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Capital One is one of our favorite credit card issuers, in no small part due to the numerous ways you can redeem Capital One miles at a high value. Plus, Capital One credit cards consistently offer lucrative welcome bonuses that can provide new cardmembers with a chunk of miles just a few months after signing up.
The miles you earn through welcome offers and everyday spending can be transferred to 22 airline and hotel transfer partners or redeemed at a fixed value for almost any travel expense, making them ultra-versatile.
Here's a look at the different ways you can redeem Capital One Venture miles for maximum value.
- Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, plus receive a $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first cardholder year
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles on all other purchase
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (up to $120)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
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Transfer Miles Between Capital One Accounts for Free
Capital One makes it incredibly easy to move your miles. Whether you want to transfer miles to a travel partner, move miles between your personal and business cards, or share your Capital One miles with another person, you have options.
Capital One stands out from other issuers in this regard. Other banks that offer flexible rewards typically restrict you from sharing points with another person, especially if they aren't in your household.
You can combine miles from miles-earning cards in the Venture and Spark card families, transfer between business and personal accounts, or share Capital One miles with any person who holds one of the six cards that earn transferrable Capital One miles. Even better, there are no fees or limits on the number of miles you can share.
How Can I Redeem Capital One Miles?
Capital One miles are considered flexible rewards points. While traditional airline miles and hotel points can be redeemed only through a single loyalty program, Capital One miles offer several redemption options. However, there are two redemption methods that are much more valuable than others:
- Cover your travel purchases: Redeem miles at a fixed value of 1¢ per mile towards almost any travel expense.
- Transfer to partners: Transfer miles to an airline or hotel loyalty program.
Other redemption methods, like gift cards, cash back, or purchases made through PayPal or Amazon, typically yield subpar value. You should aim to get a value of at least 1¢ per mile. However, AwardWallet users typically redeem Capital One miles at 2.04¢ apiece when leveraging transfer partners.
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
Use Capital One Miles to Cover Almost Any Travel Purchase
For those who like to keep things simple, Capital One lets you redeem your miles for a statement credit against travel purchases — for good value.
For example, you can redeem miles earned on your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card at a fixed rate of 1¢ per mile towards almost any travel expense within 90 days of purchase. Capital One has a broad definition of what is considered travel, so you can redeem for Airbnb purchases, Uber rides, and more.
It's true — other transferable point currencies like American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards let you redeem your points for a fixed value, but Capital One is different, and much more valuable. With Capital One, you'll book travel using your credit card, and once the charge posts to your account, you can select which purchases you'd like to cover with miles. Then, Capital One issues a statement credit for your purchase.
For example, if I wanted to cover my recent $1,130.61 Airbnb purchase, I'd use 113,061 Capital One miles. I'd then receive a statement credit for the full $1,130.61.
The key factor that makes Capital One special over other issuers is your ability to choose how you purchase travel. To redeem your Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards points for a fixed value, you'll need to book travel through their respective travel portals. With Capital One, you can book your travel through any website or even purchase in person, and that matters for three important reasons.
Get the best deal
Other flexible rewards currencies have a dirty secret: When they force you to buy through their travel portal, they often get a commission on your purchase. They might have the best price, but maybe not. Often, you can find a better deal by shopping around. With Capital One, you decide how to make your purchase.
Capital One miles really come in handy when you find cheap airfare deals or pricing mistakes that are only available through one website. They're also perfect for travel that is hard to book with other types of miles or points, such as Airbnb stays, tours, and travel experiences.
Get elite benefits
Nearly all of the major hotel brands refuse to honor elite benefits (or even award points for your stay) when you book through a third party. Since Capital One doesn't make you use a specific website, you can book directly with the travel provider and get all the perks you deserve while also earning miles from your credit card along the way.
Book now, redeem later
Capital One gives you 90 days to decide whether to redeem miles to cover a purchase. That means you can decide how to spend your miles as the various parts of your trip come into focus. It also allows you to book travel before you have all the miles you'll need in your rewards account. Because you can redeem them for 1¢ per mile on any travel purchase, Capital One miles have a fixed minimum value that requires no specialized knowledge and no blackout dates.
Transfer Capital One Miles to 22 Airline and Hotel Partners
If you want to squeeze every penny of value out of your Capital One Rewards, transferring your miles to partners is the way to go. Capital One Rewards miles can be transferred to 18 airline and four hotel loyalty programs.
When you transfer your points to an airline or hotel, they adopt all the rules and values of the partner program. In many cases, one or more of the partners will offer the travel you want at a much better value than you could attain by redeeming miles for a fixed value to cover travel expenses.
Here are the current Capital One partners, transfer rates, and average transfer times:
Here's what this might look like in practice. You could book a one-way flight from Miami (MIA) to Medellin, Colombia (MDE) on Avianca for $111.50. That's not a terrible price for an international flight. If you want to use your Capital One miles, you could buy the flight, then redeem 11,150 miles to cover the purchase.
Or, you could transfer your miles directly to Avianca LifeMiles and book the same flight for just 2,400 LifeMiles, plus $49 in taxes and fees. If you are an Avianca LifeMiles+ member, you'd pay just 2,160 LifeMiles. And if there's a transfer bonus from Capital One to LifeMiles, you'd pay even less. For instance, at the time of writing, there was a 15% bonus from Capital One to LifeMiles. I'd need to transfer just 2,000 Capital One miles to Avianca to book this award redemption, giving me a valuation of over 3.1 cents per mile.
Related: How to Transfer Capital One Miles to Airline and Hotel Partners
Maximize Your Capital One Venture Card Benefits
To ensure you get the most value out of your Capital One Venture, it's essential to utilize all the benefits the card offers, including the TSA PreCheck / Global Entry fee credit, travel insurance, and retail benefits.
To help offset the card's annual fee, the Capital One Venture offers up to $120 in fee credits toward a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee. If you already have PreCheck or Global Entry, you can use this credit to gift a membership to someone else.
Capital One Venture travel insurance and retail benefits include:
- 24-hour travel assistance services
- Travel accident insurance
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Extended warranty
- No foreign transaction fees
Related: Our Full Review of the Capital One Venture
Which Cards Earn Capital One Miles?
Capital One issues six rewards cards that earn Capital One miles:
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn up to $1,000 towards travel once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Annual fee of $95
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: 75,000 Miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee of $395.
- Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: Earn 20,000 Miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening Annual fee of $0.
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
- 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5 Miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 1.25 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
- Capital One Venture X Business: Earn 150,000 Miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee of $395.
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business: Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles - equal to $500 in travel - once you spend $4,500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. Annual fee: $0 introductory fee for the first year; $95 after that.
- Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business: Earn 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee of $0.
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on other eligible purchases
- 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5X Miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 1.5 Miles per $1 on every purchase.
Final Thoughts
The Capital One Venture and Capital One Venture X offer incredible flexibility, earning miles you can transfer to 22 airline and hotel partners or redeem for a fixed value against almost any travel purchase. Earning a minimum of 2X miles on every purchase means you can build a substantial balance of Capital One miles just by utilizing your everyday expenses.
Additionally, the option to transfer miles between any Capital One miles-earning account makes these miles an excellent choice for anyone building their miles with a partner or family member.
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