Link: Learn more about the Capital One Venture Business
There’s a lot of value to be had with getting the right business credit cards, as these cards can offer perks and rewards that you can leverage to get huge value, especially for travel. In many cases, the perks will more than justify the annual fee.
In this post, I’d like to take an in-depth look at what I’d consider to be one of the more well-rounded and approachable business cards, which is the Capital One Venture Business. This card was recently launched as a rebranding of the former Capital One Spark Miles Business, and there are lots of reasons to consider applying.
The card offers flexible travel rewards that can either be redeemed as cash toward the cost of a travel purchase, or can be transferred to an airline or hotel partner. Not only does the card offer flexible rewards, but it offers them at a good rate, as you’re looking at earning up to two airline miles or hotel points per dollar spent, or up to two cents toward travel per dollar spent. Let’s go over some of the key details of this card.
Capital One Venture Business welcome bonus & annual fee
The Capital One Venture Business has a massive welcome bonus and a reasonable annual fee, making it a good time to pick up this card. To start, let’s cover the welcome bonus, eligibility rules, annual fee, and more.
Welcome bonus of up to 150K Capital One miles
The Capital One Venture Business is currently offering a limited time two-part welcome bonus of up to 150,000 Capital One miles, structured as follows:
- Earn 75,000 miles after spending $7,500 within the first three months
- Earn an additional 75,000 miles after spending a total of $30,000 within the first six months
I value Capital One miles at 1.7 cents each, so to me this bonus is worth a staggering $2,550, assuming you’re able to reach the full spending requirement. Even if you can’t, unlocking even the lower tier bonus is still potentially worthwhile.
Capital One Venture Business eligibility rules
Capital One is sometimes vague with credit card bonus eligibility rules, and the Capital One Venture Business is no exception. Per the terms, “existing or previous Accountholders may not be eligible for these bonuses.”
My belief is that you’re eligible for the welcome offer on this card if you don’t currently have it, or if you have or have had the Spark Miles Business, which is what this card was known as before it was rebranded. Though who knows, maybe those members are actually eligible, but we have to wait for data points.
You should be eligible for the card if you have or have had another Capital One credit card, including another business card, like the Capital One Venture X Business (review). Applying for this card also shouldn’t show up as a new card on your personal credit report, for the purposes of Chase’s 5/24 rule, if that’s something you’re concerned about.
Beyond that, Capital One doesn’t have many consistent application rules. The only other major thing worth noting is that Capital One may pull from all three credit bureaus. Personally I don’t find that to be a big deal one way or another, though it is something that’s at least worth being aware of.
$95 annual fee, $0 authorized user fee
The Capital One Venture Business has a $95 annual fee, and authorized users can be added for $0, so that’s reasonable, especially with the credit card annual fee inflation we’ve seen over the years. Not only does that unlock a great return on spending, but the card also offers some extra perks that could prove valuable.
Capital One Venture Business mileage earning & rewards
Nowadays there are so many credit cards with complex rewards structures, where you really have to put a lot of effort into maximizing your rewards. So along those lines, the Capital One Venture Business actually has a straightforward rewards structure, with just one additional bonus category.
Earn unlimited 2x Capital One miles
The Capital One Venture Business offers unlimited 2x Capital One miles per dollar spent with no foreign transaction fees, which I consider to be among the best returns on everyday spending. Capital One has both personal and business cards offering this rate of return, so that’s awesome.
One other cool thing is that the miles post almost immediately when your purchase hits the statement, rather than after the statement closes (or even the statement after that). Talk about instant gratification!
Earn 5x Capital One miles on some travel bookings
Beyond the standard 2x miles on everyday spending, the Capital One Venture Business also offers unlimited 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars, booked through Capital One Business Travel, which is the company’s business travel portal.
Personally I wouldn’t get too excited about that return, but it’s at least worth mentioning. Still, the 2x miles on everyday spending is the selling point of this card.
Basics of redeeming Capital One miles
It’s great to earn Capital One miles, but how can you actually use them? In general, you have two major options for redeeming your Capital One miles, which means that the card offers the equivalent of a return of up to two airline miles or hotel points per dollar spent, or two cents per dollar spent toward travel.
I consider the best option to be converting Capital One miles into airline miles or hotel points in a variety of programs. A vast majority of transfers are at a 1:1 ratio, giving you incredible flexibility. Below are the Capital One transfer partners.
