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Key takeaways
- The Capital One Premier Collection allows certain cardholders to book luxury properties, including hotels and vacation rentals, and score additional perks and rewards.
- Benefits include an on-property $100 experience credit, complimentary Wi-Fi and daily breakfast for two. Eligible cardholders can also earn up to 10X miles on these bookings.
- That said, booking through the Premier Collection might have its disadvantages for some cardholders, such as higher prices and lower rewards redemption value, among others.
The best travel credit cards can make almost any type of trip more rewarding and comfortable, and some programs offered through top issuers even come with unique benefits. One example is the Capital One Premier Collection, which is only accessible to cardholders with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and its business card sibling. This cardholder perk is a collection of hotels that offer premium benefits to cardholders who pay for an eligible booking.
The Capital One Premier Collection works similarly to the Fine Hotels + Resorts program offered by some American Express credit cards, and the Luxury Hotel + Resort Collection for cardholders with a premium Chase credit card.
If you’ve chosen the Capital One Venture X card as your premium travel credit card, read on to learn how the Capital One Premier Collection works, how to use it and what kinds of perks you actually receive.
What is the Capital One Premier Collection?
The Capital One Premier Collection is a group of luxurious hotels and resorts that were specifically chosen for this program. These properties are located in various destinations around the world, including places like the mountains in Colorado or Montana all the way to Amsterdam and Paris.
These properties are not limited to cardholders — like most hotels and resorts, anyone can book these properties regardless of how they choose to pay. But, having the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or Capital One Venture X Business and booking through the portal can help you get extra benefits for each booking.
Examples of Capital One Premier Collection hotels
The Capital One Premier Collection includes hotel properties all over the world.
Examples of Capital One Premier Collection vacation rentals
The variety of available vacation rentals in the Capital One Premier Collection isn’t as extensive. You can find properties in multiple U.S. cities and a few destinations in Mexico. These properties are managed by rental management companies rather than individuals.
What are the benefits of the Capital One Premier Collection?
Cardholders with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or the Venture X Business who book one of the Capital One Premier Collection hotels get a lot more than a luxury hotel stay. Added benefits for cardholders include the following:
- 10X miles for each dollar spent on Capital One Premier Collection hotels
- A $100 experience credit to use during each stay
- Daily breakfast for two
- Free Wi-Fi
- Room upgrades, based on availability
- Early check-in, based on availability
- Late check-out, based on availability
Keep in mind: The experience credit can be used for things like dining or spa purchases, among other activities. However, these experience options vary by each property and may be subject to availability, according to Capital One.
How to get access to the Capital One Premier Collection
To get access to the Capital One Premier Collection, you’ll want to have either the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One Venture X Business. Just being a cardholder of one of these top travel cards is enough to get your foot in the door when it comes to accessing these exclusive benefits, and you’ll even earn 10X miles for each dollar you spend through the program.
And don’t forget the range of Capital One Venture X benefits that make it well worth the $395 annual fee. If you’re thinking of signing up, it’s worth noting that this card lets you earn 75,000 bonus miles right off the bat when you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening. You also get an annual travel credit of $300 toward Capital One Travel purchases, a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership, access to Capital One airport lounges, a fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership and more.
Cardholders also get the chance to use their Capital One miles to book hotels, airfare and other types of travel through Capital One Travel or transfer them to Capital One airline and hotel partners.
Booking direct vs. booking a Capital One Premier Collection hotel
Booking through a credit card issuer’s travel portal is often convenient and allows you to take advantage of your rewards and extra benefits. However, you should consider potential drawbacks as well.
Booking through Capital One
Here’s why you might want to choose to book through the Capital One Premier Collection:
- You can redeem miles. If you have earned a large amount of rewards, redeeming them might allow you to book a property that’s out of your budget otherwise.
- You can use your $300 credit. The Venture X cards offer an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, including Premier Collection stays.
- You can earn a high rewards rate. If you’re booking with cash, you have a different incentive: 10X miles on Premier Collection hotel bookings and 5X miles on Premier Collection vacation rental bookings. Let’s say you spend $4,000 on such a hotel stay. You’ll earn 40,000 miles — that’s $400 when redeemed for travel through Capital One.
- You can get extra benefits. You don’t need a loyalty status to enjoy extra perks when you’re booking a Premier Collection property with Capital One.
Booking through the hotel or resort directly
On the other hand, booking directly with the hotel might have more advantages. Specifically, keep the following in mind when it comes to Capital One Premier Collection bookings:
- You might not get your status perks. If you have status in a hotel loyalty program, the hotel isn’t required to provide status benefits on third-party reservations — such as with Capital One. You might still receive them, but it’s up to the hotel’s discretion.
- You might not qualify for free night rewards. Typically, when a hotel program offers benefits such as a free fourth or fifth night, you need to book directly with the hotel to take advantage of it.
- You might pay more. In some cases, it might cost more to book through Capital One than direct. Make sure to do the math before choosing where to book, factoring in the rewards and benefits.
- You may get better value out of your miles elsewhere. If you’re redeeming your miles, you get a value of 1 cent per mile with the Premier Collection. But Capital One miles are worth 1.7 cents per mile on average when you transfer them to high-value partners, according to Bankrate’s valuations. If your goal is maximizing rewards, credit card issuer portal bookings might not be the best option for you.
How to book a Premier Collection stay
If you have the Capital One Venture X, you can book a Premier Collection hotel stay through Capital One Travel. All you have to do is head to the website and log in to your online Capital One account management page. From there, you’ll click on the tab that says “Premier Collection” and begin your search for properties.
If you don’t have an online account with Capital One, you’ll need to set one up before you can book travel within this premium collection of hotels. This is true whether you plan to book online or over the phone (which may incur a phone booking fee).
The bottom line
The Capital One Premier Collection is a lot like other luxury hotel programs offered through issuers like American Express and Chase. While hotels and resorts included in this type of program tend to be high-end and on the pricey side, booking this way helps you score extra perks that can make your stay much more comfortable and add value.
The best part about the Capital One Premier Collection is that the extra perks you get are complimentary for eligible cardholders. If you have had the Capital One Venture X on your radar already, this is just another reason to give the card a try.
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