Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Card is one of my favorite recommendations for beginners — and I hold it myself. Here's why I love it for people just getting started.

The earning structure is about as simple as it gets: 2x miles on every single purchase. No categories to track, no activations required, no thinking about which card to use for which purchase. Just put your spending on the card and earn miles on everything. For someone who is new to this hobby and doesn't want to manage a complicated card stack yet, the Venture is the perfect starting point.

One feature that doesn't get talked about enough: the Purchase Eraser. Capital One allows you to use your miles to offset any travel purchase — including vacation rentals on Airbnb or Vrbo. Most points programs only let you use points for flights and hotels. The fact that Venture miles can erase a vacation rental charge makes this card uniquely valuable for families who prefer renting a house over staying in a hotel.

One of my favorite uses of Capital One miles that most people don't think about: Disney park tickets. Because the Purchase Eraser works on any travel purchase, you can buy Disney tickets with your Venture card and then use your miles to erase the charge. For a family of 5 where park tickets can easily run $500-$1,000+ a day, this is a game changer. One important caveat: purchasing tickets directly from Disney doesn't always code as a travel purchase — which means the Purchase Eraser may not work. Buying through the right vendor is key to making this strategy work correctly. I put together a full guide on exactly how to do this — check it out here if a Disney trip is on your family's bucket list!

At $95 a year with Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit included, this card is easy to justify holding long term — especially as a companion to a Venture X or as a standalone card for someone who wants to keep things simple.

The standard public offer on the Capital One Venture Rewards Card used to sit around 60,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. Occasionally we will see 75,000 points plus a $250 travel credit. The current offer of 75,000 miles still represents significant value.