Capital One Miles Program Review: Earning, Redeeming, and Transfer Partners

In 2018, Capital One entered the transferable points-and-miles game by adding transfer partners to its miles-earning personal and small-business credit cards. This added more value to an impressive existing lineup of credit cards and instantly made the mileage currency one that every travel enthusiast should consider.

Over the years, we’ve seen Capital One beef up the transfer partner list. The company has more than 20 airline and hotel transfer partners and most all of its transfer ratios are a favorable 1:1.

This move cemented Capital One’s place in the transferable points-and-miles space and showed that the bank continues to enhance its customers’ Capital One Miles experience.

But is earning Capital One miles right for you? And more importantly, are Capital One miles any good? Here’s a full review of Capital One Miles, Capital One’s transfer partners, and the cards that earn Capital One miles.

What Are Capital One Miles?

Capital One miles are the mileage currency earned by a handful of Capital One credit cards, both personal and business.

You must have an eligible Capital One credit card to earn these miles, and there is no way to acquire them without one of these cards. You can earn Capital One miles via spending and most Capital One credit cards earn more than 1 point per $1 spent on all purchases, in addition to other fantastic benefits.

The actual number of miles you earn per $1 spent varies from card to card. Don’t worry — we’ll run through how many miles each Capital One Miles credit card earns in the next section of this article. Just note that some Capital One cards earn up to 10 Capital One miles per $1 spent in specific spending categories!

You can redeem your Capital One miles in various ways, but we think transferring them to travel partners is the best. This is because you’ll get the most value for your miles and be able to book awards such as ANA first class, Singapore first class, and even tickets in Singapore Suites!

Capital One Miles Credit Cards

You can earn Capital One miles with various Capital One-issued personal and business credit cards.

Here’s a quick look at all of the credit cards that earn Capital One miles:

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Apply Now(at Capital One's secure site)

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Welcome Offer

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

75,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$395

APR

Purchases: 19.49% - 28.49% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights and vacation rentals purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $395 annual fee
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and participating Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
• Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®
• Top rated mobile app

Financial Snapshot

• APR: Purchases: 19.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

The Capital One Venture X card is Capital One’s ultrapremium travel rewards credit card. It earns 10x miles on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel, 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals purchased through Capital One Travel, and 2x miles on all other purchases.

This card offers exceptional perks, including a $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Travel, a 10,000-mile bonus on each account anniversary year, airport lounge access, including at participating Priority Pass^TM lounges (after enrollment), access to the coveted Capital One Lounges and Landings, and up to a $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit every 4 years.

Take note of the Hertz President’s Circle status, primary car rental coverage, cell phone insurance, travel insurance, and no foreign transaction fees, too (rates & fees).

Capital One Venture X Business Card

The Capital One Venture X Business card is a heavy hitter. This card earns 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel, 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel, and 2x miles on all other purchases.

Similar to its nonbusiness counterpart, the Capital One Venture X card, the Capital One Venture X Business card offers up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every 4 years. You also receive 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 toward travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

Apply Now(at Capital One's secure site)

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

Welcome Offer

Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

75,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$95

APR

Purchases: 19.49% - 28.49% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent Credit

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• Up to a $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit

Cons

• $95 annual fee (rates & fees)
• Limited elite benefits

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Top rated mobile app

Financial Snapshot

• APR: Purchases: 19.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

The Capital One Venture card is Capital One’s classic travel rewards credit card. It offers 2 miles per $1 on all purchases. It also earns 5 miles per $1 spent on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

This makes the card an easy go-to for many travelers — you don’t have to worry about using a specific card for bonus miles in a specific purchase category. Instead, you earn 2 miles per $1 across the board, making it easy to rack up miles.

The card has other neat benefits, too. Namely, it offers up to a $120 statement credit that you can use toward your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee every 4 years. Charge the fee to your Capital One Venture card, and you’ll see the application fee refunded as a statement credit when your statement closes.

