per dollar spent).
There are no airport lounge benefits.
There are no annual statement credits or miles to help offset the annual fee.
JetBlue is the only U.S. airline that is a transfer partner.
If the lack of airport lounge benefits and potential difficulty in offsetting the annual fee are your primary concerns about the Capital One Venture, it may be worth considering the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card instead.
Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Venture X
The Capital One Venture X has a higher annual fee ($395) than the Venture ($95), but it offers $300 in annual credits toward bookings made through Capital One Travel. Therefore, if you can naturally use the Venture X's full $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, it can effectively narrow the difference between the cards' annual fees to $0.
Venture X cardholders also get 10,000 bonus miles on each account anniversary, starting with the first anniversary. Between the bonus miles and the annual travel credit, most consumers will get more value than the card's annual fee each year.
Plus, the Venture X offers 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar spent on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases. Capital One Venture X cardholders also get access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One lounges.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Choose the Capital One Venture X if you prioritize:
Credits and miles that can offset the annual fee
Higher earning rates on some types of travel booked through Capital One Travel
Access to Priority Pass and Capital One airport lounges
Choose the Capital One Venture Rewards if you prioritize:
As such, the current welcome offer is worth considering: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Plus, receive a $300 credit to use on hotel and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel in the first cardholder year upon account opening.
This is one of the best offers we've seen for this card. According to TPG's valuations, this welcome offer is worth $1,688, including the credit.
Note that Capital One won't approve you for a new Capital One Venture Rewards card if you opened a Venture Rewards or Venture X card and earned a bonus in the last 48 months. So, you'll need to wait at least 48 months after earning a welcome bonus on either of these cards before you apply for the Capital One Venture Rewards.
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: The no-annual-fee sibling to the Venture also offers elevated earning rates; cardholders can earn 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.25 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases. Check out our full Capital One VentureOne review to learn more.
(see rates and fees): This no-annual-fee option from Citi offers at least 2% cash back on all purchases (provided as 1% cash back when you buy and 1% when you pay). Check out our full Citi Double Cash review to learn more.
(see rates and fees): With this Chase card, you'll enjoy more bonus categories and travel protections but lower earning rates on everyday spending. Check out our full Chase Sapphire Preferred review to learn more.
Its 2-mile-per-dollar earning rate makes it useful for purchases that don't earn bonuses on my other cards, while Capital One's transfer partners give me the option to pursue higher-value travel redemptions.
The Venture Rewards isn't the right choice if you want airport lounge access or extensive annual credits. But if you value simplicity, flexible rewards and a reasonable $95 annual fee, it remains a strong mid-tier travel card.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
