The Capital One Venture Rewards credit card is one of our favorite cards for anyone just getting started in points and miles.
And while there are many reasons to love the Venture card, there’s one thing that sets it apart from the rest of the pack: You can redeem your Venture miles on all things travel, not just flights. No card makes it easier to redeem your points to cover expenses on hotels, Airbnb, cruises, Uber rides, tours, and more.
I use my Capital One Venture Rewards card all the time for travel-related expenses that can’t be covered by typical points and miles programs. And it’s so easy: Just use Capital One’s Purchase Eraser to remove a travel-related charge from your card statement using miles.
This versatility and ease of use make Venture miles an amazing way to cut down on travel costs. Here’s how to make the most of your Venture miles on all your travel costs.
Booking Flight Deals
You don’t need to have miles with multiple different airlines to make a cheap flight free. Instead, simply book a flight deal you find or snag through Thrifty Traveler with your Venture card. Then, use the Capital One Purchase Eraser to erase the purchase cost of that flight from your card statement.
Every mile is worth one cent toward travel, so a stash of 50,000 Venture miles is worth $500. It’s that easy!
Thrifty Tip #1: New to using the Purchase Eraser feature? It’s the easiest way to redeem points and miles out there. Read our full guide to using the Purchase Eraser, and start making travel free!
Airbnb Stays
One of the biggest drawbacks for travelers looking to stay in Airbnbs is that there isn’t currently a loyalty program for using the homestay website. This is where the Venture card shines!
Because Airbnb bookings code as a travel expense, you can use the Purchase Eraser feature to erase the cost of your Airbnb from your card statement. This is the closest you can get to booking an Airbnb with points right now!
Buying Train Tickets
Doing some train travel during your trip? Another one of our favorite uses for Venture miles is for train tickets within Europe – or anywhere in the world.
This is a great option for using your miles: simply book your train tickets on raileurope.com or another site, and use the Purchase Eraser to make that train ride free. This is the power of flexible miles currencies like Venture miles!
Booking Rental Cars
Paying for rental cars can be a pain.
We have a few tips for booking a cheap rental car, but one of the easiest ways is to use your Venture miles to Purchase Erase a rental car charge from your statement. Because sites like Priceline, Kayak, Hotwire, and other online travel agencies will code as travel, this is a great option for using your Venture miles statement credits.
Have you heard of Turo? It’s like the Airbnb for cars! Learn more about how Turo works, and read our review on our first Turo experience. Turo rental cars should code as travel, too, so use those Venture miles to erase the cost of a car on your next trip.
Booking Tours & Experiences
You can’t use traditional points and miles to book tours and experiences. Unless you use the Venture card.
Yes, you can even use your Venture miles and the Purchase Eraser feature to erase tour tickets or day trips. Seriously, these miles can do just about anything! Booking your tours, day trips, and experiences ahead of time through sites like Viator.com or Airbnb Experiences. These bookings, and likely most other tour sites, will code as travel so you can redeem your miles to erase those purchases.
Don’t Have a Venture Card Yet?
If you spend money on any of the things above, it’s time to get a Venture card and start “erasing” those travel expenses. Seriously, there’s nothing more satisfying than erasing the cost of a flight, and an Airbnb, and a rental car, and a city tour on your next trip?
If you don’t have this card yet, here’s everything you need to know:
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card
- Earn a bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within three months
- Use Venture Miles bonus for up to $500 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2x miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
- $100 application credit that covers TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
- Fly any airline, stay at any hotel, anytime
- Travel when you want with no blackout dates
- Transfer Venture miles to 15 different airline partners
- Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year; $95 after that
Click Here to get more information about the Capital One Venture Card.
Bottom Line
There is tremendous value in the incredible flexibility of the Capital One Venture Rewards credit card. Being able to redeem Venture miles for things other than just flights or certain hotels is a huge benefit. This flexibility takes travel from cheap to free!
You can earn Delta miles by booking an Airbnb stay on deltaairbnb.com, and you can use a non-Delta card to pay, so you’re double-dipping!