9 Great Ways to Redeem Capital One Miles

For travelers with the *venture x* or the *capital one venture card*, Capital One miles have become an indispensable program for anyone who wants to do more for less.

With the Venture Card's current, limited-time bonus offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months, plus a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in the first year of account opening, there's never been a better time to add to your stash.

Whether you're just getting started using miles and want a simple option to cover the costs of flights or hotels, or you consider yourself an advanced traveler who's ready to put the nearly 20 Capital One transfer partners to use to maximize your miles, there's a path for you. Simply put, no other credit card rewards program gives you more flexibility to redeem miles toward travel than Capital One.

Here are some of our favorite ways to redeem Capital One miles for travel.

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Cover Travel Purchases

Let's start with the easiest route. This is what Capital One is really known for.

No airline or credit card company makes it easier to redeem points and miles toward travel than Capital One. Just charge your flight, hotel, Airbnb, or almost any other travel expense to your Capital One card. A few days later, you can go in and remove that charge from your statement using miles.

Read our step-by-step guide to covering travel purchases to see how it's done!

Using this method, every Capital One mile is worth 1 cent. That means you can book a $500 and cover the purchase with 50,000 miles. That may not be earth-shattering value, but it's easy as can be – and it goes far when you find a cheap flight.

Here's a real-world example. Let's say you're a Thrifty Traveler Premium member and received this alert for $367 flights from Boston (BOS) to Barcelona (BCN) next year.

Just pay for that flight with your Capital One card, directly through the airline's website, go to your account a few days later, and cover the charge with 36,700 miles. That's all it takes: It really is that easy.

This is tailor-made for travelers who want a quick-and-easy way to use their miles – plus, there are a few other advantages to covering travel charges with miles beyond convenience.

For starters, it's one of the few ways to make a flight completely free, as your miles will cover the taxes and fees that traditional airline miles will not. And you'll still earn miles with the airline you're flying.

But the real beauty is that it can go, far, far beyond booking flights. Think of any travel expense, and you can cover it using your miles – including expenses that other credit card points can't cover. For example…

• You could cover a $500 Airbnb or VRBO reservation for 50,000 miles
• Charge a $40 train ticket to your Capital One Card, then cover it using 4,000 miles
• Book a tour or excursion through Viator or Airbnb Experiences, then use miles to cover the cost
• Ubers, Lyft rides, a golf trip, boat rides … you name it, you can cover it with miles

The list goes on and on. Needless to say, there's a ton of flexibility and ease when using miles to cover travel purchases. Where other bank points fall short, Capital One miles deliver.

Level Up Using Transfer Partners

There's definitely beauty in the simplicity of using Capital One miles to cover a travel purchase, but if you want to get even more value from your miles, you'll want to turn to Capital One's stable of transfer partners. 

After adding the ability to transfer miles straight to airline and hotel programs back in late 2018, Capital One has steadily added more and more partners, making it a bonafide option with some killer value. With few exceptions, every 1,000 miles you transfer gets you 1,000 airline miles or hotel points.

Here's the full list.

Read our guide to Capital One transfer partners and learn how you can transfer your miles!

It can get even better, as Capital One occasionally offers transfer bonuses, giving you a 15% to 40% bonus when sending your miles to select partners on this list. That's a great way to maximize your miles.

Thrifty Tip: Unlike many other banks, Capital One allows you to fine-tune your transfers in increments of 100 (so long as you transfer at least 1,000 miles).

With that many options, the world is your oyster. But here are a few of our favorite ways to redeem your Capital One miles for big value.

Read more: Save Points When Booking Flights: Transfer Them to an Airline Partner

Business Class to London for 29K Each Way

Virgin's transition to dynamic award pricing has resulted in some outstanding deals, flying Virgin Atlantic itself … for a fraction of the miles. Unfortunately, this deal recently took a big hit: Virgin now tacks on close to $600 in taxes and fees on a one-way business class ticket to London-Heathrow (LHR).  

Still, flying business class to London from East Coast cities like Boston (BOS), New York City (JFK), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), or Atlanta (ATL) for as low as 29,000 points could be worth stomaching the higher fees.

With a 1:1 transfer ratio, 29,000 Capital One miles is all you'd need … sometimes even less. 

There are deals to be had in the lower cabins now, too. 

• A roundtrip from the East Coast to London for as low as 12,000 miles – as few as 10,000 Capital One miles with this bonus.
• A roundtrip in premium economy isn't bad either, at just 21,000 miles – as few as 17,000 Capital One miles with this bonus.

Or you could even book flights to a far-flung destination like the Maldives for just 13,500 miles one way in economy. You'd need as little as 11,000 Capital One miles with this big 30% bonus! 