Further, the card has no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees). This means you can make purchases abroad or pay for purchases in a foreign currency without being penalized. Some cards charge up to 3% per foreign transaction, so a $100 purchase quickly becomes $103.

You can also access secondary MasterRental Insurance with this card.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The card offers unlimited miles at 1.25x per $1 and no annual fee. When you consider the flexible rewards, frequent travelers come out on top.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

The card offers unlimited miles at 1.25x per $1 and no annual fee. When you consider the flexible rewards, frequent travelers come out on top.

Welcome Offer

Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel.

20,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$200

Annual Fee

$0

APR

Purchases: 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months; variable 18.49% - 28.49% thereafter

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

Interested in a travel rewards credit card without one of those pesky annual fees? Then say hello to the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.

In addition to no annual fee, the Capital One VentureOne card offers no foreign transaction fees.

But is this card worth its salt, or is it merely a shell of the more popular Capital One Venture card?

Pros & Cons

Pros

• No annual fee
• No foreign transaction fees
• Ability to use transfer partners

Cons

• Weak earn rate at 1.25x miles per $1 spent on all purchases
• No luxury travel or elite benefits

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
• $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
• Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
• Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn
• Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 18.49% – 28.49% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies
• Top rated mobile app

Financial Snapshot

• APR: Purchases: 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months; variable 18.49% - 28.49% thereafter
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

The Capital One VentureOne card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One. is the Capital One Venture card’s little brother. The card has no annual fee but earns fewer miles and has fewer benefits.

Instead of earning 2x miles on all purchases, the Capital One VentureOne card earns 1.25 miles per $1. It even earns 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

This isn’t the best $0-annual-fee card we’ve seen — the Chase Freedom Unlimited^® earns 1.5% cash-back on all purchases — but it’s still better than a standard 1 point per $1 spent.

The card does not have foreign transaction fees. Because of this transfer ability, the Capital One VentureOne card is still worth a look for travelers who don’t want to deal with fees.

Capital One Venture Business Card

Capital One Venture Business Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Capital One Venture Business Card

Welcome Offer

Earn 100,000 Miles once you spend $10,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

100,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $1,800

Annual Fee

$95

APR

24.49%

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture Business card is a great fit for business owners looking for a well-rounded travel rewards card that offers an uncomplicated earn structure, a handful of useful benefits, and a reasonable annual fee.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
• Earn 2x miles on all other purchases
• $50 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel

Cons

• Charges a $95 annual fee
• Limited travel protections

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn a one-time welcome bonus of 100,000 miles once you spend $10,000 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
• Receive up to $220 in credits: Receive an annual $50 travel credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel, up to an annual $50 statement credit for purchases at qualifying advertising or software merchants, plus up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^® every four years. Terms and conditions apply
• Unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
• Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
• $95 annual fee
• Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
• Top rated mobile app

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 24.49%
• Foreign Transaction Fees: 

The Capital One Venture Business card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One. is Capital One’s core business travel card, and it works much like the personal Capital One Venture card with added business-specific benefits that make it useful for companies of all types and sizes. It earns Capital One miles instead of cash-back and carries a $95 annual fee.

Businesses earn unlimited 2x miles on every purchase, plus 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel. Just note that these hotel stays may not be eligible for hotel points or elite status benefits, if you have them.

The Capital One Venture Business card comes with a few extra perks, too: a $50 annual credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel, along with up to $50 in statement credits each year for advertising or software purchases. You also get a statement credit of up to $120 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every 4 years, and the card has no foreign transaction fees, which makes it great for businesses that pay international invoices with a credit card.

As it does with all of its business cards, Capital One includes tools like easy export of purchase records, year-end spending summaries, and no-additional-fee employee cards with set spending limits. You can also assign account managers on your team to make payments, manage statements, and more.

