Capital One Travel portal: What to know about redeeming your miles

news7g5 days ago

0 10 minutes read

Using Capital One Venture X during wedding season

Capital One’s Travel portal, launched in 2021, has significantly improved since its beta release. It now allows Capital One cardholders, including those with cash-back cards, to directly use their rewards for travel purchases. The portal also features updated flight search capabilities and the issuer’s hotel programs: the Premier Collection and the Lifestyle Collection.

In this guide, we’ll cover all you need to know about the Capital One Travel portal.

What is the Capital One Travel portal?

Many credit card issuers offer travel portals where cardholders can book travel with points and earn bonus rewards on paid bookings. The Capital One portal is similar, offering bonus miles on hotels, rental cars and sometimes flights — though the earning rate varies depending on which card you hold. Or you can pay for travel through the portal with your Capital One miles at a rate of 1 cent per mile.

The Capital One portal differentiates itself by integrating technology from Hopper, a trusted app for predicting the lowest prices for flights and hotels. The portal offers several free customer-friendly features like price alerts, price matching and price drop protection, as well as paid add-on features like price freeze protection, flight disruption assistance and cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) coverage (more on these in a bit).

Here’s a list of some top Capital One cards that offer access to Capital One Travel:

You can access the portal through this link.

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How to book flights through the Capital One Travel portal

To book airfare using the Capital One Travel portal, log into your account and click the “Flights” tab.

If your dates are flexible, you can take advantage of Capital One’s handy calendar feature. It brings in Hopper’s familiar color-coded interface, allowing you to see which dates offer the lowest prices in economy class.

Once you choose your dates, you’ll see Capital One’s booking recommendation and flight options on the next screen. You can then narrow the parameters by:

Fare class (cabin)
Number of stops
Airline
Departure or arrival time
Price
Flight duration

And you can sort your results by:

Recommended
Price (low to high)
Stops (least to most)
Duration (shortest to longest)
Arrival time (earliest to latest)
Departure time (earliest to latest)

There are a few other interesting features worth mentioning. Above all the flight options, you can see the price prediction tool come into effect with clear messaging on whether or not it’s a good time to book. You can click “View price prediction” to see when and by how much prices are predicted to fluctuate.

If the site’s algorithms advise you to book, that will trigger free price drop protection. If you book now and the price drops within the next 10 days, you’ll be refunded up to $50 of the difference as a future travel credit. Or, if you find a better price elsewhere within 24 hours of booking, you can take advantage of Capital One’s price match guarantee to get the difference in the form of a travel credit.

If you’re not ready to book, you can press “Watch this trip” to be notified by email when a better price becomes available. Unfortunately, this feature applies to the route and dates you’ve selected, not a specific flight, airline or fare class — though you can choose to exclude basic economy and connecting flights.

Or, if the price is attractive but you need a little more time, you have the option to freeze it for a small fee. When you click “Freeze price,” you’ll be able to choose the specific flight you want to freeze. You can also freeze the price for anywhere from 12 hours to 14 days. If the price increases in that timeframe, CapitalOne will cover the difference up to $500. If the price decreases, you’ll get to book at the new, lower price.

Pay attention to the fare class when booking flights, as amenities vary greatly between airlines. For example, United Airlines does not allow full-size carry-on bags on basic economy fares, but Delta Air Lines does. Additionally, cancellation policies vary across fare classes.

Capital One has tried to standardize fare classes across all airlines on its platform, making it easier for users. When searching through Capital One Travel, you’ll see the following labels:

Basic: The best-priced options with restrictive policies and few amenities.
Standard: Typically main and economy fares that include amenities like carry-on bags and seat selection.
Enhanced: Seats with extra legroom, priority boarding and free beverages and snacks.
Premium: Cradled or reclining seats that come with priority boarding and premium snacks and beverages.
Luxury: Typically business or first-class fares featuring reclining seats, personalized services, premium meals and priority boarding.

When you click on a particular fare class, a drop-down provides an extensive overview of what to expect during your journey. This includes detailed information on seat measurements, aircraft layout and onboard amenities like power outlets, fresh food options and whether lounge access is included. These comprehensive details surpass what you typically find on other travel portals or even when booking directly with airlines.

The payment side is quick and easy, too. When entering traveler information, be sure to include your frequent flyer number (so you’ll earn miles with the airline) and, if applicable, your Known Traveler Number (for instance, your TSA PreCheck number).

As a holder of the Venture Rewards card (which is currently offering an elevated welcome bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, plus a $250 Capital One Travel credit in the first cardholder year), I can apply my miles at a rate of 1 cent each toward my flight. If you’d rather save your miles for later, press “Do not apply my rewards.” You can use your Capital One credit card to pay for your reservation instead.

Note that while most Capital One cards only earn bonus points on hotels and rental cars booked through the portal, the Venture X card earns 5 miles per dollar spent on flights booked through the portal as well.

When you check out, you can choose to add flight disruption assistance (which includes a rapid rebooking feature) or cancel-for-any-reason protection for an additional cost. The cost of these features varies, and you’ll have the option to pay in cash or miles.

How to book hotels through the Capital One Travel portal

There are fewer distinctive features when booking your hotels through the Capital One Travel portal, but the process is similar to the one for flights detailed above. To find a hotel, head to the “Hotels” tab and enter your destination, dates and number of travelers.

You can use the color-coded calendar to see which dates are cheapest. Some dates may not show a color, but this doesn’t mean they aren’t available — you can still click them.

After choosing your dates, you’ll see a list and map view of hotel options. You can filter your search by rating, certain amenities or cancellation policy, or click “All Filters” to set a maximum price per night or enter a specific property name. You can also sort the listings by recommended, price (low to high) or star rating (high to low).