Thrifty Tip: It’s much easier to search for Virgin Atlantic flights one-way rather than roundtrip – and unlike with many other airlines, it’ll often save you money on taxes and fees booking one-ways separately, too.

Fly JAL Business Class to Japan

These days, everyone wants to go to Japan … and for good reason. It's clean, safe, modern (yet steeped in culture), and don't even get me started on the food.

Flying Japan Airlines from one of the carrier's nine North American gateways to Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) – or even Osaka (KIX) – is a great way cross the Pacific, no matter if you're flying in economy or business class. Thanks to JAL's reasonable award chart, a one-way ticket to Japan will set you back as low as 55,000 miles in business class. That's even better than what American AAdvantage charges!

Take this flight from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) for example. You can book a Japan Airlines business class seat on the nearly 13-hour flight to Japan for just 55,000 miles and $142 in taxes and fees. 

Capital One miles ordinarily transfer to JAL at a less valuable 2:1.5 ratio, meaning you'd need nearly 74,000 of them to book this deal. But through the end of February, Capital One is offering a 30% bonus on transfers to JAL, bringing the ratio to nearly 1:1. 

The math is funky, but this flight would set you back 56,500 Capital One miles with the current bonus. Still a great price for one of the best lie-flat seats in the sky! 

Your best bet at finding these cheap award rates is at the end of the calendar for a trip in fall or winter. But one standout feature of JAL Mileage Bank is that they offer their members tons of additional award availability at slightly higher rates: It's not too hard to find one-way flights for 75,000 miles, transferring 77,000 Capital One miles (with a 30% bonus) to make it happen.

If you're flying to or from New York City (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), or Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), you might even luck out and find availability on one of JAL's new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, equipped with the airline's brand new business suites like this. 

If you're content flying further back, finding a seat in premium economy for 40,000 miles each way – or regular economy for 27,000 miles each way – is also quite doable. You'd need just 41,100 or 27,700 Capital One miles (respectively) to book those seats with the current bonus.

Emirates Biz Class to Europe for Under 90K Miles RT

You don't have to fly all the way to Japan to get good value out of JAL Mileage Bank miles, though. You can also use them to book domestic (and international) flights with Oneworld partner airlines like British Airways, Alaska, and American. But thanks to JAL's wonky worldwide network of partner airlines, you can even book Air France, Emirates, JetBlue, and others using JAL miles. 

Like many airline mileage programs, JAL uses a distance-based award chart for these partner award redemptions: The longer your flight, the more miles it may cost. But unlike virtually every other airline, it doesn't tally each segment separately: It adds the distances together for the final price. This creates an incredible sweet spot for using JAL miles to book partner awards.

Emirates really stands out from JAL's list of partners. After a recent devaluation spiked surcharges to borderline obscene levels, booking business class on the airline's fifth-freedom routes from New York City (JFK) to Milan (MXP) or Newark (EWR) to Athens (ATH) is no longer the deal it once was for 108,000 Emirates miles and more than $900 in taxes and fees.

Booking a roundtrip through JAL instead will save you miles and fees. While the one-way over to Europe costs 60,000 miles (61,600 Capital One miles with the current bonus) and about $100 …

… but just 85,000 miles (87,200 Capital One miles with this bonus) and $246 in taxes and fees for the roundtrip. 

It even works with multi-city and open-jaw redemptions, so you could fly into Milan and jet home from Athens (ATH) for the same roundtrip rate! 

It also works if you need to make a connection when flying airlines like American or British Airways – you'll just need to be flying on the same partner all the way. Instead of adding each segment separately like most airlines, you just calculate the total distance.

Read more: JAL Mileage Bank is a Goldmine for Roundtrip Partner Awards

Hawaii and Back for 40K Miles (or Less)

Even after a recent devaluation, one of the best ways to book flights to Hawaii is using British Airways Avios. I know, it doesn't make much sense … but it's true.

You can book flights to Hawaii with miles from the massive U.K. carrier, using British Airways Avios to book flights on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines out to the islands. While American and Alaska frequently charge 50,000 miles or more for these flights, you can fly from the West Coast to Hawaii for just 40,000 Avios roundtrip. 

The trick to getting these ultra-low rates is starting your search in Los Angeles (LAX) or Phoenix (PHX), both of which have nonstop service to the islands. You can also start from other cities like Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX) San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), or San Diego (SAN), as Alaska Airlines nonstops to Hawaii are also bookable at these rates.

Read more on the cheapest ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles!

Availability to book these American Airlines flights via British Airways is typically quite solid – especially if you’re looking at least a few months in advance. The same is true of Alaska Airlines.

Willing to put in some extra legwork? This deal can get even better.

