Quick Points: How to save 5% on all hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars with Capital One
Want to save even more money when booking flights and hotels with your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card?
TPG values Capital One miles at 1.85 cents each, per our March 2025 valuations, when you transfer your miles to airline and hotel partners such as British Airways, Turkish Airlines and Wyndham Hotels. But if you don't plan to transfer your miles to one of Capital One's 15-plus partners to maximize your rewards, here's an easy hack you can use.
With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you'll earn 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal and 2 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Currently, new cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
So, where do extra savings come in?
If you book through Capital One Travel, you can pay with miles at a fixed value of 1 cent per mile or with cash. For example, for this stay in Miami, at checkout (not including the hotel service fee due at check-in), you'll pay either $411.74 or 41,174 miles (a value of 1 cent per mile).
If you were to redeem your miles at checkout, your card would never be charged; therefore, you would not earn any additional rewards. However, if you were to pay with your Venture Rewards card, you would earn 5 miles per dollar spent on this purchase. That translates to 2,058 miles.
Since Capital One also lets you cover travel purchases from your statement within 90 days of the purchase date at a rate of 1 cent per mile, redeeming your rewards this way allows you to earn miles for your spending.
Therefore, once this travel purchase is posted to my account, I can still use 41,174 Capital One miles to remove it from my statement as though my card was never charged. Because I initially purchased my travel with cash instead of redeeming my miles, I'm 2,058 miles richer. That's around a 5% rebate on my hotel booking through the portal.
The downside to doing this? You likely will not earn hotel points or be able to use elite status benefits on bookings made through Capital One Travel. This is because the major hotel chains usually require you to book directly to receive these benefits. However, flights booked through Capital One Travel typically earn miles as usual and are eligible for all elite status benefits, so make sure you add your frequent flyer number before you fly.
Therefore, if you don't plan to transfer your Capital One miles to partners but want to redeem your rewards on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars, you can book through the Capital One portal and pay with your credit card, earning 5 miles per dollar spent. Then, redeem your miles at a rate of 1 cent per mile to effectively save 5% on all hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.