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Let’s say you chose a travel credit card and applied for a Venture Rewards Card in the somewhat nearer past. Between earning your welcome bonus and maxing out your spending rewards, you’ve racked up a nice stack of 100,000 Capital One Miles.
You know your miles are best spent on travel — where you can get up to 2 cents per point (CPP) worth of them — but where should you go? How can you turn 100,000 Capital One Miles into an unforgettable experience for you and your companion?
While the possibilities are almost endless, here are three ways I personally would spend 100k miles with no regrets!
1. Eat poutine, do it in Jasper National Park, Canada
jasper. journey
If you’ve read our guide to redeeming Capital One Miles, you’ll know that your best transfer option—in terms of maximizing value per mile—might be Air Canada. Simply put, Capital One Miles are only worth about 1 CPP on their own – but if you transfer them to Air Canada, their value can jump to almost 2 CPP if you find the right flight.
For example, you can fly from Atlanta to Calgary for just 25,000 Aeroplan points round trip if you don’t mind squeezing into economy class. If you and your partner want a little more legroom, you can both fly Premium Economy round trip for just 80,000 points total.
Air Canada
Either way, you’ll have at least 20,000 Capital One Miles to spare that you can transfer to Wyndham Rewards—and use to book shockingly affordable nights in Calgary.
Wyndham Awards
Calgary itself has a lot to offer, with a World War II museum, a huge horse farm, and plenty of walking/biking trails that wind along the Bow River.
Tripadvisor
But the main attraction for this part of the world is Jasper National Park. The UNESCO World Heritage Site simply oozes natural beauty, and some say JNP is the #1 reason to visit Canada.
Tripadvisor
Although it’s a 4.5 hour drive from Calgary by rental car (longer by bus), the drive won’t be tiring as you’ll pass through Banff National Park along the way. Heck, you can even make Banff your final destination, if you don’t mind its reputation for being a bit more crowded and touristy.
Banff and Lake Louise Tourism
While your 100,000 Capital One Miles may not cover 100% of your Great Northern adventure, it can certainly cover the vast majority if you get creative. Keep in mind that Capital One miles you convert to Air Canada Aeroplan points can also be used to book hotels and car rentals—possibly even at a higher price than you’d get when booking through the Capital One travel portal.
And if poutine isn’t your thing, you can also redeem your freshly minted Air Canada Aeroplan points for flights on partner airlines. Fortune Recommends senior editor Dia Adams used them recently to visit Panama.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Introductory bonus
Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within 3 months of account opening.
| Annual fee | 95 dollars |
| Regular APR | 19.99%–29.74% variable |
2. Embark on a Chicago culinary odyssey (inspired by a certain show)
Whine
Once your Capital One Miles become Air Canada Aeroplan Points, you can redeem them “network-wide” on a total of 55 Star Alliance member airlines. From Croatia Airlines to Air Mauritius, dozens of international airlines are waiting to take you on an unforgettable Mile-funded adventure.
But critically, one of those Star Alliance airlines is United—which means the door has just opened wide for you to redeem Capital One Miles on select US domestic flights.
I say “choose” because United typically only allows you to book saver-level award tickets through its partners. To further complicate matters, the airline doesn’t give you an easy way to search for flights with cheaper fares still available.
What you it can However, you’ll go to Air Canada’s booking page, type in a few dates and destinations, and see if the United option comes up. It’s not an elegant solution, but it’s a bit like a treasure hunt.
Air Canada
To illustrate, I threw out some dates and found a United flight from Atlanta to Chicago for just 10,000 Aeroplan points (plus fees) one way. That gives us 80,000 miles to book a nice hotel through Capital One Travel (there aren’t many luxury Wyndham options in Chi-town) and start making the most important of all reservations: dinner.
If you haven’t seen it yet Bear on Hulu, it’s an excellent, hyper-realistic drama about the food industry that also serves as a powerful advertisement for Chicago’s culinary scene. On-screen characters frequent local Michelin-starred restaurants, sampling deep-dish pizza, flaked salmon and jus-soaked Kobe beef while we watch from home, fighting the urge to lick the telly.
So why not turn their fantasy into reality? You won’t have to look far to find a list of all the restaurants located in the Bearfrom the first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant in the world (Kasama)…
… to the humble but legendary Mr. Beef, who helped inspire the series in the first place.
There is also no wrong time of year to visit Chicago. Go when it’s warm and you and your partner can walk the stunning Lakefront Trail. Visit in the winter and well, the lines might be shorter and you might be shivering from the calories.
Chicago Parent
3. Taste the freshest coffee in the world in Bogota
A trip to Colombia
While Air Canada certainly offers you plenty of ways to maximize your Capital One miles, let’s not write off some of the other Capital One transfer partners where earning can be just as good.
For example, Avianca–the official airline of Colombia–offers flights from major US cities to Bogota starting in the teens (plus fees). That means you and your partner can fly to Shakira’s homeland for just 70,000 miles round trip.
Avianca
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, Bogotá is known for its stunning vistas, historic sites, vibrant colors and incredible nightlife. There’s even a well-rated tour where you can be a coffee farmer for a day, learning first-hand how the beans are harvested – and tasting the end result.
Tripadvisor
When it comes to accommodation, you can always book from various hotels through Capital One Travel at a price of 1 CPP. But before you do, consider that Wyndham has a presence down there – in fact, with 30,000 miles free after you book your Avianca flights, you can book up to four full nights at Wyndham Bogotá. four.
Screenshot of Wyndham Rewards
But with so much coffee to drink and dancing at 2am, I wouldn’t plan on spending much time in the hotel.
To take away
From the world’s most authentic coffee to riverside walks in Calgary, beef sandwiches in Chicago to rooftop salsa lessons, there’s a litany of unforgettable experiences you can have with just 100,000 Capital One Miles. While you may need a little cash to fill in the gaps (airfare, tour guide tips), miles will get you most of the way – pun intended.
Alternatively, you can keep saving your miles and plan for something even longer and more lavish next year. With a welcome bonus of 75,000 miles and up to 10X rewards per purchase, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card can get you to 200,000 miles much faster. Check out ours full review and why despite the hefty $395 annual fee, one of my fellow contributors I can’t let it go.
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Please note that card information is correct as of the date of publication, but is subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Contact your card issuer to check rates, fees and benefits before applying.
