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 up to $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!
CapOne Venture X Card — Snapshot
What Is the CapOne Venture X Card’s Capital One Travel Credit?
Image Credit: Capital OneThe CapOne Venture X card offers up to $300 in travel credit, which is offered as a statement 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.
The pricing grid is super-helpful for flexible travelers who want the best deals. Image Credit: Capital OneYou 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.
Image Credit: Capital OneCurrently, you can book flights, hotels, and car rentals through Capital One Travel.
To apply your up to $300 travel credit, just make the booking through the Capital One Travel portal using your CapOne Venture X card, and the statement 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 up to $300 travel credit also earn bonus points! With the CapOne 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 up to $300 worth of free travel, you could earn up to 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 up to $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
Image Credit: Marco Samaniego via UnsplashPlanning 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
LAS-SJD on Frontier. Image Credit: Capital One
LAX-SJD on Delta. Image Credit: Capital One2. One-way Flights in First Class to New York
Image Credit: Andreas Kruck via UnsplashIf 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
FLL-EWR on United. Image Credit: Capital One
IAH-LGA on American. Image Credit: Capital One3. One-way Flights in Economy to Hawaii
Image Credit: Jelle de Gier via UnsplashIt’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 up to $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
BOS-HNL on Hawaiian. Image Credit: Capital One
PDX-KOA on Alaska. Image Credit: Capital OneBottom 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 CapOne Venture X card’s travel credit!
The 3 Best Ways To Use Your Travel Credit on Hotels
It’s pretty difficult to use up to $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
ARIA Resort & Casino. Image Credit: MGM ResortsIf 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
ARIA Resort & Casino. Image Credit: Capital One
Delano Las Vegas. Image Credit: Capital One
Vdara Hotel & Spa. Image Credit: Capital One2. A Night in Miami During the Low Season
SLS Brickell. Image Credit: EnnismoreMiami’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
Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel, an IHG Hotel. Image Credit: Capital One
The Palms Hotel & Spa. Image Credit: Capital One
SLS Brickell. Image Credit: Capital OneHot Tip: Keep in mind that resort fees are not paid to Capital One Travel and are therefore not eligible for your up to $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
The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. Image Credit: MarriottSan 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
Hyatt Regency San Francisco. Image Credit: Capital One
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA. Image Credit: Capital One
The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. Image Credit: Capital OneThe 3 Best Ways To Use Your Travel Credit on 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
Image Credit: AlamoOne 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!
Orlando airport rental car search. Image Credit: Capital One2. Rent a Car for a Southern California Road Trip
Image Credit: SIXTIf 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 up to $300 travel credit.
One-way car rental search. Image Credit: Capital One3. Rent a Car To Explore Nashville
Image Credit: Chad Morehead via UnsplashHeaded 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 CapOne 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!
Image Credit: Capital OnePurchases That Do Not Trigger 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 CapOne 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 CapOne Venture X card
Bottom Line: To make sure your purchase triggers your Capital One Travel credit, use your CapOne 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 on your statement, 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 up to $300 worth of value from your CapOne Venture X card’s travel credit.
Although eligible purchases must include those made on Capital One Travel and be paid for using your CapOne 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.
The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.