The 42 Best Ways To Redeem Capital One Miles [for Max Value]

With more banks than ever offering transferable points and miles, it’s vital to understand the best ways to redeem these different currencies.

This guide is a must-read before you do anything with your Capital One miles. We’ll focus on demonstrating the value you can get from transferring Capital One miles to airline and hotel partners.

You can also redeem your miles as a statement credit (toward a travel purchase) at 1 cent per mile — in other words, if you redeem 50,000 miles, you’d receive a $500 travel statement credit. As we’ll illustrate below, however, there are now tons of ways to get significantly better value than that.

Let’s get to it!

Earning Capital One Miles

Currently, you can earn Capital One miles from a handful of different credit cards:

Recommended Capital One Cards

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Learn More(at Capital One's secure site)

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Welcome Offer

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

75,000 miles

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$395

APR

19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Excellent (740-840)

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $395 annual fee (rates & fees)
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

 

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

Learn More(at Capital One's secure site)

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

Welcome Offer

Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel.

$250 Capital One Travel Credit + 75,000 miles

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,600

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent Credit (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit

Cons

• $95 annual fee (rates & fees)
• Limited elite benefits

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening – that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

If you’re a business owner, check out our article on the best Capital One business cards that earn Capital One miles.

Transfer Capital One Miles to Airline and Hotel Partners

Capital One currently has several airline and hotel transfer partners. Your Capital One miles will transfer at a 1:1, 2:1.5, or 2:1 ratio, depending on the specific partner. Most of its best transfer partners maintain a 1:1 ratio, so don’t worry about some of the subpar transfer ratios!

Remember that transfers cannot be undone, so be certain of your travel plans and award availability before committing.

With Capital One’s transfer partners, you can access all 3 major airline alliances: Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam. Also, don’t bet on these transfer partners being the only ones — Capital One has slowly added more partners over time. In addition, Capitol One gives you access to interesting airlines that don’t partner with any other currency besides Marriott Bonvoy!

Without further ado, here are the Capital One miles transfer partners

The Best Ways To Use Capital One Miles

As we talked about above, there are 2 main ways to use Capital One miles:

• Statement credit for travel purchases at 1 cent per mile
• Transfer to airline partners for up to 10 cents per mile!

There’s greater flexibility if you use the statement credit since you don’t need to search for award availability and deal with calling airlines.

You can technically transfer your Capital One miles to hotel partners, but we don’t recommend this approach because of the low value you get from hotel partners.

We will focus on the second method, which will multiply the value you get out of your miles. Your miles are precious, and we should treat them as such!

1. Fly Lufthansa First Class Without Surcharges to Europe (87,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)

Rightfully, Lufthansa’s first class is on the top of many travelers’ bucket lists. But if you’ve done any research or have experience in award travel to Europe, you’ll know that European flights have tons of fuel surcharges.

These fuel surcharges are often deal-breakers for award travelers because what’s the point of using your miles if you have to pay around $1,500 on top of that? The way around this is to use a frequent flyer program that doesn’t pass fuel surcharges onto you.

Since Lufthansa is quite an aspirational first-class product, the biggest challenge is finding award availability.

Remember that Lufthansa’s first class rarely releases award availability to its partners more than 15 days in advance. This means planning ahead can be difficult.

Here are some example routes you can fly that generally have good availability. All prices are 87,000 Capital One miles one-way transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees:

• Chicago (ORD) to Frankfurt (FRA)
• New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA)
• Newark (EWR) to Frankfurt (FRA)

2. Fly Etihad Business Class Without Surcharges to Abu Dhabi (82,500 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Moving your Capital One miles to Air Canada is an excellent way to fly Etihad’s business class between New York and Abu Dhabi.

By transferring 82,500 Capital One miles to your Air Canada account, you’ll end up with 82,500 Aeroplan points — the exact amount you need for your booking! Better yet, Air Canada does not pass on carrier-imposed surcharges on flights with Etihad.

