Capital One Venture Vs. Bank of America Travel Rewards

If you’re a frequent traveler hoping to earn rewards toward future trips, there are several travel credit cards to keep on your radar. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card are two popular options due to their miles and points rewards, welcome bonuses and cardholder perks.

If you’re on the fence about either of these travel credit cards, it’s worth comparing the rewards potential to the cost. Learn how the Capital One Venture and Bank of America Travel Rewards cards stack up in the categories you care about.

Main details

Capital One Venture vs. Bank of America Travel Rewards highlights

The Capital One Venture card comes out ahead in most categories — but not all of them. Here’s how the two cards compare:

Which card earns the most?

Since the Capital One Venture card offers 2X miles on every purchase (versus the Bank of America Travel Rewards card’s 1.5X points on purchases besides travel through the issuer’s travel portal), you can earn more rewards for every dollar. But Capital One Venture’s $95 annual fee could take a chunk out of your rewards, depending on your spending style.

Capital One Venture vs. Bank of America Travel Rewards spending examples

Let’s say you plan to spend just $6,000 a year on your credit card. Here’s what you’d earn after factoring in the annual fees:

In this case of lower spending on an ongoing basis, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card might be a better fit. But, things change when you consider earning the welcome bonus in your first year.

Capital One Venture’s welcome bonus of 75,000 miles kicks in once you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months, so let’s assume that you spent $4,000 of your annual $6,000 in time to earn the welcome bonus.

You’d get the Bank of America Travel Rewards card welcome bonus of 25,000 points after spending $1,000 within the first 90 days, which is also achievable on a $6,000 annual spend. With that in mind, you’d earn the following with each card:

With the Venture Rewards card, you’d earn 87,000 miles in the first year, worth $870 in travel statement credits. After subtracting the annual fee, that’s a $775 value.

With the Travel Rewards card, you’d earn 34,000 points in your first year. Because there’s no annual fee, you’d net $340 in travel.

It’s easy to see how the Capital One Venture card offers more value in your first year, but maybe not on an ongoing basis when your redemption is simply as statement credit to cover travel purchases.

But what if you focus on redeeming your Capital One miles for top value by transferring them to a high-value travel partner? Well, the situation changes again. According to Bankrate’s latest valuations, Capital One miles are worth about 1.7 cents each when redeemed this way. Your rewards value changes significantly in that case.

Because Bank of America doesn’t have transfer partners, you’ll likely net more value with the Venture Rewards card and the right transfer partners.

Why you should get the Capital One Venture card

There are plenty of reasons to choose the Venture card from Capital One, including its superior rewards rate. Here are more factors to consider.

• Additional benefits
  

  Other Capital One Venture benefits include:

  • Up to $100 in credit toward your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee
  • 24-hour travel assistance
  • Auto rental insurance
  • Travel accident insurance
  • Extended warranties on eligible items

• Redemption options
  

  The Capital One Venture card lets you cash in your miles at a rate of 1 cent each to cover travel purchases made on your card within the last 90 days. And with no miles expiration, blackout dates or booking site limitations, you have flexibility.

  And remember, you can get even more bang for your buck by transferring miles to Capital One’s airline and hotel transfer partners. Bankrate’s valuation of Capital One miles — when transferred to a high-value travel partner — is about 1.7 cents each.

• Recommended credit score
  

  You typically need good to excellent credit, in the 670 to 850 range, to qualify for this Capital One card.

Why you should get the Bank of America Travel Rewards card

The Travel Rewards card from Bank of America can be a good option if you don’t want to pay an annual fee. But there are other considerations to keep in mind.

• Additional benefits
  

  This card doesn’t have as many perks as other travel cards, but it does come with the intro APR offer, as well as the ability to redeem points up to one year after the purchase was made (versus the Venture’s 90 days). You’ll also get the typical free access to your credit score, digital wallet technology and online banking options. Plus, Bank of America Preferred Rewards members can earn 25 percent to 75 percent more points for every purchase.

• Redemption options
  

  The Bank of America Travel Rewards card lets you redeem points at a rate of 1 cent each to cover travel purchases charged to your card within the last year. These points can be cashed in as gift cards, a statement credit or cash. Beyond typical travel expenses, you can also get rewarded for things like dining and event tickets.

• Recommended credit score
  

  You typically need a good to excellent credit score of 670 or higher to qualify.

The bottom line

Both the Bank of America Travel Rewards and Capital One Venture cards offer points or miles for each dollar you spend and flexibility when it comes to cashing in your rewards. However, the Capital One Venture may have higher earning potential if you can spend enough to justify the annual fee and are willing to transfer your rewards to high-value travel partners.

Compare these two options with the best credit cards on the market today before you decide.

Information about the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card was last updated on June 25, 2024.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.