Capital One first added transfer partners to some of its top credit cards in 2018 — and things have only gotten better since then. With an array of new partners, enhanced transfer ratios and the launch of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees) in 2021, Capital One has significantly boosted the flexibility of its rewards program.
However, understanding whether it’s better to transfer your miles or redeem them for a fixed value can be confusing.
In this post, we’ll outline the advantages and disadvantages of each option and offer specific examples to help you decide which choice is ideal for your award travel goals.
Eligible Capital One cards
These are the Capital One cards that are eligible for transfers to the program’s airline and hotel partners:
The information for the Capital One Spark Miles Select has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Capital One has three different ratios for these transfers. When you convert your miles to Accor Live Limitless points, the ratio is 2:1 (so 1,000 Capital One miles = 500 ALL points). Meanwhile, transfers to EVA Air are 2:1.5 (1,000 Capital One miles = 750 Infinity MileageLands miles).
However, the rest of the partners have 1:1 transfer ratios — including valuable options like Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Air Canada Aeroplan and British Airways Avios.
Fortunately, Capital One has a handy tool to show how many miles you will receive before making a transfer.
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Related: Complete guide to Capital One transfer partners
The statement credit option
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Spark Miles for Business offer 2 miles per dollar on all purchases and the ability to redeem your miles for statement credits toward any qualifying travel expense made within the last 90 days. Capital One defines travel expenses as purchases from airlines, hotels, rail lines, car rental agencies, limousine services, bus lines, cruise lines, taxi cabs, travel agents and timeshares.
Note that you can also use your miles directly for bookings through Capital One Travel. However, we strongly recommend paying for those purchases with your eligible Capital One card (which may earn you bonus rewards) or otherwise booking directly with a travel provider and then using your miles to cover the purchase.
Related: How credit card issuers define travel and dining purchases
The pros
- It’s simple: Travel statement credits offer the flexibility to make reservations in various ways, such as booking directly with the provider, using online travel agencies or working with traditional travel agents. If the purchase falls under the specified merchant categories, you can use your Capital One miles to offset these transactions. There are no award charts, blackout dates, capacity controls or additional taxes, fees and surcharges to worry about.
- You have flexibility: Capital One’s definition of travel includes purchases for taxis, bus fares and rail lines, expanding your options for using points and miles. This flexibility allows you to redeem miles for independent hotels and flights on any airline, liberating you from relying solely on major airlines and chain hotels.
- Awards are treated like regular purchases: With Capital One, you can book directly with an airline or hotel, pay for the purchase with your card and then use your miles to cover travel. This way, you’ll still earn your hotel points, airline miles and credit toward elite status.
The cons
- It only gets you a fixed value: The drawback of using Capital One miles for travel statement credits is that you’ll always receive a fixed value of 1 cent per mile. Since you’re earning at least 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases, that’s a solid return of 2% — but you won’t find any exceptional awards that offer a higher value.
Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable points
The option to transfer rewards to travel partners
Capital One allows you to transfer your credit card rewards directly to airline and hotel programs, similar to other major card issuers. This isn’t available for all of its cards but allows you to maximize the value of your miles to a much greater extent. There are also some potential downsides to keep in mind. Capital One offers a variety of transfer partners, ranging from exceptional to less impressive options.
| Program | Transfer time | Transfer ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Aeromexico Rewards | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Aeromexico Rewards points) |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Aeroplan points) |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Flying Blue miles) |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 LifeMiles) |
| Accor Live Limitless | Two business days | 2:1 (1,000 miles = 500 ALL points) |
| British Airways Executive Club | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Avios) |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 24-hour turnaround | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Asia Miles) |
| Choice Privileges | 24-hour turnaround | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Choice Privileges points) |
| Emirates Skywards | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Emirates Skywards miles) |
| Etihad Guest | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Etihad Guest miles) |
| EVA Infinity MileageLands | 36-hour turnaround | 2:1.5 (1,000 miles = 750 Infinity MileageLands miles) |
| Finnair Plus | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Finnair Plus points) |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points) |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles) |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 TAP Miles&Go miles) |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Turkish Miles&Smiles miles) |
| Virgin Red | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Virgin Red points) |
| Wyndham Rewards | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Wyndham Rewards points) |
* Transfer times may vary. Some TPG staff have reported transfer times of up to two weeks for Accor.
Check out our post on transferring Capital One miles to airline partners for complete details on this process.
The pros
- You have the potential to redeem miles for exceptional value: Award travel enthusiasts know that there are opportunities to redeem miles for exceptional value. Programs like Avianca LifeMiles and Air Canada Aeroplan are great for booking awards on Star Alliance carriers. If you redeem LifeMiles for a Lufthansa first-class award (without fuel surcharges), you can get exceptional value for your Capital One miles.
