Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card vs. Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card are strong travel rewards credit cards, the Venture Rewards card and the VentureOne Rewards card. Both offer a way to turn your rewards into trips as well as a handful of travel perks to add some convenience to your travels — but there’s a major difference between them.
The Venture Rewards card is an upgrade from VentureOne: It offers higher rewards and more benefits, but it also costs $95 annually. For most travelers, the Venture will be a better value despite the annual fee. However, if you don’t travel often enough to justify the cost, the VentureOne is one of the best travel cards without an annual fee.
Which card does it better? Card feature Winner Annual fee VentureOne Rewards Venture Welcome bonus Venture Introductory APR offer VentureOne Travel Venture
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Intro Offer: New Venture cardholders can earn 75,000 miles once they spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening APR: 18.99% – 26.99% (Variable) Recommended Credit: Excellent, Good Reward Rates Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Annual Fee: $95
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card Intro Offer: Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel APR: 17.99% – 27.99% (Variable) Intro Purchase APR: 0% intro on purchases for 15 months Recommended Credit: Excellent, Good Reward Rates Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day. Annual Fee: $0
Annual fee
Winner: VentureOne Rewards
The VentureOne Rewards has no annual fee, while the Venture costs $95 annually. In a vacuum, the VentureOne’s got the clear advantage, but you’ll have to decide based on your spending habits if the Venture’s annual fee is worth the extra benefits.
Rewards
Winner: Venture Rewards
As both cards offer a flat rewards rate on all purchases, it’s easy to compare and see the Venture’s superior value. The Venture card offers 2x miles per dollar for all of your purchases while the VentureOne offers 1.25x miles. No matter how much spending you have on the VentureOne, its rewards will never eclipse that of the Venture.
So long as you redeem your miles for past travel purchases, each mile will be worth 1 cent. You can also redeem for statement credits, gift cards and for purchases through Amazon and Paypal, but the per-mile value may be different.
Welcome bonus
Winner: Venture Rewards
The Venture Rewards card offers a considerably larger bonus than that of the VentureOne, which is not unexpected given the annual fee. it’s the upgraded version of the card. Here are the two welcome bonuses:
Venture Rewards Card: Earn 75,000 miles once they spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening
Earn 75,000 miles once they spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening VentureOne Rewards Card: Earn 20,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases within three months from account opening
So long as you redeem for travel through Capital One Travel, the bonuses are worth $750 and $200 respectively. Note that while you get more value from the Venture’s welcome bonus, you also need to spend far more to reach it.
Introductory APR offer
Winner: VentureOne Rewards
Seeing as how the Venture Rewards card doesn’t provide cardholders with an introductory purchase APR, the VentureOne has the advantage if you’re interested in medium-term financing or working through existing debt. New cardholders get 15 months to pay down purchases or balance transfers at 0% introductory interest before the standard APR of 17.99% to 27.99% (variable) applies.
An intro purchase APR is especially useful on a travel card, as it offers a buffer for emergency expenses while you’re abroad — like if you unexpectedly need to book a different flight home.
Travel
Winner: Venture Rewards
Considering these are both travel cards, this is arguably the most important category. The Venture Rewards is once again the victor, mainly due to its expanded travel perks.
While the VentureOne does have a lot to offer for a travel card without an annual fee, it can’t compete with the amenities offered by the upgraded version. The Venture offers an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck which gets you through customs or TSA faster. It also provides two complimentary visits each year to Capital One Lounges, but there are only three lounges of only one of which are open.
Still, the application fee credit — plus the card’s higher rewards — make the Venture Rewards card the better travel card of the two.
You can compare the full benefits of each card below:
Card perks Venture Rewards VentureOne Rewards Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver* Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver* Travel Accident Insurance* Travel Accident Insurance* Extended Warranty* Extended Warranty* Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
Hertz Five Star status
It’s worth noting that the VentureOne still offers plenty for a card without an annual fee.
The bottom line
The Venture Rewards card nets better rewards and travel perks than the VentureOne. If you travel enough, the benefits will outweigh the annual fee.
That said, the VentureOne is still a solid choice for people who only travel a handful of times per year. It offers an impressive selection of perks and a strong rewards program with no annual fee.
FAQs
Is paying an annual fee worth it? It can be. Oftentimes a card with an annual fee offers more benefits and higher rewards than one without. But you’ll need to make sure it fits into your budget. If you don’t travel enough or spend enough to justify the cost, consider a card without an annual fee first.
What are foreign transaction fees? When you make a purchase with your credit card outside of the US, some credit cards will charge you a percentage of the purchase if it has to be made in another currency. 3% is the industry standard but some credit cards may charge more.
What is Global Entry and TSA PreCheck? Global Entry and TSA PreCheck are programs designed to expedite your airport experience. Global Entry is aimed at getting you through customs faster while TSA PreCheck gets you through airport security much faster.
*Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Please refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.
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