Capital One miles guide: How to earn and redeem your miles

Multiple Capital One cards earn a minimum of 2X unlimited miles on purchases, and you can easily redeem miles for travel. That makes cards like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ideal for travelers who want value without complexity.

For the mile maximizers, Capital One offers an unusually long list of transfer partners. You can transfer miles to 22 airline and hotel programs, which gives you access to premium flights at a potentially higher value per mile.

If you’re interested in earning Capital One miles and learning how to build the most of them, CNBC Select covers everything you need to know about Capital One’s travel rewards program.

Guide to earning and using Capital One miles

Earning Capital One miles

How to redeem Capital One miles

To earn Capital One miles, you’ll need a Capital One travel rewards credit card. There are business and consumer cards that earn Capital One miles. Additionally, once you have a miles-earning card, you can convert cash back from other Capital One cards into miles.

Personal credit cards

Capital One offers a range of consumer miles-earning cards, from a no-annual-fee card to a $395 annual-fee card with premium perks, including:

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: $395 annual fee, annual $300 Capital One Travel credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, airport lounge access, up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: $95 annual fee, up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: No annual fee

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

19.49% – 28.49% variable

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles

Terms apply. Read our Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a reasonable annual fee and earns flexible travel rewards, which makes it a great travel card for beginners or heavy travelers.

Valuable welcome offer worth at least $750 in travel

You can transfer miles to over 15 Capital One partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

No foreign transaction fees

Lacks ongoing travel benefits such as statement credits or lounge access

Limited bonus spending category that only applies to certain Capital One Travel bookings

Highlights

Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel

Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day

Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel This also touches on aspects of dividends.

Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn

Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheckĀ®

Apply your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel

Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection

Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

Top rated mobile app

Balance transfer fee

$0Ā at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you

Foreign transaction fee

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Spotlight

You can add up to four authorized users to your account no fee and they can each receive their own Priority Passā„¢ airport lounge membership (enrollment required).

19.49% – 28.49% variable APR

Earn 75,000 bonus miles

Terms apply. Read our Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card review.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium credit card with a myriad of benefits and a lower annual fee than other high-end cards with similar features.

Annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Travel

10,000 bonus miles after every card anniversary

Unlimited complimentary access to 1,300+ airport lounges, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations

Long list of valuable travel and shopping protections, including return protection, rental car coverage and trip delay reimbursement (Benefit(s) only available to accounts approved for the Visa Infinite card. Terms apply.)

Limited bonus spending categories compared to other premium credit cards

High annual fee

High credit score requirement (excellent credit)

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel

Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options

Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary

Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel

Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases

Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and participating Priority Passā„¢ lounges, after enrollment

Apply your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection

$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you

Foreign transaction fees

Business credit cards

If you want to earn Capital One miles for your business purchases, Capital One offers business travel cards that largely mirror its consumer miles-earning cards. These include:

Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card: $395 annual fee, annual $300 Capital One Business Travel credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, airport lounge access, up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years

Capital One Venture Business: $95 annual fee, annual $50 Capital One Business Travel credit, annual $50 advertising and software credit, up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years

Capital One VentureOne Business: No annual fee

Capital One Venture Business

24.49% variable

Earn up to 150,000 bonus miles

Terms apply.

The Capital Venture Business has a simple and lucrative rewards program because you earn at least 2X miles on every purchase and you can transfer those miles to travel partners.

Earns flexible travel rewards you can transfer to airline and hotel loyalty programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Choice Privileges and Emirates Skywards

Application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

Up to $100 in annual credits

Has an annual fee

High spending requirement to earn the full welcome bonus

Limited-time offer: Earn up to 150,000 bonus miles—75,000 miles once you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months, and an additional 75,000 miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 6 months

Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won’t expire for the life of the account

Receive up to $220 in credits: Receive an annual $50 travel credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel, up to an annual $50 statement credit for purchases at qualifying advertising or software merchants, plus up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheckĀ® every four years. Terms and conditions apply

Unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel

Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs

Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services

$95 annual fee

Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases

Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card has all the benefits you expect with a premium business card, including flexible travel rewards, airport lounge access and travel insurance.

