Capital One Venture Rewards benefits guide

You can earn airline miles with every purchase you make with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Plus, the card also offers a generous intro bonus if you spend enough after initially opening your account.

The downside? The Venture Rewards card does charge an annual fee of $95. You must make sure, then, that you earn enough airline miles to outweigh the cost of this yearly fee.

Consistent rewards for travelers

The Capital One Venture Rewards card is a solid one for frequent travelers because it’s so easy to earn miles with this card. You’ll earn 2 miles for every dollar you charge, and a higher 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

And these miles are unlimited: You can earn as much as you want. It’s all dependent on how much you spend. The miles you earn don’t expire, either. When you want to redeem them, sign in to your Capital One account to claim your rewards.

This card also features a lucrative welcome bonus. If you spend $3,000 on purchases with the Venture Rewards card during the first three months of opening your account, you’ll earn 60,000 bonus miles. That’s worth about $600 in travel purchases.

Flexible redemption options

You can use your miles to book free flights, of course. But that’s not all. You can also use your miles for hotel stays and gift cards. You can even turn them into cash in the form of a statement credit or check.

There’s more flexibility here, too. You can transfer the miles you earn with the Venture Rewards card to any of its travel loyalty programs. Transfer partners include Avianca LifeMiles, Air France, Singapore Airlines, Wyndham Rewards, British Airways and Air Canada.

See related: Capital One miles rewards guide

Travel benefits

In addition to the miles you can earn, the Venture Rewards card provides additional travel benefits.

You’ll receive a credit of up to $100 a year for TSA PreCheck, which lets you move faster through security lines at airports, or Global Entry, which gives pre-approved travelers quicker entry into the U.S. when they are arriving from international flights.

This card also qualifies you for 24-hour travel assistance. If your Venture Rewards card is lost or stolen, Capital One will send you a replacement card and a cash advance. This can be a valuable lifeline if you are traveling and suddenly find yourself without your credit card.

The Venture Rewards card also offers an auto rental collision damage waiver. If you rent a car with your Venture Rewards card, you’ll be covered for any damage done to the vehicle because of a collision or theft.

And when you are traveling internationally? The Venture One Rewards card doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees, something that can save you money on international travel.

Finally, the Venture Rewards card comes with travel accident insurance. This insurance covers losses if you suffer an accident while on a trip. You must use your credit card to purchase your airfare to qualify for this insurance.

Other perks

The Venture Rewards card doesn’t offer many perks not related to travel. It does, though, come with extended warranty protection.

This perk doubles the length of an eligible manufacturer’s written U.S. warranty up to one additional year. You must have purchased the item with your Capital One Venture Rewards card to take advantage of this perk.

You can also use your Capital One rewards to pay for any purchases you make on Amazon.com.

Maximize your benefits with the Capital One Venture Rewards card

Because the Capital One Ventures Rewards card does charge an annual fee of $95, it’s important to maximize the rewards you’ll earn each year. This will help you cover that annual fee and earn enough miles on top of that to make this card a smart addition to your wallet.

First, make sure you charge at least $3,000 worth of purchases during your first three months of opening your account. If you do, you’ll earn the bonus 60,000 miles as part of your welcome offer. That bonus comes out to about $600 worth of travel.

Next, use your card for everyday purchases. The Venture Rewards card earns 2 miles for every dollar you charge on any purchase. If you use this card as your primary credit card, you should rack up plenty of miles.

Don’t be shy, either, about using your Venture Rewards card while you’re traveling. Also, plan ahead to book your hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel to earn the 5 points per dollar rate for those travel expenses.

Just make sure that you only charge what you can afford to pay back by your card’s due date. If you don’t and you carry a balance from month to month, you’ll be charged interest on what you owe. That interest can easily outweigh the financial benefits of the miles you earn.

Bottom line

The Capital One Venture Rewards credit card is a smart choice for those who want to earn miles quickly, without worrying about rotating categories or focusing their spending in one or two areas. That’s because this card earns at least 2 points for every dollar you spend with it. If you use this card frequently, you’ll steadily generate miles.

That’s good if you’re a frequent traveler. You can turn your miles into cash or gift cards, but this card remains a better value if you exchange them instead for travel-related expenses such as flights and hotel stays.