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A few weeks ago, Capital One released an increased welcome offer for the Venture X Business card that gives new cardholders 300,000 Capital One Miles after spending $100,000 in the first 6 months. The offer was broken up into two parts: the first 150K was awarded after $20K spend within the first three months, while the second 150K required you to spend a total of $100k in spend over the first 6 months.
That offer ended on Monday and was replaced with a new 150K offer…that requires 50% more spend for the 150K miles that you get.
The Offer & Key Card Details
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
150K Miles ⓘ Affiliate Earn a one-time bonus of 150K miles after $30K spend in the first 3 months$395 Annual Fee Recent better offer: Expired 3/31/23: 250K Miles after $50K in spend. FM Mini Review: Similar to the Venture X consumer card, the business version offers annual rebates that easily mitigate the fee for those who travel often and could be worth it for the lounge access and travel protections given the cost/benefit ratio. Unlike the Venture X, free authorized users do not get Priority Pass access. The card earns 2 "miles" per dollar on most purchases just like the Capital One Venture X Rewards card, which are worth exactly 1 cent each toward travel. This makes the return on most spend similar to a 2% cash back card (though in this case you must redeem your miles to offset travel in order to get 1 cent per mile). One big advantage over cash back: Capital One allows transfering their "miles" to airline miles & hotel points. Click here for our complete card review Earning rate: 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel ✦ 5x on flights and vacation rentals booked via Capital One travel. ✦ 2X everywhere else. Card Info: Visa issued by CapOne. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: $300 annual credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel ✦ 10,000 bonus miles starting at first anniversary ✦ Up to $120 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® ✦ Capital One Lounge Access ✦ Priority Pass w/ unlimited guests ✦ Plaza Premium lounge access ✦ Cell phone insurance ✦ Trip insurance ✦ Primary CDW coverage ✦ Redeem miles for travel at 1 cent per mile ✦ Convert "miles" to airline miles & hotel points |
Quick Thoughts
The Venture X Business is effectively the small business version of the Venture X card and is almost identical in terms of benefits and earnings, making it a compelling keeper card. While you have to pay a $395 annual fee, in my opinion the anniversary bonus and $300 travel credit more than offset it, and you also get access to the excellent lounge benefits and 2x everywhere earning. In fact, although Capital One took away restaurants for the Priority Pass membership that comes with the consumer Venture X, business cardholders are still able to access them.
As far as the welcome offer goes, this will be a non-starter for many…$30K is a big number. Our Reasonable Redemption Values lists Capital One miles at 1.45 cents per point, so that 150,000 points is “worth” ~$2,175. With the Amex Business Platinum still hanging out at 150K Membership Rewards points for 50% less minimum spend, it’s certainly worth comparison shopping to make certain that the C1 card card is the best fit for your situation.
It’s is worth noting that, since the Venture X Business does earn 2x on all purchases, you’ll actually end up with 210,000 C1 Miles after completing that $30K – which works out to ~10% back on that spend if you value the miles, like we do, at 1.45 cents each.
View from the Wing reports that the card will not appear on your personal credit report, so this won’t affect your 5/24 status and the spend won’t be reported on your credit utilization. It’s worth noting that Spark Cash Plus primary cardholders are not eligible for the Venture X Business card.
Capital One Application Tips
- 48 Month Rule: Existing or previous cardholders are not eligible for the same personal card if they have received a new cardmember bonus for the same product within the last 48 months. This doesn't apply to business cards.
- 2 card limit no more? Conventional wisdom and user experience used to be that you can have at most 2 Capital One cards. However, there are now frequent data points of some people having many more.
- 1 Charge Card Limit: Capital One only allows cardholders to be have one business charge card, so it's not possible to be the primary cardholders on both the Venture X Business and Spark Cash Plus. This doesn't apply to authorized users.
- Hard inquiries often get issued through all 3 credit bureaus.
- Velocity Limits? It used to be thought that Capital One will only approve you for one card every six months. While this is still many people's experience, we've now frequently seen data points of approvals for a second card within that timeframe.
- Application Status: Call (800) 903-9177 to check your application status.
- Reconsideration: If denied, call (800) 625-7866 for reconsideration.
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What are the real world conditions / restrictions for approval? I’ve given up on Capital One.