Takeaways
- Both the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card as well as the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card offer solid options for travelers.
- Capital One Travel offers both cards with no foreign transaction fees. They also offer 5X miles for bookings of hotels and rental vehicles.
- The Venture card has a larger welcome bonus, and earns higher base rates on purchases. VentureOne comes with no annual fees and an introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers.
- The right card depends on how you plan to use it, how much money you plan to spend and if you are willing to pay an annual fee.
Capital One offers two of its most popular travel cards, the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card as well as Capital One Venture Rewards Card. This article will help you decide whether to apply for the Capital One VentureOne or Venture.
Main details
The Venture and VentureOne credit cards earn capital one miles but their welcome offers, rewards rates and benefits are different. Here are some of the main features of these two credit cards.
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit card | Capital One VentureOne Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome Bonus | Spend $4,000 within 3 months of account opening and get 75,000 miles, which is equivalent to $750 worth of travel. | Spend $500 within the first three months of account opening to receive 20,000 bonus miles, which are worth up to $200. |
| Rates of Rewards | Capital One Travel offers 5X miles for bookings of hotels and rental cars and 2X miles for all other purchases. | Capital One Travel offers 5X miles for bookings of hotels and rental cars and 1.25X on all purchases |
| Intro APR | N/A |
|
| Annual fee | $95 | $0 |
| Global Entry or TSA preCheck | Every 4 years, you can receive up to $100 in credit towards Global Entry or TSA preCheck | N/A |
Capital One Venture vs. VentureOne highlights
The two Capital One credit cards have many similarities, but some key differences can make choosing between them difficult. We’ve compared the VentureOne and Venture cards by category so you can pick the card that best suits your financial goals and needs.
Welcome Bonus Winner
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Why it won
The Venture card welcome bonus is much larger than that of the VentureOne. You can earn 75,000 miles with the Venture card after you spend $4,000 within three months of account opening. This is equivalent to $750 worth of travel. The VentureOne card offers 20,000 bonus points when you spend $500 in the first three months. This is worth $200.
The VentureOne welcome bonus may be larger, but it is easier to obtain. If you don’t believe you will spend enough to meet the $4,000 threshold, which is about $1334 per month on the Venture card, then the VentureOne would be a better option.
Winners of the Rewards Rate
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Why it won
Capital One Venture Card is the clear winner when it comes to rewards rates. Capital One VentureOne earns unlimited 1.25X on all purchases. It earns unlimited 2X on all purchases. Both cards offer 5X mile on hotels and rental car bookings made through Capital One Travel.
Annual fee winner
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Why it won
VentureOne does not charge an annual fee. The Venture card charges $95 annually. If you are leaning towards the latter, you will need to decide how much you intend to spend and if the rewards earned will offset the annual cost.
Foreign transaction fee winner
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Why are they tied?
The VentureOne or Venture card do not charge fees for foreign transactions. These two credit cards are a great option to have with you when traveling overseas.
Which card is the highest earner?
The Venture card offers a slightly better unlimited rewards rate than the VentureOne card, but it is important to remember its $95 annual charge. This could be a factor in deciding which card best suits your lifestyle.
Capital One Venture vs. VentureOne rewards spending example
We’ll compare the two cards and see which one is worth it to you.
- Capital One VentureOne Card: Spending $12,667 per year at 1.25 miles per dollar will yield $158.34 as rewards.
- Capital One Venture Card: Spending $12,667 per year at 2X mile per dollar will yield the equivalent of 253.34 rewards. After subtracting the $95 annual charge, you will receive the equivalent of $158.34 in rewards.
As you can see, a break-even point is reached when spending $12,667 per year (roughly $1,000 a month). Capital One Venture is the best choice if you plan to spend over that amount. Consider the VentureOne if you plan to spend less.
Even with the $95 annual charge, the Venture card is a clear winner for the first year because of the welcome offer, Global Entry/TSA preCheck, and the perk.
Why should you buy the Capital One Venture?
The Venture card is a great option for most people who are considering either card. The welcome offer will more than offset the $95 annual charge, and you’ll be in the black when you add the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck benefits. Here are a few additional reasons why you might want to get the card.
Additional Benefits
Capital One Venture offers a Global Entry/TSA preCheck credit of up $100 every four years. You also receive:
- A $50 annual credit towards an experience at the Lifestyle Collection hotels
- Travel accident insurance
- Extended Warranty Protection on Purchases
- Capital One Assistant Program Eno
Eno offers fraud alerts and monitoring, keeps you informed about your account (such as the current balance), and stores virtual credit card numbers.
Redemption options
You can redeem your miles in three ways to get the best value.
There are other ways to redeem your miles. These include gift cards, purchases made via PayPal or Amazon.com. However, these options offer a poor value when compared with using your miles to travel.
Recommended credit score
Capital One Venture Rewards applicants should have excellent to good credit. This means that you should have at least a FICO score of 670.
Why should you buy the Capital One VentureOne card?
Capital One VentureOne is a good option if you don’t want to pay an annual fee. But there are other reasons why you should consider this card.
Additional Benefits
Capital One VentureOne offers a introductory annual percent rate (APR). for purchases and balance transfers. For 15 months after account opening, you’ll get a zero percent introductory APR on both purchases and transfers. After that, the APR will be variable between 19.99 percent and 29.99 percent. A 3 percent fee is also charged for the first 15 month period of card ownership.
This benefit may be useful if you are looking to transfer a credit balance or if you have a large purchase coming up.
The VentureOne is similar to the Venture but offers extended warranty coverage, fraud prevention, and access to Capital One Eno as well as Capital One Experiences.
Redemption options
You can redeem your VentureOne miles for the same items as you can with a Venture card. Capital One miles are best redeemed when used for travel, either through the Capital One portal, or as a credit on a statement for travel purchased in the last 90-days. You can also transfer your miles to Capital One’s travel partners, redeem them for gift cards or make purchases on Amazon.com and Paypal.
Recommended credit score
Capital One recommends applicants have excellent to good credit.
The bottom line
Most people will find that VentureOne is better than Venture because of its higher welcome offer. VentureOne is a better option for applicants who do not want to pay annual fees and are interested in taking advantage of the introductory APR rate on purchases and balance transfers.
If you don’t find the two cards you are looking for, you may want to consider the Venture X Rewards Card. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers the same 2X base reward rate as Capital One Venture cardholders, but you can earn 10X miles for hotel and rental car purchases made through Capital One Travel. You can also earn 5X miles when booking flights through the portal.
You will also receive unlimited access to capital one lounges, as well as Priority Pass Select membership. It does have a $395 fee per year, which is more than the VentureOne’s $0 fee or the Venture’s $95.
Still not sure which card is best for you? Use Bankrate’s Card Comparison Tool to compare the Best Rewards Cards available.
Some of the benefits listed above are provided by Visa (r) or Mastercard (r) for Capital One products listed here. These benefits may vary depending on product. Details are available in the Guide to Benefits. Terms and exclusions may apply.