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Capital One consistently offers lucrative welcome bonuses that can provide new cardmembers a huge amount of value. Capital One miles can be transferred to 19 airline and hotel transfer partners or redeemed at a fixed value for almost any travel expense, making them ultra-versatile.
In this post, we'll take a look at the different ways you can redeem Capital One rewards to help you extract maximum value from your hard-earned miles.
Page Contents
Transfer Miles Between Capital One Accounts for Free
One of the unique features of Capital One Rewards is the ability to combine Capital One miles with any other account. 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 five cards that earn transferrable Capital One miles. Even better, there are no fees or limits on the number of miles you can share.
- Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 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 (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Capital One is far ahead of the competition in this respect. Other banks that offer flexible rewards typically restrict you from moving points between your accounts or combining rewards with a spouse or partner through limits on who can receive transfers or how often points can be transferred.
How Can I Redeem Capital One Miles?
Capital One miles are considered flexible rewards points. Traditional airline miles and hotel points can only be redeemed with one loyalty program. Capital One miles are different because you have several different redemption options.
In this post, we'll focus on the two choices that deliver the best value:
- 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 types of flexible points include American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou® Points. While there are benefits to each different kind of flexible points currency, Capital One miles offer some distinct advantages over the competition.
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 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 allows you to redeem your miles for a statement credit against travel purchases. 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.
Other types of flexible rewards let you redeem your points for a fixed value, but Capital One is different — and much more valuable. With Capital One, you simply pay with your credit card and redeem your miles when the charge posts to your account. Then, Capital One issues a credit for the miles redeemed. For example, redeeming 2,500 miles will get you a $25 statement credit.
The key factor that makes Capital One special is your ability to choose how you purchase the travel. With other flexible points, you normally have to buy through a specific website or travel portal if you want to use rewards. 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 Rewards 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 if you want 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 makes booking travel possible before you have all the miles you'll need in your rewards account. See our post on redeeming Capital One miles for airfare you’ve already purchased for more information.
Because you can redeem them for 1¢ per mile for any travel purchase, Capital One miles have a minimum fixed value that requires no specialized knowledge to use and no blackout dates. But don't skip past the next section on Capital One transfer partners. Transferring your miles could be two or three times more valuable than simply redeeming at a fixed value.
- Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 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 (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Transfer Capital One Miles to 19 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 16 airline and three hotel loyalty programs.
When you transfer your points to an airline or hotel, they take on all the rules and value 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. For comparison with the 1¢-per-mile value obtainable in the above strategy, AwardWallet users typically redeem Capital One miles at 2.01¢ apiece with transfer partners.
Here are the current Capital One partners, transfer rates, and average transfer times:
Check out our guide on how to transfer Capital One miles for more information.
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 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: Expedited Security Screening Programs: How To Get Them for Free
Which Cards Earn Capital One Miles?
Capital One issues five rewards cards that earn Capital One miles:
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. Annual fee of $95
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus 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.
- Capital One Venture X Business: 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.
Final Thoughts
The Capital One Venture and Capital One Venture X offer incredible flexibility, earning miles you can transfer to 19 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 account with a Capital One miles-earning card makes these miles an excellent choice for anyone building their miles with a partner or family member.
To learn even more about these cards, check out our full Capital One Venture Card review and full Capital One Venture X Card review.
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