Only when booked via the Capital One Travel Portal; otherwise earn 1.25X miles per dollar.
Only when booked via the Capital One Travel Portal; otherwise earn 1.25X miles per dollar.
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
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.
At U.S. Supermarkets on the first $6,000 of yearly spend; 1X thereafter. * American Express defines a supermarket as offering a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies. (Superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs are NOT considered supermarkets.)
On select U.S. Streaming Services
At U.S. Gas Stations
Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a rewarding cash-back card thanks to its range of useful bonus categories. Perhaps the most valuable bonus category is the ability to earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on the first $6,000 spent annually. Households who spend $500 or so can maximize this threshold to earn a tremendous $350 in reward dollars every year, and that’s before you consider the other bonus cash-back opportunities like 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations. Still, you will want to subtract the $95 annual fee from that bounty.
The 6% cash back rate applies to select U.S. streaming subscriptions, which covers virtually every participating provider out there. From Apple Music to YouTube TV to Netflix to Prime Video, it’s likely that you subscribe to one (or more) of these popular live TV, movie or music streaming services.
Not to mention, you can enroll your card within your American Express account to receive a $7 monthly statement credit when you spend $9.99 (or more) each month on a subscription to The Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN+. If you already subscribe to one of these eligible services, that’s an instant savings of $84 every year.
You can also earn bonus cash back when you’re on the road. The Blue Cash Preferred provides 3% at U.S. gas stations and for local transit expenses, which includes anything such as taxis, rideshare services like Lyft and Uber, parking expenses, tolls, and train and bus fares.
Simply put, the cash back earnings add up swiftly with the Blue Cash Preferred, especially if you have a large household. You’ll earn cash back in the form of reward dollars, which can then be redeemed for any amount on your monthly statement credit through American Express. One reward dollar equals $1.
Other benefits on the card, such as purchase protection, return protection and access to Global Assist Hotline may be used less frequently, but will still come in handy when it’s least expected.
Best of all, there’s no annual fee for the first year of card membership, giving you time to test drive the card’s earning rates and benefits before you commit to paying the ongoing $95 annual fee. It is possible to downgrade after one year to the Blue Cash Everyday® Card if you find it more suitable.
Rates and Fees for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express