Why the Capital One Venture X and the Savor Cash make a dynamic duo
Editor's Note
Whether it's peanut butter and jelly or airplanes and lie-flat seats, some things are just better together. When two things perfectly complement each other, they become a dynamic duo. That is exactly what Capital One has done with two of its most popular credit cards.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium travel rewards card that earns miles on everyday spending. Comparatively, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers unlimited cash back on dining, groceries and more.
Capital One allows cardholders to transfer rewards from cash-back cards to travel rewards cards (or vice versa) at a rate of 1 cent to 1 mile. Simply put, transferring cash back makes rewards more valuable, as TPG's May 2025 valuations peg Capital One miles at 1.85 cents each, rather than 1 cent alone.
Being able to earn cash back and redeem those earnings as miles is a promising proposition, and why the combination of the Capital One Venture X and the Savor Cash is especially appealing.
Here's how they work better together.
Spending together
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards earns 3% back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery stores (excluding Walmart® and Target®). If you want to book tickets to see your favorite artist or team, you also get 8% back on purchases through Capital One Entertainment and 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked with Capital One Travel.
For travel, the Venture X earns 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars while earning 5 miles per dollar spent on flights and vacation rentals purchased through Capital One Travel.
Despite being a travel credit card, the Venture X really excels at maximizing day-to-day spending since it earns an unlimited 2 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases.
After converting the cash back to miles (and possibly increasing the value of the rewards), this card duo earns an unlimited 2 to 10 miles per dollar spent in the following bonus categories:
- 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
- 3 miles per dollar spent on dining
- 3 miles per dollar spent on entertainment
- 3 miles per dollar spent on popular streaming services
- 3 miles per dollar spent at grocery stores
- 2 miles per dollar spent on everything else
Related: Best Capital One credit cards
Redeeming together
The ability to transfer cash back to miles opens up a whirlwind of redemption options. With the Venture X's 15-plus transfer partners, you can use your miles to get to the far corners of the world and then stay there on rewards.
For example, I previously booked a $1,500 vacation rental for 45,000 Capital One miles instead of receiving $450 in cash-back rewards. This perk truly allows this dynamic duo to be so powerful.
Suppose you do not want to transfer miles to one of Capital One's numerous partners, including Air Canada Aeroplan (to book flights on Star Alliance partners like United Airlines), Wyndham Rewards (to book hotels) and Air France-KLM Flying Blue (for SkyTeam flights).
In that case, you can redeem travel charges for a statement credit at a rate of 1 cent per mile. Effectively, this would be the same as converting the miles on the Venture X to cash back on the Savor and cashing out via a statement credit, check, gift card or charitable contribution.
Related: Should you transfer Capital One miles to partners or redeem directly for travel?
Other benefits together
These two cards complement each other in terms of the benefits offered. In addition to earning and redeeming rewards, the Savor Cash is a World Elite Mastercard, while the Venture X is a Visa Infinite product, which doubles the potential benefits.
World Elite Mastercards get free ShopRunner memberships (through Sept. 30) and access to Mastercard's Luxury Hotel & Resorts Portfolio, which includes benefits such as amenity credits, complimentary room upgrades and free breakfast, among others, at over 3,000 properties.
Visa Infinite cards receive access to the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection, which functions similarly to Mastercard's portfolio. Cardholders also receive Priority Pass lounge membership, which includes access for the cardholder and up to two guests at more than 1,700 lounges worldwide, and primary rental car insurance in addition to trip cancellation, interruption and delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement and extended warranty protection.
Additionally, the Venture X offers Hertz President's Circle status*, which comes in handy when renting a car. The card also includes cellphone protection of up to $800 if your device is damaged or stolen; all you have to do to qualify is pay your phone bill with the card (subject to a $50 deductible).
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
In addition to Priority Pass, the card gives you access to Capital One's growing lounge network, including an amazing landing at Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), and an up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Finally, with the Venture X, you get an annual $300 credit through Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary. These perks work together between the cards to help you create enjoyable travel experiences while decreasing risks thanks to insurance benefits.
Related: 6 things to do when you get the Capital One Venture X
Fees and welcome bonuses
The Venture X offers 75,000 bonus miles, which can be earned after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
The Savor offers a one-time $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
After completing the minimum spending requirements and earning the two welcome bonuses across these cards, it's possible to accrue a big stash of miles — enough to potentially cover an international round-trip flight in business class, a handful of round-trip domestic flights or a couple of nights at your favorite hotel.
The Capital One Venture X's annual fee is $395, while the Savor Cash does not charge an annual fee.
Neither card charges foreign transaction fees or charges to add an authorized user, a nice benefit compared to some other travel cards with additional costs.
Bottom line
Several credit card issuers have built their products to work better together, which is the case with the Venture X and the Savor Cash — Capital One's dynamic card duo.
Add in the protections, yearly benefits and welcome offer bonus miles, and these two cards are perfect for individuals who want to keep a simple, two-card set-up to maximize their daily travel spending.
Learn more: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards
Learn more: Capital One Venture X
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.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.