The listing for each hotel shows the nightly price, as well as the total for your stay (including taxes and fees) in both cash and miles. However, this price may change when you click on the hotel. For instance, the price at the Warwick went down by over $100 when I clicked it. If you’re interested in a hotel, always click it to double-check the price. You’ll also be able to see more information on the hotel and recent customer reviews.

Then scroll down to the “Choose Room” section to see which room types are available. You can see a room’s dimensions and amenities by clicking “View Details and Amenities.” Often, each room will have multiple rates available with different cancellation policies.

The payment process for booking hotels is the same as for flights. You can redeem your Capital One miles for the trip or pay in cash with your Capital One card. The latter may be the better option here, as multiple cards offer bonus rewards on hotels booked through Capital One Travel:

Venture X and Venture X Business: 10 miles per dollar spent
Venture, VentureOne and Spark Miles: 5 miles per dollar spent
SavorOne, Quicksilver and Spark Cash Plus: 5% cash back

However, keep in mind that if you book a hotel in a major loyalty program — like Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors — through Capital One Travel, you likely won’t receive hotel points or enjoy any elite status perks. That’s because Capital One Travel is essentially an online travel agency.

Some cardholders have access to Capital One Travel’s boutique hotel collections. The Premier Collection, which is available to Venture X and Venture X Business cardholders, includes benefits like an on-property experience credit of up to $100, daily breakfast for two people and complimentary Wi-Fi. The Lifestyle Collection is available to a broader group, including members with the Venture X, Venture X Business, Venture Rewards or Spark Miles cards.

Now that Capital One has added vacation rentals to both collections, cardholders will have even more options for earning and redeeming miles.

How to book rental cars through the Capital One Travel portal

The process for booking rental cars is straightforward. Start by clicking “Rental Cars” at the top and entering your search criteria.

You’ll receive a list of options that can be filtered by car type, price per day, rental car company and other specifications. Unlike with hotels and flights, there’s no option to sort the results — but they will automatically be shown from lowest to highest price.

You can then reserve the car after a few clicks using either cash or miles. Before booking, scroll down to see more information on the pickup and drop-off location, the cancellation policy and other details.

With some agencies — Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar — you can add your rental car rewards number to the booking and likely enjoy the associated benefits. The option to add your loyalty number generally won’t appear for other companies.

This is particularly appealing for Venture X cardholders, as you can earn 10 miles per dollar spent on rental car bookings and still enjoy the complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status* that’s included on the card — although this perk is slated to be discontinued at the end of this year.

Note that these car rentals earn rewards at the same rate as hotels booked through Capital One Travel:

Venture X and Venture X Business: 10 miles per dollar spent
Venture, VentureOne and Spark Miles: 5 miles per dollar spent
SavorOne, Quicksilver and Spark Cash Plus: 5% cash back

*Upon enrollment eligible cardholders will maintain Hertz President’s Circle status through Dec. 31, 2024. Please note that 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.

Further things to consider about the Capital One Travel portal

Capital One Travel packs a punch for cardholders, but there are a few additional things to remember.

First, consider checking alternative platforms like Google Flights for better prices or alternate routings before booking through Capital One. Credit card portals sometimes have higher prices and don’t always show all available flight options, so make sure you’re not paying more for the same itinerary. And if you need to change your flight, booking your ticket directly with the airline is often easier.

If you’re planning to use your Venture miles or Spark miles at a rate of 1 cent apiece, you should always book directly with the travel provider (whether it’s an airline, hotel or car rental company) and use the miles to cover that purchase. Remember, you can offset the cash price of travel purchases by redeeming your Capital One miles at a fixed value. This ensures you get all the benefits of booking directly while using your rewards at exactly the same redemption value.

Also, with over 15 transfer partners, Capital One offers a range of options for transferring your miles at a 1:1 ratio. Before booking through the portal, compare prices against the award rates of Capital One’s transfer partners. For instance, a $150 United Airlines flight will cost 15,000 Capital One miles through the portal, or you might be able to get the same flight for just 7,500 Avianca LifeMiles (plus minimal taxes and fees). In this instance, it makes more sense to transfer your Capital One miles to LifeMiles and book through Avianca.

As noted, hotel and car rental reservations through Capital One Travel likely won’t be eligible for perks in a given loyalty program. If elite status is important to you, it’s advisable to book directly with major chain hotels and most car rentals. However, if you’re booking independently owned hotels or elite status isn’t a concern, the Capital One Travel portal may be a better option.

Finally, remember that Venture X cardholders enjoy $300 in annual credits for bookings made via Capital One Travel. Unlike the $300 credit on the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the credit only applies to purchases made through Capital One’s travel portal. As a result, even if you’d rather book flights, hotels or car rentals directly with travel providers, you should still spend at least $300 on your Venture X through Capital One Travel each year. And for a limited time, the Venture Rewards card is offering a $250 Capital One Travel credit in the first year as part of its elevated welcome bonus.

Bottom line

Capital One has made significant advancements in the travel space, including improved transfer partners, the introduction of a premium card and the opening of multiple airport lounges.

Capital One Travel offers a user-friendly interface for booking flights, hotels and rental cars, with helpful features like a color-coded fare calendar to help it stand out. With its detailed pricing and fare class information and additional features like price freeze and price drop protection, it’s especially useful for booking flights. You can also earn bonus rewards for many Capital One Travel purchases across most of the issuer’s card portfolio, making it a great option as you plan upcoming trips.

news7g5 days ago

0 10 minutes read