Here are 2 example routes you can take:

• London (LHR) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) for 45,000 Capital One miles plus about $45 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) for 82,500 Capital One miles plus about $45 in taxes and fees

3. Fly SWISS Business Class to Europe (63,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)

Using Avianca LifeMiles is fantastic, especially for Star Alliance redemptions to Europe. It’s one of the only ways to avoid fuel surcharges and still pay reasonable mileage prices to fly to Europe.

Flying one-way in SWISS business class is another solid way to use your Capital One miles. By transferring 63,000 Capital One miles to Avianca LifeMiles, you can fly from the U.S. to Europe!

Your total taxes and fees will be around $61, an excellent way to save big for business class flights to Europe.

Here are some example routes you can take. All prices are 63,000 Capital One miles one-way transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Zurich (ZRH)
• Miami (MIA) to Zurich (ZRH)
• New York (JFK) to Geneva (GVA)

4. Fly Transcontinental Business Class in the U.S. on United Airlines (25,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)

Another fantastic way to use Capital One miles is for transcontinental business-class flights within the U.S. on United Airlines.

Since United has moved away from first class on flagship products in favor of its Polaris business class, award travelers now benefit from business class pricing for award flights.

Transferring 25,000 Capital One miles to LifeMiles gives you enough for a one-way business class flight on United Airlines.

Here are the route options we’re talking about:

• Newark (EWR) to Los Angeles (LAX) for 25,000 Capital One miles plus around $61 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) to San Francisco (SFO) for 25,000 Capital One miles plus around $61 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: This is a fantastic way to try United Airlines’ brand-new flagship Polaris product on the Boeing 787-10.

5. Fly to Africa in Business Class on United (78,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)

Interested in travel to Africa? Rejoice in knowing that United flies its Polaris product there with direct aisle access, fully lie-flat seats, excellent service, and loads of privacy from Washington, D.C., and Newark!

Here are the routes we’re talking about:

• Newark (EWR) to Cape Town (CPT) one-way in business class on United Airlines for 78,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) to Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in business class on United Airlines for 78,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Accra (ACC) one-way in business class on United Airlines for 78,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Lagos (LOS) one-way in business class on United Airlines for 78,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees

6. Fly From Tokyo to New Zealand in Business Class on Air New Zealand (40,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)

Yet another great use of Capital One miles is for flights between northern Asia and Australia or New Zealand.

Air New Zealand’s business class seats aren’t the most up-to-date, but you can expect locally inspired cuisine, direct aisle access, totally lie-flat seats, and friendly service throughout the flight.

How much is this flight of 10 to 11 hours? Expect to pay 40,000 Capital One miles transferred to LifeMiles.

Hot Tip: The challenge here will be finding award availability, but it tends to be much better for Air New Zealand flights outside the U.S.

7. Fly Round-Trip From North America to Tokyo in Business Class on ANA (75,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)

To give you a sense of how great of a deal this is, most frequent flyer programs offer award flights to Japan starting at 70,000 miles round-trip in economy. These awards, however, can be booked between North America and Tokyo for 75,000 points round-trip in business class.

Please note that award space can be booked only from the North American cities that ANA serves, which include Chicago (ORD), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), New York City (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Washington, D.C. (IAD).

Use our definitive guide to ANA’s direct routes from the U.S. to help guide your travel planning.

8. Fly Within Northern Asia in Business Class With Star Alliance Airlines (22,500 Miles Transferred to Avianca)

Let’s pivot to another little-known sweet spot: business class flights within the Star Alliance North Asia zone.

When using LifeMiles, you can fly an astonishing 5 to 6 hours on Star Alliance flights within this region for only 22,500 Capital One miles!

Bottom Line: This is a phenomenal redemption — you could spend over 5 hours in a completely lie-flat seat in business class for only 22,500 Capital One miles!

9. Fly From Bangkok to New Zealand in Business Class on Thai Airways (90,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)

We love Thai Airways here because it has a phenomenal hospitality record, particularly in business and first class. However, we wouldn’t usually suggest Thai for business class, considering the seating arrangement is typically bizarre and lackluster.

But it’s a different story on its Boeing 787-9 to Auckland. Great LifeMiles prices, coupled with the fact that it’s flying some new business class seats on routes between Bangkok and the South Pacific, and we’d be doing a disservice if we didn’t discuss this.

