Capital One Venture X Card — How To Use the Annual $300 Travel Credit

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is one of the best new credit cards in the U.S. Offering tremendous travel benefits and streamlined rewards categories, it’s hard to beat the card’s value proposition.

It offers best-in-class rewards on everyday purchases, terrific travel protections and benefits, the worldwide acceptance of a Visa credit card, and much more.

One of these benefits is the fantastic $300 annual travel credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel.

In this guide, we go through the ins and outs of this travel credit and provide some awesome ways you can use this perk! Let’s get into it!

Capital One Venture X Card — Snapshot

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Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

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

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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 Bonus Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$395

APR

19.99% - 29.74% (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 cardapplication.

Excellent (740-840)

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 (rates & fees)
• 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

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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
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• 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^®

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 29.74% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

 

The Capital One Venture X Card’s Capital One Travel Credit

The Capital One Venture X card offers $300 in travel credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel.

In many cases (especially for airfare), the Capital One Travel portal displays the cheapest possible flights, so the travel credit is truly worth the full face value.

In fact, the entire Capital One Travel search engine is powered by Hopper, which uses some of the best data and software to predict prices.

You can also freeze a flight price for a small fee (up to 14 days), get complimentary price drop protection on flights (if your flights go down in price), and access a seamless travel experience.

Currently, you can book flights, hotels, and car rentals through Capital One Travel.

To apply your $300 travel credit, just make the booking through the Capital One Travel portal using your Capital One Venture X card, and the credit will appear within 2 billing cycles. Most of the time, the credit appears in 7 business days, though.

Even better, purchases that count towards the $300 travel credit also earn bonus miles! With the Capital One Venture X card, you’ll earn:

• 10x Capital One miles on car rentals and hotels booked through Capital One Travel
• 5x Capital One miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel

In addition to getting $300 worth of free travel, you could earn 3,000 Capital One miles, too, which is worth around $54, according to our valuations!

The 3 Best Ways To Use Your Travel Credit on Airfare

Now that we’ve walked through how to use your $300 travel credit, let’s take a look at some of our favorite ways to spend it, starting with airfare!

1. Round-trip Flights in Economy to Cabo

Planning a simple weekend getaway to Cabo can get expensive very quickly, especially if you want to fly out on a Thursday or Friday and return on a Sunday.

In general, round-trip tickets in economy start at $350, even when booking far in advance.

Luckily, these flights can still be found for under $300 round-trip, making it an excellent way to fly to Cabo for free. You’ll probably need to fly on a budget carrier, but for a quick weekend trip, it shouldn’t be difficult to manage that.

Here are some great example routes where you can book round-trip economy tickets to Cabo for a weekend trip:

• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Los Cabos (SJD) aboard Spirit Airlines
• Las Vegas (LAS) – Los Cabos (SJD) aboard Frontier Airlines
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Los Cabos (SJD) aboard Delta Air Lines

2. One-way Flights in First Class to New York

If you’re looking to plan a trip to New York and aren’t based in a transcontinental hub like Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO), you’ll be pleased to hear that you can still get one-way flights in first class to New York!

These seats will almost always be in recliner-style products, unlike the premium transcontinental flights, which almost always retail for $700 to $1,000 in each direction.

Still, it’s better than roughing it in coach! Here are some great routes to consider booking:

• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Newark (EWR) on United Airlines
• Houston (IAH) – New York-LaGuardia (LGA) on American Airlines
• Nashville (BNA) – New York-Kennedy (JFK) on Delta Air Lines

3. One-way Flights in Economy to Hawaii

It’s no secret that flights to Hawaii are extremely expensive. Even if you’re flying during the low season, tickets stay elevated in price.

Luckily, with $300 in travel credit, you can book one-way economy flights from various cities around the U.S., even starting as far away as Boston!

Here are some of our favorite flight routes:

• Boston (BOS) – Honolulu (HNL) on Hawaiian Airlines
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Lihue (LIH) on Delta Air Lines
• Phoenix (PHX) – Maui (OGG) on American Airlines
• Portland (PDX) – Kona (KOA) on Alaska Airlines

Bottom Line: There are always bargains to be had when looking for flights, even to the hottest destinations like Cabo, New York, and Hawaii. You can even get first class flights to New York paid for completely with your Capital One Venture X card’s travel credit!

Maximize Your Travel Credit: Top 3 Hotel Booking Strategies

It’s pretty difficult to use $300 in travel credit for a substantial hotel stay without compromising on the quality of the stay.

