How to Use Capital One Miles to Cover ANY Travel Purchase
Last month, my family took a spontaneous trip to Disney World, because when you have a stash of flexible credit card points, you can do crazy things like that! We bought our park tickets through a third party discount ticket retailer called Under Cover Tourist, and a few days later, the charge showed up in my Capital One app. That’s when I was able to utilize one of my favorite money saving travel tricks: using miles to erase the purchase. In just a few taps, those pricey tickets were covered, and our budget stayed intact. The best part? You can use this same trick for almost any eligible travel expense, not just flights or hotels. Here’s exactly how to do it.
How to Redeem Capital One Points
Step 1: Combine Points
First you’ll want to call Capital One to combine any points you have on other cards if needed. This bank allows you to combine points with anyone who has a Capital One credit card so it’s really easy and free! My husband and I each have Capital One Venture Rewards credit cards so every now and then I will call to move his points to my account.
You can call the number on the back of your credit card and will want to have the name and card number of the person you want to transfer points to.
Step 2: Open the Capital One App
Once all the points are in one account you’re ready to redeem them for Travel. Log into the Capital One app and scroll until you see your miles total under “Explore rewards and benefits.”
Step 3: Access Your Rewards
Then you’ll click on the total points and go to the rewards section of your profile. If you have more than one card that earns miles, the app will prompt you to choose which card balance you’d like to view. In our case, I moved all of our available points to my Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card, so I chose that. (Peep that credit score in the background that has remained extremely healthy despite 4 credit card applications just this year!).
Step 4: Choose Your Redemption Method
Then you’ll click “Cover travel purchases.” Your other redemption options are to book a trip directly in the Capital One travel portal using your miles or to transfer your Capital One miles to travel partners.
Step 5: Choose Your Travel Purchase
Any travel purchases eligible to be covered with points will be listed. Here you’ll select the one you want to cover just by tapping it. If you do not have enough points to cover the entire purchase, that’s ok! Click the pencil icon next to the miles needed number and you can adjust how many points you want to apply toward this purchase.
**Important Note!: For Disney tickets to qualify as “Travel” and be eligible for Venture miles redemption, you’ll need to purchase them a specific way. Buying directly from the Disney website will code the purchase as “Entertainment,” which means you can’t use your miles to cover the cost. Instead, purchase through a third-party ticket seller — such as Undercover Tourist, Get Away Today, or Viator — where the charge codes as “Travel,” making it eligible for Venture miles redemption.
In this screenshot below I chose the purchase we made for our Disney Vacation Club rental as an example (read about our nearly free 5 nights at Disney World here). After tapping the pencil icon you can adjust the total amount of points you’d like to redeem toward this purchase.
Once you’ve adjusted the number of miles you want to use continue on to the final step!
Step 6: Slide to Redeem!
Once you’ve determined the number of points you’d like to redeem for you travel purchase, the app will display how many points you’re about to redeem as well as what your new points balance will be once the transaction is complete. To confirm your redemption, just slide to redeem!
Congratulations! You’ve just successfully redeemed your Capital One miles for FREE Disney World tickets!! In a few days you’ll see a credit on your statement for the amount you redeemed.
Now go enjoy that vacation without the stress of a huge credit card bill when you get home!
Which Cards Should I Open?
If you want an easy, straight forward way to use points for Disney tickets, an AirBnB rental, or any other travel related expense that you don’t typically use points and miles for, here are some great options.
**I am always extremely grateful when you use my links to apply for credit cards! Your support is what allows me to keep this website up and running and to continue bringing you money saving points and miles tips. I appreciate you so much!
Capital One Personal Cards
The following 3 personal cards earn Venture miles that can be redeemed using the methods detailed in this post.
Capital One Business Cards
These business cards from Capital One also earn Venture miles that can be combined with the personal cards listed above. Remember, applying for a business card isn’t as scary as you think and doesn’t require a thriving small business to qualify. Here’s a post about how to apply for a business credit card with a small side hustle.
Capital One Cash Back Cards
These cards are marketed as cash back cards, but if you also have one of the Venture cards mentioned above you can convert your cash back to miles. So a card that has a $1500 cash back bonus could actually be 150,000 Capital One miles that can be redeemed for travel.
Final Thoughts
With a little creativity, you can turn everyday spending into the ultimate vacation fund. By thinking beyond flights and hotels, you can use points and miles to cover almost every aspect of your trip — from park tickets and rental cars to dining and even souvenirs. The key is knowing your redemption options and planning ahead so that every purchase moves you closer to your next adventure. With the right strategy, even a Disney World vacation can be almost entirely “on the house.”
More on Our Families Free Travels!
Family vacations were a near impossibility for us not that long ago. But about 7 years ago we discovered credit card points and miles and now traveling several times a year is the norm for us! If you want to learn more about how our family travels for next to nothing, I would love for you to check out my Quick Start Guide to Traveling with Points and Miles. It is a hobby that has forever changed our lives and given us the opportunity to see the world!
- How to Earn the Southwest Companion Pass
- How to Book Disney Hotels with Points and Miles
- How We Stayed at an All-Inclusive for FREE
- How to Organize Your Credit Cards
- A Guide to Chase Ink Business Cards
- Everything You Need to Know About the Chase Sapphire Preferred
