Capital One Venture Miles earned from credit cards like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and even the no annual fee Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card are incredibly valuable. And that comes down largely to flexibility.
Sure, you can use Venture Miles to book flights using the Purchase Eraser feature, the Capital One Travel Portal, or even some of the Capital One Transfer Partners. But that’s not all: You can also book hotels with Capital One Venture Miles – and other accommodations, too.
So let’s dive into all of the different ways you can use Capital One Venture Miles to cover the cost of lodging.
Read more: The Best Ways to Use Capital One Venture Miles
Use Capital One Venture Miles to Book Airbnb & VRBO
Airbnb and VRBO don't yet have loyalty programs of their own. So unlike the big box hotel chains, you can't earn or redeem points with either home-sharing platform. At least not directly…
Thanks to the Capital One Purchase Eraser feature, it's possible to use your Venture Miles to book an Airbnb or VRBO stay. It's one of our favorite ways to use Venture Miles, in part because it couldn't be easier.
Just make a booking directly with Airbnb or VRBO and pay for it with any credit card that earns Capital One Venture miles. Once that charge posts to your account, you'll be able to log in and remove the charge with miles.
Using the purchase eraser, each Venture mile is worth one cent towards any travel purchase. That means booking a $500 Airbnb stay could be completely removed for 50,000 Venture Miles.
So in our example above, if you booked a $500 Airbnb, Venture X cardholders would automatically get a statement credit for $200. They could then use the Purchase eraser to wipe out the remaining $300 with only 30,000 Venture Miles.
Hotels are not for everybody, and Venture Miles can be a great way to substantially lower the out-of-pocket cost of an Airbnb or VRBO stay.
Related reading: The Best Credit Cards to Use for Airbnb Stays
Book Any Hotel Using the Purchase Eraser Feature
Because of the way the Purchase Eraser feature works, any hotel is also fair game for using your points. That means you can book small boutique hotels or even massive properties from the likes of Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and more.
Again, all you need to do is make the purchase directly with the hotel. Once that charge hits your statement, you can log into your account and apply miles to remove the charge. Each mile is worth one cent each when redeeming via the Purchase Eraser, so a $500 stay could be removed for 50,000 Venture Miles.
When it comes to redeeming points and miles, it doesn't get any easer than the Purchase Eraser. There are no complicated hoops to jump through, and no transferring points into other accounts to maximize their value.
Additionally, when you make a booking this way at one of the major hotel chains, you will still earn hotel points for the stay and qualifying nights towards earning elite status.
Read more: A Step-By-Step Guide to Using the Capital One Purchase Eraser
Book Hotels Via the Capital One Travel Portal
In 2021, Capital One made some huge improvements to their travel portal – a travel booking platform powered by the popular app Hopper where Capital One cardholders can book flights, hotels, and rental cars using cash or points.
When it comes to booking hotels through Capital One Travel, you'll find everything under the sun, from small boutique properties all the way up to the big brands from chains like Marriott, Hyatt, and more. When you redeem your miles through the Capital One Travel portal, they will be worth one cent each – the same value they have when using the Purchase Eraser tool.
If you don't want to use your Capital One Venture Miles for a booking, you'll earn 10x miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars and 5x points per dollar spent on flights. Those points can certainly add up fast.
When searching for hotels through Capital One Travel, you'll be able to sort by price, star rating, and recommended properties. You can also filter for properties based on their Trip Advisor rating. For example, if you only want to see properties that have at least a 4-star rating from other guests, you can easily filter for that.
There is also a price range filter and the ability to filter for things like a pool, Wi-Fi, fitness center, and much more.
In running a number of searches, Capital One Travel appears to be competitive on price based on what you can find directly with the hotel or through other online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia, Kayak, etc. In fact, on all the searches I ran, Capital One displays a price comparison to what you'll find on Expedia.
But if you hold the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, there is one major benefit to booking hotels through Capital One Travel. Each and every year you hold the card, you'll get a $300 travel credit to use through the Capital One Travel Portal. That can be used on flights, hotels, or rental cars. Use this up, and it makes Venture X's $395 annual fee look more like $95. It's a big reason why we feel the Venture X annual fee shouldn't scare you off.
Simply pay for your travel purchase through the portal using your Venture X and Capital One will automatically issue a statement credit until you have used up the full $300 each year. Not to mention, you'll still earn 5x miles per dollar spent on flights and 10x miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars on purchases that count towards the $300 reimbursement.
Click Here to learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
Transfer Capital One Miles to Wyndham Hotels
Thanks to some major updates to the stable of Capital One airline and hotel transfer partners last year, you can now transfer Capital One Venture Miles to Wyndham Hotels at a 1:1 ratio. That means 1 Capital One Venture Mile gets you 1 Wyndham hotel point.
Wyndham might not be the first hotel brand you think about when you are looking to use points, but there is certainly value to be had within the program. But before you transfer Capital One miles to Wyndham, you'll need to create a Wyndham Rewards account. You can do that by following this link.
