Having the RIGHT points in your pocket, and then learning how to actually MAXIMIZE those points for the very most travel possible is how you go from one (way too expensive) stateside vacation a year,

…to multiple bucket list trips annually for a FRACTION of the actual cost.

One of the best transferrable miles out there are Capital One miles. There are TWO powerhouse cards at the top of the list of best cards and that’s the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

Okayyyy, let’s break down a side by side comparison of these two sister offers to see which is the best fit for YOU!

What do you get with BOTH the Venture and Venture X?

There are some overlapping benefits with these two Capital One cards. Both cards offer:

• Unlimited 2x miles on EVERY purchase – One of the MOST valuable features IMO…the maximum number of points you can earn on all that non-category spend is 2x miles- so this makes both Ventures clutch “no brainer” cards

• Access to Capital One Travel– Their portal is my go-to for booking rental cars!

• TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry Reimbursement – Receive up to a $120 credit for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® when you pay for the application fee with your Venture or Venture X card.

• No foreign transaction fees

• Generous Welcome Offer- both cards typically offer the same welcome offer (unless there is an elevated limited time offer going on)

• “Reimburse your Travel” – The ability to use your miles to “pay yourself back” for some of those harder to save on travel purchases (like Airbnbs or say tickets to Disney)

• Valuable Transfer Partners! – The ability to transfer miles to 15+ airline and hotel partners (I love our Capital One miles most for nearly free flights)

Capital One Transfer Partners

FOR FLIGHTS:

• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air Canada Aeroplan®
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• EVA Air (2:1.5 transfer ratio)
• Finnair Plus
• Flying Blue
• JAL- Japan Airlines (2:1.5 transfer ratio)
• JetBlue (5:3 transfer ratio)
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• TAP Miles&Go
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• Virgin Atlantic

FOR HOTELS/ACCOMMODATIONS:

• Choice Privileges® (2:1 transfer ratio)
• Wyndham Rewards
• Accor Live Limitless (ALL)
• I Prefer Hotel Rewards (1:2 transfer ratio)

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The main distinctive of the regular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is the low $95 annual fee. Many people prefer to go with this entry level card simply because of this very affordable annual fee for the value the card provides!

• Earning rates beyond the 2x on every purchase: The Venture offers you 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. As well as 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases (through December 31, 2025).

• Complimentary Hertz 5 Star Status

• Travel Protections: The Venture provides Rental Car Collision Damage Waiver, which offers secondary rental car insurance (not recommended), travel accident insurance, and lost or damaged baggage coverage

***With the new eligibility rules, you will want to make sure you get the regular Venture BEFORE the premium Venture X!!

💳  Learn how to apply for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card HERE!

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Now let’s chat what sets the premium Venture X apart. IMO, the Venture X truly is the best value premium credit card on the market.

The Annual Fee

So many people see the $395 annual fee and automatically run away…I know, I GET IT, but hear me out…

If you actually take a close look at the benefits and yearly credits the card puts BACK in your pocket, you quickly see the $395 is a complete wash. This truly is a card that pays for itself. If you spend at least $300 on travel a year, this card is TRULY a no brainer.

Most people EASILY get wayyyyy more than $395 dollars worth of value out of this card every year.

Yearly Credits

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers a yearly $300 credit to use in Capital One Travel.

• The credit acts like a “coupon” you can apply when checking out in the portal
• You are issued a new credit every card anniversary
• They DO expire and cannot be stacked year over year (I wish!!).

We love to use this credit on rental cars as that travel expense is harder to save on with points in a traditional sense. However, you can use this $300 credit on hotels, flights, or rental cards booked with Capital One Travel.

If that wasn’t sweet enough, you will ALSO receive 10,000 anniversary points EVERY year (worth a minimum of $100 in travel).

• Unlike other premium cards, these Venture credits are super straightforward and VERY easy to use.

Lastly, with the Venture X you will earn 10x Venture miles on hotels and rental cars and 5x Venture miles on flights booked via Capital One Travel. That is why this is my go-to card if I am going to book any sort of travel in cash.

