Capital One offers multiple travel credit cards you can use to earn miles. Once you've racked up your rewards, make sure you use them. After all, you earned them with your spending.
You can redeem your miles for travel purchases or trips booked through travel.capitalone.com, including flights, hotels, and auto rentals. You don't have to, though. You also have the option to transfer Capital One miles to any of Capital One's 18 different transfer partners.
This guide will explain how to transfer Capital One miles, who you can transfer them to, and the limits of the process. That way, you can plan your next adventure courtesy of the card issuer.
Key takeaways
- Capital One has 18 partners you can transfer your miles to.
- Miles transfer on a one-to-one basis with most partners.
- You need a minimum of 1,000 Capital One miles to make the transfer.
Earning Capital One miles
Capital One offers three popular options that are often considered to be among the best travel credit cards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees), Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees), and Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees). Each of these cards allows you to earn miles, although the specifics of how many you earn for different purchases will vary depending on which card you choose.
The table below shows the miles you could earn for both everyday purchases and travel-related purchases with different Capital One cards.
Spending Category | Venture | Venture X | VentureOne |
Hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel | 5 miles per dollar | 10 miles per dollar | 5 miles per dollar |
Flights booked through Capital One Travel | 2 miles per dollar | 5 miles per dollar | 1.25 miles per dollar |
All other purchases | 2 miles per dollar | 2 miles per dollar | 1.25 miles per dollar |
Learn more | Learn more | Learn more |
Capital One travel partners
The ability to transfer your miles to a partner loyalty program is a big selling point for Capital One cards.
If you want to use your miles with a Capital One travel partner, you have 18 different choices, 16 of which have a one-to-one transfer ratio. With a one-to-one transfer ratio, for every 1,000 miles you transfer from Capital One, you get 1,000 miles from the partner program.
The table below shows the different partners you can transfer your Capital One miles to, along with the ratio of how many miles you'd have with the new company after making the switch.
1,000 Capital One Miles = 1,000 partner miles | 1,000 Capital One Miles = 750 partner miles | 1,000 Capital One miles = 500 points |
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How to transfer your miles
Transfering your miles is quick and easy. It takes just five steps. Here's what you need to do.
- Sign into your Capital One account. You can sign in on Capital One's website or via the Capital One Mobile app.
- Choose which of your Capital One credit card accounts you'd like to transfer the miles from.
- Click on View Rewards to see the different methods of redeeming your rewards.
- Select the option to transfer the rewards to a Capital One partner. You'll be guided through the process by onscreen prompts.
- Get your confirmation code. You'll receive this code at the end of the transfer process, and you should keep it for your records.
With many partners, your miles transfer instantly. With others, it can take up to five business days for the transaction to finalize and your miles to become accessible to you.
Be sure to complete the transfer a few days before you book your travel so the processing time doesn’t delay your itinerary.
Important information to remember about transfers
When you transfer miles from Capital One credit cards to other loyalty programs, there are a few things to know in order to be successful.
- You must transfer a minimum of 1,000 miles.
- You must open a loyalty program with the Capital One partner before making the transfer and you must use the same name with the transfer partner as you do on your Capital One account.
- You can't transfer your miles back to Capital One after you've made the switch, so be sure you're happy with your choice before proceeding.
- You must follow the terms and conditions of the new loyalty program you've transferred your miles to when redeeming.
Other ways to redeem your miles
Transferring Capital One miles to partners is just one of many things you can do with the miles you've earned. Your other options include:
- Booking flights, hotels, and rental cars directly through Capital One Travel and paying with your miles.
- Using miles to get reimbursed for recent travel-related purchases made elsewhere, including flights, hotels, cruises, ride-sharing services, and tolls.
- Shopping on Amazon or other online stores that accept PayPal and paying with your miles.
Capital One also allows you to combine your miles from multiple credit cards within its lineup, giving you more miles to use when you book your next trip. To combine your miles, simply choose the Move Rewards option after choosing the Redeem option and select the account you want to transfer your miles to.
You even have the option to share miles with other Capital One cardholders with no cap on the amount you can transfer — although you'll have to call Capital One to do that.
FAQ
Are there fees for transferring Capital One miles?
You won’t be charged a fee for transferring Capital One miles to a partner loyalty program. Capital One also provides a 1:1 transfer ratio with most of its transfer partners, giving you 16 additional options for where to send your rewards without losing any of their value.
Should you transfer Capital One miles to airline and hotel partners?
You may want to transfer Capital One miles to an airline or hotel partner, depending on your travel goals. If you'll be flying with or using the services of a partner and are participating in their loyalty program, you may get a better value from transferring your Capital One miles and redeeming them directly through the other loyalty program.
How do I use Capital One miles?
You have many options for how to use Capital One miles.
- You can redeem Capital One miles for travel booked through Capital One Travel.
- You can redeem miles for reimbursement of travel purchases made elsewhere.
- You can use your miles to make purchases through Amazon or PayPal.
- You can transfer your miles to one of 18 different partner loyalty programs.
Log into your Capital One account to explore these options.
Bottom line
Capital One Miles can help you go far, especially with so many partner loyalty programs available. You can maximize the benefits of your hard-earned rewards by strategically redeeming your miles with the best program for your specific goals.
Learn more about making the most of these miles by checking out this guide to the 5 Best Ways to Use Capital One Miles. However, if you know you want to transfer the miles to a partner program, follow the steps mentioned above to get the job done.