Travelers love their Capital One cards like the *capital one venture card* and the premium *venture x*. And for good reason: Capital One miles have become some of the most valuable on the planet.
No matter which card you're eyeing, you'll earn a big pool of bonus miles after meeting the card's minimum spending requirement. Both cards will earn you 75,000 Capital One miles after spending $4,000 within the first three months. But the regular Venture Card takes things a step further: For a limited-time, you'll get a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit, in addition to all those miles. That alone makes this card the easy choice for most … at least for the first year.
It's up to you to earn those miles – and to do so responsibly. But actually using that big bonus to get the best bang for your buck? That's what we're here for.
Still not sure which card is right for you? Read our guide comparing the Capital One Venture vs the Venture X card!
Book $750 in Travel (Anything…)
This is no big secret. In fact, it's the go-to method for millions of Capital One cardholders.
No airline or credit card company makes it easier to redeem miles toward travel than Capital One. Just charge your flight, hotel, Airbnb – even Disney theme park tickets – or almost any other travel expense to your Capital One card. A few days later, you can go in and cover 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 $750 in flights using that 75,000-mile bonus. Or cover a $750 bill at a hotel or Airbnb. Or $750 for a rental car. We could go on and on like this.
Is that an earth-shattering value? No. There are better ways to squeeze more out of your Capital One bonus. But if delving into airline award charts and Capital One transfer partners isn't your thing, the simplicity and flexibility of redeeming Capital One miles this way makes it a serious sweet spot – especially when you pair it with a cheap flight.
Here's an example. Let's say you're a Thrifty Traveler Premium member and just received this alert for $460 nonstop flights from Miami (MIA) to Rome (FCO) for the fall.
Get cheap flights like this one sent straight to your inbox with Thrifty Traveler Premium!
Just pay for that flight with your Capital One Venture or Venture X card, go to your account a few days later, and remove it from your statement for 46,000 Capital One miles. That's all it takes.
There are a few 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 Capital One miles will cover the taxes and fees that a traditional airline award booking would not – plus, you'll still earn miles with the airline you're flying. And most importantly, you're booking directly with the airline – not through a third-party online travel agency that could mess up your booking.
But if you want to get more value from your Capital One miles, you'll want to look into Capital One transfer partners.
Capital One added the ability to transfer miles straight to airline programs years ago. After steadily adding more and more partners and making significant improvements, it's now a bonafide option with some killer value. With few exceptions, every 1,000 Capital One miles you transfer gets you 1,000 airline miles or hotel points.
Read our guide to Capital One transfer partners and learn how you can transfer your miles!
Fly to Hawaii for 40K Miles (Or Less!)
Even after last year's 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 60,000 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 charges just 15,000 Avios each way for American Airlines flights between the mainland and Hawaii … or 13,500 miles on Alaska! 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! Since Capital One miles transfer 1:1 to Finnair Avios, you'd only need 30,000 miles for a roundtrip booking.
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 in order to book. Search through British Airways' website first to find flights that are available. And even then, it may require some trial and error: Not every Finnair agent knows how to book these American or Alaska flights.
…Or Just 20K to Hawaii and Back!
This one requires a bit more work, but the savings are worth it. You can book United flights from the mainland all the way to Hawaii for just 20,000 miles roundtrip.
It hinges on using Turkish Miles & Smiles program, another 1:1 transfer partner and one of the most underrated options in Capital One's arsenal. Case in point: Turkish's award chart makes it possible to fly from almost anywhere in the U.S. to Hawaii and back for just 20,000 miles roundtrip – or 40,000 miles in first class.
So what's the problem? Well, booking is a bit of a pain. For starters, you'll need to find award availability through United.com or another site like Singapore's. From there, you might have luck finding and booking straight through Turkish's website, but it can be incredibly hit or miss.
Read our full walkthrough on how to book these incredibly cheap flights to Hawaii through Turkish!
At times, nonstop flights simply won't show up at all. So, odds are, you'll need to either email Turkish or call them at 1-800-874-8875 to book. Make sure to read our full guide on how to book flights to Hawaii through Turkish.
However, considering that United itself would charge 45,000 miles or more for these exact same flights, this is a steal. You won't find a cheaper way to get to Hawaii using your Capital One bonus.
Lie-Flat to London for 29K Each Way
We used to steer clear of using Virgin Atlantic points to book flights on Virgin Atlantic itself due to the hefty taxes and fees. Not anymore.
Virgin's recent transition to dynamic award pricing has resulted in some outstanding deals for flying Virgin Atlantic itself … for a fraction of the miles and fees Virgin used to charge.
Now, you can find Virgin business class flights to London-Heathrow (LHR) 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 and a much more reasonable $255 in taxes.
By turning to Capital One's transfer partner, Virgin Red, just 29,000 Capital One miles is all you need to book a lie-flat ride to London.
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.
- A one-way in premium economy isn't bad either, at just 10,500 miles.
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 for booking one-way separately, too.
15K Miles (or Less) to Get to Europe
This might just be the sweetest spot of all – especially if you live in Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP).
