With great travel perks, easy-to-use rewards, and a reasonable annual fee, the *capital one venture card* is easily one of the best travel credit cards for beginning and seasoned travelers alike.
The Venture Card currently comes with a big, limited-time bonus: Get a $250 Capital One Travel credit and 75,000 Capital One miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. But none of that means a thing if you can't actually get approved for it.
To earn that stellar bonus, you just need to be eligible … and Capital One is notoriously stingy when it comes to approving credit card applicants. Like every bank, Capital One has its own rules and restrictions you'll need to be aware of and unfortunately, Capital One recently made it harder for some travelers to earn this big bonus.
While there's no one-size-fits-all answer, we've managed to learn a lot about what it takes to get approved. From credit score to income and much more, here's everything you need to know before applying for the Capital One Venture Rewards Card.
Learn more about the *capital one venture card*
A Quick Card Overview
- Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full
- Earn unlimited 2x miles on every purchase
- Earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Fly on any airline or stay in any hotel, with no blackout dates
- Capital One miles don't expire for as long as you have the card
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 Annual Fee
Bonus Restrictions
Just like all banks, Capital One has rules for determining who is and isn't eligible for a new card that go far beyond the usual credit check. Most of Capital One's rules are unwritten, which means it's anyone's guess whether or not they'll be applied to you and your application. Still, enough data points and trends have emerged over the years to give us a bit of information that can help get you approved for a Capital One credit card.
Here's what we know.
Not sure if the Venture Card is right for you? See our full comparison of the Capital One Venture and Venture X Card!
Capital One's 48-Month Rule
A couple of years ago, Capital One added a new 48-month rule to its terms, limiting prospective cardholders to one new-card bonus every four years. At the time, that rule applied separately to each individual card.
But late last year, Capital One changed its terms and conditions to state that you're no longer eligible for the Venture Rewards Card if you've earned a bonus on either the Venture or *venture x* in the last 48 months – four whole years!
This is similar to a policy we saw American Express roll out a few years back, limiting welcome offers to travelers who move up the annual fee ladder … not down.
Since the Venture X was first introduced in late 2021, this 48-month rule makes nearly anyone who's ever had the Venture X ineligible to earn the current bonus on the Venture Card.
Having said that, if you were a really early adopter and got the Venture X right away, there's still a chance you could be eligible. Critically, the 48-month clock starts from the moment you earn the bonus – not when you opened the card. If you earned a Venture X bonus in January or February of 2022, for example, you would in fact be eligible for the regular Venture Card now.
This rule also applies to the bank's entry-level *capone ventureone*: You won't be eligible for a bonus if you've earned one on the Venture or Venture X in the previous 48 months.
Do You Have Other Capital One Cards?
Generally speaking, Capital One only allows you to hold two of its personal credit cards at any given time. Co-branded credit cards, like the Capital One Walmart Card, and business cards like the *venture x business* and the *CapOne Spark Miles* are excluded from this count.
But that means if you currently hold the no-annual-fee Capital One VentureOne and the *Capital One Savor*, for example, you probably won't be approved for the Venture Rewards card. But then again, this is an unofficial rule: We've heard of some travelers getting approved for the Venture despite already having two or more Capital One cards.
Still, it's a good rule of thumb to keep in mind.
Have You Recently Been Approved for Another Capital One Card?
If you have applied and been approved for any other Capital One credit card in the past six months, it's unlikely that you'll be approved for the Venture … or any Capital One card, for that matter. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. But generally speaking, taking a six-month breather with Capital One will give you the best chances of getting approved.
And if you really want to boost your odds of getting approved, that six-month break should extend to other banks, too. It's in your best interest to limit any and all credit checks for at least a few months before you decide to apply with Capital One.
What Credit Score Do You Need?
Capital One indicates that you will need an “Excellent Credit” score to be approved for the Venture Card. That means those with a credit score above 740 will have the best chances of being approved.
However, we have also seen reports of travelers with “Good Credit,” between 700 and 740, getting approved. Like most of these unwritten rules, nothing is set in stone. That being said, if your score is under 700, you're better off working on improving your credit before applying for the Venture.
Read More: How Your Credit Score Really Works
One last thing to note when you are applying for Capital One cards: They are one of the only card issuer that pulls credit history from all three credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian). That means if you have your credit report frozen at any of the three credit bureaus, you'll need to thaw your credit (with each of them) before applying.
Related reading: How to Freeze Your Credit (& Why You Should)
What If You Get Denied?
Even if you meet all the requirements laid out above and have enough income to generally support a credit card approval, getting approved still isn't a slam-dunk. We've heard from many readers who were mystified at why they weren't approved for a Venture Card … including some on our team. Welcome to the world of Capital One.
When the Venture X first launched, our co-founder Nick jumped at the chance to apply, and he figured he'd be a shoo-in for an instant approval.
At the time of application, his credit score was 798, and he hadn't had any credit inquiries in the previous six months. What's more, he had just one Capital One credit card, with many years of account history, and never carried a balance on it or had any late payments. With everything we know about Capital One's approval standards, he should have been a lock. But despite it all, his initial application came back denied.
Any time you're denied for a new card, we always suggest calling the bank's reconsideration phone line right away – the reason could be something simple, or the bank just might need more information from you.
So Nick dialed up their credit card reconsideration phone line on not one, but two different occasions, and both times he got the same answer: They couldn't tell why his application was denied, and indicated that he would need to wait for a letter in the mail. Only then could he go through the reconsideration process and even that proved fruitless…
Fortunately, he's no quitter, though: About two months later he tried again and was instantly approved for the Venture X on his second try. It's unclear what changed between his two applications – his financial situation and credit score were nearly identical to when he first applied. The whole thing seemed to have less to do with his personal situation and more to do with Capital One's decision-making process.
That just goes to show, even if you don't get approved at first, you can always apply again in the future. Outside of a temporary ding, getting declined for a credit card doesn't have a lasting impact on your credit score.
Read next: Denied for a New Credit Card? Here's Why You Shouldn't Fret
Bottom Line
Capital One is a historically secretive bank when it comes to their credit card approval process and this makes it tough to know whether or not applying for a new card like the Venture Rewards is worth the hassle. But if you follow these tips, and make sure you check the boxes before applying, you should have a leg-up in getting approved for the Venture … and earning that big bonus.
Learn more about the *capital one venture card*
