Personal Finance (US)

How to use and maximize your Capital One miles: 10 best ways!

This blog post is for people who want to find out everything about how to use Capital One miles. So, keep reading to find out!

Find out everything about how to use and maximize your Capital One miles

Learn how to maximize your Capital One miles! Source: Pixabay (Rudy and Peter Skitterians).
Learn how to maximize your Capital One miles! Source: Pixabay (Rudy and Peter Skitterians).

Every year, the average American spends $2,500 on their credit card. It is a considerable amount of money that could be going towards your next vacation. Also, it can be of great value to take some time and do some research. This way, you will maximize your miles and save a lot more on your travels! If you’re looking for a way to get more miles and points from your Capital One credit card, keep reading this post to find out how to use Capital One miles!

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TOP 10 best ways on how to use your Capital One miles

Find out which are the ten best ways to use Capital One miles! Source: Capital One.
Find out which are the ten best ways to use Capital One miles! Source: Capital One.

To start your journey of learning the best ways to maximize your Capital One Miles, you should know about the card options. Also, it is essential to know about the rewards miles rate of each card. So, to help you start your research, here is a list of some of the credit cards that earn Capital One Miles:

  • 2X miles on all purchases – Capital One Spark Miles for Business.
  • 5X miles on hotels and rental cars + unlimited 2X miles on other purchases – Capital One Venture Rewards.
  • 10X miles on hotels and rental cars + unlimited 5X miles on flights – Capital One Venture X Rewards.
  • 5X miles on hotels and rental cars + unlimited 1.25X miles on other purchases – Capital One VentureOne Rewards.
  • 5X miles on hotels and rental cars + unlimited 1.25X miles on every other purchase – Capital One VentureOne Rewards for Good Credit.

1. Car rentals

You can earn miles with the Capital One Venture Rewards card and redeem them at car rentals or other travel spendings. Also, you don’t have to think about redeeming your miles only on actual flights. With a Capital One credit card with miles, you can pay for other travel expenses. Moreover, note that the place where you rent your car will need a merchant code indicating that it is a car rental. This way, you will make sure that you can redeem your miles.

2. Travel purchases

You can use your Capital One Rewards credit card to book travel through any travel website or other means. After you book your trip, you can pay with your Capital One credit card. Then, sign in to your account at Capital One’s website, go to the Rewards page and click on Cover Your Travel Purchases. However, note that you need to redeem within 90 days from the date of your travel purchase.

Moreover, it would be best to remember that some purchases made at some restaurants in hotels might not be considered to be redeemed.

3. Travel through Capital One

You can use your Capital One miles to book travel through Capital One. You can go to the website and book your travel through the portal, and it is very much like any other travel website. However, it may be best to book through online travel agencies that offer rewards, such as cash back and others. This way, you can double your rewards because you can use the method above to redeem your travel purchases.

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4. Gift cards

You can also redeem your Capital One miles for gift cards and other redemption forms. However, this kind of redemption rate varies according to the cardholder. For example, you can use Amazon gift cards, which have their own value that you can see on Capital One’s website. Even though it may be best to use your miles for travel, you can use them to buy these gift cards and get a discount or cash back.

5. Transfer your miles

You can transfer the Capital One miles you earned to airline and hotel partners. It can be the best way to maximize your Capital One miles. However, note that these partners will have different transfer times. That is, it will take more or less to get your miles from some of these partners. However, remember that you cannot undo this type of transfer, so be sure which transfer you want to make before completing it.

6. Use your welcome bonus

If you have just become a cardholder of a Capital One miles credit card, you can use your welcome bonus to redeem more miles. For example, the Capital One Venture Rewards credit card offers 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases. However, you need to spend this amount within the first three months of account opening.

Therefore, if you don’t have a Capital One credit card yet, be sure to look for the best welcome bonus option. Also, make sure to consider the best welcome offer for your spending and travel needs.

7. Share your miles

If you want to give someone a gift or if you just want to help a family member plan their trip, you can transfer your miles to them. For example, if your family member has a Capital One Venture credit card, you can share your miles with them.

8. Turn your miles into cash

You can redeem your Capital One Venture miles as a statement credit or check. However, the rates for this kind of redemption will depend on the cardholder’s profile and other requirements that Capital One may consider.

9. Loyalty programs

You can transfer your miles to the loyalty programs of many airline and hotel partners with your Capital One credit card. However, always make sure to understand the transfer ratio of these programs. For example, if you transfer your miles to Accor, you will have a 2:1 ratio, which means two Capital One Miles will be the same as one mile at Accor. But, if you transfer your miles to British Airways, you will have a 1:1 ratio.

10. Get a second credit card

One Capital One credit card is enough to earn many excellent miles. However, if you want to optimize your rewards even more, you can pair a Capital One credit card with another credit card where you can maybe get cash back. However, a good credit card option needs to offer a rewards rate of at least 2% to be worth it. If you can get a credit card that gives 5% cash back, that can be excellent for you to maximize your rewards even more.

Final considerations

Be sure to check the transfer ratio of your Capital One's transfer partners. Source: Pixabay.
Be sure to check the transfer ratio of your Capital One’s transfer partners. Source: Pixabay.

There are many ways to redeem your Capital One miles and make the best of them. Also, the travel miles are not only for travel. You can use your miles to redeem gift cards, and you can even transfer them to other Capital one accounts. So, make sure you enjoy these benefits of the Capital One miles cards. And remember to check out the transfer ratio of each way you will use to redeem your miles.

If you love to travel and make the best of credit card miles, we can help you find other card options. We have many posts with reviews of different travel credit cards. But you can start by reading our post below with a list of the ten best credit cards for traveling!

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10 best credit cards for travelling!

If you want to explore new places or simply need a hand with traveling expenses, here are the 10 best credit cards for travelling!

About the author  /  Victória Lourenço

Victória Lourenço is part of the finance writer team for The Mister Finance website. She is a translator and copywriter, having worked on finance topics for over four years. She has a goal to keep studying finances to help people learn more about how to use their credit cards, make loans, and use other money-related products in a way that they can find a more meaningful and healthy financial life!

Reviewed by  /  Aline Barbosa

Senior Editor

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