How to maximize the Venture X’s $300 annual travel credit
Key takeaways
- The best way to maximize your Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card travel credit is to combine it with the other benefits, bonuses and perks that the card offers.
- Use tools like the Capital One Travel Price Match, Price Watch and Price Forecast to use your travel credit efficiently.
- The Venture X travel credit offers great flexibility and swift redemption compared to other luxury travel cards.
Capital One’s popular travel credit card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, is a hit with travelers. And it’s no wonder — the mid-tier travel credit card is attainable due to its low annual fee compared to other luxury travel cards. But that’s not the only thing that makes this card exciting. In addition to the lower cost, it offers a variety of perks and credits that can help you offset the annual fee every year.
One is the $300 annual Capital One Travel credit the card offers for bookings through Capital One Travel. You can count on this credit to cover eligible travel expenses booked through the Capital One Travel portal each year. Plus, it has an annual anniversary bonus of 10,000 miles towards travel that you’ll see added to your rewards balance. But how can you make the most of it? Here are our recommendations for getting the most value out of this annual card benefit.
What is the Venture X travel credit?
As a Venture X cardholder, you’ll get up to $300 back annually as credits for bookings through Capital One Travel. When you spend on travel in the portal, the credit can be applied to purchases at checkout. You can use it all at once or use it over multiple purchases. But remember that the Venture X travel credit expires on the following account opening anniversary date, so there’s no saving this one for later.
Like most credit cards, you can lose eligibility for the credit if your account is not in good standing or is closed. If you keep your account current, you should be eligible for the annual credit.
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Ways to maximize the travel credit
The Capital One Travel portal has features that make it easy to maximize your travel credit without overspending. Use these tools to keep an eye on flight, hotel and rental car prices so you can use your Venture X travel credit to its fullest potential.
Price in cash and miles
When viewing your rewards balance on Capital One Travel, you can easily see the cash equivalence of your miles. The same is true when you book travel with your Venture X card. Don’t get confused by converting miles to cash on your own when comparing pricing and making sure it equals out to your $300 travel credit. Just view Capital One Travel’s price in cash and miles to make it easier on yourself.
“I combined my annual travel credit, Capital One miles and cash when booking my last trip via Capital One Travel,” says Nouri Zarrugh, senior editor at Bankrate and longtime Venture X cardholder. “The process was smooth and it was always clear to me exactly how much of my trip was covered by each payment method.”
Price analysis
Are you wondering whether the flight or hotel you’re booking is actually a good price? Capital One Travel’s price prediction feature can help you nail the best price for your travel booking by forecasting the lowest price and letting you know whether you should wait to book or buy your tickets now. It uses current and historical data to predict when prices will rise or fall and shows how much you could save by waiting, which helps you make the most cost-effective use of your travel credit.
Price watch
If you’ve ever tracked travel costs with Google Flights, you’ll find it equally easy to track prices on the flights you’re eyeing with Capital One Travel Price Watch. Using the Price Watch feature will send you alerts when the price for your trip goes up or down so you can move quickly to book flights and hotels when the price dips.
Do your own research
It never hurts to do your research. Finding a lower price elsewhere dissuades many people from using their credit card issuer’s travel portal to book their trip. That common concern is relieved by the Capital One Travel Price Match. If you find a lower price for the flight, hotel or rental car you booked through Capital One Travel within 24 hours of booking, it’ll send you a travel credit for the price difference.
As long as the itinerary you found exactly matches the one you found on the Capital One travel portal, you’ll just need to give Capital One a call and submit a Capital One Price Match claim. So you’re not overpaying for your trip, and you still get to use your $300 statement credit.
Pair the credit with other Venture X benefits
Capital One has created a travel credit card meant to compete with the likes of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express — which have their own lists of exclusive perks and benefits. To make the most of your Capital One Venture X travel credit, pair it with other premium benefits to create a memorable vacation for less.
Welcome bonus
If you just received your Venture X card, hit the spending requirement of $4,000 within the first three months of account opening to get your welcome offer of 75,000 bonus miles. That’s $750 towards your travel plans or $1,050 combined with your $300 Venture X travel credit.
“I’ve had the Venture X for about three years now and so far, the value I’ve earned from the card’s welcome bonus and travel credits has completely offset all my annual fees,” says Zarrugh. “Plus, the travel credit has encouraged me to travel more — and I needed the push.”