A nice thing about redeeming Wyndham points is that their award chart is simple and straightforward. All of the properties in their portfolio fall into one of three tiers. The higher the tier, the more points it will cost. They also offer the ability to use points and cash, generally about 70% of the standard cash price plus some points.
Wyndham award rates are as follows:
- Tier 1: 7,500 points (1,500 points + cash)
- Tier 2: 15,000 points (3,000 points + cash)
- Tier 3: 30,000 points (6,000 points + cash)
Obviously, the nicer, more upscale properties are going to likely be in the third tier. But even at 30,000 points a night, you can still find some great values.
In fact, Wyndham has a number of all-inclusive resorts that can be booked for 30,000 points a night. This list includes the Grand Residences Riviera Cancun and the Viva Wyndham V Heavens All-Inclusive Resort in the Dominican Republic.
Or how about the Club Wyndham Park City, another property that falls into their highest tier and can be booked for 30,000 points per night? The property has one or two-bedroom suites with a full kitchen, washer, and dryer and has ski-in, ski-out access. Finding availability in the peak ski season can be difficult, but if you can make it work, it's worth it.
These are just a few examples of how you can use Wyndham points, but of course, there are many other great opportunities.
Transfer Capital One Miles to Choice Hotels
Like Wyndham, you can transfer points to the Choice Hotels Privileges program at a 1:1 ratio. This means 1 Capital One Venture Miles equals 1 Choice Privilege point.Â
Again, before you transfer Capital One miles to Choice Hotels, you'll need to create a Choice Privileges account. You can do that by following this link.
Unlike other hotel loyalty programs, Choice doesn't group properties into categories that determine how many points you will need to book a night. Rather, each property's points rate is set for a certain number of dates, typically based upon season. So if cash rates go up, the fixed rates can offer solid value. But finding these sweet spots will largely depend on where you are going and the dates of your travel.
Generally speaking, expect to pay between 8,000 and 35,000 Choice Privilege points a night for a stay. Some all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean can cost as much as 100,000 points.
Because of the way the program works, you can find great value using points during events that typically send the cash rate of a night soaring. A perfect example of this is the Masters Golf tournament which is held every year in Augusta, Georgia in the first week of April.
Due to the high demand of those dates and the lack of hotel room inventory, cash rates get incredibly expensive. For example, a night at the Comfort Suites Augusta Riverwatch is $750.
But if we search these same properties using Choice Privilege points, you can see that a night can be booked for 16,000 points. That's a pretty incredible value when you consider the cash price.
This is just one example, but Choice Hotels can be a good option for events that send cash rates soaring.
Transfer Capital One Miles to Accor Hotels
The last Capital One hotel transfer partner to be aware of is Accor. It's the parent company of amazing hotel brands like Fairmont and more.
However, it is not a good option for your Capital One Venture Miles. That's because Venture Miles will transfer at a rate of 2:1 to Accor. That means 2 Venture Miles get you just 1 Accor point.
So for every 1,000 Miles transferred, you would only end up with 500 Accor points, making redemption values poor. On top of that, they have a very small footprint in North America which simply means you won't have a ton of options to redeem them.
Because of how many other great ways there are to use Capital One Venture Miles, this one should be avoided for now … at least until the transfer ratio improves.
How to Earn Capital One Venture Miles
To spend Capital One Venture miles wisely, you’ve first got to earn them. You’re in luck: There are a handful of cards that can help you bolster your balance of Venture miles, including a brand new option.
The Capital One Venture X Card
There’s a new kid on the block, and it might just be the best travel credit card we’ve ever seen.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the bank’s very first premium travel card. Think of it as a souped-up version of the ever-popular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card that’s chock full of extra benefits: Access to Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges, a $300 annual travel credit, a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, great travel and rental car insurance protection, and more. The annual fee clocks in at $395 a year, but the benefits can easily outweigh that.
Here’s the best part: You can currently earn 75,000 Venture Miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months. Considering you earn at least 2x for every dollar you spend on the Venture X Card, you’ll earn a total of at least 83,000 Venture Miles.Â
Click Here to learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
The Capital One Venture Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has been a fan-favorite among travelers for years – and for good reason. It’s truly one of the best travel credit cards for beginners.
You earn 2x points on every purchase and even get a credit that covers the cost of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck – all for a card with a $95 annual fee.
Capital One currently offers a welcome bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening. This is equal to $750 in travel expenses – or get even more by transferring those 75,000 miles to partner airlines or hotels.
Click Here to learn more about current offers for the Capital One Venture Card.Â
Capital One VentureOne Card
Think of the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card as the littlest sibling to the Venture X and Venture Card.
It’s a no-annual-fee card that will earn you 1.25x miles per dollar you spend. The welcome bonus is smaller, too – though still quite nice. You can currently earn bonus_miles_full
Learn more about the card_name
Bottom Line
Capital One Venture miles offer a ton of ways to book travel on the cheap. When it comes to hotels and Airbnbs, there is no shortage of great ways to use your Venture Miles.
If I book a hotel with capital one venture then use the points to pay off a different recent travel purchase and I cancel the hotel will I get a charge back to my credit card.
You’ll get the credit back for whatever purchase you choose to erase with Venture Miles.