This card has a limited-time increased welcome bonus. In addition to the regular 75,000 points, it now also includes a $300 hotel credit. After meeting the spending requirement, you need to book a hotel or vacation rental through Capital One Travel during your first year, and you can automatically receive up to $300 in statement credits. This card is not especially valuable to keep long term: with a $95 annual fee, it only has the 2x earning benefit and does not offer much in credits to offset the annual fee. I recommend downgrading to the no-annual-fee Venture One in the second year, though upgrading to the higher-end Venture X and keeping that long term is also a solid option.
- Venture Rewards Pre-Approval Link (lets you see which Capital One card you may be approved for without a hard pull, including Venture Rewards)
The welcome bonus on this card is good, so I have added it to the rankings.
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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Overview
Capital One Venture Credit Card
2x miles on all purchases!
- Welcome bonus: 75,000 Capital One points + $300 hotel reimbursement (spend $4,000 in 3 months)
- Rewards: 2x on all purchases
- Redemption: 100 miles = $1 toward travel purchases; 1:1 transfer to airline miles
- Annual fee: $95
- Apply now>>
Benefits
- 2x points on all purchases: If you like using just one card, this is a solid equivalent to 2% cash back on all purchases.
- Easy points redemption: After paying for travel-related purchases with this card, you can redeem points directly to offset the charge. The ratio is $1 = 100 points, which means the 50,000-point welcome bonus is worth $500. However, redemptions for other purchases are only at 0.5 cent per point.
- Global Entry and TSA Pre $100 reimbursement: Pay with this card and the reimbursement is automatic.
- Plaza Premium Lounge: You can visit Plaza Premium Lounge twice for free each year.
- Metal card: Apply now and you will receive a metal card.
Drawbacks
- No other bonus categories
Capital One Points Overview
- Point Value: Average value is 1.2c/p, so 100 points = $1.2 (Point Values & Analysis)
- Redeem Directly: Redeem at 1c/p toward travel purchases or various gift cards; cash out directly at 0.5c/p
- Transfer Partners: Transfer 1:1 to Air Canada miles (good for US-China flights and infant tickets), British Airways (short nonstop flights, Avianca miles (good for US-China business class, ANA and Asiana US-China first class, and no YQ on award tickets), Qantas Airways miles (good for domestic US nonstop flights and flights from the US East Coast to Western Europe), TAP Portugal Miles&Go, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Flying Blue, Club Premier, Asia Miles, Etihad Guest, Finnair Plus, Wyndham, and Choice. Transfer times range from instant to several days.
- Points Feature: You can pool all of your Capital One points into one account and use them together.
- My Take: Capital One has fewer transfer partners, so compared with some other programs it is a bit less flexible and valuable. The more useful partners are AC and Avianca. Redeeming points for travel at 1c/p is also a solid option, and you can still earn miles, which makes it much easier than transferring points for award tickets.
- Detailed Analysis: Capital One Points Guide>>
My Take
The welcome bonus on this card is pretty good. It also comes with TSA Pre and Global Entry reimbursement. For a card with a $95 annual fee, that is still very generous. But over the long run, only earning 2x on purchases makes it harder to justify the $95 annual fee.
Capital One Credit Card Application Guide
- Application status can only be checked by phone: (800) 903-9177
- Capital One applications usually pull reports from all three credit bureaus. You may be able to avoid a hard pull by freezing some of your credit reports.
- You can apply for only one Capital One credit card every six months, including both personal and business cards. If you force another application, it will likely be instantly denied, but it will not result in a hard pull.
- One person can hold at most two Capital One personal credit cards at the same time, counting only Capital One-issued cards.
- If you do not qualify for the card you applied for, you may be automatically approved for a different card instead, usually a lower-tier version. You can choose to accept or decline it, and there will be no additional hard pull.
- New applicants may be asked to upload ID during the application process.
- More on applying for Capital One credit cards