Thai Airways flies its new 787-9s on some flights between Bangkok (BKK) and Auckland (AKL). This 11-to-12-hour flight in excellent reverse-herringbone seats in business class with superb service will run you only 40,000 Capital One miles!

• Bangkok (BKK) to Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on Thai for 40,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees

10. Fly to Europe in American Airlines Flagship Business Class (120,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)

Want to fly on AA’s Flagship 777 somewhere else besides Hong Kong? You’re in luck! AA also flies the 777 from Los Angeles (LAX) to London (LHR).

As usual, we suggest business class on AA over first class, simply because the hard product is excellent, and you don’t have to shell out much to try it.

Award availability is sparse on this flight, as is the case for many of AA’s Flagship products. Here’s what you’re looking at for this redemption:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to London (LHR) one-way in Flagship Business class on American Airlines for 120,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus about $25 in taxes and fees

11. Fly to Europe in American Airlines Flagship First Class (160,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)

If you’re intrigued by flying on the same route as above in first class, then we have some good news. The Etihad Guest award chart for flights on A.A. continues to amaze us. Why? Because you can fly to London from Los Angeles in first class for not much more than business class!

The cabin is only 8 seats spread across 2 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration, so it’s ridiculously private.

On the flip side, award availability for 2 passengers is nearly impossible to find. Availability for 1 passenger is significantly more doable. Nevertheless, if you can find it, you might want to book now and figure everything out later.

Here’s that same LAX-to-LHR route in A.A. first class:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to London (LHR) one-way in Flagship First class on American Airlines for 160,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus about $25 in taxes and fees

12. Fly to Brazil in American Airlines Flagship Business Class (100,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)

Thinking of more exotic destinations? How about a place like South America?

Booking with Etihad Guest miles on AA flights is still a great use of your Capital One miles. Currently, American Airlines operates a Flagship 777 from New York to São Paulo.

This 10-hour flight is quite a journey. Here are the route details:

• New York (JFK) to São Paulo (GRU) one-way in Flagship Business class on American Airlines for 100,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus around $25 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: Despite having the same Flagship products, award availability is much better on flights to and from South America than, say, London or Hong Kong.

13. Fly to Argentina in American Airlines Flagship First Class (134,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)

If you want to fly to Argentina, you can also fly A.A.’s Flagship First class. Here’s a great example:

• Miami (MIA) to Buenos Aires (EZE) one-way in Flagship First class on American Airlines for 134,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus about $25 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: Be sure to check out our step-by-step guides for booking American Airlines business or first class! 

14. Fly to New Zealand in Business Class on American Airlines (140,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)

American Airlines is one of the world’s biggest airlines by many metrics, including the number of planes flown. Its fantastic long-haul network is not limited to Hong Kong, London, Brazil, and Argentina — it has also restarted a 787 Dreamliner service from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Auckland (AKL)!

Although not quite as remarkable as the Flagship Business class, the 787’s business class is solid, especially if it means you can fly straight to New Zealand without transiting. Here’s our route suggestion and associated costs:

• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on American Airlines for 140,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus a little over $50 in taxes and fees

This pricing is phenomenal for travel between the U.S. and Oceania, a traditionally expensive route. Just keep in mind that finding award availability on this route is challenging.

15. Fly From the East Coast to Europe in Business Class on Brussels Airlines (80,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)

Let’s talk about some other partners you can use Etihad Guest miles with. Etihad Airways partners with tons of airlines. It used to employ a different award chart for each airline but rolled out a simpler, unified chart for partner awards in March 2023 (along with notable devaluations).

In this example, we’ll discuss Brussels Airlines, which offers a fabulous business class. Unfortunately, you must fly from the eastern half of North America and can only choose from 3 airports: New York (JFK), Washington, D.C. (IAD), or Toronto (YYZ).

For 80,000 Etihad Guest miles, which can be transferred from Capital One, you can fly one way to Brussels (BRU) in business class. This is a fantastic use of miles because of the solid business class product and great redemption price. The only issue is that there’s little route flexibility.

