7 ways to redeem the Capital One Venture X sign-up bonus

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium travel rewards credit card that offers various benefits such as earning an unlimited 2X miles on purchases, flexible redemption options, travel credits and travel insurance coverage. While the card has a higher annual fee than other Capital One cards ($395), it also provides enhanced rewards and valuable perks. If you travel frequently, it may be worth considering the card’s travel benefits, like the $300 annual travel portal credit and airport lounge access.

But what really stands out about this card is the generous bonus offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 within three months of account opening. This new cardmember bonus can go a long way in helping you fight the high costs of travel.

Loyalty points are complicated to redeem by design — after all, if we all got the maximum value from our points, the airlines and hotel chains would go out of business.

You can make the system work for you by educating yourself with Bankrate’s handy travel toolkit, as well as by collecting flexible rewards like Capital One miles. Here are seven ways to consider redeeming the Capital One Venture X’s sign-up bonus for maximum value.

1. $750 worth of travel

The most straightforward way to redeem the Capital One Venture X sign-up bonus is as $750 worth of statement credit to cover travel expenses, such as flights, hotel accommodations, vacation rentals, car rentals and more, paid for with your card. Another advantage of redeeming miles this way is that you don’t have to deal with blackout dates or fickle award inventory.

Ana Staples, a lead credit cards writer at Bankrate, can attest to this flexibility:

Using the sign-up bonus to cover travel expenses is certainly the simplest redemption option, but it’s not your best value at just one cent per mile. According to Bankrate’s latest valuations, Capital One miles are worth an average of 1.7 cents each when you transfer them to a high-value travel partner. That process takes more planning, but the work should pay off in higher value for your rewards.

2. Four round-trip tickets within the U.S.

Thanks to Capital One’s partnership with Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles program, you can book one of the best airline sweet spots: 20,000 miles round-trip for United Airlines economy class tickets within the U.S., including to Hawaii. Considering United MileagePlus often charges 50,000 miles or more for these tickets, the Turkish award redemption is a downright bargain.

With the Capital One Venture X bonus alone, you can book up to three of these round-trip flights — plus one more if you count the miles earned while you were trying to hit the spending requirement. You can plan a family vacation, go on multiple solo trips or treat your friends to a free getaway. This sweet spot helps you stretch your miles a long way.

3. Four one-way economy tickets from the East Coast to Europe

If Europe is on your bucket list, you can find some of the cheapest award rates through Air France and KLM’s joint Flying Blue loyalty program. Flights between the East Coast and Amsterdam or Paris start at just 20,000 miles each way. Since Flying Blue is a 1:1 transfer partner of Capital One, you can redeem up to four one-way economy class tickets to Europe with the Venture X sign-up bonus, plus the rewards earned while reaching the sign-up bonus threshold.

You can get exceptional value by transferring your Capital One miles to Flying Blue, but especially when you take advantage of Promo Rewards, which offer award discounts of up to 25 percent.

At the moment, you can book flights between Washington D.C. and Paris for as low as 15,000 miles each way. Flights out of New York also come in at 15,000 miles to several European cities, as well as Algiers. Once you’re in Europe, you can find flights for even less, including from Amsterdam to Prague for just 5,625 miles one-way.

4. Three round-trip economy tickets to London

If you want to fly specifically to the UK, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a great Capital One transfer partner to use. You can fly one-way between the East Coast and London (LHR) for just 10,000 miles and $152 in economy class. It’s worth noting that flights departing out of London carry much higher taxes of roughly $272, so you’ll pay around $424 in taxes per round-trip. This can still be a terrific value when paid fares are high.

Alternatively, you can book a one-way flight to the UK, then use a different rewards currency to return home from nearby Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris. The taxes will be much lower, and getting to Paris from London is fairly easy and inexpensive.

5. A one-way business class ticket to Asia

The Avianca LifeMiles program has some of the best redemption rates for Star Alliance flights. You can travel business class between the U.S. and Asia for as little as 68,500 miles each way. Considering these flights can clock in at 14 hours or longer, it’s an exceptional use of miles. You can transfer Capital One miles to Avianca at a 1:1 ratio, and sometimes, there are even bonus incentives for doing so.

6. A one-way business class ticket to Europe

If you want to bypass the bargains and splurge on a transcontinental business class ticket, Flying Blue offers a great deal. The Venture X sign-up bonus is enough for a one-way business-class ticket between the U.S. and Europe. For example, New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG) or Istanbul (IST) costs just 50,000 miles each way. Business-class flights between San Francisco (SFO) and Amsterdam (AMS) or Istanbul are also reasonable at just 50,000 miles.

7. Redeem for gift cards

Redeeming Capital One miles for anything other than travel isn’t the best value, since you’ll often get less than one cent per mile in value. However, gift cards can occasionally be a good redemption, especially during the holidays or around events when gifts might put a dent in your budget.

While Capital One miles are worth around 0.8 cents each toward gift cards, the portal frequently runs “sales” where you can get greater value for your miles. For example, Capital One is offering select $25 merchant gift cards for 2,343 miles at the time of writing. At this rate, your miles are worth 1.1 cents each – which is more value than you’ll get on a direct travel redemption.

So, while transferring Capital One miles to airlines for premium awards offers the best value, you can utilize gift card sales to save money on essential purchases or gifts without cutting into your budget.

The bottom line

The Capital One Venture X card is worth it if you’re looking for a rewards card with a substantial sign-up bonus and ongoing rewards. While the $395 annual fee is quite steep, the card’s annual $300 Capital One Travel credit and 10,000-mile bonus can largely offset the expense.

Plus, the Venture X card’s sign-up bonus opportunity — 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 within three months — is substantial regardless of whether you want a simple statement credit toward a travel expense or a pricey business-class ticket abroad. No matter your travel goals, the Venture X sign-up bonus can help you get there.

But, if you feel that the Venture X isn’t right for you — maybe because the sign-up bonus spending threshold or the annual fee is too high — consider checking out other Capital One cards instead. The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee and offers a sign-up bonus of 20,000 after spending $500 within the first three months, while the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has the same sign-up bonus as the Venture X but with an annual fee of just $95.