Finnair, another 1:1 Capital One transfer partner, charges just 15,000 Avios each way for flights between the mainland and Hawaii. And while you'll pay that rate for nonstop flights from the West Coast, it even applies to one- and two-stop trips from the Midwest and beyond!

The problem is that you won't find these flights online at Finnair.com, so you'll need to call the airline at +1 (929) 474-6049 or +1 (323) 694-7646 (or chat with them online) in order to book. Search British Airways' website first to find available flights – and even then, it may require some trial and error: Not every Finnair agent knows how to book these American or Alaska flights.

Roundtrip to Spain for 34K Points

Most airlines charge about 60,000 to 70,000 miles to fly from the U.S. to Europe and back. One airline can get you there and back for half that price.

Yes, it's British Airways again – but you're using those miles to fly Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier, straight to Madrid (MAD). Depart from the right cities and at the right time, and you can score roundtrip flights straight to Madrid (MAD) for just 34,000 miles plus about $200 in taxes and fees.

For many years, you'd much rather book these flights with Iberia itself rather than partner British Airways because the U.K.-based airline program tacked on hundreds of dollars in extra fees. No more: Now you'll pay the same amount in fees no matter which of the two airlines' miles you use to book. And that makes it much easier to book a roundtrip flight to Madrid like this.
 

The trick? Iberia’s distance-based award pricing system means you have to start your journey from the East Coast hubs of Boston (BOS), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), or New York City (JFK). Luckily for Midwesterners, Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) works at this price, too. Departing from other Iberia outposts like Miami (MIA), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), San Francisco (SFO), or Los Angeles (LAX) will cost you more miles.

You also need to time it right. Iberia uses peak and off-peak pricing, which means getting these cheap flights at 34,000 miles requires traveling during the off-peak season. Luckily, Iberia’s definition of “off-peak” is typically quite generous: It means you can fly at the lowest rates for nearly 2/3 of the year. Mid-June through mid-September is generally considered the peak summer season, with some scattered weekends and holidays blocked off, too. Check out Iberia’s full calendar to scope out the dates.

… Or do it in Business Class for 81K

Flying business class to Europe doesn't get much cheaper than this. In fact, we consider it one of the best deals in points and miles. 

After transferring to British Airways (again), you can use them to book a one-way Iberia business class flight to Madrid for just 40,500 miles for  – or 81,000 miles roundtrip! That’s a roundtrip flight in business class for the same price almost every other airline would charge you to fly in economy.

Why not fly like this rather than back in economy when you can do it using fewer points?
 

Read our full review of Iberia business class!

Booking Iberia business class flights follows the same script as the economy example above. Focus on flights from New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., and Chicago to Madrid to get the lowest rates – and try to book off-peak travel times whenever possible.

These rates are higher than a year ago, thanks to another recent devaluation, but still: Flying lie-flat to Europe for just 40,500 points and under $140 in fees is tough, if not impossible, to beat.
 

Need more help? Read our guide to booking Iberia business class! 

Short Domestic Flights For Less 

Are U.S. flight prices higher than you'd like? See if you can book that same flight for fewer miles through one of Capital One's transfer partners first.  

Thanks to Virgin Atlantic's distance-based award chart, Delta flights under 500 miles in distance are only 7,500 points one-way. Going a little further? It’s only 11,000 points one-way for flights between 501 – 1,000 miles. 

That means by transferring your Capital One miles to Virgin, you can book short hops like this one from Minneapolis (MSP) to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) for as few as 7,500 miles each way! 

This can be a great deal, especially for Delta hub captives, because you’ll always be booking a Delta main cabin ticket when using Virgin points. That means you’ll be able to make changes and choose a seat for free.

For United Airlines flights, turn to its Star Alliance partner, Air Canada. Short-haul United flights under 500 miles cost just 10,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points each way. 

Being able to book a roundtrip flight for just 12,000 miles, plus a nominal amount of taxes and fees, is a pretty stellar deal. 

Biz Class All Over the World From 70K 

If you're looking to use your miles to fly business class anywhere in the world, Air Canada Aeroplan should be your first stop.

Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the best programs for using points and miles to book flights on Star Alliance airlines (i.e., United, Lufthansa, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, Singapore, and more), as well as other top airlines like Emirates and Etihad. And you don't have to fly from Canada, or even fly Air Canada, to make the program work for you. For U.S. travelers, it's one of the best-kept secrets in award travel. 

Read up on all the best ways to book business class using Aeroplan miles!

Bottom Line

Whether you're looking to keep things simple by covering nearly any travel purchase or get maximum value through transfer partners, there are some incredible ways to redeem Capital One miles.

That versatility and value is the key to making Capital One miles work for every type of traveler.