2021 Capital One Venture Card Review

There's no official Capital One Venture miles redemption chart. But that's because you don't need one. It's not that complicated. Capital One Venture miles are worth a penny each when redeemed for travel and half that when redeemed for gift cards or a statement credit. Since Venture gives you double miles on every purchase, that means you're getting 2% back when you redeem for travel and 1% back otherwise. 

So, it's pretty easy to make your own Capital One Venture miles redemption chart. In fact, I'll make one for you…

Here are your Capital One Venture miles redemption options:

1. Travel Purchases: 1 cent per mile. You can use Venture miles to book flights, hotels, rental cars, etc., on Capital One's travel portal. Or you can use the “purchase eraser” tool to put miles toward expenses once they show up on your monthly statement. You can also transfer miles to partner travel programs, though the value per mile differs depending on the partner.
2. Gift cards: 0.5 cent per mile. You can get gift cards from most major retailers, from Amazon to Walmart. Denominations vary by store, but you can get a gift card for as little as $10 or as much as $500.
3. Cash back: 0.5 cent per mile. You can redeem your Venture miles in the form of a statement credit or a check.
4. Share Your Rewards: You can help a friend or a family member by transferring your miles to them, if they have a Venture card, getting them closer to their destination.

As you can see, redemption is pretty simple. There's no doubt how much Capital One Venture miles are worth (1 cent each for travel, or half a cent for cash). And all you have to do to use them is log into your Capital One online account, click on your rewards balance, and choose the redemption option you want.

These are all reasons why Capital One Venture is one of the best travel rewards cards around.

Capital One Venture's annual fee is $95. This annual fee is a bit steep, but Capital One Venture makes up for it with good rewards, including 100,000 miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months; this bonus covers a few years of annual fees.

Another way to offset the Capital One Venture annual fee is with the card's ongoing rewards. Venture offers 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases. Spending $1,000 per month nets 24,000 miles per year, equal to $240 in free travel. That covers 2.5 years of Capital One Venture annual fees.

But the annual fee isn't the only thing you have to watch out for on a Capital One Venture card. There are a few other fees you might have to pay in various situations.

Here are the Capital One Venture fees:

• Annual fee: $95
• Foreign transaction fee: $0
• Balance transfer fee: None
• Cash advance fee: 3% (min $10)

Overall, the Capital One Venture annual fee is pretty reasonable compared to the value you receive in return. But if you don't plan on spending enough to earn Capital One Venture's initial bonus or to justify paying its $95 annual fee from the second year on, there are plenty of rewards credit cards with no annual fee. Just make sure to consider both how much you'll earn and how easy the rewards will be to redeem.

You can easily redeem Capital One Venture miles through the Capital One website, mobile app or customer service phone line. That's fairly standard. What's unique is that you can redeem Capital One Venture miles either before a trip, to book your accommodations, or to pay for travel expenses after the fact. You can charge any type of travel to your Venture card and then use your miles to pay once the purchases post to your account. You can also redeem Venture miles for gift cards and other non-travel rewards, but you'll get half the value if you do that.

Capital One Venture's redemption process is one of its major perks. But there definitely are some do's and don'ts to be aware of if you want to get top dollar for your miles. So let's take a closer look.

Here's how to redeem Capital One Venture miles online:

1. Log into your account on Capital One's website.
2. Click on your rewards balance.
3. Choose your redemption method. The options are: “Redeem travel purchases,” “Book a trip,” “Get gift cards,” “Get an account credit,” “Get a check by mail,” and “Transfer Rewards.”
4. Follow the instructions for the option you've chosen.

As you can see, there's a lot of different ways to redeem Venture miles. And with 2 miles for every dollar spent, along with a 50,000-mile initial bonus, they'll build up fast. It's also useful to note that you can redeem through the Capital One app too. Just log in with the same user name and password, click “Redeem Rewards” at the bottom, and select one of the options.

Here are the options for redeeming Capital One Venture miles:

• Redeem travel purchases: 1 cent per mile
  Capital One shows you what travel expenses you've made in the past 90 days, and you can use your miles to “erase” some or all of the cost from your credit card statement.
• Book a trip: 1 cent per mile
  The Capital One travel booking tool is powered by Orbitz, so you should have access to most major airlines, hotels and rental car companies.
• Get gift cards: 0.5 cent per mile
  90 stores are represented, including Bed Bath & Beyond, Lowe's, AMC and Best Buy. Gift cards for as little as $10 are available for many stores. But the denominations vary by store.
• Get cash back: 0.5 cent per mile
  You can get a deposit into your checking or savings account or receive a check by mail. You can also set up automatic cash redemption when you reach a certain number of miles.
• Transfer miles: Value depends on the partner
  If you have another Capital One Venture or other travel rewards credit card account, you may be able to transfer your rewards to it.

