Capital One’s Journey portal, launched in 2021, has considerably improved since its beta launch. It now permits Capital One cardholders, together with these with cash-back cards, to immediately use their rewards for journey purchases. The portal additionally options up to date flight search capabilities and the issuer’s resort applications: the Premier Collection and the Lifestyle Collection.
On this information, we’ll cowl all you must know in regards to the Capital One Journey portal.
Associated: Why Capital One Travel should be your only stop for booking (and enjoying) your next trip
What’s the Capital One Journey portal?
Many bank card issuers provide journey portals the place cardholders can guide journey with factors and earn bonus rewards on paid bookings. The Capital One portal is analogous, providing bonus miles on lodges, rental vehicles and typically flights — although the incomes price varies relying on which card you maintain. Or you’ll be able to pay for journey by way of the portal together with your Capital One miles at a price of 1 cent per mile.
The Capital One portal differentiates itself by integrating know-how from Hopper, a trusted app for predicting the bottom costs for flights and lodges. The portal affords a number of free customer-friendly options like value alerts, value matching and value drop safety, in addition to paid add-on options like value freeze safety, flight disruption help and cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) protection (extra on these in a bit).
Here is a listing of some prime Capital One playing cards that supply entry to Capital One Journey:
You may entry the portal by way of this link.
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Methods to guide flights by way of the Capital One Journey portal
To guide airfare utilizing the Capital One Journey portal, log into your account and click on the “Flights” tab.
In case your dates are versatile, you’ll be able to make the most of Capital One’s helpful calendar function. It brings in Hopper’s acquainted color-coded interface, permitting you to see which dates provide the bottom costs in economic system class.
When you select your dates, you may see Capital One’s reserving advice and flight choices on the following display. You may then slender the parameters by:
- Fare class (cabin)
- Variety of stops
- Airline
- Departure or arrival time
- Value
- Flight period
And you’ll type your outcomes by:
- Really useful
- Value (low to excessive)
- Stops (least to most)
- Period (shortest to longest)
- Arrival time (earliest to newest)
- Departure time (earliest to newest)
There are a number of different fascinating options value mentioning. Above all of the flight choices, you’ll be able to see the worth prediction instrument come into impact with clear messaging on whether or not or not it is a good time to guide. You may click on “View value prediction” to see when and by how a lot costs are predicted to fluctuate.
If the positioning’s algorithms advise you to guide, that can set off free value drop safety. For those who guide now and the worth drops throughout the subsequent 10 days, you may be refunded as much as $50 of the distinction as a future journey credit score. Or, in case you discover a higher value elsewhere inside 24 hours of reserving, you’ll be able to make the most of Capital One’s price match guarantee to get the distinction within the type of a journey credit score.
For those who’re not able to guide, you’ll be able to press “Watch this journey” to be notified by e-mail when a greater value turns into out there. Sadly, this function applies to the route and dates you’ve got chosen, not a particular flight, airline or fare class — although you’ll be able to select to exclude primary economic system and connecting flights.
Or, if the worth is enticing however you want slightly extra time, you will have the choice to freeze it for a small price. Whenever you click on “Freeze value,” you can select the precise flight you need to freeze. You may as well freeze the worth for wherever from 12 hours to 14 days. If the worth will increase in that timeframe, CapitalOne will cowl the distinction as much as $500. If the worth decreases, you may get to guide on the new, cheaper price.
Take note of the fare class when reserving flights, as facilities range significantly between airways. For instance, United Airways doesn’t permit full-size carry-on baggage on basic economy fares, however Delta Air Traces does. Moreover, cancellation insurance policies range throughout fare lessons.
Capital One has tried to standardize fare lessons throughout all airways on its platform, making it simpler for customers. When looking by way of Capital One Journey, you may see the next labels:
- Fundamental: The very best-priced choices with restrictive insurance policies and few facilities.
- Customary: Sometimes most important and economic system fares that embody facilities like carry-on baggage and seat choice.
- Enhanced: Seats with further legroom, precedence boarding and free drinks and snacks.
- Premium: Cradled or reclining seats that include precedence boarding and premium snacks and drinks.
- Luxurious: Sometimes enterprise or first-class fares that includes reclining seats, personalised companies, premium meals and precedence boarding.
