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Since launching the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card in November 2021, Capital One has made great strides in establishing itself as a serious contender in the travel credit card space. With credit earning and redeeming capabilities that often exceed those of rivals (AmEx, Chase, and Citi), the Venture X, along with its counterpart, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, has quickly established itself as a gateway into the world of premium travel benefits.

Current Venture X and Venture cardholders enjoy exclusive access to Capital One-branded airport lounges in cities like Washington, DC and Denver, with another planned for New York’s JFK Airport. They also enjoy a range of perks when booking stays at hotels in the Capital One Lifestyle Collection, a curated selection of trendsetting boutique hotels, including room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out when available. Venture X cardholders receive even more premium benefits through the Capital One Premier Collection, a select selection of luxury hotels and resorts worldwide, including 10x miles per dollar spent on bookings, daily breakfast for two and $100 experience credit (or local currency equivalent) for food, beverages, spa or other on-site activities.

In line with rapid expansion in the travel sector and customer feedback, Capital One has now added thousands of vacation rentals to its Premier and Lifestyle collections. In an industry first, cardholders can earn experience points and mega bonus miles on rentals and even redeem miles for stays at properties across North America (including Hawaii and Costa Rica).

Here’s everything you need to know about Capital One’s new and very welcome expansion into the vacation rental market, accessible through the Premier and Lifestyle collections.

Courtesy of Capital One/AvantStay

The rental apartments included in Capital One’s collections

In early summer 2024, Capital One quietly expanded its Premier and Lifestyle collections to include a selection of villas, homes and estates. By the end of the summer, this curated inventory had grown to more than 2,000 residential properties in more than 50 destinations across North America. This portfolio was made possible through partnerships with five leading, trusted rental brands: AvantStay, Boutiq, Key.Co, Portoro and HVN.

Each professionally managed property has been vetted to meet specific standards of service and design while ensuring it appeals to popular travel destinations among Capital One customers. In short, Capital One has done our homework for us.

While hotels and resorts in the Premier and Lifestyle collections are ideal for couples and small families, these rentals are built on a growing trend of multigenerational and group travel for short and long stays. Most rentals sleep 8 to 12 people, but some can accommodate up to 48. (Hello: 22-bedroom Hudson Valley estate, Shakespeare on the Hudson!) Other standout properties in the portfolio include AvantStay’s Ute Lodge, a rustic-chic multi-bedroom home in Telluride, Colorado; AvantStay’s midcentury-modern-style Painted Sand in Coachella Valley, California; and AvantStay’s Hilton Ivory, an elegant six-bedroom estate in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Some places have just a handful of rental options, but some of the most popular vacation destinations in the U.S., like Asheville, Aspen, Orlando, and the Great Smoky Mountains, each have more than 100 that can be booked through Capital One Travel. The fanciest properties tend to fall into the Premiere Collection, while more affordable properties (in terms of price and size) belong to the Lifestyle Collection.

The benefits of booking through Capital One Travel

When booking vacation rentals through Capital One Travel, Venture X cardholders receive the following at Premier Portfolio properties:

• 5x miles per dollar spent on booking
• $100 experience credit for pre-arrival grocery shopping, home-cooked meals, mid-stay cleaning and more
• Free WiFi
• Early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability

In the meantime, both Venture X and Venture cardholders in Lifestyle Portfolio properties will receive:

• 5x miles per dollar spent on booking
• $50 experience credit for pre-arrival grocery shopping, in-home chef meals, mid-stay cleanings and more
• Free WiFi
• Early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability

While it’s tempting to earn 5x miles on nightly stays, travelers who want to redeem Capital One miles for rentals can do so as well. Cardholders can redeem Capital One miles on a one-to-one basis for rental bookings, so 1,000 miles equals $10. It’s possible to pay for part of the booking with miles and put the rest on your credit card.

Additionally, Capital One Travel credits can also be applied to bookings. These include the Venture X’s $300 annual travel credit (a generous amount that helps cover the card’s $395 annual fee and one reason the card regularly earns a spot on Afar’s list of the best travel credit cards), as well as the current, one-time $250 Capital One Travel welcome credit that’s part of the Venture card’s welcome offer.

Finally, note that Capital One vacation rentals offer access to a concierge and the services of a destination expert. During a summer stay, my concierge stocked my fridge perfectly (according to all of my detailed requests) and then organized a private chef-led dinner in the villa, for which I was able to use my $100 experience credit.

How to book

Booking a vacation rental through Capital One Travel is as easy as booking any other hotel or resort. Simply log in, click on “Premium Stays,” then select “Vacation Rentals” instead of “Hotels & Resorts.” In the “Where are you traveling?” field, enter your desired destination, then add your dates and the number of travelers (including pets).

To access Capital One Travel’s vacation rentals, you’ll need a mid- or high-end card from the brand’s Venture portfolio. While we’re fans of Capital One across the board, we have a soft spot for the benefits-packed Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. A $395 annual fee is quickly offset by a $300 annual travel credit for every Capital One Travel purchase. The card also includes a valuable Priority Pass membership, handy for accessing airport lounges where Capital One hasn’t yet opened its own branded spaces. Annual 10,000 bonus miles after your first account anniversary cover the rest of the annual fee. Even better, up to four additional cardholders can be added for free, each getting their own Priority Pass lounge membership, access to Capital One airport lounges, and access to the Lifestyle and Premier collections. That’s right, at no extra cost. The current welcome offer for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

For those still wary of a high annual fee, the low-cost Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is extremely attractive. You won’t get access to the Premier Collection, but the Lifestyle Collection will still be open to you. You’ll also get two entries to Capital One lounges through the end of 2024. There’s currently an elevated introductory offer on this card: Get $250 toward Capital One Travel in your first year as a cardholder and a 75,000-mile introductory bonus when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months. That’s a $1,000 value for a card with a $95 annual fee—a whopping savings on your future best vacation experience.

Although the offers above are correct at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time and may no longer be available.