Considering the *venture x* earns unlimited 2x miles on all purchases, it's easy to rack up Capital One miles on your everyday spending.
But if you want to get a whole bunch of them in a hurry, there's no quicker way than this: Pick up a new Venture X Card and then refer your favorite travel buddy to do the same. Once you've both spent enough to earn your sign-up bonus (and a referral bonus), you can combine all your miles together to use them for the perfect vacation.
Whether you're planning a honeymoon or anniversary trip or just want to get away with a friend, using a “two-player system” like this will allow you to rack up over 250,000 Capital One miles in no time. With the ability to easily cover travel purchases at a rate of 1 cent per mile that's at least $2,500 worth of vacation … but you can likely do even better than that by transferring miles to one of Capital One's nearly 20 travel partners. No matter where you're dreaming of getting away to, Capital One miles can take you there.
Just remember: Credit cards are serious business. You should never apply for a credit card if you're already in debt, and never charge more than you can afford to pay off immediately. This is especially true for a strategy like this, which requires earning multiple sign-up bonuses in short order.
But if you're planning a dream vacation, there's no better way to rack up a big pool of Capital One miles (in a hurry) than this.
Who Is This Right For?
Before we get into the how, let's discuss the why … why you should want 250,000-plus Capital One miles.
Beyond the obvious value of these miles – $2,500 worth of travel (if not more) – earning them in a hurry is a great strategy for anyone planning a big trip. Even with the Venture X card's unlimited 2x mile-earning, it would likely take years of swiping your card for everyday purchases to build up a stash this big without a little help.
Over the years, Capital One miles have become a formidable competitor to travel titans like American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards. So whether you're planning a honeymoon, a monumental anniversary, or just something that's been on your bucket list, using a big stash of Capital One miles can greatly reduce your out-of-pocket costs and make your trip all the more memorable.
Sound like something you're interested in? Here's how to do it.
How to Earn 250K+ Capital One Miles
Step 1: Apply for the Capital One Venture X Card
First things first, you're going to need a new Capital One Venture X Card … and there's no better time than now to add one to your wallet.
Capital One recently rolled out a big, new limited-time offer: Earn a 100,000-mile bonus once you spend $10,000 in the first six months. While that minimum spending requirement is no doubt higher than most, you've got twice as long to get it done – a full six months. Compared to the normal 75,000-mile bonus, which requires spending $4,000 in the first three months, this isn't really that big of a stretch.
For our money, the *venture x* is one of the best values of any travel card on the market. It carries a much higher $395 annual fee – but once you do the math, you'll see that number is a bit deceiving. With an annual $300 Capital One Travel credit and a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus (worth a minimum of $100) each year you renew your card, the out-of-pocket cost is much less … assuming you'd otherwise be spending $400 per year on travel.
Plus, the Venture X comes with premium travel perks like airport lounge access, rental car elite status, and top-notch travel protections.
Step 2: Meet the Minimum Spending Requirement
Getting approved for your new card is just the first step. Now it's time to earn that big bonus … responsibly.
For some, spending $10,000 in the first six months will be no problem. Make your new Venture X Card your go-to for all your purchases, and you'll earn the bonus in no time.
But for others, it might take a little creativity to hit that amount without overspending. Prepaying bills like car insurance, utilities, and even your taxes can be a great way to meet a big spending bonus without buying something unnecessary. Plus, with the holiday shopping season upon us, many travelers will already be spending more than normal over the next couple of months, making this the perfect time for a new card.
When all is said and done, you'll have at least 120,000 Capital One miles by the time you complete the minimum spending required to earn the bonus. That's 100,000 miles from the bonus, plus at least 20,000 miles earned from the $10,000 spending requirement.
Related reading: How to Hit the Minimum Spend (& Earn That Bonus) Responsibly
Step 3: Refer a Friend
You don't actually need to wait until you meet the minimum spending requirement to refer your friend. But if you're pooling expenses and working together to meet the cards' sign-up bonuses, not having the clock ticking on both offers simultaneously is a good idea.
To refer a friend, simply log in to your Capital One account online (or using the mobile app) and click on your card. Near the top, you may see a banner prompting you to refer friends to your card with a link to do so. If you don't see this option, you can click on the button below that says “I Want To…” where you'll find “Refer a Friend” listed under “Benefits and Rewards.”
Once you navigate to the Refer a Friend page, you'll just want to copy your referral link and send it to them to apply. You can paste it into an email or just send it as a text message and have them apply on their phone.
Capital One is generally quite quick at paying out bonus miles earned through referrals. Once your friend is approved using your link, you should see the 25,000-mile bonus hit your account within a matter of days.
At this point, you should have a minimum of 130,000 Capital One miles to your name. That's 100,000 miles from your sign-up bonus, plus at least 20,000 miles earned from the minimum spending requirement and the additional 10,000-mile referral bonus.
But be warned: This won't work if your friend is a current Capital One customer. This means if they already have a Venture Card or even a Capital One Quicksilver or Savor Card, you won't receive a bonus for referring them. Your friend will still receive a bonus for the card if they're approved, though.
Step 4: Meet the Minimum Spending Requirement … Again
Your friend will now need to spend a minimum of $10,000 in six months to earn their own 100,000-mile bonus. Timing your application around big expenses, like a wedding or home improvement project, can help make this easier.