Hot Tip:

If you’re a business owner, familiarize yourself with this business-specific points and miles guide.

Capital One VentureOne Business Card

Capital One VentureOne Business Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Capital One VentureOne Business Card

Welcome Offer

Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

50,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $900

Annual Fee

$0

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel.
• 1.5x miles on all other purchases
• $0 annual fee

Cons

• Doesn’t offer business bonus categories
• Not as rewarding as other business cards that earn 2x points or 2% back

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
• 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel.
• 1.5x miles on all other purchases
• $0 annual fee
• Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status
• No foreign transaction fees
• Rental car insurance

Financial Snapshot

• Foreign Transaction Fees: $0

The Capital One VentureOne Business card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One. is the $0-annual-fee counterpart to the Capital One Venture Business card. It earns fewer miles and comes with fewer benefits, but it’s a solid fit for businesses that would rather not tie up cash in an annual fee.

The card earns unlimited 1.5x miles on every purchase and has no foreign transaction fees. You also earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel, which makes it easy to rack up bonus miles on employee travel booked through the portal.

Earning Bonus Capital One Miles With Capital One Travel

Beyond making purchases with your Capital One credit card, there aren’t many ways to earn bonus Capital One miles.

However, there is an exception to this: booking flights, rental cars, and hotel rooms with certain cards through Capital One Travel, Capital One’s in-house online travel agency.

If you have a Capital One Venture card, Capital One VentureOne card, Capital One Venture Business card, or Capital One VentureOne Business Card, you earn 5x Capital One miles when you book rental cars, vacation rentals, or hotels through the portal.

This can be especially lucrative for businesses that regularly charge client-reimbursable travel expenses to their business credit card.

If you have a Capital One Venture X card or the Capital One Venture X Business card, this number goes up to 10x miles for rental cars and 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals.

These bonus categories can help you rack up serious bonus miles if you have lots of paid travel expenses.

A $500 hotel stay could earn 5,000 Capital One miles. We recently valued Capital One miles at 1.8 cents per point, meaning that this miles haul is worth, at a minimum, $90 for Capital One Venture X cardholders.

Capital One offers a variety of ways for its cardholders to redeem Capital One miles. While we generally recommend transferring miles to transfer partners, there are a few other ways to redeem Capital One miles.

We’ll take you through all of your Capital One miles redemption options below.

Transferring Capital One Miles to Transfer Partners

The most lucrative way to redeem your Capital One miles is by transferring them to one of its numerous transfer partners. The bank’s list of transfer partners includes some of the most well-known airline mileage programs and hotel loyalty programs, and some are exclusive to Capital One.

The upside of transferring to travel partners rather than using one of Capital One’s other redemption options is that you’re not restricted to a single point value. Rather, the value of your miles depends on what you redeem them for after transferring them.

For example, you can transfer your Capital One miles to Singapore Airlines’ Krisflyer loyalty program and book a ticket in the airline’s world-famous Suites first class. Doing this will likely give you over 4 cents per point in value.

Most transfers are at a 1:1 ratio, but the exact ratio varies by partner. An example is Capital One miles transfers to EVA Air Infinity MileageLands at 2:1.5. Transferring 100,000 Capital One miles to EVA Air would yield 75,000 miles. On the other hand, most other transfer partners, like Avianca LifeMiles and Air Canada Aeroplan, process at a 1:1 ratio.

Here’s a quick look at all of the Capital One Miles transfer partners, along with their transfer rates:

Many transfer partners overlap with Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and American Express Membership Rewards. However, some partners, such as Finnair Plus, are exclusive to Capital One Miles, so adding a Capital One card to your wallet could open you up to even more redemptions, even if you have a stash of other points.

Bottom Line: Before you transfer miles, find the ticket you want to book and ensure that award space is available. Doing this prevents you from locking up your miles without a plan and potentially getting stuck with airline miles or hotel points you can’t use. Keeping your miles as liquid as possible until you redeem them is critical to ensuring you get the best value when redeeming them.