But if you’re looking to book a night or 2 in a popular destination, you could get some solid value!

Here are our favorite ways to use your travel credit at hotels:

1. A 2-Night Weekday Stay in Las Vegas

If you’re looking to stay for a couple of nights in Vegas, you can actually get 2 nights or almost 2 nights paid for entirely with your travel credit.

The best way to get the best deals is to stay during the week — in particular, if you check in on Sunday or Monday and check out 2 days later, you can get some exceptional deals.

That said, it’s possible to find great deals in the middle of the week, too, but you’re statistically better off looking to check in on Sunday or Monday.

Also, it’s best to book your stay around 1 or 2 months in advance to get the best deals.

Here are 3 properties where you can enjoy a 5-star experience for nearly free!

• ARIA Resort & Casino
• Delano Las Vegas
• Vdara Hotel & Spa

2. A Night in Miami During the Low Season

Miami’s low season is generally in August. If you have the flexibility to travel during this timeframe and don’t mind hot, humid weather, you can get some pretty good deals!

In fact, you can get a night at a 4-star hotel during the low season for under $300, which is fantastic.

Some of our favorites include:

• Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel, an IHG Hotel
• The Palms Hotel & Spa
• SLS Brickell

Hot Tip: Keep in mind that resort fees are not paid to Capital One Travel and are therefore not eligible for your $300 travel credit. These resort fees are paid directly to the hotel upon checkout.

3. A Night in a 4-Star Hotel in San Francisco

San Francisco is no stranger to luxury hotels. One of the largest economies in the U.S., this bayside city has an incredible history and a vibrant melting pot of culture.

For the most part, it’s easy to find 4-star hotels in San Francisco bookable for under $300 per night, including all taxes and fees.

Here are a few of our favorite options:

• Hyatt Regency San Francisco
• Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA
• The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square

3 Smart Ways to Apply the Travel Credit to Car Rentals

The last major way you can spend your travel credit, besides flights and hotels, is on car rentals.

So, here are our favorite ways!

1. Rent a Car for the Family for a Disney Vacation

One of the most popular family-friendly vacations is to visit Orlando and go on a theme park crawl.

If you book your car rentals in advance, you can save a ton of money.

Including taxes and fees, it’s possible to reserve an SUV for 4 days during the spring season for less than $300!

2. Rent a Car for a Southern California Road Trip

If you’re planning a road trip in Southern California, it can be cheaper than you think to rent a car, even if you want to return your car at a different location from your pick-up.

For example, if you book a 6-day car rental starting in San Diego (SAN) and ending in Los Angeles (LAX), you can book the entire trip, including additional drop-off fees, for as low as $365, making it easy to get full value from that $300 travel credit.

3. Rent a Car To Explore Nashville

Headed to the Music City? This city, which is notorious for its bonkers price gouging for rental cars, can actually be affordable to visit thanks to the Capital One Venture X card’s travel credit.

If you book far in advance, you can secure up to 5 days in a base-level car to tour Nashville. This is in contrast to rates that are more than double if you wait until 1 to 3 months before the trip.

So with some forward planning, you can get 5 days of car rentals in Nashville!

Purchases Excluded from the Capital One Travel Credit

A purchase that is made outside the Capital One Travel portal will not trigger the travel credit. You must also use your eligible Capital One Venture X card as payment.

Here are some further examples:

• Purchases made directly with the airline, hotel, or car rental company
• Purchases made with any Capital One partners, including transfer partners
• Purchases not made with an eligible Capital One Venture X card

Bottom Line: To make sure your purchase triggers your Capital One Travel credit, use your Capital One Venture X card to pay for the reservation made directly on the Capital One Travel portal.

What if My Purchase Isn’t Automatically Reimbursed?

Although the Capital One Travel credit is usually posted to your account within 7 business days, it may take up to 2 billing cycles for it to show up.

If you wait for 2 full billing cycles and don’t see it, you can reach out to Capital One by calling the number on the back of your card.

Final Thoughts

All in all, it’s easy to get the full $300 worth of value from your Capital One Venture X card’s travel credit.

Although eligible purchases must include those made on Capital One Travel and be paid for using your Capital One Venture X card, the travel portal is one of the best in business.

The credit is extremely easy to use, and Capital One Travel offers key features that other websites do not, like price drop protection, predictive tools, and the ability to freeze your airfare for up to 14 days by paying a small fee.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.