Whenever you click on on a specific fare class, a drop-down offers an in depth overview of what to anticipate throughout your journey. This consists of detailed info on seat measurements, plane format and onboard facilities like energy shops, recent meals choices and whether or not lounge entry is included. These complete particulars surpass what you sometimes discover on different journey portals and even when reserving immediately with airways.
The cost facet is fast and simple, too. When coming into traveler info, be sure you embody your frequent flyer quantity (so you may earn miles with the airline) and, if relevant, your Identified Traveler Quantity (as an example, your TSA PreCheck quantity).
As a holder of the Venture Rewards card (which is at the moment providing an elevated welcome bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases throughout the first three months of account opening, plus a $250 Capital One Journey credit score within the first cardholder 12 months), I can apply my miles at a price of 1 cent every towards my flight. For those who’d quite save your miles for later, press “Don’t apply my rewards.” You need to use your Capital One bank card to pay on your reservation as an alternative.
Word that whereas most Capital One playing cards solely earn bonus factors on lodges and rental vehicles booked by way of the portal, the Venture X card earns 5 miles per greenback spent on flights booked by way of the portal as nicely.
Whenever you take a look at, you’ll be able to select so as to add flight disruption help (which features a rapid rebooking function) or cancel-for-any-reason protection for a further price. The price of these options varies, and you will have the choice to pay in money or miles.
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Methods to guide lodges by way of the Capital One Journey portal
There are fewer distinctive options when reserving your lodges by way of the Capital One Journey portal, however the course of is just like the one for flights detailed above. To discover a resort, head to the “Resorts” tab and enter your vacation spot, dates and variety of vacationers.
You need to use the color-coded calendar to see which dates are least expensive. Some dates might not present a coloration, however this does not imply they don’t seem to be out there — you’ll be able to nonetheless click on them.
After selecting your dates, you may see a listing and map view of resort choices. You may filter your search by ranking, sure facilities or cancellation coverage, or click on “All Filters” to set a most value per night time or enter a particular property identify. You may as well type the listings by advisable, value (low to excessive) or star ranking (excessive to low).
The itemizing for every resort reveals the nightly value, in addition to the overall on your keep (together with taxes and costs) in each money and miles. Nevertheless, this value might change while you click on on the resort. For example, the worth on the Warwick went down by over $100 after I clicked it. For those who’re eager about a resort, all the time click on it to double-check the worth. You may additionally be capable of see extra info on the resort and up to date buyer opinions.
Then scroll right down to the “Select Room” part to see which room varieties can be found. You may see a room’s dimensions and facilities by clicking “View Particulars and Facilities.” Usually, every room could have a number of charges out there with totally different cancellation insurance policies.
The cost course of for reserving lodges is identical as for flights. You may redeem your Capital One miles for the journey or pay in money together with your Capital One card. The latter stands out as the higher possibility right here, as a number of playing cards provide bonus rewards on lodges booked by way of Capital One Journey:
- Enterprise X and Enterprise X Enterprise: 10 miles per greenback spent
- Enterprise, VentureOne and Spark Miles: 5 miles per greenback spent
- SavorOne, Quicksilver and Spark Money Plus: 5% money again
Nevertheless, take into account that in case you guide a resort in a significant loyalty program — like Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors — by way of Capital One Journey, you possible will not obtain resort factors or take pleasure in any elite standing perks. That is as a result of Capital One Journey is actually an online travel agency.
Some cardholders have entry to Capital One Journey’s boutique resort collections. The Premier Assortment, which is accessible to Enterprise X and Enterprise X Enterprise cardholders, consists of advantages like an on-property expertise credit score of as much as $100, each day breakfast for 2 folks and complimentary Wi-Fi. The Way of life Assortment is accessible to a broader group, together with members with the Enterprise X, Enterprise X Enterprise, Enterprise Rewards or Spark Miles playing cards.
Now that Capital One has added vacation rentals to each collections, cardholders could have much more choices for incomes and redeeming miles.
Associated: A comparison of luxury hotel programs from credit card issuers: Amex, Capital One, Chase and Citi
Methods to guide rental vehicles by way of the Capital One Journey portal
The method for reserving rental vehicles is simple. Begin by clicking “Rental Automobiles” on the prime and coming into your search standards.
You may obtain a listing of choices that may be filtered by automobile sort, value per day, rental automobile firm and different specs. Not like with lodges and flights, there is no choice to type the outcomes — however they’ll routinely be proven from lowest to highest value.
