What are Capital One Credit Card application rules? (2024)

Capital One has made tremendous changes to their program, and I thought it would be beneficial to put together a quick guide regarding application rules. Years ago it used to be quite easy to pick up a Capital One credit card, but in the past few years the rules have gotten more stringent and hopefully this will help you navigate the rules. It’s also something worth examining since I think they offer the best ultra premium credit card on the market for most people: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Best Super Premium CardLearn MoreAffiliate LinkCapital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card4.9 4.9/5If you’re looking to add a super premium card to your wallet without having to calculate whether you’re recouping the annual fee every year… the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card may very well be the best fit for you.2x miles everywhere, lounge perks, and great travel partners make this a killer cardWelcome Offer75k Capital One Miles after $4k in 3 monthsAnnual Fee $395Points EarnedTransferrable Capital One MilesQuick BreakdownThe Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers 2x miles on every single purchase you make, a $300 annual credit when booking in Capital One Travel, 10k Miles every year you keep the card ( worth a minimum of $100 in portal ), Priority Pass, Cap1 Lounge Access + when booking via the Capital One Travel Portal you’ll earn 10x miles on hotels and car rentals + 5x miles on flights.The travel credit and 10k anniversary bonus miles alone recoup the $395 annual fee and they have a great list of transfer partners.It’s an absolutely killer offer from Capital One.Leave your referrals here:Card Benefits2x miles on every single purchase without limit10x miles hotels and rentals cars in Capital One Travel Portal5x miles flights in Capital One Travel Portal$300 Annual Credit within the Capital One Travel Portal10k bonus miles after each anniversaryLounge accessCapital One Lounge Access1 location currently and 2 more scheduled for 20222 guests allowed and $45 for every guest after thatAuthorized Users get access as wellAdd 4 Authorized Users free of chargePriority Pass Select accessUnlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Plaza Premium loungesUp to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry creditCredit valid every 4 yearsComplimentary Cell Phone InsuranceHertz President’s Circle StatusNo fee for up to 4 authorized users$395 AnnualMonkey Miles Related ArticlesFull ReviewBest uses of Capital One MilesCapital One Application RulesCapital One Venture X vs Chase Sapphire ReserveCapital One Venture X vs American Express PlatinumIs this the best ever offer?The best ever offer was 100k after $10k spend in 6 months when the card first debuted, but 75k has been the offer ever since.We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists what the highest offers:You can find that spreadsheet here.Main CastMain Cast:Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.Supporting Cast:Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.How many Capital One credit cards can I have?

This is a great question and the anecdotally the answer has always been 2 personal cards. This doesn’t include business cards or their cobranded cards like BassPro or Cabela’s. However… recently, this rule has always been strictly enforced.

How often can I get a Capital One credit card?

The rule has normally been regarded as such: Capital One will limit you to 1 new card every 6 months. This rule applies not only to personal cards, but to business cards alike. To further clarify, if you get a Capital One Venture Rewards, you’d have to wait 6 months to get a Capital One Spark Miles even though one is personal and the other is business.

• Remember that if you already have 2 personal cards it doesn’t matter if its been 6 months, you won’t get approved

There have been some exceptions to this rule when it comes to the Capital One Venture X and the Capital One Spark Cash Plus

• It seems that people have been approved for both of these cards even if you have gotten another Capital One card in the past 6 months
  • Don’t count on this unequivocally, but there have been a lot of data points to back this up

How often can I get a bonus? 48 months

Up until recently, as long as you were approved, you’d get the bonus. Some people even have two of the same card – although Capital One does reserve the right to deny a bonus and has kept fairly vague terms.

Now… you may see the following language on applications leading us to think they have a 48 months across the board:

“Existing or previous cardmembers are not eligible for this product if they have received a new cardmember bonus for this product in the past 48 months.”

This means that if you currently have the card, you probably won’t be able to get another, although this language is so new that we don’t have many data points. It also means, if you have had the card, canceled, but it’s been fewer than 48 months since you got the original bonus…you won’t get it. Good to know.

What are Capital One transfer partners?

Here’s a pretty chart regarding Capital One transfer partners. I’m really impressed with how far Capital One has come in just a few years regarding their push to establish themselves in the travel rewards ecosystem. This is an impressive list of partners and all but two are 1:1

How has Capital One made improvements to their program?

Not only did they introduce transfer partners a couple of years back, but they recently ago they improved nearly all of their partners to 1:1. This is amazing since both the Capital One Venture Rewards and Capital One Spark Miles earn 2x miles on every single purchase.

• The following partners are now 1:1
  • Aeromexico Club Premier
  • Air Canada Aeroplan
  • Avianca LifeMiles
  • Air France Flying Blue
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
  • Choice Privileges
  • Etihad Guest
  • Emirates
  • Finnair Plus
  • Qantas Frequent Flyer
  • Singapore Airlines
  • TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
  • Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles
  • Wyndham Rewards
• Accor transfer 2:1
• EVA transfers 2:1.5

A bit more on the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

• 2x miles on every single purchase without limit
  • 10x miles hotels and rentals cars in Capital One Travel Portal
  • 5x miles flights in Capital One Travel Portal
• $300 Annual Travel Credit within the Capital One Travel Portal
• 10k bonus miles after each anniversary
• Lounge Access
  • Capital One Lounge Access
    • 2 guests allowed and $45 for every guest after that
    • Authorized Users get access as well
  • Priority Pass Select access
• up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit, every 4 years
• Complimentary Cell Phone Insurance
• Hertz President’s Circle Status
• No fee for up to 4 authorized users
• $395 Annual Fee

Overall

Capital One has made the most exciting changes to their program this year, and they have moved to the top of my list of cards to add to my wallet. The betterment of their transfer partner list and transfer rate have made this program arguably one of the best in the space. If they would loosen their rules on how many cards you can hold and the ability to convert cashback rewards into miles – this would be a truly allstar program. A big part of me believes this is in the works, although I have no evidence to support this inclination other than the moves they’ve made over the past few years tells me “they get it.”

You can redeem 85k Cathay Pacific Asia Miles to fly QSuites from the US to Doha. One of the many fantastic redemptions of the Cap1 program.

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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