Need feedback: Capital One Venture Rewards CC

[EMom]

We currently have a CC with British Airways, but they add such an outrageous "fuel surcharge" to their FF tickets that a "free FF ticket" to Europe runs $600+, at a minimum. We figure other airlines can't be as bad, since BA is notorious for doing this.

DH is thinking of switching to Capital One Venture Rewards CC because they claim you can use your miles on ANY airline. Does anyone have this card and if so, has it been easy to redeem your miles for flight rewards on various airlines?

I'd like to hear the good, the bad and the ugly about this card. Please help!

 

[mickeyboat]

We have the regular Capital One Rewards card, and we can use rewards for all sorts of travel. I used them for a hotel once and for travel on SWA. It was very easy to use, too - just put the purchase on your card, then go on line to tell them which qualified purchase to apply the rewards to .

 

[EMom]

We have the regular Capital One Rewards card, and we can use rewards for all sorts of travel. I used them for a hotel once and for travel on SWA. It was very easy to use, too - just put the purchase on your card, then go on line to tell them which qualified purchase to apply the rewards to .

So if you want to use it on air travel, how does that work? I'm used to going to the BA website, putting in my FF# and being able to book on their website. It seems as if Capital One CC involves an extra step. Could you walk me through it?

TIA!

 

[laurie31]

We also have the Capital One card and love it. It's the only card I know of that doesn't charge fees for using it abroad. Plus, yes it's very easy to use the rewards for any travel expense- airfare, rental car, hotel, etc.


There are two ways to use the rewards to pay for your airfare. One is to call the rewards center and tell them what flight you want to book, almost like using a travel agent. They set everything up for you, use your miles to pay for it, and voila!

The other way, my favorite way, is to book travel on my own, just as I would if I were going to pay for it without rewards, using the airline website, orbitz, or whatever way I prefer. Then, when the charge appears on my statement, I go to my online account and have reward points in that amount applied to that month's bill. So, I don't actually have to pay for the tickets, and I get the rewards points for buying them first. Pretty cool.

Their website is easy to use. You can see your statement, and when you go to the rewards section, to see how many points you have accumulated, the travel expenses are shown there so you can just click on the ones you want to pay for with points, o you can get the most for your money.

Does that help?

 

[EMom]

We also have the Capital One card and love it. It's the only card I know of that doesn't charge fees for using it abroad. Plus, yes it's very easy to use the rewards for any travel expense- airfare, rental car, hotel, etc.


There are two ways to use the rewards to pay for your airfare. One is to call the rewards center and tell them what flight you want to book, almost like using a travel agent. They set everything up for you, use your miles to pay for it, and voila!

The other way, my favorite way, is to book travel on my own, just as I would if I were going to pay for it without rewards, using the airline website, orbitz, or whatever way I prefer. Then, when the charge appears on my statement, I go to my online account and have reward points in that amount applied to that month's bill. So, I don't actually have to pay for the tickets, and I get the rewards points for buying them first. Pretty cool.

Their website is easy to use. You can see your statement, and when you go to the rewards section, to see how many points you have accumulated, the travel expenses are shown there so you can just click on the ones you want to pay for with points, o you can get the most for your money.

Does that help?

Does it ever! WOW! I could book my own flight, get miles for the purchase and then they reimburse me? You can't beat that!

I was afraid that it might turn out to be something along the lines of, "In THEORY you can book any airline....In REALITY, not so much."

 

[EMom]

Mickeyboat and Laurie31: When you redeem your miles for a flight, can you only redeem them for YOURSELF or can you book a flight for other family members using miles from your CC acount? Thanks!

 

[laurie31]

Does it ever! WOW! I could book my own flight, get miles for the purchase and then they reimburse me? You can't beat that!
I was afraid that it might turn out to be something along the lines of, "In THEORY you can book any airline....In REALITY, not so much."

Re: te bolded - yes, it's true, we've been doing it since 2008!

And yes, any travel expense is fair game. It's not like using FF miles where there are blackout dates and all that. You just book the ticket and then pay for it with your reward points.