Here are the route offerings:

• New York (JFK), Washington, D.C. (IAD), or Toronto (YYZ) to Brussels (BRU) one-way in business class on Brussels Airlines for 80,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus around $100 in taxes and fees

16. Fly From the West Coast to Japan in Business Class on ANA (120,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)

ANA is a fabulous airline. Its Mileage Club is one of the industry’s best frequent flyer programs for round-trip/open-jaw flights for round-trip/open-jaw flights in the industry, amazing premium cabin products, and tons of destinations.

Unfortunately, one of the challenges with ANA is booking one-way awards. This is where Etihad Guest comes in.

Using the distance-based award chart, you can book a one-way business class ticket on ANA from the U.S. West Coast U.S. to Tokyo.

It’s not a good idea to fly from other areas of the U.S. because the distance-based award chart is such that flying from Houston or New York is significantly more expensive. For this reason, we suggest flying from either Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo (NRT, HND).

This route costs 120,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest. Taxes and fees will hover at around $365 per person for one-way flights and about $760 for round-trip flights.

17. Fly From New York to Belgrade in Business Class on Air Serbia (100,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)

Want to fly to Serbia? This next redemption is pretty cool because it’s very niche and a solid business class product!

We’re talking about Air Serbia’s business class from New York (JFK) to Belgrade (BEG), Serbia’s capital. For 100,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest plus about $420 in taxes and fees, you could fly nonstop from the U.S. to Serbia in business class.

The taxes and fees are high here, so be mindful of that. This flight is blocked at 8 hours and 40 minutes, which is a bit of a journey, though not as long as some other flights. To book a reward flight with Air Serbia, you must call the airline at least 24 hours before the flight you’d like to be on.

18. Fly From the U.S. to Casablanca in Business Class on Royal Air Maroc (80,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)

Though Royal Air Maroc’s 2-2-2 business class configuration is perfectly satisfactory, the airline has reverse-herringbone 1-2-1 seating available on its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners! These aren’t reliably deployed on any routes, so check before booking!

In this case, you can use Etihad Guest miles transferred from Capital One miles to book a one-way flight between the U.S. and Casablanca for an excellent price! How awesome, you might ask.

These routes are what we’re referring to:

• New York (JFK) to Casablanca (CMN) one-way in business class on Royal Air Maroc for 80,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus about $215 in taxes and fees!
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Casablanca (CMN) one-way in business class on Royal Air Maroc for 80,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus around $215 in taxes and fees!

19. Fly From Sri Lanka to Tokyo in Business Class on SriLankan Airlines (100,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)

Want another sweet redemption? Fly 7 hours between Colombo (CMB) and Tokyo (NRT) in Sri Lankan Airlines’ business class for 100,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest! 

The business class on this flight features an Airbus A330 with a 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone configuration. As we stated above, this seating arrangement is incredibly private, and the food is said to be decent!

20. Fly to India in Business Class on Air India (85,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is super useful, particularly for stopovers and mini versions of round-the-world awards that we’ll get to later.

First, let’s talk about Air India!

This airline doesn’t get a lot of love, but here’s what it offers: no frills and nonstop business class to India.

India is pretty far from the U.S., so for someone who values their time highly, it might be worth it to stick it out in Air India’s inferior business class if it means you avoid the headache of transiting through multiple airports.

Air Canada Aeroplan can help you here. For flights between the U.S. and India, you can transfer 85,000 Capital One miles to Aeroplan to book a one-way business class flight on Air India.

Here are several example routes you can take:

• Chicago (ORD) to Delhi (DEL) one-way in business class on Air India for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) to Mumbai (BOM) one-way in business class on Air India for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) to Delhi (DEL) one-way in business class on Air India for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees

21. Fly Lufthansa First Class With a Stopover in Germany on Lufthansa (From 95,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

The first redemption we discussed was using Avianca LifeMiles to fly Lufthansa first class without surcharges for 87,000 Capital One miles.

With Aeroplan, you will pay as little as 90,000 miles for one-way first class on Lufthansa, and you can add a stopover on one-way tickets for 5,000 miles!

This is one of the only ways to get a stopover in Germany on Lufthansa for a great price using Capital One miles.