Extremely valuable welcome bonus

Annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel

Limited bonus spending categories compared to other business credit cards

No airport lounge access for employee cardholders

Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening

Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions

Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel

With no preset spending limit, enjoy huge purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards

Empower your teams to build business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease

Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs

Every year, you’ll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel

Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheckĀ®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and participating Priority Passā„¢ lounges, after enrollment

This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month

Cash back credit cards

Capital One cash back cards don’t earn transferable miles, but you can move rewards from one Capital One card to another. So if you have a miles-earning Capital One card, you can convert your cash back rewards into miles.

This is a great way to enhance the value and flexibility of the rewards you earn from Capital One’s extensive network of cash back rewards cards. Capital One has a range of cash back cards for lower credit scores, students or anyone who wants to pay no annual fee, including (but not limited to):

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Spark Cash Plus Furthermore, experts in wall street note the continued relevance.

Capital One Quicksilver Secured Credit Card

Fresh cardholders receive a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers; 18.49% – 28.49% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies

18.49% – 28.49% variable

Earn $200 in welcome bonuses

Terms apply. Read our Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card review.

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee, cash-back rewards and a generous intro-APR offer, which build it a great option for saving on interest while earning rewards.

No annual fee

Low spending requirement for the welcome bonus

Redeem cash back for any amount at any time

No foreign transaction fee

3% balance transfer fee during the first 15 months your account is open

No bonus rewards categories

Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening

Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day

$0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees

Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel

No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus, cash back won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how much you can earn

0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 18.49% – 28.49% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies

3% for the first 15 months; 4% at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time

How you redeem Capital One miles changes the value you receive. So it’s crucial to understand not only what you can do with your miles, but what you’ll get for them.

Here’s what you can apply Capital One miles for and the value you’ll normally receive for each type of redemption:

Gift cards: Typically 1 cent per mile

Cash back: 0.5 cents per mile

Travel: 1 cent per mile in statement credits to offset travel purchases

Capital One Travel or Capital One Business Travel bookings: 1 cent per mile for travel booked through Capital One

Mile transfers: Value varies, can be worth above 1 cent per mile

Capital One Entertainment bookings: Value varies, but generally worth less than 1 cent per mile, with exceptions

There are a handful of simple ways to receive 1 cent per mile in value when you redeem Capital One miles, especially if you travel semi-regularly. If you’re willing to put in a little legwork, you can multiply that value by taking advantage of the best deals that Capital One’s transfer partners offer.

Capital One transfer partners

Capital One’s transfer partners are where you’ll find the best value, if you’re willing to deal with more complexity. You can transfer Capital One miles directly to 18 airline programs and four hotel programs at the following rates:

In general, airline transfers provide more value than hotel transfers, although that’s not always the case depending on the transfer ratio and specific award you’re looking to book. It can be confusing to understand all of your options because airlines allow partner award bookings.

You can book Air Canada flights by transferring miles to its Aeroplan program or by transferring miles to another Star Alliance airline, such as Singapore Airlines or Turkish Airlines. Each program may charge a different number of miles for the same flight, and the award taxes and fees can also differ dramatically.

A simple way to determine if transferring miles makes sense is to compare the cash price of the hotel or flights you want to book with its award price. The baseline you’re aiming for is 1 cent per mile, since that’s what you’ll receive if you pay for the booking with your Capital One card and erase the travel purchase with miles.

That means that if a hotel costs $200 a night, it’s usually only worth utilizing a transfer partner if you can book the same room by transferring less than 20,000 miles. And in most cases, it wouldn’t build sense to transfer more than 50,000 miles to book a $500 award flight.

Be sure to pay attention to fees, as well. Certain hotels charge resort fees on award stays, and rewards flights are assessed taxes and fees, such as fuel surcharges, which can cost hundreds of dollars on premium international flights.

Cash matters — so produce the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your capital, right to your inbox.Ā Sign up here.

Why trust CNBC Select?

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can build informed decisions with their wealth. Every travel rewards guide is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

Catch up on CNBC Select’s in-depth coverage ofĀ credit cards,Ā bankingĀ andĀ money and follow us onĀ TikTok,Ā Facebook,Ā InstagramĀ andĀ XĀ to stay up to date.

Information about the Capital One VentureOne Business has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

10 best 0% APR credit cards of April 2026

How do I choose scalable accounting software for growth?

The best car loans for a credit score of 580 or below

AI Disclosure: This article has been generated and curated using advanced AI technology. While we strive for absolute accuracy, some details may be summarized or translated by autonomous systems. Please cross-reference critical financial data with official sources.