After you've met the minimum spending requirement for the second Venture X Card, you'll now have a minimum of 250,000 Capital One miles between you and your travel buddy. That's 130,000 from your initial sign-up bonus, minimum spending, and referral bonus, as well as 120,000 from your friend's bonus offer and minimum spending.
Step 5: Combine Miles in One Account
While the other big banks restrict who you can send points to – or block it altogether – Capital One miles can be easily shared with any other cardholders.
There's no limit on the number of miles you can transfer or receive from another cardholder. There's not even a requirement that the person you are sharing miles with is related or lives at your address, as is the case when combining Chase points.
Here are the basics of sharing Capital One miles with another cardholder:
- You can transfer Capital One miles to other members as long as they have a credit card that earns Capital One miles
- There is no requirement that the person you are transferring miles to lives at the same address or is related to you in any way.
- There is no cap on the number of miles that can be shared with other Capital One cardholders.
- There are no expiration dates or other major restrictions on miles that are transferred to other cardholders.
To make these transfers, you must call the number on the back of your Capital One Card. There isn't a way to do this in your online account currently. You'll just need the name and card number of the person's account you are transferring to.
Read more: How to Combine Capital One Miles Between Cards & Other Cardmembers
Step 6: Sip Mai Tais on the Beach in Hawaii
You don't have to use your newfound fortune of Capital One miles to go to Hawaii … but you could!
While booking nonstop Delta flights to Hawaii through Virgin isn't as great a deal as it once was, there are still some savings to be had – especially if cash fares are high. And since Virgin Red – the overarching loyalty program for all things Virgin – is a 1:1 transfer partner, you can take advantage of this workaround to book Delta flights with your Capital One miles.
Virgin uses a distance-based award chart to price out its Delta flights, so the cost all depends on where you're flying from.
- Seattle (SEA) to all four Hawaiian Islands for 22,000 miles each way in economy
- Los Angeles (LAX) to all four Hawaiian islands for 22,000 miles each way, too
- Salt Lake City (SLC) to Maui (OGG) for 22,000 miles each way
- Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Honolulu (HNL) for 35,000 miles each way
- Detroit (DTW) to Honolulu (HNL) for 44,000 miles each way
- New York City (JFK) to Honolulu (HNL) for 44,000 miles each way
But Capital One occasionally offers transfer bonuses of 30% or more to Virgin Atlantic, which could bring down the cost of longer flights, like the one above, to just 54,000 points roundtrip. That's tough to beat considering Delta itself often charges 100,000 SkyMiles or more for these exact same flights.
Just beware that finding the Delta flights you want can be a bit of a challenge. It's gotten easier recently, thanks to this trick using Air France/KLM's Flying Blue award calendar, but be sure to read our guide on how to book these Delta flights for huge savings. And never transfer miles before you've confirmed the flights you want are available.
This is just one example of what's possible with Capital One miles – and it's not even the only one for getting to Hawaii! No matter if you have your heart set on Mexico, the Caribbean, or even far-flung destinations like the Maldives … Capital One miles can take you there.
Read more: The Best Ways to Redeem Capital One Miles
Bottom Line
Capital One miles and the Venture X Card are practically a must for any aspiring award traveler. If you and your favorite travel buddy are scheming a bucket list vacation, there's no quicker way to earn 250,000-plus Capital One miles than this.
There is also a 100k offer with 5000 spend people who get referred. Might be more beneficial to some people.
Can my wife be P2?
Absolutely.
such a BS article
just for a click and referral
Jackson, I think you missed one very important point in regards to Cap One referral bonuses. Unlike other banks, Cap One pays a referral bonus if a person who applies using your referral link is a “brand new” customer for Cap One. So, if P2 already has another personal Cap One card, P1 will not get the referral. It is very important. So, if one of the players alrady has Cap One card and another one does not who refers whom could mean 25K bonus or none! Plan strategically.
Note: personal and business cards count separately for this rule. So if you have a biz card but never had a personal, you are still a good candidate for a personal referral, and vice versa.
Also Cap One often does not count the legacy cards when the determine “new customers eligible to produce a referral bonus”. Even if P2 has one of the newer cards (i.e. Venture One), but it was a result as a product change from one of the very old legacy cards, this account does not count as well. But if it is relatively new – it does.
Please clarify this in your post, otherwise some readers who already have one of the Cap One cards may be disappointed when they learn that they do not get anticipated referral bonus.
On a side note – Cap One usually allows only 2 personal cards to be had.. so if you already have 2 – you are likely to be denied for your third one. Again, legacy cards (even product changed ones) do not affect this count.
Good luck.
Thank you for calling out this important detail! We have adjusted our story to include it.
You left out the part on how to convince my friend to give me their miles. I tried this with my niece who I sent a link and she just laughed.
This applies usually to P1-P2 mode, where those 2 players travel together .. and buy tickets together .. Having all miles in one account is more convenient for transfers and booking than have them spread out between 2 accounts. It was not said explicitly, but it is clearly assumed.
You’re correct of course that having miles in one account is more convenient. If it’s a 2P system then why not just say so? You may have assumed but I did not so infer.