Here are a few Lufthansa itineraries in first class:

• Boston (BOS) to Frankfurt (FRA) to Milan (MXP) one-way in Lufthansa first class with a stopover in Frankfurt for 95,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada, plus $46 in taxes and fees
• Boston (BOS) to Frankfurt (FRA) to Prague (PRG) one-way in Lufthansa first class with a stopover in Frankfurt for 95,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada, plus $46 in taxes and fees
• Chicago (ORD) to Frankfurt (FRA) to Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in Lufthansa first class with a stopover in Frankfurt for 135,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada, plus $46 in taxes and fees

22. Fly to Europe in Business Class with a Stopover in Switzerland on SWISS (80,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Here’s another great way to use Aeroplan to your advantage.

With Avianca LifeMiles, you can book SWISS business class for 84,000 Capital One miles. But with Aeroplan, you can book the same flight for 75,000 Capital One miles and add another 5,000 for a stopover!

Also, you won’t pay for fuel surcharges! Taxes and fees will be around $60.

Here are several example routes:

• Boston (BOS) to Zurich (ZRH) to Venice (VCE) one-way in business class on SWISS with a stopover in Zurich for 80,000 Capital One miles, plus $72 in taxes and fees
• Chicago (ORD) to Zurich (ZRH) to Athens (ATH) one-way in business class on SWISS with a stopover in Zurich for 80,000 Capital One miles, plus $72 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Zurich (ZRH) one-way in business class on SWISS for 80,000 Capital One miles, plus $72 in taxes and fees

23. Fly to New Zealand in Business Class on Air New Zealand (From 75,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Let’s fly to New Zealand on Air New Zealand!

You can book Air New Zealand’s business class one-way for as few as 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus a little over $90 in taxes and fees.

Here are a few great example routes:

• Chicago (ORD) to Auckland (AKL) one-way on Air New Zealand’s 777 business class for 87,500 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan
• Houston (IAH) to Auckland (AKL) one-way on Air New Zealand’s 777 business class for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan
• San Francisco (SFO) to Auckland (AKL) one-way on Air New Zealand’s 777 business class for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan

24. Fly From Hawaii to Southern South America in Business Class on United Airlines (95,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Flying from Hawaii to southern South America is significantly cheaper than flying from the continental U.S. We can take advantage of these generous award prices by piecing together United Airlines flights in business class.

Though it’s not the “real” Polaris business class with the full amenity offering you’d find on other routes, you can still fly comfortably from Hawaii to southern South America for 95,000 Capital One miles.

Here’s the sole route you can take:

• Honolulu (HNL) to Houston (IAH) to Buenos Aires (EZE) one-way in Polaris business class on United Airlines for 95,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan plus around $140 in taxes and fees

25. Fly to Taiwan in Business Class (75,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

For 75,000 to 85,000 Capital One miles, you can fly one-way from the U.S. to Asia, including Taiwan. We love EVA Air business class, so this should be on your list.

Here’s a great example route:

• Houston (IAH) to Taipei (TPE) one-way in Royal Laurel business class on EVA Air for 80,000 Capital One miles, plus $55 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Taipei (TPE) one-way in Royal Laurel business class on EVA Air for 75,000 Capital One miles, plus $55 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) to Taipei (TPE) one-way in Royal Laurel business class on EVA Air for 80,000 Capital One miles, plus $55 in taxes and fees

26. Fly to Asia in First Class (110,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Flying to Asia in first class is also a great use of your miles! Traveling in ANA first class would be our go-to option here.

These are some example routes you can take:

• Chicago (ORD) to Tokyo (HND) one-way in first class on ANA for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) to Tokyo (HND) one-way in first class on ANA for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Tokyo (NRT) one-way in first class on ANA for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees

27. Fly to South Korea in Business Class (75,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Aeroplan lumps the South Pacific and Asia into 1 main region it calls “the Pacific.” These countries include Korea and China. After that, a distance-based award chart applies.

Here are some example routes you can take:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Seoul (ICN) one-way in business class on Asiana Airlines for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) to Seoul (ICN) one-way in business class on Asiana Airlines for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) to Seoul (ICN) one-way in business class on Asiana Airlines for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees

28. Fly to China Nonstop in First Class (110,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

You can also fly first class to China nonstop using Aeroplan points.

