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The ongoing pandemic has taken a significant toll on the travel industry. Airlines had to contend with decreased capacity; hotels saw occupancy rates plummet. As a result, we've seen a surge in travel deals, point sales, bonus point promotions, elite status extensions and suspension of expiration dates. All of these positive changes have consequences. In the next few months, we can expect more devaluations and a rise in travel deals as demand increases.
I've always said I'm not loyal to any program. I'm loyal to credit cards - and that rings truer than ever. One of those cards is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Between the positive changes the card introduced earlier this year and the flexibility it offers, this card is one to keep in your wallet to weather the storm and position yourself for some incredible travel deals we might be graced with. Here is why the Capital One Venture Card is the pandemic-proof card you need in your wallet:
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Related: Tips and tricks to get maximum value from your Capital One miles
Up to 100,000-mile sign-up bonus
© The Points Guy(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)
The Capital One Venture Card is currently offering an elevated sign-up bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening, or still earn 50,000 miles if you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months. These miles can be redeemed at a rate of 1 cent each toward travel purchases, valuing the welcome bonus at $500-$1,000.
With more countries gearing up to welcome vaccinated travelers, a big sign-up bonus like this one can give your reward balance the boost it needs so you're ready to book flights and hotels when you get the green light. The spending requirement is also reasonable, giving both big spenders and those with less spending power the ability to earn a substantial credit card bonus.
Capital One recently introduced several 1:1 airline transfer partners, making Capital One miles more valuable. You can transfer your miles to several airline and hotel partners, increasing your redemption options, especially for premium travel.
Related: 5 ways Capital One Venture is winning the credit card game
It gives you options in case of a devaluation
Video: Travel fees return as Americans begin planning trips again (NBC News)
Travel fees return as Americans begin planning trips again
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Diversifying your points/miles portfolio is a great way to protect yourself against devaluations and Capital One miles are no exception. The ability to transfer Capital One miles to 19 travel partners at varying rates is a huge positive since it provides many more options for getting the most value out of your rewards.
If one program decides to restrict award space or devalue its award chart, you can explore other options for better redemptions. That's an incredibly useful feature of the program.
Related: 16 European hotels you can book from 5,000 points per night
It's great for travel deals
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We've seen some incredible travel deals over the last few months. Between $250 round-trip fares to Japan, five-night Maldives vacations for $500 and $1,000 business-class fares to Europe, there are opportunities to travel cheaply as the world reopens. With cheap travel deals, it doesn't always make sense to redeem points and miles. That's where Capital One miles come in.
At 2 miles per $1 on all spending, miles are easy to earn and even easier to redeem. You can choose to use them at 1 cent each toward travel expenses or transfer them to one of the above-mentioned travel partners. If you come across an especially enticing travel deal, you may find that Capital One miles can work out cheaper than redeeming your other points and miles.
For example, an economy award ticket to Japan starts at 40,000 miles round-trip. Meanwhile, if you got in on the $250 fare sale, you'd redeem just 25,000 Capital One miles. Whether you earn your miles via card spending or welcome bonuses, this presents pretty substantial savings in miles. As a bonus, you'll earn miles for flying on a cash fare. Plus, you get to save your airline miles for a more expensive flight. It's a win-win situation all around.
Related: How (and why) you should be earning lots of Capital One miles
Award space may get restricted in the coming months
© The Points Guy(Photo by Yiu Yu Hoi/Getty Images)
We've already seen airlines devaluing loyalty programs to mitigate losses from all the discounted miles they sold. Another measure they might take is to restrict saver award space just as travel demand picks up in the summer, forcing people to book cash fares.
If that ends up being the case, then the Capital One Venture Card will come in handy. It will allow you to book your travel without being at the mercy of award space or paying for flights out of pocket. You also won't have to sacrifice your airline miles for non-saver awards. And if you don't have enough Capital One miles in your account, the good news is that you can still charge your travel to the card and then redeem miles up to 90 days later.
No airline or hotel loyalty program will allow you to book an award stay now with cash and then redeem your points/miles later. The ability to do this with the Capital One Venture Card is a huge plus, especially on last-minute travel bookings.
Related: 4 bucket list trips I'm booking this year using points and miles
Bottom line
With many loyalty programs likely to devalue this year, the Capital One Venture Card can help you weather the storm. Between its 100,000-mile welcome bonus, flexible currency and ability to book travel now and redeem miles later, it checks all the boxes you need to protect yourself against reward program devaluations.
Featured photo by Eric Helgas/The Points Guy.
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.