How do Capital One miles work?

You earn Capital One miles on several Capital One credit cards by making purchases. The miles are deposited into your Capital One account and are ready to redeem after your credit card statement closes. You can transfer Capital One miles to airline partners and receive real miles that you can use to purchase an award ticket. The resulting value and transfer ratios vary. You can also redeem the miles to redeem against travel purchases (including flight purchases) from the previous 90 days on your credit card statement. Each mile is worth 1 cent toward a travel statement credit. In addition, you can redeem the miles toward travel purchases directly with Capital One.

How much are Capital One miles worth?

Capital One miles are generally worth 1 cent each if you redeem them for travel or gift cards. If you choose to redeem the miles for cash and have a check sent to you, you will receive as little as half a cent per mile (which is not good value). You can also transfer miles to airline partners, where it is possible to exceed 1 cent per mile in value.

Which is the best Capital One Miles credit card?

The best Capital One credit card for you will depend on your spending habits and whether you want to pay an annual fee. This is because personal Capital One credit cards have bonus categories that offer higher miles for spending in those categories. For example, if you have high spending in the travel category, the Capital One Venture card or the Capital One Venture X card is the best for hotel purchases. All other spending earns between 1.5 to 2 miles per dollar, depending on the card. You’ll also want to make sure that the redemption options on the card you choose deliver value for you or your business.

How do I earn Capital One miles?

It’s easy to earn Capital One miles. You can earn Capital One miles by getting a welcome bonus on a Capital One Miles credit card, making normal purchases on your Capital One Miles credit card, booking travel through Capital One Travel using your Capital One Miles credit card, referring a friend to a Capital One Miles credit card, and even making business purchases!

8 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Capital One Miles [2023]

Every purchase you make, every swipe you take, you’ll be earning miles with your Capital One credit card. No, that’s not a new advertising slogan — it’s more of a statement on the simplicity of earning miles with Capital One credit cards.

Simplicity translates into earnings with no requirements to register for quarterly bonus categories. You won’t have to memorize long lists of which purchases earn extra miles either. Simplified earning also provides a fast track to easily accumulating lots of Capital One miles.

When it comes time to redeem your Capital One miles, you’ll find several options, including travel statement credits or the potential for greater value when transferring miles to airline or hotel partners.

Whether you have personal spending you’d like to earn miles for, or you run a business with unrewarded business expenses, there’s a Capital One Miles credit card that can fit your spending profile.

In this article, we’ll highlight what Capital One miles are and why you’d want to earn them, which Capital One credit cards earn miles, and how to earn lots of miles with Capital One cards (and why you’d want to!).

Table of contents

Why Capital One Miles?
- Flexibility of Capital One Miles
- Ease of Earning Capital One Miles
Earn Lots of Miles With Personal Capital One Credit Cards
Earn Lots of Miles With Business Capital One Credit Cards
Everything Else You Need To Know
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Why Capital One Miles?
- Flexibility of Capital One Miles
- Ease of Earning Capital One Miles
Earn Lots of Miles With Personal Capital One Credit Cards
Earn Lots of Miles With Business Capital One Credit Cards
Everything Else You Need To Know
Final Thoughts

Why Capital One Miles?

Flexibility of Capital One Miles

Capital One uses the term “miles” only to correspond with the fact that you can use them for statement credits for previous travel purchases — and that you are able to use the miles toward travel purchases directly.

Although Capital One miles are not real airline miles, the most flexible and valuable redemption option of Capital One miles is that you can turn them into real miles! This is done by transferring Capital One miles to airline or hotel partners!

This option elevates the value of earning miles on Capital One credit cards and is a major consideration for jumping on the bandwagon.

Let’s sum up the value of Capital One miles:

No blackout dates or devaluations like traditional airline frequent flyer miles
Can redeem miles against travel purchases from the previous 90 days
Potential of greater value when transferring miles to airline or hotel travel partners
Book travel directly through Capital One Travel
Transfer miles to other Capital One accounts for no charge
Redeem for gift cards, donate to charity, or receive a check (at a reduced value)

Hot Tip: Capital One miles are valuable because you can use them like cash-back toward travel purchases or transfer them to airline or hotel partners for potentially more value!

