Why I Still Have My Capital One Venture Rewards Card After 10 Years

The Capital One Venture Card was the first travel-specific credit card I ever applied for, and my account has been open for about 10 years. While it isn’t my only travel credit card anymore, it’s still one of three I use rather often.

I have The Platinum Card® from American Express, primarily for airport lounge access and other travel perks not related to my spending (terms apply). I also have an airline-specific credit card that allows me to earn miles and elite status on my preferred airline. But the Capital One Venture Card is still my go-to for several reasons.

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Perks of the Capital One Venture Card

I initially applied for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card for its rewards program. And while there have been some slight tweaks over the years, the base rewards rate hasn’t changed.

Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase. Earn unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options.

As an alternative, Capital One Miles can be transferred to several airline and hotel partners, and they can be worth significantly more than $0.01 if redeemed strategically.

The Capital One Venture Card also offers:

• A statement credit to pay for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership every four years.
• No foreign transaction fees, which comes in handy since I often travel outside of the United States.
• Perks on hotel stays booked through Capital One Travel’s Lifestyle Collection. This can include complimentary wifi, room upgrades, a $50 experience credit, and more.

The card has a $95 annual fee, but for many customers, this could seem like a bargain given the perks of the card.

Why the Capital One Venture Card still has a place in my wallet after 10 years

There are a few big reasons why I still have (and use) the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

Flat-rate rewards

I have other top-rated credit cards that offer reward rates of 3%, 4%, or 5% on certain spending categories, but none have a 2% flat rewards rate. The Capital One Venture Card comes in handy when a purchase doesn’t fall into one of my other cards’ bonus categories. In other words, with the Venture card in my wallet, there’s no reason to earn less than 2% back on any purchase I make.

Miles transfer to airlines

I mentioned that Capital One miles can be transferred to certain airline loyalty programs. To be fair, none of the major U.S. carriers are on the list. However, some of the airlines partner with top U.S. airlines. In my case, I can transfer Capital One miles to British Airways, and I can redeem British Airways Avios for American Airlines flights through their partnership.

Credit score benefit

Your FICO® Score is dependent on different factors, and 15% of it comes from the length of your credit history. Since it is one of my oldest credit card accounts, keeping it open likely helps my score.

The bottom line is that even after a decade, I still actively use one of my oldest travel credit cards and have no plans to get rid of it anytime soon. In fact, I plan to take extra advantage of the perks when my TSA PreCheck membership expires next year.