For your sports, dining and entertainment needs, Capital One has you covered.
With a brand-new platform only available for credit card holders, you can purchase or redeem your rewards for tickets to thousands of events worldwide.
The platform even offers access to presale events, as well as curated “Capital One Cardholder Exclusive” packages that include special experiences like meet-and-greet opportunities that are not available to the general public.
But is redeeming your hard-earned rewards for these events a good deal?
In this guide, we’ll walk through how the new Capital One Entertainment platform works and provide some sample redemption options available for cardholders.
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Who can access Capital One Entertainment?
Most Capital One cardholders with an eligible rewards credit card can access the platform here. Keep in mind that your account has to be in good standing, you must be at least 18 years old and you must be the primary account holder.
Your login information for Capital One Entertainment will port over from your main Capital One account, creating a seamless experience for a Capital One cardholder.
Whether you carry one of the issuer’s travel cards (like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card) or a simple cash-back card (like the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card), you’ll now have another great redemption option: redeeming your rewards for tickets to live events.
How Capital One Entertainment works
Capital One Entertainment is powered by Vivid Seats, an online marketplace for tickets to sporting events, concerts and theater performances. This platform replaces the issuer’s previous entertainment platform, Capital One Access.
That means virtually all the tickets found on the Capital One Entertainment platform can also be found and purchased directly on Vivid Seats, with the exception of “Capital One Cardholder Exclusive” tickets that are curated by the issuer (more on that below).
How to search
You can shop by category (cardholder exclusives, sports, music, comedy and theater) or search for events in your local area.
Once you find an event that interests you, you can narrow your search by section and ticket price, which is displayed both in cash and in rewards.
How to pay
Once it comes time to pay for your ticket, you can pay with your eligible Capital One credit card or redeem your Capital One rewards. For some events, you may be eligible to use a combination of the two payment methods.
However, the redemption rate will depend on which Capital One card you carry in your wallet.
For cards within the Venture family (Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card), you can use your miles at a rate of 0.8 cents each.
This is well below our valuation of Capital One miles at 1.85 cents each when you use the issuer’s valuable transfer partners, so I’d generally recommend you avoid redeeming your rewards for Capital One Entertainment tickets — with the exception of exclusive events (details below).
However, if you carry any of Capital One’s cash-back cards, you can redeem your rewards at 1 cent each (the same rate if you were to redeem your rewards for a statement credit), making this a good use of your rewards.
Finally, if you pay with the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card, you’ll earn 8% cash back on all Vivid Seats tickets, including ones purchased through Capital One Entertainment.
The information for the Capital One Savor card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The checkout process is easy. If the event is eligible, you can use the toggle feature to pick the number of miles you want to use (if any), then enter your Capital One credit card information to complete the transaction.
The ticket delivery method will depend on the event, but you may receive a mobile e-ticket, email delivery for instant download, a physical ticket in the mail or other options. Just pay careful attention to the confirmation screen and email you receive to figure out how exactly you’ll get your tickets.
Can I cancel my Capital One Experiences ticket?
It’s worth noting that tickets are final sale, meaning you cannot cancel or resell them after placing the order. That’s the major caveat I’ve found with this booking platform, so you may want to avoid Capital One Experiences if you’re looking for flexibility in your plans.
If your event is canceled by the organizer, you’ll receive an email and a refund from Capital One. However, for postponed events, you’ll get tickets for the new date, but you will still not be eligible for a refund.
Capital One Entertainment sweet spot
What sets the Capital One Entertainment platform apart from other ticketing websites is the access you’ll get to exclusive packages for cardholders.
These events are only redeemable with your rewards, and you may find a much better redemption rate compared with tickets available to the general public.
For instance, Capital One is an official partner of Major League Baseball and the presenting sponsor of the World Series. With baseball season starting, eligible cardholders can now access tickets to MLB games for all 30 teams and VIP experiences. There are some fantastic deals for these tickets when you redeem with Capital One rewards.
Let’s take a look at the seats for the cardholder-exclusive prices, which start at just 2,000 miles per ticket, for the game between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals as an example.
There are several affordable tickets available for other games I searched under the “Cardholder Exclusives” tab, too, such as Delta Club tickets at this game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Mets, which are not sold to the general public.
With tickets priced so low, you can exceed the redemption value of 0.8 cents, receiving 1 cent in value per mile spent on tickets.
Seats in neighboring sections go for $80 or more (before taxes and fees), meaning you’re looking at a minimum of 1.6 cents in value with your Capital One rewards.
These exclusive tickets for cardholders present exceptional value, so it’s worth checking back on this tab to see if the issuer adds other experiences over time.
Is Capital One Entertainment worth it?
Like entertainment tickets purchased elsewhere, the ones you buy through Capital One are usually nonrefundable (unless you purchase additional insurance or protection).
Despite this drawback, Capital One Entertainment offers terrific deals for cardholder-exclusive events. While the platform is currently dominated by MLB games, we’ve recently seen Capital One put together some exclusive packages for the NCAA Final Four, as well as dining and music events.
Before you decide to book, be sure to crunch the numbers to see if you’re getting a good value for your rewards.
Bottom line
Capital One Entertainment is part of the issuer’s efforts to delve more into the lifestyle-oriented space. In addition to offering exclusive events for cardholders, Capital One recently unveiled Capital One Dining, a platform that can get you exclusive reservations at restaurants near you.
Overall, having another redemption option for cardholders is always a win, especially for those who choose to take advantage of Capital One’s cardholder-exclusive packages. Just be sure you’re comfortable with the value you’re getting for your rewards, as there may be better options out there.
Featured photo by Stella Shon/The Points Guy.