How I Booked a Round-Trip Flight to Punta Cana for Less Than 12,000 Miles

Capital One recently brought back JetBlue as a transfer partner after discontinuing the partnership in 2021. To celebrate, the issuer launched a one-time bonus of 5,000 TrueBlue points for initiating your first transfer to the program. It was immensely popular — so much so that it didn’t even last a whole day!

Typically, we don’t recommend transferring miles to JetBlue due to its less-than-favorable transfer rate. For every 5 Capital One miles transferred, you’ll receive 3 JetBlue points.

But knowing I had travel coming up, I transferred the Capital One miles I’d earned on my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to JetBlue TrueBlue. Here’s how I took advantage of a limited-time transfer bonus to book a dirt-cheap ticket to the Dominican Republic, showing how these promotions can really pay off. 

Capital One Venture X Card Overview

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.

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: 19.99% - 29.24% (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
• Enjoy complimentary access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations 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: Purchases: 19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

 

The Capital One Venture X card is one of our favorite all-around travel credit cards, thanks to impressive benefits and travel perks. Here are some of the best Capital One Venture X card benefits, which outweighs its $395 annual fee (rates & fees):

• $300 annual Capital One Travel credit
• Ability to transfer miles to participating airlines and hotels
• An anniversary bonus of 10,000 miles (worth $180, according to our valuations) every year starting on your first anniversary
• Complimentary access to 1,300+ airport lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge network
• Up to a $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit

Booking a Cheap JetBlue Flight to the Caribbean With Miles

JetBlue has one of my favorite airline programs for flights to the Caribbean, thanks to relatively cheap award rates. This is especially true when the airline runs its semi-regular award sales. During these dates, flights to the Caribbean can be found from 5,000 miles each way. 

I was running low on TrueBlue points, and this limited-time bonus was just what I needed to cover a round-trip ticket from New York (JFK), where I’m based, to Punta Cana (PUJ).

Signing up for email alerts is important. That’s how I found out about this promotion:

To be eligible to take advantage of the promotion, I needed to transfer at least 1,000 Capital One miles to JetBlue. To do so, I logged in to my Capital One account. From there, I headed to the redeem rewards section and, finally, the transfer rewards section.

I didn’t need to re-link my account because I had previously transferred Capital One miles to JetBlue.

The miles transferred to JetBlue instantly, so after logging into my JetBlue account, I saw that the bonus miles had been deposited.

With the points in my TrueBlue account, I was ready to book my flight to the Caribbean. Several fantastic deals were available to Caribbean destinations like Punta Cana, Bonaire (BON), and Grenada (GND).

I chose Punta Cana due to its relatively cheap all-inclusive resorts, which I planned to pay for using my Capital One Venture X card. (If you aren’t familiar with it, the Capital One Venture X card offers $300 in travel credit annually for bookings made through Capital One Travel.)

My all-in cost for a 3-day round-trip ticket to the Dominican Republic was just 11,400 TrueBlue points (plus about $130 in taxes). 

I consider this redemption a steal because round-trip tickets for my travel dates were between $400 and $600 on other airlines!

Act Quickly When a Transfer Bonus Goes Live

In this case, transferring quickly was paramount. I didn’t even think about it. I got the promotion email and transferred my Capital One miles to JetBlue. Had I waited, I would have been out of luck: the bonus didn’t last a day!

This is an extreme example, but keep in mind that transfer bonuses are usually available for a limited time and sometimes don’t last until the stated end date.

How To Earn JetBlue TrueBlue Points

JetBlue TrueBlue points are extremely easy to earn, thanks to the program’s handful of transfer partners. Here are JetBlue’s transfer partners and their rates:

• American Express Membership Rewards: Amex points transfer to JetBlue at a rate of 1:0.8. (Occasionally, Amex will run transfer bonuses that bump the rate to 1:1)
• Capital One: Capital One miles transfer to JetBlue TrueBlue at a 5:3 ratio.
• Chase Ultimate Rewards: Chase points transfer to JetBlue at a 1:1 ratio.
• Citi ThankYou: Citi ThankYou points transfer to JetBlue at either a 1:1 transfer or 1:0.8 ratio, depending on your credit card.

As you can see, none of these rates are particularly good (except for Chase and Citi). Though transferring points or miles to JetBlue is generally not a good idea, some instances make sense. It could pay off if there’s a sweet transfer bonus or you need to top up your balance before a redemption.

You can earn TrueBlue points by opening one of JetBlue’s 3 co-branded credit cards. All 3 cards offer welcome bonuses (after meeting a minimum spending requirement and paying an annual fee, if applicable). You’ll earn bonus points on JetBlue purchases and everyday spending, such as restaurants and eligible grocery stores.

Finally, TrueBlue Shopping and TrueBlue Dining are easy ways to rack up many JetBlue points for trips.

Final Thoughts

This was a fantastic promo from Capital One. But more importantly, it’s a reminder to take advantage of limited-time transfer bonuses, especially if you have travel plans coming up. Because of this deal, I could top up my TrueBlue balance to cover a round-trip flight to the Dominican Republic.

Remember, transfer bonuses are limited and, as we saw here, can expire quickly. So, if there’s a redemption you want to book, we recommend doing so ASAP!