Airport Lounge Access

Now to my FAVORITE benefit. Truly if there was a GOAT of all credit cards this card and this perk would probably be it.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with unlimited airport lounge access to ALL Capital One Lounges and 1300+ Priority Pass Lounges worldwide.

A quiet place to be away from the bustle of the airport, complimentary drinks and most times food, CLEANNNN bathrooms…”once you lounge you never go back!”

…also the amount of money we have saved on the dreaded overpriced airport food, let me TELL YOU.

Travel Protections

The travel insurance benefits of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card take the cake when it comes to vacation protections.

The Venture X card is a Visa Infinite card, so it offers a variety of REALLY robust and valuable travel protections, such as:

• Primary auto rental collision damage waiver
• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement

I always book all of our travel on my Venture X (even using the Venture X to purchase just the taxes on a flight booked with points activates these insurance benefits)!

Other Notable Venture X Benefits

• Cell Phone Protection! If you pay your cell phone bill with the Venture X card, you will receive complimentary cell phone protection (applies to all lines on the bill!). You get $800 of coverage (up to the value of your phone) if your cell phone is stolen or damaged.

• Hertz President’s Circle Status: The primary card member and authorized users can sign up for this status here. This fancy shmancy status allows you to skip the counter and get guaranteed upgrades!

• Extended Warranty Protection: Get an additional year of warranty protection for free on eligible items that are purchased with your Venture X card!

💳 Learn how to apply for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card HERE!

Application Tips

The nitty gritty. Capital One can be finicky with approvals at times (even despite a perfectly high credit score!).

Because this bank is sensitive to lots of recent applications within the previous 6 months, I do suggest going for the Venture cards at the beginning of your points and miles journey (remember regular Venture FIRST thennn the Venture X!)

So which Venture card is better?

Both are amazing transferrable, FLEXIBLE mile travel rewards card.

• 100% the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is hands down the best overall value and my top pick long term for alllll the top tier perks (lookin’ at you lounge access for my whole family).

• However, if you just can’t get over that mental hump of the high annual fee (I GET it), the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is definitely the next best thing and a fantastic card to have in your wallet!

If there is an elevated offer going on on the Venture card, and you don’t have an upcoming trip you are eager for lounge access for, then for sure take advantage of the elevated offer on the regular Venture first and THEN go for the Venture X.

Can I hold both cards?

Yes! You can hold both the Venture and Venture X you just need to space your applications by 6 months.

To be eligible for both welcome bonuses you will want to apply for the Venture AND THEN the Venture X.

Another thing of note is you can only refer Venture to Venture and X to X, so keep that in mind if you are leveraging player 1/player 2 mode. As well, you can ONLY earn a referral bonus for new Capital One card members.

What are the best ways to use Capital One Miles?

I loveeee our Capital One Miles for flights. That’s why one of these powerhouse cards is the PERFECT companion for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (top notch value on hotels when transferring those Chase points to Hyatt!).

• Transfer miles to Air France/KLM to book flights to Europe for your family for a fraction of the actual cost (25% discount on kids tickets with their Family Plan)- saving on Europe flights HERE!

• Transfer miles to Air Canada to book business class flights to Australia or New Zealand for 75,000 points one way per person

• Transfer miles to Virgin Atlantic to book the cheappessttttt flights to London possible (starting at 6,000 one way per person!!)

• Transfer miles to British Airways to book American Airlines flights you might be able to otherwise

My other favorite use of Venture miles is to “reimburse ourselves” for some of those harder to save on travel expenses, like Airbnbs and Disney tickets. I have some deep dives on saving on vacation rentals HERE and saving on Disney HERE!

Although, this won’t get you the BEST return on your points (10,000 miles = $100 in savings)…sometimes free is FREE amirite?!

💳  Learn how to apply for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card HERE!

💳 Learn how to apply for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card HERE!

You truly can’t go wrong with either of these stand out travel rewards cards!