You can transfer your Capital One bonus to Virgin Atlantic to fly Air France or KLM economy from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to just about anywhere in Western Europe for 30,000 points roundtrip and around $150 in fees. It works whether you're flying nonstop to Amsterdam (AMS) or Paris (CDG) or connecting elsewhere to cities like Barcelona (BCN) or Rome (FCO).
It's one of the cheapest ways to fly to Europe with points and miles because it combines low rates with low fees. The odd thing about this sweet spot is that it really only works from Minneapolis: If you depart from other cities in the U.S. or Canada, you'll get hit with cash fees of around $400 or more.
But when flying out of Minneapolis, Virgin isn't charging the fuel surcharge it does from other cities – meaning cash fees are typically around $150 or so.
It gets better. Whether you want to pop over to Madrid (MAD) or Lisbon (LIS), party in Dublin (DUB), or eat your way around Rome (FCO), you can fly almost anywhere in Western Europe for as low as 15,000 miles each way and under $100 in taxes and fees. You can even fly into one European city and back from another!
Virgin Atlantic isn't a Capital One transfer partner … but Virgin Red is. Virgin Red is the overarching loyalty program for all Virgin brands, from the airline to Virgin Hotels, Virgin Voyages, and more. Be sure to read our instructions on how you can transfer your Capital One bonus to Virgin Red and make this amazing deal a reality.
Or Business Class to Istanbul for 65K!
Even after raising rates last year, Turkish still offers one of the most economical ways to fly business class to Turkey. Go figure!
For just 65,000 miles each way, you can book a business class seat between the U.S. and Istanbul thanks to the incredible Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program. With a 1:1 transfer ratio, 65,000 Capital One miles is all you need.
The airline is renowned for its inflight catering – complete with an onboard chef – and solid service. Look for flights on the airlines' newest Boeing 787s or Airbus A350s.
Read our full review of Turkish Airlines business class!
Bahamas or Cayman Islands for 15K Miles!
OK … this is the weirdest one, for sure. But it's really fun! Sometimes, the cheapest way to fly lie-flat requires getting creative … by flying strange routes that may not even touch U.S. soil.
British Airways operates one such route: A few times each week, it flies one of its planes decked out with snazzy new Club World business class suites … on the short, nonstop flight between Nassau (NAS) and the Grand Cayman (GCM). The airline flies one of its wide-body planes so it can serve both Caribbean destinations from London without having to run a separate flight.
Here's why it matters: The airline charges just 15,000 Avios and $25 each way for these intra-Caribbean flights.
This kind of quirky deal is the epitome of a “Nerd Alert,” the special deals we send to Thrifty Traveler Premium members to give them a chance to fly some of the coolest seats on strange routes. And with this big 75,000-mile bonus, you'd have enough miles to bring along four of your closest friends.
Qatar Qsuites from 70K Miles
We saved the best for last.
Thanks to Qatar Airways' recent adoption of Avios, the floodgates are open to book Qatar's world-leading Qsuite business class seats using a big Venture Card bonus.
Check out our full review of Qatar Qsuites!
Here's the easiest route: You could book a simple nonstop from many cities in the U.S. over to Doha (DOH) for just 70,000 British Airways Avios and about $100 in fees. Find the award availability you want, transfer 70,000 Capital One miles to your BA account, and book it. Done. It doesn't get much cheaper or easier than that.
We send Thrifty Traveler Premium members award alerts when they can book the world's best business class using their points, plus cheap cash fares too!
But if you want to take it next level and connect elsewhere – Dubai (DXB) or Muscat (MCT) in the Middle East, Cairo (CAI), or maybe even the Maldives (MLE) or down to Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa – you'll want to turn to Qatar Airways Avios. And even though you can't directly transfer Capital One miles to Qatar, you can easily combine your Avios balances between British Airways and Qatar.
These multi-segment awards wind up being much cheaper by booking through Qatar itself than British Airways, which still charges mileage on a per-segment basis. Booking through Qatar, you could fly in Qsuites to …
- Middle Eastern destinations like Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH) or Muscat (MCT) for 75,000 miles
- Other destinations like Amman (AMM) and Cairo (CAI), as well as major Indian cities, go up to 80,000 miles each way
- Getting to the Seychelles (SEZ) or Maldives (MLE) will run you 85,000 miles each way
- Both Southeast Asia and South Africa typically cost 95,000 miles each way
Considering both Venture Cards earn unlimited 2x miles on all purchases, you'd have at least 83,000 miles at your disposal after meeting the $4,000 minimum spending requirement. That puts many of these more far-flung destinations within reach.
Qatar recently raised its surcharges to about $200 for a simple nonstop to Doha or $300 (or more) if you need to make a connection. But that's a price worth paying, given you can book these incredible flights for as few as 70,000 Capital One miles with this bonus.
Bottom Line
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
With a stash of 75,000 Capital One miles, an easy way to redeem them toward almost any travel expense, plus a portfolio of nearly 20 transfer partners, the world is – quite literally – your oyster. But these are some of our favorite ways to put a Capital One bonus to use.