You may then reserve the automobile after a number of clicks utilizing both money or miles. Earlier than reserving, scroll right down to see extra info on the pickup and drop-off location, the cancellation coverage and different particulars.
With some businesses — Hertz, Thrifty and Greenback — you’ll be able to add your rental car rewards quantity to the reserving and certain benefit from the related advantages. The choice so as to add your loyalty quantity usually will not seem for different firms.
That is notably interesting for Venture X cardholders, as you’ll be able to earn 10 miles per greenback spent on rental automobile bookings and nonetheless benefit from the complimentary Hertz President’s Circle standing* that is included on the cardboard — though this perk is slated to be discontinued on the end of this year.
Word that these automobile leases earn rewards on the identical price as lodges booked by way of Capital One Journey:
- Enterprise X and Enterprise X Enterprise: 10 miles per greenback spent
- Enterprise, VentureOne and Spark Miles: 5 miles per greenback spent
- SavorOne, Quicksilver and Spark Money Plus: 5% money again
*Upon enrollment eligible cardholders will preserve Hertz President’s Circle standing by way of Dec. 31, 2024. Please notice that enrolling by way of the traditional Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment course of (e.g., at Hertz.com) won’t routinely detect a cardholder as being eligible for this system, and cardholders won’t be routinely upgraded to the relevant standing tier. Extra phrases apply.
Associated: Stacking rental car perks with Hertz and the Venture X
Additional issues to think about in regards to the Capital One Journey portal
Capital One Journey packs a punch for cardholders, however there are a number of extra issues to recollect.
First, contemplate checking various platforms like Google Flights for higher costs or alternate routings earlier than reserving by way of Capital One. Bank card portals typically have increased costs and do not all the time present all out there flight choices, so be sure to’re not paying extra for a similar itinerary. And if you must change your flight, reserving your ticket immediately with the airline is commonly simpler.
For those who’re planning to use your Venture miles or Spark miles at a rate of 1 cent apiece, it’s best to all the time guide immediately with the journey supplier (whether or not it is an airline, resort or automobile rental firm) and use the miles to cowl that buy. Bear in mind, you’ll be able to offset the money value of journey purchases by redeeming your Capital One miles at a set worth. This ensures you get all the advantages of booking directly whereas utilizing your rewards at precisely the identical redemption worth.
Additionally, with over 15 transfer partners, Capital One affords a spread of choices for transferring your miles at a 1:1 ratio. Earlier than reserving by way of the portal, examine costs in opposition to the award charges of Capital One’s switch companions. For example, a $150 United Airways flight will price 15,000 Capital One miles by way of the portal, otherwise you may be capable of get the identical flight for simply 7,500 Avianca LifeMiles (plus minimal taxes and costs). On this occasion, it makes extra sense to switch your Capital One miles to LifeMiles and guide by way of Avianca.
As famous, resort and automobile rental reservations by way of Capital One Journey possible will not be eligible for perks in a given loyalty program. If elite standing is necessary to you, it is advisable to guide immediately with main chain lodges and most automobile leases. Nevertheless, in case you’re reserving independently owned lodges or elite standing is not a priority, the Capital One Journey portal could also be a greater possibility.
Lastly, do not forget that Enterprise X cardholders enjoy $300 in annual credits for bookings made by way of Capital One Journey. Not like the $300 credit score on the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the credit score solely applies to purchases made by way of Capital One’s journey portal. In consequence, even in case you’d quite guide flights, lodges or automobile leases immediately with journey suppliers, it’s best to nonetheless spend not less than $300 in your Enterprise X by way of Capital One Journey annually. And for a restricted time, the Venture Rewards card is providing a $250 Capital One Journey credit score within the first 12 months as a part of its elevated welcome bonus.
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Backside line
Capital One has made vital developments within the journey area, together with improved switch companions, the introduction of a premium card and the opening of a number of airport lounges.
Capital One Journey affords a user-friendly interface for reserving flights, lodges and rental vehicles, with useful options like a color-coded fare calendar to assist it stand out. With its detailed pricing and fare class info and extra options like value freeze and value drop safety, it is particularly helpful for reserving flights. You may as well earn bonus rewards for a lot of Capital One Journey purchases throughout many of the issuer’s card portfolio, making it a fantastic possibility as you intend upcoming journeys.