As a self-described travel nut, money expert Clark Howard has several travel credit cards in his wallet.
But the card_name is the one he most often recommends to people who are looking to get into the travel card game.
It offers a modest annual fee ($395) compared to some of its “premium” travel card competitors, while still offering coveted perks like airport lounge access.
And for a limited time, it has an increased welcome bonus offer that could be worth $1,000 in travel if you use your miles to book through the card’s travel portal.
Let’s take a look at the offer and why this card comes up so often in our list of travel credit card recommendations.
Capital One Launches Limited-Time Welcome Offer for Venture X Rewards Credit Card
If you’ve been considering adding this card to your wallet, the timing may be right with this limited-time offer:
Limited-Time Offer: Earn 100,000 bonus miles (equal to $1,000 towards travel) once you spend $10,000 on purchases within the first 6 months from account opening.
This is a 25,000-mile boost from the 75,000-mile welcome bonus that Capital One previously offered on this card.
That’s a pretty significant jump in value, as it should provide an additional $250 worth of travel if the points are used to book through the Capital One Travel portal.
Clark got in on a slightly better bonus offer when he signed up, taking advantage of a since-expired 125,000-point offer back when the card initially launched.
Note: Before you apply for this card, we suggest that you first read this article to ensure that a premium travel credit card is right for you.
Why We Like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card as a Travel Card Option
If you’re in the market for a travel credit card, you may find that this card is the right blend of high-end perks and a realistic opportunity to earn your annual fee back each year.
I recently conducted an analysis of this card’s perks and found a path to up to $1,000 in annual benefits that can be enjoyed.
There are 10 perks I think you may enjoy, but there are two that I want to highlight because they make it easy to recoup your $395 annual fee on this card each year.
First, you can qualify for a $300 credit annually for bookings made on Capital One Travel. Your bookings will have to go through the Capital One ecosystem, but this benefit alone can account for more than 75% of the annual fee if you are going to be booking that type of travel. (If you aren’t doing $300 worth of travel each year, you probably should consider a cash back credit card setup instead.)
Next, cardholders will also receive an annual bonus of 10,000 miles every account anniversary. Capital One values these at $100 when applied toward travel in their ecosystem. If you’re able to successfully apply these bonus miles to travel each year, this is how you cover that final 25% of your annual fee with rewards each year. You will begin receiving this bonus on your first-year anniversary, so you’ll have to wait a year to take advantage of this one.
From there, you’re earning the equivalent of 2% back on all of your spending while enjoying airport lounge access and other travel-related perks.
Do you have this card in your wallet? If not, does this offer have you considering it? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.