Ease of Earning Capital One Miles

As we mentioned at the start of this article, Capital One credit cards are known for their simple earning structures.

There are no fluctuating bonus categories, periodic registration requirements, or annual spending levels to meet — you simply make a purchase and earn miles. You’ll also earn miles on every purchase you make.

Let’s take a look at which Capital One credit cards earn the most miles.

Bottom Line: Capital One miles are earned on every purchase, with extra earnings in bonus categories. Although Capital One miles are not airline miles and cannot be used to book award flights directly, you can use the miles as a statement credit toward previous travel purchases, transfer miles to airline or hotel partners, or book travel directly with Capital One.

Earn Lots of Miles With Personal Capital One Credit Cards

Personal Credit Cards That Earn Capital One Miles

Capital One personal credit cards earn miles on every purchase and have bonus spending categories to earn even more.

1. Earn a Welcome Offer

Welcome offers are the fastest way to accumulate Capital One miles.

Just complete the required spending in the first 90 days after you are approved for the card, and your welcome offer will be credited to your Capital One Miles account.

2. Purchase Travel

You’ll earn well when you purchase travel with certain personal Capital One credit cards.

Capital One defines travel quite generously; this category includes:

Airlines
Bus tickets
Car rental agencies
Cruise lines
Hotels
Limo and taxi services
Timeshares
Travel agencies

Although not officially listed, cardholders have also reported that Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb purchases have been reimbursable with Capital One miles.

Here’s how these Capital One credit cards reward travel purchases:

Credit Card	Earnings
Capital One Venture X card	10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other purchases
Capital One Venture card	5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other purchases
Capital One VentureOne card	5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 1.25x miles on all other purchases

3. Pay Household Expenses

Whether you need to fill up the car with gas, pay your heating bill, or pay your auto insurance, you can earn more Capital One miles by paying household expenses with your Capital One credit card.

Both the Capital One Venture X card and the Capital One Venture card earn 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, including those everyday household expenses.

4. Buy Groceries

The Capital One Venture X card and Capital One Venture card earn 2 miles per dollar spent at the supermarket, which may mean one of them becomes your everyday spending card!

Hot Tip: Use your Capital One Venture X card or Capital One Venture card to purchase no-fee gift cards at supermarkets to use for non-bonus category purchases, such as entertainment and gas. Note that not all stores allow purchasing gift cards with credit cards, but many do.

Earn Lots of Miles With Business Capital One Credit Cards

Getting back to simplified earnings, it’s a good reminder that Capital One business credit cards have no bonus spending categories.

You’re going to earn 1.5 to 2 miles per dollar spent, depending on the credit card.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to leverage those earnings and also score some upfront bonuses.

Business Credit Cards That Earn Capital One Miles

Every prudent business owner knows the importance of keeping personal and business purchases separate.

Business credit cards facilitate that objective, but they also allow you to earn miles on all of those business purchases.

The following business credit cards earn Capital One Miles:

Credit Card	Rewards & Annual Fee
Capital One Spark Miles for Business Learn More (at our partner's secure site)	Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account Transfer your miles to 15+ leading travel loyalty programs like Air Canada, and Emirates™ Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services Fly through security with one statement credit for either the $85 TSA Pre✓® application fee or the $100 Global Entry application fee Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-850) Annual Fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $95 after that
Capital One Spark Miles Select For Business	Earn a one-time bonus of 20,000 miles - equal to $200 in travel - once you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Earn unlimited 1.5 miles on every purchase with your business credit card with no blackouts or seat restrictions, and no minimum to redeem. Earn 5X miles on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel. No annual fee

Credit Card

Rewards & Annual Fee

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Learn More

(at our partner's secure site)

Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account
Transfer your miles to 15+ leading travel loyalty programs like Air Canada, and Emirates™
Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
Fly through security with one statement credit for either the $85 TSA Pre✓® application fee or the $100 Global Entry application fee
Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-850)
Annual Fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $95 after that

Capital One Spark Miles Select For Business

Earn a one-time bonus of 20,000 miles - equal to $200 in travel - once you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Earn unlimited 1.5 miles on every purchase with your business credit card with no blackouts or seat restrictions, and no minimum to redeem.
Earn 5X miles on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel.
No annual fee

1. Earn a Welcome Offer

The fastest way to build a bank of Capital One miles is with a welcome offer.

