Capital One Miles: Capital One started doing something new in 2018 that made many travelers very happy. The company added airline and hotel partners where people could move their points. This change made Capital One cards much more useful for travel lovers.
Before this update, Capital One cards were already good. But after adding transfer partners, their points became much more powerful. Today, Capital One works with more than 20 airlines and hotels. Most of the time, the points move at a simple 1:1 rate. That means one Capital One mile becomes one airline or hotel point.
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Capital One miles
Capital One miles are reward points you earn when you use certain Capital One credit cards. These cards can be for personal use or for business. You cannot earn these miles unless you have one of these cards. There is no other way to get them.
Every time you use an eligible Capital One card to buy something, you earn miles. Most of these cards give more than 1 mile for every dollar you spend. Some cards give even more miles for special things like travel or dining. A few cards can earn as high as 10 miles for each dollar spent in certain categories.
How many miles you earn depends on which card you have. Each card has its own earning rules. Some are simple and some give bonus miles for specific spending.
Once you earn the miles, you can use them in different ways. You can erase travel charges. You can book trips. But many people believe the best way is to transfer the miles to airline or hotel partners. This can help you book very expensive flights for fewer miles. Some people even use them for luxury flights like first class seats.
How to get Capital One Miles?
You can earn Capital One miles by using certain Capital One credit cards. When you open a new card, most of these cards give you a big welcome bonus. To get this bonus, you must spend a set amount of money within the first few months. This is one of the fastest ways to earn a lot of miles.
After that, you keep earning miles every time you use the card to buy things. Almost all purchases earn miles. Some cards also give extra miles each year when you renew your card. That means you get a small reward just for keeping the card active.
Which Capital One Cards Earn Miles?
Not all Capital One cards earn transferable miles. The cards that do are mainly in the Venture and Spark Miles groups. These cards are popular because the miles can be moved to airlines and hotels.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has a $395 yearly fee. It gives 75,000 bonus miles if you spend $4,000 in the first three months. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a $95 yearly fee and offers the same 75,000 bonus miles for the same spending amount. The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has no yearly fee and gives 20,000 miles after you spend $500 in three months.
For business owners, the Capital One Venture X Business card also has a $395 yearly fee. It offers a very large bonus of up to 400,000 miles if you spend big amounts in the first six months. The Capital One Spark Miles for Business card is free for the first year and then costs $95 after that. It gives 50,000 miles when you spend $4,500 in three months.
Turning Cash Back into Miles
If you already have a Capital One card that earns cash back, you are not stuck with just cash rewards. If you also have one of the miles cards, you can change your cash back into Capital One miles. For example, someone with a Capital One Savor card can turn their cash rewards into miles if they also hold a Venture or Spark Miles card.
This gives you more flexibility and helps you collect miles faster without changing how you spend.
Capital One Transfer Partners
Capital One works with many airline and hotel programs. You can move your miles to these partners and then book flights or hotel stays through their systems. Many travelers like this option because it can give better value than using miles directly.
- Accor Live Limitless: 2:1 transfer ratio
- Aeromexico Rewards: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Air Canada Aeroplan: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Avianca LifeMiles: 1:1 transfer ratio
- British Airways Executive Club: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Cathay Asia Miles: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Choice Privileges: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Emirates Skywards: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Etihad Airways Guest: 1:1 transfer ratio
- EVA Airways Infinity MileageLands: 4:3 transfer ratio
- Finnair Plus: 1:1 transfer ratio
- JetBlue TrueBlue: 5:3 transfer ratio
- Qantas Frequent Flyer: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: 1:1 transfer ratio
- TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Virgin Red: 1:1 transfer ratio
- Wyndham Rewards: 1:1 transfer ratio
Transfer Bonuses
Sometimes, Capital One gives transfer bonuses. This means you can move your miles to certain airline or hotel partners and get extra value. This does not happen all the time, but when it does, it can be helpful. One very important thing to remember is that transfers only go one way. Once you move your Capital One miles to an airline or hotel program, you usually cannot bring them back to Capital One again.
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How to use Capital One Miles?
When you log in to your Capital One account, you will see many choices for using your miles. The best value usually comes from sending your miles to airline or hotel partners. You can also use miles to book trips or to pay back travel spending, but the value can be lower.
Using Miles With Airlines and Hotels
Most people get the most value when they transfer miles to airline and hotel partners by clicking “Transfer rewards.” After transferring, you book flights or hotels directly with that partner. Based on February 2025 values, Capital One miles can be worth about 1.85 cents per mile this way. The real value depends on which partner you choose and what kind of ticket or room you book.
Booking Through the Capital One Travel Portal
You can also use miles to book flights, hotels, or rental cars in the Capital One travel portal. Here, your miles are worth 1 cent per mile. If you pay with your Capital One card instead of miles, you can earn 5 or 10 miles per dollar, depending on your card and booking type. Because of this, it is often smarter to pay with your card and save your miles for later.
Even if you want to use miles for travel, it is usually better to book first and then use miles to cover the charge instead of using miles at checkout.
Covering Travel Purchases With Miles
Capital One lets you use miles to pay for travel purchases you already made. These can include things like flights, hotels, trains, car rentals, cruises, taxis, buses, travel agents, and time shares. The purchase must be from the last 90 days. You can cover the full cost or just part of it. When you do this, each mile is worth 1 cent.
Other ways to Redeem Capital One Miles
Capital One also gives other options to use your miles, but these usually give less value. These options include:
- Redeem for experiences like sports, music, comedy, or theater tickets, usually worth 0.8 cents per mile
- Get gift cards, usually worth 0.8 cents per mile
- Redeem for cash as a statement credit or check, worth 0.5 cents per mile
- Use miles with PayPal at checkout, worth 0.8 cents per mile
- Shop on Amazon and use miles at checkout, worth 0.8 cents per mile
