Compare the Features and Benefits of Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card and
Amazon Prime Visa

The no-annual-fee VentureOne Rewards Card is almost identical to the $95 per year Capital One Venture card with two major differences: It earns 1.25x miles per dollar on most purchases (while the Venture earns 2x), and it has less of a generous sign up bonus.

With the ability to transfer miles to travel partners or use miles to cover the cost of whatever travel charges you wish — along with a simple rewards structure — the VentureOne card is a decent no-annual-fee option. On the earnings front, Capital One miles are pretty much as easy as it gets. You’ll earn rewards at a rate of 1.25X miles per dollar spent on pretty much everything, with 5X miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. That’s a bit lower than many other cards on the market, but on the flip side, many of those cards don’t offer the ability to outright transfer rewards to airlines and hotels, either.

Capital One’s redemption process is similar to other programs, such as Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, with transferable points often providing a higher value for your travel rewards. Some high-value ways to use Capital One miles include redeeming with Air Canada Aeroplan, Turkish Miles & Smiles, and Virgin Red (redeem miles for Virgin Voyages and Virgin Atlantic). For simplicity’s sake, you can also book travel however you want, then redeem miles for a statement credit for some or all of the cost. Miles are worth a flat 1 cent apiece when redeemed this way — and there’s no minimum redemption amount.

On top of all of that, there’s a respectable array of travel and purchase protections (similar to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card but not nearly as robust as the $395-per-year Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card).

This card is really best suited for those that are adamant about not paying an annual fee, want the flexibility to redeem their rewards for cash back, airline miles, or hotel points, and have no desire to be charged pesky foreign transaction fees when they travel abroad.

One “trick” worth knowing is that Capital One allows you to combine from a cash back card to another cash back card or from a cash back card to a miles card. So you could, for example, have both this card and a SavorOne card (with multipliers for dining and entertainment) and then combine your cash from the SavorOne to your VentureOne miles. They would convert at one point per cent.

Lastly, how might you decide between the Venture and the VentureOne when the Venture has an annual fee of $95, but earns 2X miles per dollar vs. 1.25 miles per dollar on the VentureOne?

The calculation is that at roughly $12,500 in annual spend, you would be better off, even with the $95 annual fee, with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card as the additional rewards earned become more than the annual fee.

As much as we love rewards credit cards with transferable bank points, for heavy Amazon or Whole Foods shoppers, it’s hard to deny that 5% cash back on all of these purchases with the Prime Visa (as long as you have an eligible Amazon Prime membership!) is pretty awesome.

I know some people that do absolutely all of their grocery shopping at Whole Foods and as much shopping as possible at Amazon. If this is you, the Prime Visa credit card is probably a no brainer, especially with no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and a wide range of consumer protections like extended warranty, purchase protection (which covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account) and trip protections, although note that the trip protections aren’t nearly as rich as on many travel specific credit cards.

As a reminder, you’ll earn an unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership and an unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare).

You’ll earn ah unlimited 1% back on all other purchases, so you may want to combo this card with a card that earns 2% back on categories not bonused on this card.