How Capital One Venture X's Travel Perks Make the Fee Worth It
Travel cards, like the Capital One Venture X come with a sizable annual fee. Here are four ways to offset these fees.
I might be what you call "cheap." When I first started using credit cards, I never signed up for ones with annual fees.
After all, why pay a bank to use their credit card? But over time, my approach changed once I realized how many perks cards with fees have to offer.
Case in point: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with a $395 annual fee. That might seem steep on the surface, but I've found it pays itself back. Here's how you can use the card's travel perks to offset its annual fee.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
1. Take advantage of the intro bonus
Many credit cards come with introductory bonuses, where you receive a bonus if you spend a certain amount. The bonuses can be in the form of cash back, points or miles. This is a great way to use the card on everyday purchases and be rewarded for expenses you were going to make anyway.
The Capital One Venture X card offers an excellent intro bonus. You'll earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.
2. Maximizing miles redemption
The intro bonus is nice, but if you're like me, you might be wondering if you will get enough use out of the card to justify its annual fee after the first year.
This is where elevated travel rewards cards like Capital One Venture X really excel. The card allows you to earn an unlimited 10 miles per dollar for hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; five miles per dollar on vacation rentals and flights purchased through Capital One Travel and two miles per dollar for all other purchases.
So, what are miles worth? It depends on how you redeem them.
You can redeem miles for travel purchases through the Capital One portal at a rate of one cent per mile. That's not great on the surface, but if you travel regularly and book most aspects of your travel, especially flights and hotels through Capital One, these rewards can add up fast.
You can also use these miles at the same ratio to pay for previous travel booked the last 90 days through Capital One.
Further, you can transfer your Capital One miles to other participating airline and hotel programs, like Wyndham Rewards or Air Canada Aeroplan®, with most having a 1:1 ratio.
Here's an illustration of how transferring works: You earned the Venture X intro bonus of 75,000 miles and transferred them to your Wyndham Rewards account. You'll have 75,000 points to use, entitling you to two free nights at the Wyndham Alltra Playa del Carmen Adults Only All Inclusive in Mexico.
Wyndam offers free nights at resorts worldwide at 30,000 points per night. This illustration shows you can really elevate your trips the more you use your card.
Other redemption methods include using your miles for Amazon purchases, at a rate of 0.8 cents per mile. The less ideal option is to cash out your miles for a check or statement credit, as the rate of redemption is half a cent per mile.
Overall, the cash-back rewards are going to work best for avid travelers. However, if you only take a few trips per year, there are other ways to offset the annual fee.
3. Anniversary bonuses for the win
Capital One rewards its Venture X cardholders with two anniversary bonuses every year you have an active account.
The first is a $300 annual credit to use through Capital One Travel. The best news is there are no spending hoops to jump through. It's just a perk for having the card.
The other bonus is every year you have an active Venture X card, Capital One gives you 10,000 miles, starting on the first anniversary of opening the card. That's akin to $100 in travel credits every year.
Combined, these two anniversary bonuses give you $400 in travel credits, thus easily offsetting the $395 annual fee.
4. Elevated travel perks
The Capital One Venture X card elevates stays with an abundance of travel perks. And when you book through their Premier Collection, not only will you stay at exceptional hotels, you'll also earn perks that make the trip more enjoyable.
To demonstrate, say you want a weekend getaway at the Regent Santa Monica Beach. Using the Venture X card, you could book the hotel through Capital One Travel to earn 10 times the miles.
Given the hotel's average price is around $800 per night, you'll earn 8,000 points, or $80 in travel credits for every night you stay there. On top of that, you'll gain the following:
- A $100 experience credit you can use for eligible purchases during your stay
- Free breakfast for two
- Room upgrades when eligible
- Early check in and late check out
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
Is the Capital One Venture X card worth its fee?
The Capital One Venture X card comes with tons of perks to elevate your travel. And therein lies the key: This card works best for avid travelers.
If you travel often, then the perks do offset the annual fee, provided you book your trips through Capital One Travel or transfer the miles to participating airlines or hotels.
Along with the generous miles for hotel and flight purchases, you'll earn anniversary bonuses that will continually offset your annual fee for as long as you have the card.
Related content
-
Trump Reshapes Foreign PolicyThe Kiplinger Letter The President starts the new year by putting allies and adversaries on notice.
-
How to Plan a (Successful) Family ReunionFrom shaping the guest list to building the budget, here's how to design a successful and memorable family reunion.
-
These Unloved Energy Stocks Are a BargainCleaned-up balance sheets and generous dividends make these dirt-cheap energy shares worth a look.
-
How to Plan a (Successful) Family Reunion
From shaping the guest list to building the budget, here's how to design a successful and memorable family reunion.
-
Does Your Car Insurer Need to Know All Your Kids? Michigan Cases Raise QuestionWho you list on your policy matters more than most drivers realize, especially when it comes to who lives in your home.
-
Is Direct Primary Care Right for Your Health Needs?With the direct primary care model, you pay a membership fee for more personalized medical services.
-
Smart Ways to Share a Credit CardAdding an authorized user has its benefits, but make sure you set the ground rules.
-
Consider These 4 Tweaks to Your 2026 Financial Plan, Courtesy of a Financial PlannerThere's never a bad time to make or review a financial plan. But recent changes to the financial landscape might make it especially important to do so now.
-
We Know You Hate Your Insurance, But Here's Why You Should Show It Some LoveSure, it's pricey, the policies are confusing, and the claims process is slow, but insurance is essentially the friend who shows up during life's worst moments.
-
6 Financially Savvy Power Moves for Women in 2026 (Prepare to Be in Charge!)Don't let the day-to-day get in the way of long-term financial planning. Here's how to get organized — including a reminder to dream big about your future.
-
Countries That Will Pay You to Move: Cash Grants, Incentives and What to KnowExplore real relocation incentives — from cash grants and tax breaks to startup funding — that make moving abroad or to smaller towns more affordable and rewarding.