Anniversary bonus
If you’re a more seasoned Venture X cardholder, wait until your card’s anniversary rolls around to take advantage of the 10,000 annual bonus miles. That’s an additional $100 toward your travel, which totals $400 combined with your Venture X travel credit.
Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit
Keep your shoes and belt on through airport security by using the Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit of up to $100 to glide through security instead of waiting in line with everyone else.
Lounge Access
Next, stop into the Capital One Lounge, or one of the 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges internationally, before you board to take advantage of unlimited all-inclusive amenities. Spending $25 on subpar coffee and a stale bagel at the airport is not how you want to start a vacation.
“I visited the Capital One Lounge at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport for the first time this summer and was blown away by how nice it was,” says Zarrugh. “I’d expected a small space with a few basic snacks, akin to a continental breakfast bar. But it was huge, with dozens of fresh and prepared food items to choose from, including eggs, croissants, specialty teas, coffees and sodas on tap. Getting in was as simple as showing my card and boarding pass. Next to covering most of the cost with my card’s annual travel credit, my visit to the lounge was one of my trip’s biggest highlights.”
Visa Infinite Concierges
Want to make reservations at a world-renowned restaurant, book a local excursion, or grab tickets to a show while you’re out of town? Access to the Visa Infinite Concierge can help you check that off your list with a quick phone call or email.
Premier Collection Hotels
Whether you’re planning a spa day or just grabbing dinner at the hotel restaurant during your stay, a $100 experience credit could help you cover the cost. When you book a stay at one of the Premier Collection hotels through Capital One Travel, you’ll earn 10X miles with your Venture X card. Plus, you’ll enjoy perks like early check-in, late check-out, room upgrades when available, daily breakfast for two, and that $100 experience credit.
Cell phone protection
Did you crack your phone screen on vacation? Happens to the best of us. As long as you’ve been paying your monthly cellphone bill with your Venture X card, you’ll have cell phone protection that reimburses you for a damaged or lost phone, up to $800 per claim.
How does the Venture X credit compare with other cards’ credits
The Venture X credit card offers a tantalizing travel credit plus an anniversary bonus that allows you to prioritize travel each year. But how does it compare to major competitors like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and The American Express Platinum Card? We’ll break it down for you:
Capital One Venture X travel credits:
- $300 Capital One Travel portal credit
- 10,000-mile anniversary bonus (valued at $100)
Annual total: $400
American Express Platinum Card travel credits
- $200 annual hotel statement credit for prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings via American Express Travel with a minimum two-night stay)
- $200 annual airline fee credit with a pre-selected airline (for incidental fees; awarded as statement credit)
- $200 annual Uber credit ($15 per month and $20 in December)
Annual total: $600
Keep in mind: The Amex Platinum’s annual airline fee credit doesn’t apply to airline ticket purchases or upgrades — only incidental fees such as a checked baggage fee or inflight entertainment purchases.
Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credits
- $300 annual travel credit. Automatically applied as statement credit to travel category purchases.
Annual total: $300
No matter which card you choose, a key factor in using travel credits are the limitations on how it’s applied and where you can use them.
| Flight options | Accommodations options | Credit applied as… | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venture X | Any flight in the Capital One portal | Any in the portal | Discount on qualifying travel purchases at checkout in the portal |
| Sapphire Reserve | Any flight | Any accommodations that qualify as “travel” | Statement credit often on the same day as your qualifying purchase |
| Amex Platinum | Only on one pre-selected, qualifying airline | Prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection bookings made through American Express Travel (2-night minimum stay required) | Statement credit within 6 to 8 weeks |
It’s clear that both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Capital One Venture X are more flexible than the American Express Platinum Card when it comes to flights, accommodations and even the swiftness of delivering the travel credit. The Sapphire Reserve offers superior flexibility, allowing you to book flights and hotels anywhere. You’ll get the statement credit as long as the merchant code qualifies it as a travel purchase. Meanwhile, you must book your trip through the Capital One Travel portal to use your annual travel credit with the Venture X card.
The bottom line
Maximizing your Capital One Venture X travel credit is simple and can even be helped by some tools available in the Capital One Travel portal. By combining your Venture X travel credit with other perks, benefits and offers, you can create vacation memories you’ll never forget without breaking the bank.
Compared to other options like the Amex Platinum Card, the Venture X’s travel credit is more flexible. It may even outdo the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s travel credit when you pair it with the 10,000 bonus miles you’ll get each account anniversary. Although there’s slightly less flexibility in using the Venture X travel credit, it still offers great value.
