Link: Apply now for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (this is the best publicly available offer for the card, and we appreciate your support if you use our link)
The Capital One Venture X is Capital One’s new premium card, which many of us have already applied for. The card is offering the best welcome bonus of any credit card, as you can earn 100,000 Venture miles upon completing minimum spending, plus a $200 vacation rental credit. In this post I wanted to talk more specifically about the $200 vacation rental credit, which I’ve received some comments and questions about from readers.
The welcome bonus is only one small reason to consider picking up the $395 annual fee Capital One Venture X. In addition to that, the card offers perks like a $300 annual travel credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, a Priority Pass membership, access to Capital One Lounges, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, primary rental car coverage, cell phone protection, amazing authorized user perks, and more.
How long is the Venture X welcome bonus valid?
The Capital One Venture X is offering a welcome bonus of 100,000 Venture miles after spending $10,000 within the first six months, plus a $200 vacation rental credit. The vacation rental credit is explicitly marketed as being a “limited-time offer.”
We don’t know when the offer will be expiring, so all we can do is speculate. Since this is a new product, I imagine it all comes down to how many new cardmembers Capital One was projecting, and that’s something most of us don’t have any data on.
Personally I value Capital One miles at 1.7 cents each, so between the 100,000 Venture miles and $200 vacation rental credit, I value the welcome bonus at up to $1,900. That’s massive.
What can the Venture X $200 vacation rental credit be used for?
How does the Capital One Venture X $200 vacation rental credit work? According to the terms:
- The credit can be applied towards vacation rental purchases, including with merchants like Airbnb, Turnkey, Vacasa, and VRBO
- The credit can be used in one or multiple transactions until the $200 vacation rental credit is reached
- There’s no registration required to use the credit, assuming you sign up while the card is offering that as part of the welcome bonus
- The credit should appear on your account within one to seven business days of when an eligible purchase is made, but it could take up to two billing cycles
- The credit must be used within your first year as a cardmember, and isn’t in any way tied to the minimum spending requirement
It’s also worth emphasizing that this is separate from the $300 Capital One Travel portal credit that you receive with the card every cardmember year.
The Venture X vacation rental credit may be more valuable than you assume
There’s absolutely no guarantee that this will work for others, but I noticed something interesting from a recent purchase, which has been echoed by several readers. I’m not usually much into vacation rentals, but I did charge a recent hotel stay to my Capital One Venture X. To my surprise, the vacation rental credit was automatically applied towards that purchase.
I also received an email telling me that I had used the vacation rental credit.
While you absolutely shouldn’t count on this continuing to be the case, anecdotally it appears that lodging purchases are at least in some cases being reimbursed as part of the vacation rental credit. So if you do have any upcoming lodging purchases and have the Capital One Venture X, I’d recommend charging it to the card. Don’t count on that being credited, but also don’t be surprised if it does.
This sure was a pleasant surprise, given how much value the card is already offering.
Bottom line
As part of its launch offer, the Capital One Venture X is offering a welcome bonus of 100,000 Venture miles upon completing minimum spending, plus a $200 vacation rental credit. While this is a limited-time offer, we don’t know how long it will be around.
According to the terms, the vacation rental credit applies to merchants categorized as vacation rentals, and will be applied automatically for up to $200 in purchases, across one or multiple transactions. Beyond that, it at least anecdotally appears that some other types of lodging purchases are being reimbursed as well.
I wouldn’t count on that happening for everyone or in the long run, but I think this is all the more reason to at least charge some lodging to the card, in hopes of triggering the credit. Not only did I randomly notice this, but I’ve heard similar reports from many other readers. This card really offers an unbelievable amount of value…
If you’ve used the Capital One Venture X vacation rental credit, what was your experience like?