After selecting the business credit card that best fits your spending profile, just complete the required initial spending in the first 90 days to receive a generous bonus of Capital One miles.

2. Earn Bigger With Tiered Spending Bonuses

Beyond the initial welcome offer, Capital One may offer another spending tier for an additional bonus.

For example, an initial welcome offer may require you to spend $5,000 in the first 3 months after card approval to receive a 50,000-mile welcome offer.

But there may be an additional tiered spending bonus after that, too. For example, you might earn 150,000 miles if your business spends $50,000 in the first 6 months after card approval.

3. Purchase Travel

Both the Capital One Spark Miles card and Capital One Spark Miles Select card earn 5x miles on hotel and rental car bookings made through Capital One Travel.

However, you’ll also earn unlimited 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, including travel, with the Capital One Spark Miles card.

4. Pay Business Expenses

Whether you’re paying for business dinners, remodeling the office, or purchasing office supplies, you’ll earn 2 miles per dollar spent on every business purchase with the Capital One Spark Miles card.

Hot Tip: You would only need to spend $4,750 annually to offset the annual fee on the Capital One Spark Miles card, which provides a greater level of earning potential than the Capital One Spark Miles Select card.

Everything Else You Need To Know

Miles that you earn on your Capital One card never expire as long as you have a Capital One account open and in good standing. If you close your account, unused miles will be forfeited.

Capital One miles can be transferred to other Capital One accounts, and Capital One credit cards do not charge foreign transaction fees.

Occasionally, Capital One runs Refer a Friend promotions that reward you with statement credits for referring a friend who is subsequently approved for the credit card.

These promotions are usually targeted to specific cardholders who receive an invitation email with the terms of the referral program, but cardholders of the Capital One Venture X card, Capital One Venture card, or Capital One VentureOne card in good standing may qualify for the referral program.

To find your referral link, sign in to your account or look in the app for the Refer a Friend tile on the account details page.

There’s also no need to feel left out if you have bad credit or no credit — Capital One issues several credit cards for building or rebuilding credit. The issuer also offers the opportunity to find out if you’re pre-qualified or pre-approved for one of its credit cards.

Final Thoughts

While simplicity can be a positive thing, when it comes to earning Capital One miles, some added analysis is worthwhile.

There’s no doubt that Capital One cards offer decent (and sometimes lucrative) welcome bonuses that deliver great value. The ongoing value will depend on whether your spending matches their few sweet spots. For example, if you’re booking a lot of hotel rooms and don’t have a loyalty preference, earning 10 miles for each dollar spent is fantastic.

But Capital One miles basically have a fixed value, so if you’re only earning 2 miles per dollar spent on most of your purchases, you might do better on those purchases with a card that earns Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards points.

The American Express® Gold Card, for instance, earns 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on dining — and Membership Rewards have the potential to deliver value far greater at 2.2 cents per point than Capital One’s value of 1.8 cent per mile (according to our valuations).

However, a big positive is that Capital One miles can be transferred to airline and hotel partners, which opens up new possibilities for receiving increased redemption value.

Look long and hard at Capital One options — but don’t fall in love unless it’s the perfect match of a generous sign-up bonus, ongoing earnings that match your spending, and redemption value that you can use.

The information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

3 comments

Kevin O'Leary April 9, 2020

Can I still redeem my miles for gift cards?

- Christine Krzyszton April 9, 2020
  
  According to reports (H/T to Frequent Miler), there is a supply chain issue and Capital One temporarily removed the option until supplies are restored.
  
Su R October 30, 2021

I have a Capital One Venture Rewards card and I get 2cents/ point value if I use it to redeem Travel expenses, but only 1c per point value, if redeemed for cash or statement credit or anything else.

Earn Points

Use Points

Business Credit Card Reviews

Business Guides

Air Travel Guides

Airline Points

Earn & Use Hotel Points

Hotel Loyalty Program Reviews

8 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Capital One Miles [2023]