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You may know Capital One as a company that offers credit cards, car loans and bank accounts, but they also have a travel portal that allows you to book flights, hotels, rental cars and luxury vacations. For eligible Capital One cardholders, booking through the Capital One travel portal can be an excellent way to earn and redeem Capital One miles. Let’s take a look at the Capital One travel portal, how it works and who has access to its perks. 

Key points

  • The Capital One travel portal is accessible to cardholders of more than 15 different Capital One cards. 
  • Eligible cards will earn extra rewards on their Capital One travel bookings. 
  • Features of the Capital One travel portal include price drop protection and price matching. 
  • Capital One miles can be earned and redeemed through the Capital One travel portal. 

How to book travel through the Capital One travel portal

Booking travel through the Capital One travel portal is simple. To do so, simply navigate to the Capital One travel portal website. Then log in to your Capital One account. 

Once logged in, you’ll be directed to the site’s home page. 

From there, you can search for flights, hotels and rental cars for any travel you have planned. Just enter your search parameters, such as travel dates and destination, to get a list of booking options. 

Your search results will vary depending on what type of travel you want to book. For example, if you’re searching for a hotel, Capital One will bring up a dynamic map and a list of properties that match your filters.

Once you’ve perused available options, you can make a selection that suits your needs. You’ll then go through the checkout process, which includes filling in your personal details and payment information. Note that you’ll need to use your eligible Capital One card to pay. 

Who can use the portal?

The Capital One travel portal is accessible to those with an eligible Capital One credit card. These include:

You’ll want to be aware that not all Capital One cards provide access to the travel portal. For example, the Capital One Platinum Credit Card * The information for the Capital One Platinum Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , which is designed to help build credit, does not offer this feature. 

Is the portal worth using?

There are a few factors to consider when deciding whether or not to use the Capital One travel portal for a booking. 

First, depending on which Capital One card you hold, you may be able to earn big rewards by booking your travel through the portal. For example, the Capital One Venture X earns 2 miles per $1 on purchases, 5 miles per $1 on flights booked through Capital One Travel and on purchases through Capital One Entertainment and 10 miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel. 

Capital One miles can be redeemed in a variety of ways, but are worth one cent each toward travel, which means you’re effectively getting 10% back on eligible bookings. 

That being said, many hotel and rental car companies limit the benefits you’ll receive if you choose to book through a third party (such as the travel portal). This can mean you lose out on perks such as bonus points and the benefits of any elite status that you’ve earned. However, this varies by hotel, so you might want to check before you book.

How to maximize your Capital One travel benefits through the portal

Capital One has built a robust portal that provides value to its customers. This is especially true when it comes to booking flights. The flight search function includes a handy calendar of prices to show you at a glance when fares are high.

Capital One has also partnered with the travel app Hopper to give customers free price prediction tools. When searching, the portal will let you know whether you should book or wait for a better price.

Even better, if you book a flight when recommended by Capital One, you’re automatically enrolled in price drop protection for 10 days. If the price goes down during that time frame, you’ll get a refund of up to $50. 

You can also choose to set an alert for your flight, which will notify you when the price changes. Finally, if you’re not ready to book but are worried that the price will increase, you can pay a small fee to freeze the cost of your fare so you can return later to book.

Other benefits associated with the Capital One travel portal include access to the Lifestyle Collection and the Premier Collection. If you have an eligible Capital One card, you’ll be able to book specialty hotels with exclusive benefits such as room upgrades, late checkout and experience credits. 

Quick guide to Capital One rewards

Different Capital One cards earn different types of rewards. Some cards earn cash back while others earn miles. 

Capital One miles can be redeemed in a variety of ways, including transfers to Capital One hotel and airline partners. This is generally the most valuable method of redeeming miles, but you can also redeem them for statement credits against travel purchases that you’ve made. While this isn’t typically the best way to redeem Capital One rewards, it can be useful if there are no reward options available for the dates you want to travel.

Finally, Capital One miles can also be used for bookings within the Capital One travel portal. You’ll be able to redeem them at a rate of one cent each — but you’d be better off using your card to pay, then redeeming miles against your purchase. This allows you to earn rewards on your booking before wiping away the charges. 

Other ways to redeem miles include gift cards, entertainment and cash, but you’ll want to be wary of doing so as you won’t get as much value from your rewards this way as you would with travel redemptions. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

The Capital One travel portal works with many different airlines, including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue. 

However, you won’t see flights from Southwest Airlines on the Capital One travel portal. Instead, you’ll want to search directly with the airline to find these tickets.

Capital One miles don’t expire as long as you have an eligible Capital One credit card open. If you plan to close a Capital One credit card account, make sure to use or transfer any accumulated miles first.

Unlike hotels and rental cars, airlines generally don’t penalize those who book through a third party. This means you’ll be able to enter your loyalty program number and earn rewards on flights booked through the Capital One travel portal.

Many of the best credit cards on the market offer a statement credit (up to $100) that will reimburse you for the cost of TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, two popular trusted traveler programs that can help you speed through the airport. This includes Capital One cards such as the Capital One Venture X rewards credit card and the Capital One Venture Rewards credit card. 

Making a booking through the Capital One travel portal doesn’t automatically entitle you to entry into airport lounges. However, certain Capital One credit cards offer this as a benefit. For example, those who have the Capital One Venture X rewards credit card or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Business card receive a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required) and unlimited access to Capital One lounges for themselves and two guests.

*The information for the Capital One Platinum Credit Card, Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card, Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Spark 2X Miles, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture X Business Card and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Carissa Rawson is a credit cards and award travel expert with nearly a decade of experience. You can find her work in a variety of publications, including Forbes Advisor, Business Insider, The Points Guy, Investopedia, and more. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her in your nearest airport lounge sipping a coffee before her next flight.

Allie Johnson

BLUEPRINT

Allie is a journalist with a passion for money tips and advice. She's been writing about personal finance since the Great Recession for online publications such as Bankrate, CreditCards.com, MyWalletJoy and ValuePenguin. She's also written personal finance content for Discover, First Horizon Bank, The Hartford, Travelers and Synovus.

Robin Saks Frankel is a credit cards lead editor at USA TODAY Blueprint. Previously, she was a credit cards and personal finance deputy editor for Forbes Advisor. She has also covered credit cards and related content for other national web publications including NerdWallet, Bankrate and HerMoney. She's been featured as a personal finance expert in outlets including CNBC, Business Insider, CBS Marketplace, NASDAQ's Trade Talks and has appeared on or contributed to The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio, ABC Radio, NPR, International Business Times and NBC, ABC and CBS TV affiliates nationwide. She holds an M.S. in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University. Follow her on Twitter at @robinsaks.