What's the best Capital One airline miles card?

Capital One miles are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel, 0.8 cents each when redeemed for gift cards and 0.5 cents each when redeemed for cash back. That means 20,000 Capital One miles are worth $200 in travel or $100 in cash back.

Capital One Miles Value

Travel Purchases:... read full answer 1 cent per mile.

Redeeming your miles for travel is easy and you have two options: You can use your miles to erase past travel-related purchases, or to book upcoming trips. To redeem your miles for recent travel purchases, log on to your Capital One account and click on the “Rewards Miles” section of your account summary. Select “Cover Your Purchases,” and all of your travel expenses from the last 90 days will appear. Then select whichever ones you want to redeem miles for.

To book travel using your miles, select the “Book a Trip” option, and it’ll take you to Capital One’s travel portal where you can book flights, hotels, and vacation packages directly, using your miles.

Gift cards: 0.8 cent per mile.

You can get gift cards from most major retailers. Denominations vary by store.

Cash back: 0.5 cent per mile.

You can redeem your Capital One miles in the form of a statement credit or a check.

So, keep in mind that using your miles for gift cards or as a statement credit to cover non-travel purchases diminishes the value of your mile; each mile being worth half a cent when redeemed for gift cards or non-travel credits. When it comes to Capital One credit cards with miles, you’ll get the most value when redeeming your miles for travel.

Ultimately, you can check out our editors' latest picks for the best travel credit cards on the market and see which one better suits your needs.

You need 100 Capital One miles for every dollar that a flight costs. Each mile is worth one cent when spent on travel. So, if your flight costs $200, you’ll need 20,000 miles. That’s a pretty standard rate for reward redemption.

Because not all flights are equal (in terms of distance, seating, time of year, etc.), their dollar cost varies a lot. So, credit card companies can’t charge the same number of points or miles for every flight. Instead, they use an exchange rate between their points or miles and the dollar cost of the flight. In this case, it’s 100 Capital One miles for $1 in airfare. And just to be clear, Capital One doesn’t offer any points cards. But miles work the same way.... read full answer

If you don’t have a Capital One miles card yet and are interested in one, there are two good options, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card. Both cards require good credit or better (a credit score of 700+), but their terms are a bit different.

Capital One Venture gives you unlimited 5 miles per $1 spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases, with a 75,000 miles (you'll have to spend $4,000 in 3 months from account opening to get it) initial bonus and a $95 annual fee. Capital One VentureOne gives you unlimited 5 miles per $1 spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 1.25 miles per $1 on all other purchases on all purchases, with a 40,000 miles initial bonus (you need to spend $4,000 in 3 months from account opening to get it) and a $0 annual fee. So, you have to choose between a higher earning rate and fee or a lower earning rate and no fee.

If you do already have a Capital One miles card, you can redeem your miles by logging in to your Capital One online account. You can use your points to book travel (flights, hotels, cruises, etc.) or pay for travel expenses after the fact. The number of Capital One miles needed to pay for a recent flight will be listed when you select “Redeem Travel Purchases.” You’ll be able to use your miles for any flight from the past 90 days.

To transfer Capital One miles, cardholders must first log in to their Capital One account online. Then, go to the rewards redemption page, and select “Convert Your Miles”. Capital One cardholders can transfer miles to travel partners such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Aeromexico Club Premier, and Choice Privileges.

How to Transfer Capital One Miles to Travel Partners... read full answer

1. Log in to your Capital One account online.
2. Navigate to the Capital One rewards page.
3. Select “Convert Your Miles” as the redemption option.
4. Follow the steps to transfer your Capital One miles to a travel partner.

Keep in mind that some travel partners may offer more value for your miles than others. Also, Capital One transfers require a minimum of 1,000 miles. Plus, all transfers to travel partners must be in increments of 100.