The most convenient part about redeeming Capital One Venture miles is that you don't have to decide to use them before making a purchase. You can use the so-called purchase eraser to pay for any type of travel expense charged to your card in the last 90 days. Capital One isn't stingy about what it considers travel, either. It includes everything from hotels, airlines and cruises to Airbnb and Uber. That flexibility, combined with Venture's top-notch rewards value, makes it one of the best cards available to frequent travelers.

One mile equals 1 cent in travel, meaning 100 miles are worth $1 and 10,000 miles are worth $100. You can learn more from our Venture Card review and Capital One No Hassle Rewards Program review​​​​​​​. Hope this helps. Best of luck!

Capital One Venture approval odds are highest for applicants with a credit score above 700. The higher a person's credit score, the better chances they have of being approved. In addition, Capital One will consider an applicant's annual income, monthly housing payment, amount of debt in relation to income, and other factors when making a decision.

If you're not sure you qualify, you can assess your Capital One Venture approval odds before you apply. Check your pre-approval status by using the tool on the Capital One website. If you're pre-approved, it means there's a strong likelihood that you'd be approved if you apply.

The Capital One Venture Card is a Visa. Capital One is the issuer of the Venture Card, which can be used anywhere Visa is accepted.

You don't have to do anything special to get the Capital One Venture metal card. All new cardholders who are approved for Capital One Venture will receive the metal version, unless they specifically request to customize the card with a photo. This is a special promotion that's been going since February 15, 2017. Capital One has not yet announced an end date.

Here's how to get the Capital One Venture metal card:

• If you're a new applicant: Apply for the card. As long as you don't request a photo card on your application, you'll automatically get a metal card. Just keep in mind that if you ask for a photo card you'll need to call customer service if you want to switch to metal later, since your normal replacement cards would also be photo cards.
• If you're an existing cardholder: Ask for a metal replacement. Call the number on the back of your card and ask if you're eligible for the metal version. Some people aren't, due to things like missed payments in the past. But if you are, you can order a replacement, which should arrive in 7-10 business days.

There's no difference in rates, fees or the way you use the metal card vs. the plastic one. But naturally, the metal one feels a bit more prestigious. Metal credit cards are typically the cards with the highest annual fees and the best benefits. That being said, don't worry too much about what your credit card is made of. It's just a tool for making purchases, and its terms are what really matter.

If you're keen on getting a metal credit card and don't want to pay hundreds of dollars in annual fees, this is a great option. Capital One Venture comes with excellent rewards: 2 miles per $1 spent, along with 100,000 miles bonus for spending $20,000 within the first 12 months or 50,000 bonus points for spending for spending $3,000 during the first 3 months your account is open.    

It's also important to note that although Capital One hasn't announced an end date for the Capital One Venture metal cards, this promotion could end at any time.   

The difference between the Capital One Venture and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is that the former is the premium version. It has a more generous sign-up bonus (50,000 miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months), a higher 2 miles per $1 earnings rate and an annual fee of $95.

Capital One VentureOne on the other hand, has a sign-up bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening and only awards you 1.25 miles per $1 on every purchase, but it has a $0 annual fee.

All in all, if you travel a lot and spend about $15,000 per year in travel, the Capital One Venture card is worth it. Otherwise, the Capital One VentureOne card might be a better option.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has an at least “good” credit score as a requirement. Card applicants with slightly lower scores might be able to get approved, depending on factors such as disposable income, but a “good” or “excellent” credit score is needed for the best approval odds. Even so, this card should be a bit easier to get than a lot of other premium rewards cards, most of which require excellent credit.

Keep in mind that the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card credit score requirement isn't the only pre-requisite for approval. Things like how much you make and how much you owe are important, too. That's why it's possible to get approved with a lower credit score or rejected with a higher one.

Capital One Venture Minimum Credit Score & Other Requirements:

• Good credit score
• 18+ years old
• Enough income and assets to afford monthly bill payments
• As little debt as possible
• U.S. mailing address
• Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number

In some cases, the best course of action may be to spend a bit of time improving your credit score before applying for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. You need good credit to satisfy the card's credit score requirement. But barely passing that test probably won't give you great approval odds overall.

A Capital One Venture balance transfer allows applicants and cardholders to shift existing debt to the this card and pay it down over time. Capital One Venture balance transfers do not have an introductory 0% APR. That means a balance transferred to the Capital One Venture card will accumulate interest daily at the regular APR of 17.24% - 24.49% (V) starting on the transfer approval date. Capital One Venture balance transfer fee is: None.

Some cardholders may receive online promotional offers for Capital One Venture balance transfers at a reduced APR. Such offers would show up through a notification banner on your account details page or in an e-mail.

If you don't have a promotional offer, you can still initiate a Capital One Venture balance transfer at any time from your online account. From the Account Services link, under the Offer and Upgrades menu, select “Transfer a Balance.” Alternatively, call (800) 227-4825 to request a balance transfer by phone. If you're applying for the Capital One Venture card, there will be a section on the application for you to request a balance transfer.

You can transfer nearly any type of debt, including student loans, auto loans, mortgages and others. Capital One does not allow you to transfer balances from other Capital One accounts.