Mickeyboat and Laurie31: When you redeem your miles for a flight, can you only redeem them for YOURSELF or can you book a flight for other family members using miles from your CC acount? Thanks!

You can buy tickets for anyone you want, you just have to pay for them with your card. Or NOT pay for them, in the event you're using reward points. I have booked travel for a friend on my card in this way, but we were traveling together. I don't know what would happen if you tried to book for someone who would not be with you, although I don't think it matters. I don't think I've ever had to present the card for air travel, but in my experience you do have to have the card you paid with for a car rental.

If you go to Orbitz or the airline's website, you can put anyone's name you want as the passenger, and then just put your CC info in. THe charge will appear on your statement and you can use reward points for it. The statement only shows (for example) a $650 charge to Delta Airlines, it doesn't say who the passengers are. I don't think there's anything in the fine print that says you can't use them for others.

 

[Pakey]

It does not matter whether they are with you or not. Since I have so many corporate miles at work, I use my Capital One miles to pay for airfare for others who are not traveling with me. It's quite easy.

 

[Lassie Lynne]

All I can say is that Capital One customer service really is not great at all!! We had two credit cards with them and had so many problems, I paid them off and cut them up. THEN.....they bought out our local bank.....arrgg...

 

[snykymom]

Is there any benefit to booking with them instead of redeeming rewards later? Are points booked through them worth more?

 

[laurie31]

All I can say is that Capital One customer service really is not great at all!! We had two credit cards with them and had so many problems, I paid them off and cut them up. THEN.....they bought out our local bank.....arrgg...

I guess YYMV, but we've always had very good customer service from Capital One.

Is there any benefit to booking with them instead of redeeming rewards later? Are points booked through them worth more?

If you book through them you don't get any points at all, you just spend them. The only benefit would be for people who aren't comfortable booking travel for themselves, or who don't want to bother doing it themselves.

The only other reason I can think of would be someone who was near their credit limit and didn't have enough left for the tickets, or someone who carries a balance and would be paying interest on the tickets. For these people, "spending" their points directly on the tickets would be a better deal.

We don't carry a balance, and we never come close to our limit, so putting the tickets on there and then "paying" for them with the rewards is no financial risk to us. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, we get the rewards points for the purchase. And I have no issues with booking my own travel. I don't think it's all that complicated, but I know people who wouldn't be comfortable with it at all.

 

[DisneyForLife]

I have the Capital One no hassle rewards card and as a previous poster said, it really is very easy to use. I book my airfare on my own and then just make a transfer from the rewards section of the website to post to my card. Simple!!!!!

I have had great customer service with them when needed also.

I do not have an annual fee and pay off my charge every month in full so all rewards points are "free".

I am pretty sure the Venture card that is being advertised now has an annual fee.

 

[Hedy]

Thanks OP! I was thining about getting a Capital One card as it doesn't charge fees overseas .

 

[snykymom]

If you book through them you don't get any points at all, you just spend them. The only benefit would be for people who aren't comfortable booking travel for themselves, or who don't want to bother doing it themselves.

The only other reason I can think of would be someone who was near their credit limit and didn't have enough left for the tickets, or someone who carries a balance and would be paying interest on the tickets. For these people, "spending" their points directly on the tickets would be a better deal.

We don't carry a balance, and we never come close to our limit, so putting the tickets on there and then "paying" for them with the rewards is no financial risk to us. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, we get the rewards points for the purchase. And I have no issues with booking my own travel. I don't think it's all that complicated, but I know people who wouldn't be comfortable with it at all.

Thanks! I also don't carry a balance, and prefer booking travel myself. As long as I'm not leaving money on the table!

Thanks OP! I was thining about getting a Capital One card as it doesn't charge fees overseas .

That's why I got mine - d was studying in Rome for a semester, and those 3.5% "foreign transaction fees" can sure add up! Now I'm hanging on to it for my European trips (visited her in Italy and just got back from London)!