Capital One announces 100,000-mile bonus for new Venture X cardholders
If you enjoy discount travel and are partial to Capital One as an issuer, their top travel credit cards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the new Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card could be cards worth exploring.
Not only do these cards offer great opportunities to earn and redeem credit card rewards for travel spend, but you can also count on a generous welcome bonus from each. The Venture X card has a large welcome bonus with a hefty annual fee, while the Venture Rewards card has a more modest welcome bonus with a lower annual fee. However, there’s more to the story beyond annual fees and sign-up bonuses. Here’s what you should know about these cards’ features.
Main details
| Cards | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Rewards rate |
|
|
| Welcome bonus | Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
|
|
| Annual fee | $95 | $395 |
Welcome bonus changes
At one point, the Capital One Venture Rewards card was offering a tiered welcome bonus based on which spending requirement you met:
- 50,000 miles if you spent $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening
This promotion has expired, and the Venture Rewards card now offers a 75,000-mile bonus once you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening. Although it’s much lower than the previous 100,000 welcome bonus, the 75,000 miles could be worth up to $750 toward travel.
If you didn’t get a chance to take advantage of the epic 100,000-mile welcome bonus offered by the Venture Rewards card, you’ve now got another chance with the new Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
The Venture X has a 100,000-mile welcome bonus after spending $10,000 on purchases within the first six months. However, The Venture X card also carries a whopping $395 annual fee. But even with the higher annual fee, there are plenty of card features that help offset that cost, which we’ll look at below.
A look at the Venture X card
The new Venture X card allows you to earn 10X miles on hotel and rental car Capital One Travel bookings and 5X miles on flights through Capital One Travel, plus 2X miles on all other purchases. Plus, there’s plenty of extras to justify the $395 annual fee:
- Earn up to $200 back in statement credits for vacation rentals charged to your account within your first year (limited-time offer).
- Earn up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel.
- Annual 10,000 miles credit which can be worth $100 toward travel, on your card anniversary
- Get up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership for access to over 1,300 lounges around the world
If you still aren’t sold on paying the Venture X annual fee, there are still more card add-ons that could convince you of the card’s value. The Venture X card is part of the Visa Infinite network and offers the following benefits:
- Visa Infinite Concierge services
- Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection (VIP status, upgrades when available, complimentary breakfast)
- Travel and emergency assistance services
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- VIP amenities and discounts on car rentals
- Extended warranty protection
- Return protection
- Purchase security (for stolen or damaged items)
- Cellphone protection ($50 deductible)
A look at the Venture Rewards card
As a refresher, the Venture Rewards card offers unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2X miles on all other purchases. Although you’ll pay a $95 annual fee, Capital One’s growing list of travel partners, variety of flexible mile redemption options and travel-specific statement credit-earning opportunities make it a great card for casual travelers.
Though the sign-up bonus tops the list of card features, there are other benefits, including virtual card numbers, credit monitoring and no foreign transaction fees:
- Option to redeem miles for gift cards or purchases made via PayPal or on Amazon.com
- No foreign transaction fees
- Auto rental collision damage
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee
- Eno assistant’s virtual credit card numbers
- CreditWise’s in-depth credit monitoring
What the Venture cards’ sign-up bonus means for you
Whether you choose the Venture Rewards card or the Venture X, your sign-up bonus can go much farther when redeemed for travel through the Capital One travel portal. The exciting part is that Capital One recently cemented a partnership with travel search engine Hopper, which features price prediction and alert technology for booking flights, hotels and rental cars, plus the option to change or cancel reservations easily.
Also, it’s worth noting that Capital One has been steadily adding transfer partners that include several loyalty programs with both airlines and hotels. With redemption values that start at 1 cent per mile and go up to 1.7 cents per mile, according to Bankrate’s latest points and miles valuations, you can definitely get more value out of your miles by redeeming them with transfer partners.
The bottom line
If you’re looking for a travel credit card from Capital One with features that truly cater to the jet-setter in you, either one of these cards could fit the bill. If it’s a large welcome bonus you want, the Venture X card would be your pick.
If you care less about a large welcome bonus and want a mid-tier travel credit card with a lower annual fee, the Venture Rewards meets that need. With either card, you’ve still got access to plenty of great features for the casual or frequent traveler.
