The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card* and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card* are strong travel rewards credit cards. Both offer a way to turn your rewards into trips as well as a handful of travel perks to add some convenience to your travels -- but there's a major difference between them.
The Venture Rewards card is an upgrade from VentureOne: It offers higher rewards and more benefits, but it also costs $95 annually. For most travelers, the Venture will be a better value despite the annual fee. However, if you don't travel often enough to justify the cost, the VentureOne is one of the best travel cards without an annual fee.
Annual fee
Winner: VentureOne Rewards
The VentureOne Rewards has no annual fee, while the Venture costs $95 annually. In a vacuum, the VentureOne's got the clear advantage, but you'll have to decide based on your spending habits if the Venture's annual fee is worth the extra benefits.
Rewards
Winner: Venture Rewards
As both cards offer a flat rewards rate on all purchases, it's easy to compare and see the Venture's superior value. The Venture card offers 2x miles per dollar for all of your purchases while the VentureOne offers 1.25x miles. No matter how much spending you have on the VentureOne, its rewards will never eclipse that of the Venture.
So long as you redeem your miles for past travel purchases, each mile will be worth 1 cent. You can also redeem for statement credits, gift cards and for purchases through Amazon and Paypal, but the per-mile value may be different.
Welcome bonus
Winner: Venture Rewards
The Venture Rewards card offers a considerably larger bonus than that of the VentureOne, which is not unexpected given the annual fee. it's the upgraded version of the card. Here are the two welcome bonuses:
- Venture Rewards Card: Earn 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening, plus receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first cardholder year
- VentureOne Rewards Card: Earn 20,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases within three months from account opening
So long as you redeem for travel through Capital One Travel, the 75,000 miles are worth $750 and 20,000 miles are worth $200 respectively. Note that while you get more value from the Venture's welcome bonus, you also need to spend far more to reach it.
Introductory APR offer
Winner: VentureOne Rewards
Seeing as how the Venture Rewards card doesn't provide cardholders with an introductory purchase APR, the VentureOne has the advantage if you're interested in medium-term financing or working through existing debt. New cardholders get 15 months to pay down purchases or balance transfers at 0% introductory interest before the standard APR of 19.99% to 29.99% (variable) applies.
An intro purchase APR is especially useful on a travel card, as it offers a buffer for emergency expenses while you're abroad -- like if you unexpectedly need to book a different flight home.
Travel
Winner: Venture Rewards
Considering these are both travel cards, this is arguably the most important category. The Venture Rewards is once again the victor, mainly due to its expanded travel perks.
While the VentureOne does have a lot to offer for a travel card without an annual fee, it can't compete with the amenities offered by the upgraded version. The Venture offers an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck which gets you through customs or TSA faster. It also provides two complimentary visits each year to Capital One Lounges (through December 2024), but there are only three lounges open.
Still, the application fee credit -- plus the card's higher rewards -- make the Venture Rewards card the better travel card of the two.
You can compare the full benefits of each card below:
Card perks
| Venture Rewards | VentureOne Rewards |
| Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver** | Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver** |
| Travel Accident Insurance** | Travel Accident Insurance** |
| Extended Warranty** | Extended Warranty** |
| Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit | |
| Hertz Five Star status |
It's worth noting that VentureOne still offers plenty for a card without an annual fee.
How Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card compare to other cards
The Capital One Venture cards aren't the only option. Another dependable and popular choice is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It matches the annual fee of the Venture card but also includes some lucrative redemption features like a redemption bonus when redeeming for travel through Chase Travel℠ and a 1:1 point-transfer rate to Chase's travel partners.
While transferring points may require a little extra work, it may get you a better value for your points. Its rewards program is a bit more versatile than both the Venture cards and Chase features more domestic travel partners than Capital One.
The bottom line
The Venture Rewards card nets better rewards and travel perks than the VentureOne. If you travel enough, the benefits will outweigh the annual fee.
That said, the VentureOne is still a solid choice for people who only travel a handful of times per year. It offers an impressive selection of perks and a strong rewards program with no annual fee.
FAQs
It can be. Oftentimes a card with an annual fee offers more benefits and higher rewards than one without. But you’ll need to make sure it fits into your budget. If you don’t travel enough or spend enough to justify the cost, consider a card without an annual fee first.
When you make a purchase with your credit card outside of the US, some credit cards will charge you a percentage of the purchase if it has to be made in another currency. 3% is the industry standard but some credit cards may charge more.
Global Entry and TSA PreCheck are programs designed to expedite your airport experience. Global Entry is aimed at getting you through customs faster while TSA PreCheck gets you through airport security much faster.
*All information about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
**For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
