Capital One Venture Card Boosts Bonus Offer

While some travel credit cards offer points associated with a specific airline, hotel or loyalty program, other cards offer what is commonly referred to as “flexible travel credit.”

Cards that offer this option don’t force you into complex rewards schemes, instead offering points that can be redeemed for any type of travel.

One such card at the forefront is the Venture from Capital One. Once you earn points by using this card, you can redeem them for any travel purchase you want regardless of where you book. All redemptions are offered at a rate of one cent per point.

Fortunately, the Venture from Capital One recently upped its game to offer 50K points for new customers who sign up and use their card for $3,000 in purchases within the first three months. (This offer replaces their former incentive, which gave consumers only 40,000 miles for their efforts.)

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Here are some additional data points to consider as you ponder this offer:

—Earn 50,000 points worth $500 in travel after you use your card for $3,000 in purchases within three months of account opening

—Earn a flat 2x miles for everything you buy

—$59 annual fee, waived the first year

—No foreign transaction fees

While earning $500 in free travel seems like a good deal, (and it is), there are other reasons to consider this offer over some others in the travel market:

Redeem Your Points for any Type of Travel

The best part about flexible travel credit is the fact you don’t have to worry about loyalty programs or their rules. You’re also not committed to a specific airline or hotel brand.

With flexible travel credit, you can redeem your points for any flight or hotel stay around the globe irrespective of price or affiliation. Better yet, you can also use flexible travel credit for types of travel that are traditionally harder to cover with rewards—expenses like rental cars, train fare, cruises and rental condos.

READ MORE: Best Travel Credit Cards for a Cruise

Shop Around for the Lowest Price

Another benefit of flexible travel credit is that you can shop around to get a better deal and save points along the way. If you find a flight on American Airlines that costs $500 but can locate the same flight on Expedia.com for $420, for example, you can book there and save 8,000 points or $80 in rewards.

Never Worry About Blackout Dates

While hotel points and airline miles are notoriously difficult to redeem (especially for holiday travel), you can use flexible travel credit to book any travel you want with no regard for typical loyalty program restrictions.

READ MORE: Awesome Reward Card Perks You Should Know About

Try the Card for 12 Months Free

After that, the annual fee goes up to $59 per year, which is lower than competing cards. As an added bonus, you’ll never pay foreign transaction fees on purchases made abroad.