Here are example routes you can take:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Beijing (PEK) one-way in first class on Air China for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) to Beijing (PEK) one-way in first class on Air China for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) to Beijing (PEK) one-way in first class on Air China for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: As China begins reopening, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for when Air China reinstates its first class-equipped aircraft.

29. Fly to Africa in Business Class (From 90,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Aeroplan lumps Africa into its Atlantic zone, along with Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. There is a ton of variety in which flights you can take.

Itineraries that are 6,001 to 8,000 miles in distance will cost 90,000 Aeroplan points in business class, while itineraries greater than 8,000 miles will cost 110,000 Aeroplan points in business class.

Most will be operated by either Lufthansa or South African Airways. If you can, you should book Turkish Airlines or SWISS instead of Lufthansa, which has mediocre business class seats.

For as few as 90,000 Capital One miles, you can fly from the U.S. to this region. Here are a few great example routes you can take:

• New York (JFK) to Istanbul (IST) to Nairobi (NBO) one-way in business class on Turkish Airlines for 90,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $105 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) to Frankfurt (FRA) to Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in business class on Lufthansa for 90,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $105 in taxes and fees

Don’t forget you can add a stopover for an additional 5,000 Aeroplan points.

30. Book Emirates Business Class From the Central and West Coast U.S. to Dubai and Beyond (110,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Although Capital One has a transfer partnership with Emirates, you’ll notice enormous fuel surcharges tacked onto almost all flights if you book award travel through Emirates Skywards.

Luckily, Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the few frequent flyer programs with access to Emirates award availability. Although first class redemptions are available (and don’t include carrier-imposed surcharges), the redemption prices are high, so business class seems to be the sweet spot.

Business class redemptions from the U.S. to Dubai will cost around 120,000 Aeroplan points plus around $85 in taxes and fees. That’s compared to the $825 or so in taxes and fees you’d have to pay per person if you booked through Emirates Skywards.

There is a catch, though: Air Canada Aeroplan doesn’t have access to the same level of award availability as Emirates. So be sure to search directly on Aeroplan’s website before transferring any miles.

Here’s an example route:

• Houston (IAH) to Dubai (DXB) to Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in Emirates business class for 120,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan, plus around $85 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: Need help booking? Read our guide on how to book Emirates business class using points or miles.

31. Book Oman Air’s Incredible First Class (From 65,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

We think Oman Air is genuinely one of the best airlines in the world. However, we believe people sleep on Oman Air primarily because of its limited route network. Whereas Emirates flies nonstop to many different cities in the U.S., the furthest west that Oman Air flies is to London Heathrow (LHR).

But if you happen to be planning a trip to Oman or are in the Middle East, one of the best AvGeek things to do is to book a luxurious Oman Air first class flight.

In this case, you can transfer Capital One miles to Air Canada Aeroplan to book first class. Here are some routes we have in mind:

• Muscat (MCT) to Bangkok (BKK) on Oman Air first class for 65,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $75 in taxes and fees
• Muscat (MCT) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) on Oman Air first class for 68,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $75 in taxes and fees
• Muscat (MCT) to London (LHR) on Oman Air first class for 68,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $75 in taxes and fees
• Paris (CDG) to Muscat (MCT) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) on Oman Air first class for 136,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $171

32. Book Oman Air Business Class to or From Muscat (From 45,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Oman Air’s lovely business class Apex Suites are bookable using Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan. This happens to be one of the few ways you can book Oman Air business class.

Oman Air’s hub is in Muscat (MCT), and you can book some of these great example routes:

• Milan (MXP) to Muscat (MCT) to Jakarta (CGK) one-way in Oman Air business class for 80,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus about $70 in taxes and fees
• Muscat (MCT) to Bangkok (BKK) one-way in Oman Air business class for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus about $65 in taxes and fees
• Muscat (MCT) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) one-way in Oman Air business class for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus about $65 in taxes and fees
• Muscat (MCT) to London (LHR) one-way in Oman Air business class for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus about $65 in taxes and fees

33. Fly From Europe to Mauritius in Business Class (60,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Mauritius is one of the most beautiful tropical destinations in the whole world — this island nation off the coast of East Africa can be accessed via nonstop flights from Europe.

