As the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover. The same phrase applies to credit card annual fees.
Take the Capital One Ventures X Rewards Credit Card, for example. While this premium rewards card has an annual fee of $395, some valuable ongoing benefits help offset the entire cost.
In addition to these benefits, there’s a generous welcome bonus: if you spend $10,000 within the first six months of account opening, you’ll earn 100,000 bonus miles.
One of the key ongoing benefits Venture X cardholders receive each year is $300 in points each year that can be used on Capital One Travel bookings. Let’s take a closer look at the Venture X Annual Credit, how to get the most out of it, and why you might want to apply now.
What is the Venture X $300 travel credit?
Venture X cardholders receive $300 in points toward travel every year (not a calendar year), including the year you open the card. This means you get $300 worth of value from Venture X right away.
But there’s a caveat: Points only apply to bookings made through the Capital One travel portal.
Capital One Travel Portal is the best online travel agency compared to the portals offered by other issuers like Amex Travel and Chase Travel℠ Portal. What sets the Capital One portal apart is its partnership with Hopper. Hopper is a travel booking app that uses predictive pricing technology to help cardholders get the best deals.
Eligible cardholders can log on to the Capital One travel portal to book flights, hotel accommodations, car rentals and other services. They can then use the $300 credit like a coupon to lower the overall cost of the reservation. The card’s Capital One Travel points can be applied to one or more transactions.
Last January, TPG Credit Card Writer Augusta Stone used her annual Venture X travel points to book a three-night stay at the Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World. She had traveled to Las Vegas for an expensive concert, and the $300 in points helped reduce the cost of a hotel stay by nearly $1,000.
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Related: A comprehensive review of Capital One Ventures
Booking with Capital One Travel vs. Booking Direct
On the surface, the requirement to use the Capital One travel portal may feel like a limitation, especially when you consider the benefits of booking travel directly.
For example, when booking certain hotels through any third-party service, including Capital One Travel and other credit card issuers’ travel portals, you generally lose Elite status benefits and the ability to earn Elite qualifying points and points in those loyalty programs.
However, for flights and independent hotels (including Disney resorts), it makes sense to book through the Capital One travel portal because you won’t earn hotel points anyway. In the meantime, flights booked through Capital One Travel can still earn points and elite status miles, just like booking direct.
Finally, Capital One Travel has several unique features thanks to its partnership with Hopper. This includes integrated price prediction and matching tools, as well as a best price guarantee. Capital One also offers the option to purchase flight cancellation for any reason insurance and price freeze protection. This allows people to lock in the rates found on the portal until they are ready or able to book.
Earn miles with Capital One Travel
In addition to easily maxing out $300 in points, there’s another great reason to use Venture X to book travel through the Capital One Travel portal: the opportunity to earn bonuses.
The profit structure of Venture However, it has a higher earn rate when you book through Capital One Travel:
- Earn 10 miles for every $1 spent on hotel and car rental bookings with Capital One Travel
- Earn 5 miles for every $1 spent on flights, vacation rentals and travel activities booked with Capital One Travel
By using Venture Please note that the $300 point alone does not earn Capital One miles, as it effectively reduces the cost of your booking.
You should also look into how you can stack car rental benefits with Hertz and Venture
After enrolling through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will maintain that status level for the duration of the offer. Please note that enrollment through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g., at hertz.com) does not automatically detect cardholder eligibility for the program, and cardholders will not automatically be upgraded to the applicable status level. Additional terms apply.
How does this travel credit compare to other premium cards?
Venture X’s two main competitors in the high-end card space are American Express Platinum Card® and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (See Rates and Fees).
Both Chase and American Express products have higher annual fees, but they also offer a range of perks that may be useful to some consumers. They both have travel-specific advantages worth comparing to the Venture X.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
this Chase Sapphire Reserve There is a $795 annual fee, and one of its standout benefits is a highly flexible $300 annual travel credit. Unlike Capital One, which requires the use of a proprietary booking portal, Chase allows Sapphire Reserve cardholders to earn $300 back on a variety of travel transactions. This applies whether they booked directly with the hotel or airline or through Chase Travel.
American Express Platinum Card
this American Express Platinum Card There’s an $895 annual fee (see Rates & Fees) and a range of built-in statement points that help offset the card’s annual charges.
One of the most similar benefits to Capital One is an airline incidental statement credit of up to $200 per year. Another similar perk: Get up to $600 (up to $300 every six months) in statement credits when you pay with Amex Platinum when you book a prepaid Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection reservation (THC for two nights or more) with American Express Travel®. Certain benefits require registration.
These points are more restrictive than Venture X. Airline incidental points can only be used for single-airline charges (seat selection, checked baggage, etc.), while hotel points can only be used at qualifying hotels. At the same time, Venture X points can be redeemed for any product available for booking on Capital One Travel.
bottom line
Premium credit cards often have high annual fees. But typically, the protections, credits, and benefits they offer make up for a large portion of the annual fee. In the case of Venture This will effectively lower the annual fee to $95 once you use up your $300 credit limit.
If you plan to apply for the Capital One Venture X or already have the card, familiarize yourself with the travel portal to ensure you take full advantage of this benefit.
To learn more, read our full review of Capital One Venture X.
Learn more: Capital One Venture X Earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $10,000 on purchases within the first six months of account opening.
For American Express Platinum Card rates and fees, click here.
For the Capital One products listed on this page, some offers may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. Please see the appropriate benefits guide for details as terms and exclusions apply.
