If you’re a traveler like me, chances are you’re always on the lookout for ways to make your trips more affordable. That’s why I collect points and miles: they help me lower my travel costs so I can spend my money on what’s actually important…which is usually booking more trips!
One card that can help you earn more points and miles — which translates to more free flights and free hotel stays — is the Capital One Venture Business card. It’s an easy-to-use card perfect for travels who want to simplify their points and miles collecting. Here’s everything you need to know about the card to help decide if it’s for you. It’s a solid business card for those who don’t want a high annaul fee card but want some added perks besides just getting miles when you spend money.
What Is It?
The Capital One Venture Business card is the new rebranded version of Capital One’s Spark Miles. But it has some noteworthy improvements that I think make it worth adding to your wallet. Here’s a look at the card’s main perks:
- A welcome offer of up to to 150,000 miles
- Standard 2x miles on every purchase
- 5x miles on travel purchases (via their portal)
- $50 annual travel credit
- $50 annual statement credit
- Up to $120 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Hertz Five Star status
- No foreign transaction fees
The annual fee for the card is just $95, which means it’s effectively free once you factor in the two statement credits. With a default 2x miles for every dollar spent, that makes this card a solid choice for everyday spending. And without a ton of differing spending categories, the card is very easy to use, making it perfect for travelers new to the points and miles game.
Rental Car Perks
In addition to giving you Hertz Five Star status, which lets you skip the counter at select locations while also offering a wider selection of cars, the card also offers rental car coverage when renting a car for business reasons. You’ll need to charge the full fee to your card and also decline the company’s collision damage waiver, but once you do that, you’ll be covered for damage due to both collisions and theft.
While I don’t often rent cars for work, I appreciate the free collision coverage and being able to skip the line (especially at busier rental locations).
Travel Partners
With this card, you’ll earn Capital One miles. You can use them like you would any other rewards program: to get cash back, book travel directly, or transfer them to travel partners.
The easiest option is to redeem your miles for travel in the Capital One travel portal, which works like booking through Expedia or any other online travel agency. Doing so is very straightforward. You simply search for and book your flight, hotel, or rental car and choose “miles” as your payment method. It’s basically like using your miles as cash, at a value of one cent per mile.
Both options are super easy to implement, which is why this is a great card for newbies. And if this is the only way that you’ll use your miles, go for it! Using them is better than letting them sit around.
However, you can usually get more for your miles when you transfer them to Capital One’s transfer partners.
The ability to transfer to travel partners is what makes Capital One miles valuable. While the actual value varies based on what you book, you can usually find airline and hotel redemptions worth much more than the aforementioned 1 cent per mile.
Transferring to travel partners is a bit more work than using the portal, but there are more tools than ever to help you maximize your miles (such as point.me for finding flights and Awayz for finding award hotel stays).
Here are their current hotel and airline transfer partners:
- Accor Live Limitless
- Aeromexico Rewards
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Avianca Lifemiles
- British Airways Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Choice Privileges
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air
- Finnair Plus
- Flying Blue
- I Prefer Hotel Rewards
- Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- TAP Miles&Go
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Virgin Red
- Wyndham Rewards
Who Is This Card For?
This card is best for business travelers who are looking for an easy-to-use card to help them earn points and miles. While I personally think the Capital One Venture X Business card is a better card, it comes with a higher annual fee so, if you want a solid travel card for your business and don’t need the upgraded perks of the Venture X card, this is the Capital One card for you. And since the credits cover the annual fee, the card is essentially free!
The new Capital One Venture Business card has an amazing welcome offer, a respectable 2x on every purchase, and some solid perks for regular travelers. And with its low annual fee, this card is a no brainer for travelers looking for a new business card. I just wouldn’t wait too long — this huge welcome offer isn’t gonna last forever!
Stop paying full price for travel!
Download my free guide to points and miles and learn how to use points and miles for free travel! It’s how all the pros travel so much! In this guide, I’ll show you:
- How to Pick a Credit Card
- How to Earn Up to 10x Miles on Your Spending
- How to Redeem Your Points
- And a Ton of Other Money Saving Tips!
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
Want to Travel for Free?
Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.
Need a Rental Car?
Discover Cars is a budget-friendly international car rental website. No matter where you’re headed, they’ll be able to find the best — and cheapest — rental for your trip!
Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip?
Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.
Ready to Book Your Trip?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.