Turn Your Capital One Miles Into Gift Cards

You can redeem your Capital One miles for gift cards to popular merchants such as Applebee’s, AutoZone, and Macy’s.

We don’t recommend redeeming your Capital One miles for gift cards, as you’d get a lower cents-per-point value than by redeeming them through one of Capital One’s transfer partners.

However, if you don’t have any upcoming travel plans, gift cards are a better use of miles than redeeming for cash-back or through Amazon.

Cover Amazon Purchases With Capital One Miles

As with Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards, you can use your Capital One miles to cover Amazon purchases at checkout. Add your Capital One card to your Amazon payment methods to use miles to cover your Amazon purchases.

Remember that you’d get a low-point valuation if you went this route. Capital One miles can be redeemed at a flat rate of 0.8 cents per mile spent. For reference, the 0.8 cent valuation toward Amazon purchases means 125 Capital One miles gives you $1 off your purchase.

With that in mind, stay away from this type of redemption. It may be a convenient way to use your miles to save money on everyday purchases, but you’d lose tons of value in the process.

Hot Tip: When your eligible card is linked to PayPal, you can check out with PayPal and redeem your miles at a rate of 125 miles to $1. We’d recommend this only if you can’t use your miles for travel or as a statement credit.

Comparing Capital One Miles to Other Transferable Points Programs

As you know, Capital One Miles isn’t the only transferable currency out there. Here’s a look at how these miles stack up to other transferable points programs like Amex, Chase, and Citi.

Capital One Miles vs. American Express Membership Rewards Points

American Express Membership Rewards is a premier transferable points program. There are more American Express transfer partners than Capital One has, and its personal and business cards have more points-earning options.

For example, the American Express^® Gold Card earns 4 points per $1 spent at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 per calendar year) and U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year). When you consider that almost all Membership Rewards transfer partners transfer at a 1:1 ratio, many will find that Membership Rewards points are more valuable than Capital One miles.

Furthermore, Capital One and American Express share many of the same transfer partners. There are exceptions to this rule, though. For example, Amex does not offer ALL – Accor Live Limitless and Turkish Airlines as transfer partners.

On the other hand, many Membership Rewards-earning credit cards have higher annual fees than Capital One cards.

Capital One Miles vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Like Membership Rewards currency, Chase’s Ultimate Rewards points can be more easily earned than Capital One miles. This is especially true for business owners, as the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card earns 3 points per $1 spent in certain business spending categories, including travel, shipping, and online advertising (up to $150,000 in combined purchases annually).

Furthermore, Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to all of its Chase transfer partners. You can redeem your points at up to 1.5 cents per point in value toward paid bookings through the Chase travel portal. The value you get depends on the Ultimate Rewards credit card you have, though.

We recommend starting with Ultimate Rewards points when you begin your miles and points journey. This is because Chase’s unofficial 5/24 rule makes those with over 5 new credit cards in the past 24 months ineligible for new Chase credit cards.

Capital One Miles vs. Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi’s ThankYou Points currency is another underdog of the miles and points world. It isn’t as well-known as Amex or Chase’s currencies, but it’s worth a look if you’ve run afoul of Chase’s 5/24 rule and want to take advantage of transfer partners such as Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. That said, we still value Capital One miles higher than Citi ThankYou Points (which we value at 1.6 cents apiece).

You may want to check out Capital One before Citi, but only after you’ve exhausted your options for earning more valuable points currencies, such as Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Final Thoughts

Now you know the ins and outs of Capital One Miles, including how to earn and spend them and how they compare to other types of transferable points.

Capital One miles are a solid addition to your points-and-miles portfolio. They may not be as valuable as Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards, but the unique set of transfer partners, lucrative earnings, and interesting credit card benefits make them attractive for specific uses.

We highly recommend you stick to redeeming your Capital One miles through transfer partners.