Air Canada Aeroplan has a terrific partnership with Air Mauritius that allows you to book the carrier’s lie-flat business class seats with points and miles. Here are some great example routes you can book:

• London (LHR) to Mauritius (MRU) one-way in Air Mauritius business class for 80,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $345 in taxes and fees
• Paris (CDG) to Mauritius (MRU) one-way in Air Mauritius business class for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $150 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: Air Mauritius also flies nonstop to India, and business class tickets are bookable for 45,000 Aeroplan points plus around $45 in taxes and fees to cities including Delhi (DEL) and Mumbai (BOM).

34. Access Singapore Airlines Business Class (From 60,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Practically speaking, Singapore Airlines award availability for business class is accessible if you have miles in Singapore Airlines’ own KrisFlyer frequent flyer program. However, one of the newest improvements to Air Canada’s Aeroplan is excellent award availability for business class. The prices on Air Canada Aeroplan are often much better than KrisFlyer’s.

Here are some great example U.S. routes you can book using Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan:

• Houston (IAH) to Manchester (MAN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 70,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $35 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Singapore (SIN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 87,500 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $35 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 87,500 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $35 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) to Singapore (SIN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 87,500 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $35 in taxes and fees
• Seattle (SEA) to Singapore (SIN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan plus around $35 in taxes and fees

35. Flying Blue Promo Rewards (Air France-KLM)

Flying Blue’s Promo Rewards get a lot of attention. Every month, Air France/KLM releases a small list of routes available for booking with Flying Blue miles for 25% to 50% off!

Most routes are economy, but some are in business class. Of course, availability is first come, first served, so be on the lookout for these.

36. Fly to Hawaii in Economy on Delta Air Lines (18,000 Miles Transferred to Air France)

If you want to fly to Hawaii for some of the cheapest mileage costs, look at Air France-KLM Flying Blue. You can fly on Delta for as few as 18,000 Capital One miles transferred to Flying Blue.

Here’s a great example route:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) one-way in economy for 18,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France, plus $14.92 in taxes and fees

37. Fly to Europe in Business Class on SkyTeam (From 55,000 Miles Transferred to Air France-KLM)

We’re big fans of the Flying Blue loyalty program that Air France-KLM offers. For many connecting flights between the U.S. and Europe, you could need as few as 55,000 Flying Blue miles one-way.

For example, if you tried to fly from Los Angeles to Rome via Paris in Air France business class, it would cost you as few as 68,000 miles.

Here are a couple of great example redemptions:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Paris (CDG) to Rome (FCOt) one-way in business class on Air France for 68,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, plus $270 or so in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) to Paris (CDG) to Athens (ATH) one-way in business class on Air France for 65,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, plus around $270 in taxes and fees

38. East Coast to Dubai on Emirates: Economy for 45,000 Miles or Business for 104,500 Miles (Qantas)

Emirates has one of the best economy products and a fantastic business class. It is currently not in an alliance and only partners with a handful of airlines, which makes these award redemptions a little more challenging to snag.

There are several East Coast cities in this mileage range that fly directly to Dubai (DXB), including Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), and Toronto (YYZ).

If you’re based out of the East Coast of the U.S. or Toronto, you might get better award redemption pricing by using Qantas Frequent Flyer, as opposed to Emirates Skywards or Air Canada Aeroplan.

39. Book ANA First Class (From 72,500 Miles Transferred to Virgin Red)

One of the best secrets about Capital One Miles is its ability to transfer to Virgin Red. Virgin Red is Virgin’s rewards program, and if you link your Virgin Red account with your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account, 1,000 Virgin Red points will be identical to 1,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points.

So, by transferring miles to Virgin Red and linking your Virgin accounts together, you can access Flying Club redemptions!

