Is the Capital One VentureOne Card Worth It?

A young female traveler with a red backpack and hat looks out over the sea and town in Piran, Slovenia.

Maximizing credit card rewards doesn’t have to be complicated or require paying an annual fee. With the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, you’ll earn unlimited, flexible Capital One miles on every purchase and enjoy additional benefits at no extra charge. New customers can also earn a welcome bonus and take advantage of a limited-time intro APR offer. 

Is the VentureOne Card worth it? Learn more to find out if this no-annual-fee travel credit card deserves a spot in your wallet.

The Capital One VentureOne Card is a solid choice for people who prefer a straightforward rewards program. This card earns a flat 1.25x miles per dollar on purchases, with no bonus categories to remember, no spending limits and no promos you need to activate. When booking hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars through Capital One Travel, you’ll earn 5x miles per dollar.

If you have a large purchase or existing debt, the card’s intro APR offer helps you eliminate interest charges for more than a year. New cardholders receive a 0% intro on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) APR. While there is a one-time 3% balance transfer fee (4% on transfers made after 15 months), you’ll generally save money with balance transfers compared to paying the standard purchase interest rate.

With no annual fee, this card is a no-brainer for people who want to earn rewards that can be used to book travel, cover eligible purchases or transfer to airline and hotel partners.

  • Annual fee: $0
  • Welcome offer: For a limited time, earn $300 in travel bonuses. Enjoy $100 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 20,000 bonus miles once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening – that’s equal to $300 in travel
  • Rewards structure: Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
  • Statement credits and perks: Flexible redemption options, Hertz Five Star status* (enrollment required) and no foreign transaction fees.
  • Estimated value: With no annual fee, the value you’ll receive is based on the rewards from purchases made with your card.

The Capital One VentureOne Card is best for people who want to earn flexible rewards without an annual fee. They prefer elevated rewards on every purchase rather than bonus points on specific spending categories. This cardholder would also like access to an intro APR offer to avoid interest charges on purchases and balance transfers.

I used to have the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, but I didn’t use it enough to justify its $95 annual fee. By downgrading to the VentureOne Card, I could still earn miles on my purchases without having to overcome that spending hurdle to cover its cost. If you’re like me and want to earn flexible rewards without paying an annual fee, the VentureOne Card is an excellent choice.

While the VentureOne Card offers a simple rewards structure, it doesn’t benefit those who spend a lot in certain categories. If you want to earn higher rewards on the areas you spend the most, finding a rewards credit card whose bonus categories match your spending habits is the best option. 

While it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, the VentureOne Card doesn’t include travel benefits, like trip delay or lost baggage coverage. For those perks, a travel credit card with strong travel insurance would be a better choice.

Earn the Welcome Bonus

Welcome bonuses are a terrific way to get major value out of opening a new credit card. With the VentureOne Card, you’ll earn 20,000 bonus miles when you spend $500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. 

This minimum spending requirement is much lower than the $3,000 or more that other travel rewards cards demand to earn your bonus. The 20,000 miles are worth $200 in travel booked through Capital One or directly with airlines, hotels and other travel companies. When transferring your miles to airline and hotel partners, you may be able to redeem them for even higher value.

Use the $100 Travel Credit

When you open a new VentureOne Card, you’ll receive a $100 travel credit good toward flights, stays and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. This credit expires on your card’s first anniversary, so make sure to book a reservation through the bank’s travel portal to use the credit. Unlike other welcome bonuses, this one doesn’t require spending a certain amount before you can use it.

Eliminate Interest Charges

The average credit card interest rate is over 21%, which makes carrying a balance very expensive. You can eliminate these interest charges through the VentureOne Card’s intro APR offer: 0% intro on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) APR. This gives you extra time to pay off purchases without being charged interest, and you can pay off your debt more quickly by having 100% of your payment go toward reducing the balance.

Earn Unlimited Miles

You’ll earn unlimited 1.25x miles on every purchase that you make. You don’t need to activate limited-time offers, remember bonus categories or keep tabs on spending limits. I keep the Capital One VentureOne Card in my wallet to earn extra miles on purchases that aren’t eligible for bonus points through my other rewards credit cards. With no annual fee, there’s no hurdle that I need to spend in order to justify keeping the card year after year.

Redeem Miles for Highest Value

The Capital One VentureOne Card earns flexible miles that can be redeemed multiple ways. You can book travel through its portal, cover eligible travel purchases made directly with airlines and hotels, buy gift cards, get cash back and more. However, these redemptions typically yield just 1 cent per mile (100 miles for $1). Transferring your miles to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners allows you to get even more value from your rewards. With more than 20 transfer partners, there’s no shortage of options for your next trip.

No Hidden Fees When Traveling Internationally

When traveling internationally, many no-annual-fee credit cards charge foreign transaction fees of up to 3%. These hidden fees increase the cost of your purchases. The VentureOne Card is worth it for international travelers because it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees on your purchases outside the U.S.

So, is the Capital One VentureOne Card worth it? Since it doesn’t charge an annual fee, it is pretty easy to justify having this card in your wallet. You earn elevated rewards on every purchase without worrying about bonus categories. It comes with a welcome bonus that’s easy to unlock, and you can take advantage of an introductory APR offer to save money on interest. 

If you have the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or the Venture Card but can’t justify the yearly cost, downgrading to the VentureOne Card allows you to continue earning flexible rewards that you can transfer to airline and hotel partners without paying an annual fee.

*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.

What are 75,000 Capital One miles worth?

Capital One miles are worth 1 cent each when booking travel through its portal or covering eligible travel purchases within the last 90 days. You may be able to redeem for even higher value by transferring your miles to airline and hotel partners and booking an award reservation.

What are the benefits of the VentureOne Card?

The VentureOne Card includes several valuable benefits without charging an annual fee, including unlimited 1.25x miles per dollar, a $100 travel credit during the first year and no foreign transaction fees. New customers can also earn a welcome bonus based on their spending and use an intro APR offer to eliminate credit card interest charges.

Does VentureOne pay for TSA PreCheck?

No, you won’t get reimbursed for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fees when using the VentureOne Card. If you upgrade to the Capital One Venture Card and use it to pay for your application, you’ll get reimbursed up to $120 once every four years.

What credit score is needed for the Capital One VentureOne Card?

For the best approval odds on the VentureOne Card, based on what we’ve seen, you should have at least a good credit score, which is a FICO score of 670 or higher. Capital One will look at factors beyond your credit score, such as other cards you have and your overall financial picture, when deciding whether to approve you.

What airlines does Capital One partner with?

You can transfer Capital One miles to 18 airline partners: Aeromexico, Air Canada, Avianca, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, EVA Air, Finnair, Flying Blue (Air France-KLM), Japan Airlines, JetBlue, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, TAP, Turkish Airlines and Virgin Red.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.
*CardCritics™ references a FICO® 8 score, which is one of many different types of credit scores. A financial institution may use a different score when evaluating your application.