- You can combine miles with existing balances: Capital One miles can be extremely useful for topping off your frequent flyer account balance. For instance, if you have credited a flight to Aeroplan but lack enough miles for an award, you can transfer some Capital One miles to Air Canada to make up the difference and book the ticket.
The cons
- Choosing a transfer partner and booking awards can be confusing: Booking award travel requires understanding different frequent flyer programs and searching for the best awards. It can be worth it — when you travel in business- or first-class seats that would usually be unaffordable, you’ll be glad you got into points and miles. However, gaining this knowledge requires significant effort and is more complex than simply using miles for statement credits.
- You won’t earn miles or elite status from traditional frequent flyer awards: Frequent flyer programs generally don’t allow you to earn miles or elite status on flights booked with miles (though there are exceptions). If the award you’re interested in costs a similar amount of Capital One miles, it’s advisable to pay for your flights with your credit card and use your miles to erase the cost rather than transferring them. This approach allows you to earn miles from the flight, receive credit toward elite status and potentially qualify for upgrades if you already have elite status.
- Transfers may not be instant: There may be a delay when transferring Capital One miles to airline or hotel partners, although most transfers happen instantly. However, it’s important to note that a sought-after premium-class award seat could be taken if there are any delays. To mitigate this, consider putting your desired award ticket on hold or having a backup plan ready.
- It may offer inferior value: When you transfer Capital One miles to airline or hotel partners, there’s no guarantee that you’re getting more value for your rewards. For example, if a flight requires 50,000 airline miles through one of Capital One’s partners but only costs $250 if you paid for it, you could charge it to your Capital One card and then use just 25,000 miles to cover that purchase.
That’s why it’s critical to decide which is the best option.
Related: Why you should add authorized users on the Capital One Venture X
How to decide if you should transfer Capital One miles
If you have a Venture or Spark Miles card, exploring the best airline and hotel transfer partners is important. When you can get more value than 1 cent per Capital One mile, transferring your rewards to airline partners is better than redeeming them as travel statement credits.
Remember to consider the value of the lowest-priced flight you could have booked, not just the current price of the award ticket. For instance, if you could have purchased a cheaper flight on a discount carrier and received a statement credit, that price should be considered when deciding.
Additionally, compare award rates when booking flights with carriers that have multiple Capital One transfer partners. Some examples include using Air France-KLM miles or Virgin Red points for SkyTeam flights and Asia Miles and British Airways Avios for American Airlines-operated flights.
Finally, in some cases, there may be no feasible way to transfer your Capital One miles to book a given flight or hotel room.
Real-world examples of transferring Capital One miles
Let’s say you were looking at a round-trip flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). Here are the main options for nonstop economy flights on United on a random date next year.
- Paid ticket: $1,724.90 (172,490 Capital One miles)
- Award ticket through Aeroplan: 80,000 points plus about $160 in taxes and fees
- Award ticket through LifeMiles: 55,500 miles plus about $140 in taxes and fees
In this case, Avianca LifeMiles is the winner.
However, let’s consider a one-way flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on an off-peak date:
- Paid ticket: $119.80 (11,980 Capital One miles)
- Award ticket through Aeroplan: 10,000 points plus about $35 in taxes and fees
- Award ticket through LifeMiles: 12,500 miles plus about $6 in taxes and fees
For this trip, you’re better off booking your ticket through the Capital One travel portal and applying your miles at checkout or booking through United’s website and redeeming Capital One miles toward a statement credit. Include your MileagePlus number to earn miles and receive any Premier status benefits, if applicable.
Here’s an example of a hotel redemption. If you’re looking to visit Park City, Utah, to go skiing this January, you could book a two-bedroom suite at the Park Plaza Resort for the following prices:
- Paid reservation: $796.69 per night (79,669 Capital One miles)
- Award reservation through Wyndham Rewards: 30,000 points per night
The clear winner here is to transfer to Wyndham Rewards rather than booking directly.
Again, carefully consider the options so you don’t redeem more Capital One miles than needed.
Related: 3 ways Avianca LifeMiles could improve its program for travelers
Bottom line
Capital One’s transfer partners can offer some fantastic value to customers with cards like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Spark Miles for Business. However, this also brings some complexity. You may wonder when to transfer miles and when to redeem them directly for statement credits.
By carefully considering both options using the above framework, you can decide which option is best.
Additional reporting by Chris Dong and Jason Steele.
