Capital One VentureOne Rewards review: A beginner travel card that covers the basics

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card offers flexible travel rewards for no annual fee, but the card’s rewards rate is lower than some competitors. Additionally, there are two versions of the card, and if you don’t have excellent credit, you may not be eligible for new-cardholder incentives. Check out the full breakdown of the card below before you submit an application.

How to earn rewards

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card allows eligible cardholders to earn 20,000 bonus miles when they meet the spending requirement for the welcome bonus.

Additionally, you can rack up miles more quickly by using the card to book hotel and rental cars through the card issuer’s travel booking platform. All other purchases earn 1.25x miles per dollar. While that’s better than the standard base rewards rate of 1 mile per dollar, other travel cards offer better rewards on select everyday spending categories or even on all purchases.

How to redeem rewards

The Capital One VentureOne Card offers flexible ways to redeem rewards for travel, both of which are generally worth 1 cent per mile. You can book using Capital One Travel and pay with miles (or a mix of cash and miles), or you can use your card to book with eligible travel merchants and request a statement credit up to 90 days later.

You can also transfer your miles to 15+ airline and hotel loyalty programs, giving you more flexibility and potential value.

While you can technically redeem your rewards for cash back, general statement credits, gift cards, and online shopping through PayPal or Amazon, these options generally don’t offer the best redemption rate.

Additional benefits

The VentureOne Rewards Credit Card offers an introductory 0% APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, after which the standard APR applies. This can be useful to finance a large purchase or pay down debt via a balance transfer.

Before taking advantage of this offer, however, create a plan to pay off your balance before the intro period expires. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck paying hefty interest charges on the remaining amount.

Who is the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card best for?

You may consider the Capital One VentureOne if you want to earn miles and get a 0% intro APR without paying an annual fee. It’s a solid entry-level travel card, especially for those who aren’t big spenders or want to take advantage of the VentureOne’s welcome bonus.

But due to the card’s low base rewards rate, it may not offer a lot of long-term value. You might get more out of a cash-back credit card or even some other no-annual-fee travel cards.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards pros

• Offers an introductory 0% APR promotion: Among travel credit cards, 0% APR promotions are few and far between, so the fact that the VentureOne offers one is a silver lining.

• No annual fee or foreign transaction fee: If you’re fee-averse, the VentureOne could be preferable to a travel credit card that charges an annual fee. And like all other Capital One credit cards, it doesn’t charge a fee when you make purchases abroad.

• Flexible travel redemptions: Many general travel rewards programs require you to book travel through their program. With the VentureOne, however, you get more flexibility by using your card with any travel merchant and requesting a statement credit.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards cons

• Low base rewards rate: The card offers a relatively small 1.25x miles per dollar on your everyday spending. In contrast, you can get 1.5x or even 2x points or miles per dollar with other travel cards. While you can earn great rewards on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, most people are unlikely to spend a lot in those categories.

• You may not qualify for a welcome offer: If you don’t have excellent credit, you may not be eligible for the card’s welcome bonus or 0% APR promotion. Other travel credit cards typically don’t offer separate versions for good- and excellent-credit borrowers, but this one does.

• No notable travel perks: While the card comes with a few benefits, none of them set it apart from other options on the market.

Where can you use the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card?

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card may be issued as a Visa or Mastercard credit card. Either way, you can use the card just about anywhere, as both payment networks are widely accepted within the U.S. and abroad.

How to make a Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card payment

You can make a payment on your Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card in a few different ways:

• Online: Log in to your account online or on the Capital One mobile app, then set up a payment account. You can schedule up to three payments at a time.

• Phone: Call the number listed on your credit card statement.

• Mail: Write your card number on your check and send it to:
  Capital One
  Attn: Payment Processing
  P.O. Box 71087
  Charlotte, NC 28272-1087

• Capital One locations: If you live near a Capital One branch or ATM, you can make a payment there.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card customer service info

• Customer service availability: Phone 24/7, virtual assistant 24/7

• Phone number: 1-800-227-4825

• Customer service email: Capital One doesn’t offer email support, but you can get limited support through its virtual assistant Eno.

• Capital One Help Center

Alternative cards to consider

If you want to earn more rewards on your everyday spending, here are some other potential options to consider.

Why we like it: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card charges a modest annual fee, but it makes it worth your while with a larger welcome bonus and higher base earning rate than the VentureOne. Redemption options and values are the same, however, so you’ll still have great flexibility.

The card also offers an application fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, as well as Hertz Five-Star status, which lets you skip the rental counter and get a wider selection of vehicles when you rent with the agency.

Read our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Card

Why we like it: If your priority is to avoid an annual fee at all costs, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card should be on your radar. The card offers 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.5% cash back on everything else. You can redeem your rewards for travel through the card issuer’s booking platform, but you can also get straight cash back, giving you ultimate flexibility.

As a new cardholder, you can earn a welcome bonus that’s similarly valued to the VentureOne’s offering, as well as an introductory 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. After that, the standard APR applies.

Read our full review of the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card

Why we like it: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is another solid choice for an affordable annual fee.

Notably, your Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 25% more when you use them to book travel through Chase. However, you can also transfer your rewards to over a dozen airline and hotel loyalty programs, or you can get cash back at a rate of 1 cent per point — which is a good value for a travel card.

On the rewards front, the card also offers better rewards on many everyday spending categories such as dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services. You’ll also get up to $50 in annual statement credits on hotel stays booked through Chase.

Read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred review

This article was edited by Alicia Hahn

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