And one of the absolute best ways to use miles worldwide is to book ANA first class. Here are some fantastic ways you can book first-class tickets worth $10,000 or more:

• Chicago (ORD) to Tokyo-Haneda/Narita (HND/NRT) one-way in ANA first class for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red, plus about $365 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo-Haneda/Narita (HND/NRT) one-way in ANA first class for 72,500 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red, plus about $365 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) to Tokyo-Haneda/Narita (HND/NRT) one-way in ANA first class for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red, plus about $365 in taxes and fees

40. Book ANA Business Class to Tokyo From North America From 45,000 Miles (Transferred to Virgin Red)

Finding award availability in ANA first class is very, very challenging. So, redeeming miles for ANA business class through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club can be useful.

You can transfer Capital One miles to Virgin Red, link your Virgin Red and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club accounts together, and book one-way business class between Tokyo and the West Coast of North America on ANA for 45,000 Virgin points per person.

Here are some great example routes to consider booking:

• Houston (IAH) – Tokyo (NRT) one-way in ANA business class for 47,500 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red plus about $365 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo (NRT) one-way in ANA business class for 45,000 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red plus about $365 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Tokyo (NRT) one-way in ANA business class for 47,500 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red plus about $365 in taxes and fees

41. Book Turkish Airlines Business Class to Türkiye and Beyond More Easily (From 120,000 Miles Transferred to Turkish Airlines)

If you’ve procrastinated booking business class to Europe, the Middle East, or Africa, you’ll be pleased to find more abundant, albeit also more expensive, award availability by booking Turkish Airlines business class through Turkish Airlines’ own Miles&Smiles loyalty program.

Capital One Miles is a 1:1 transfer partner with Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, and the prices you’ll pay will depend on the award availability. But the point is that this redemption option is made available to you if you have a bunch of miles and are willing to redeem more miles for guaranteed business class.

Here are a couple of example redemptions. Keep in mind that these prices aren’t the lowest possible prices. Instead, they’re the prices we’ve found to be the most common:

• Miami (MIA) to Istanbul (IST) to Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in Turkish Airlines business class for 200,000 Capital One miles transferred to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles plus around $449 in taxes and fees per person
• Seattle (SEA) to Istanbul (IST) to Tel Aviv (TLV) one-way in Turkish Airlines business class for 120,000 Capital One miles transferred to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles plus around $449 in taxes and fees per person

42. Book Qatar Airways Qsuites to Doha (From 70,000 Miles Transferred to British Airways)

Qatar Airways Qsuites is one of the snazziest business class experiences there is, and you can book these flights from the U.S. to Doha at an exceptional value using Capital One miles.

To be specific, you can redeem 70,000 Capital One miles for a one-way flight between the U.S. and Doha in Qatar Airways Qsuites when transferred to British Airways Executive Club. Taxes and fees will be in the ballpark of $105, which is terrific!

Here are some great example routes to consider:

• Atlanta (ATL) to Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways Qsuites for 70,000 Capital One miles transferred to British Airways Executive Club plus about $105 in taxes and fees per person
• Chicago (ORD) to Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways Qsuites for 70,000 Capital One miles transferred to British Airways Executive Club plus about $105 in taxes and fees per person
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways Qsuites for 70,000 Capital One miles transferred to British Airways Executive Club plus about $105 in taxes and fees per person

Other Transfer Partners

Other transfer partners are technically options here, including Qantas, Finnair, etc. But, there’s not as much use for these transfer partners because their redemption costs are high or it’s incredibly difficult to use their frequent flyer programs.

How To Transfer Your Capital One Miles to Transfer Partners

Step 1: Navigate to the Capital One website and log in.

Step 2: Click Transfer Miles on the right side of your screen. Type in your frequent flyer number.

Step 3: Type in the number of miles to transfer. Click Complete Transfer.

Step 4: Receive confirmation. You can download the confirmation code for your records.

Final Thoughts

There are tons of ways to redeem Capital One miles for maximum value. Please keep the transfer ratio in mind when you transfer your miles since it’s not always a 1:1 ratio, like with Chase Ultimate Rewards.

We mainly focused on Avianca LifeMiles, Etihad Guest, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and Air Canada Aeroplan because these airlines provide consistent value with their miles and points.

Good luck redeeming your Capital One miles, and be sure to let us know your best redemptions in the comments below!