It’s worth noting that Capital One also sometimes offers further transfer bonuses, so that you can get an even better transfer ratio.
Alternatively, the other decent way to redeem Capital One miles is at the rate of one cent per mile toward the cost of a travel purchase. This means you’re earning two cents per dollar spent toward travel, since the card offers unlimited 2x Capital One miles. If you want to redeem your Capital One miles toward the cost of a travel purchase, there are two primary ways you can do so:
- You can redeem them for past travel purchases cashing in miles for statement credits, where you can simply make an eligible travel booking using your card, and then you can go online after the fact and use your miles to pay for it within 90 days of the date of purchase; your credit will be applied to your account within two to three days
- You can book a travel reservation through Capital One’s travel portal, and each mile can be redeemed for one cent toward the cost of a travel purchase
Eligible travel purchases include those made from airlines, hotels, rail lines, rental car agencies, limousine services, bus lines, cruise lines, taxi cabs, travel agents, and timeshares.
Capital One Venture Business perks & credits
The Capital One Venture Business offers several valuable perks that can help to offset and justify the annual fee, including up to $220 in credits, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, rental car coverage, and more.
$50 annual Capital One Business Travel credit
The Capital One Venture Business offers a $50 credit each anniversary year, valid for a purchase with Capital One Business Travel. You can use this toward the cost of a flight, hotel stay, etc., so it shouldn’t be too hard to maximize this (even if it’s just booking a cheap flight with the card).
$50 annual advertising or software credit
The Capital One Venture Business offers a $50 credit each anniversary year, valid for qualifying purchases with advertising or software merchants. Eligibility is based on the Merchant Category Code (MCC) assigned to the merchant, so there shouldn’t be too many hurdles to taking advantage of this.
Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
The Capital One Venture Business offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit once every four years. Just charge the membership fee to your Capital One Venture Business, and it will automatically be reimbursed. It doesn’t matter who the fee is being paid for, as long as you charge it to your eligible card. This can get you up to a $120 statement credit.
Valuable rental car coverage
The Capital One Venture Business offers rental car coverage, assuming you’re renting for business reasons. Just charge the entire rental to your card and decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver coverage, and you’ll be covered for damage due to collision or theft. Make sure you review the benefits guide for full details.
Useful purchase & travel protection
The Capital One Venture Business offers all kinds of other protection, including purchase security and extended protection (coverage on items lost or stolen within 90 days), travel and emergency assistance services, and more. The full details of this can be found in the cardmember agreement.
Is the Capital One Venture Business right for you?
There are lots of great business credit cards out there, so is the Capital One Venture Business right for you? There’s never going to be a one-size-fits-all answer, but I believe this card has a very lucrative welcome bonus, and it offers a great return on spending. The card then has a reasonable $95 annual fee, which can be offset with credits.
I think there’s merit to picking up this card and giving it a try, given the great welcome offer. In the long run, I think this card is best for small business owners who want to earn travel rewards, but who don’t want to deal with the complexity of maximizing endless bonus categories. A vast majority of those with small business cards would be better off with something like this, so the simplicity is very much a feature people will like.
Let me also just quickly compare this to the more premium Capital One business card that has Venture branding.
Comparison: Venture Business Vs. Venture X Business
The Capital One Venture Business is essentially the more basic version of the Capital One Venture X Business (review), and these cards are probably substitutes for one another (well, aside from the welcome bonus, as you can earn both). Both cards offer 2x Capital One miles on everyday purchases, so here are the key differences:
Personally I think the Venture X Business is a no-brainer, and has an amazing value proposition, given the value of the 10,000 anniversary miles plus the travel credit. However, for those who don’t want to pay a big fee upfront, the Venture Business could be more compelling.
Bottom line
The Capital One Venture Business is a lucrative card. For one, the card has a huge limited time welcome offer, which is a great incentive to apply. Beyond that, the card offers a straightforward and competitive rewards structure, as you can earn unlimited 2x Capital One miles, and those miles can be redeemed for one cent each toward a travel purchase, or can be transferred to an airline or hotel partner. Then you can help recoup much of the annual fee with the card’s credits.
If you have a business where you spend a lot in categories that otherwise don’t quality for bonus points on other cards, I’d say this is an excellent option, as it’s extremely well-rounded.
If you want to learn more about the Capital One Venture Business or want to apply, follow this link.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.