Capital One Entertainment Guide (2023)

One of the most-overlooked credit card benefits is exclusive access to concert tickets and other events and the ability to use your points to pay for them. Capital One Entertainment is a booking portal available to all cardholders with a Capital One-branded rewards credit card (co-branded cards aren’t eligible). The portal lets you use cash or points to book tickets to events like movies, tickets, and sporting events.

With this portal, Capital One credit card rewards now offer redemptions beyond travel arrangements or claiming cash back. Some packages are exclusive, meaning you can’t buy them with cash elsewhere, increasing the appeal of holding a Capital One card.

How Does Capital One Entertainment Work?

All eligible rewards cardholders have access to Capital One Entertainment, which is accessible through your Capital One account. Once you access the portal, you’ll be able to start browsing events available for reservation immediately.

Capital One has partnered with Vivid Seats, allowing the issuer to offer tickets for thousands of events through Capital One Entertainment. That includes seats for sporting events, concerts, and theater events. Some events may be available through the portal earlier than they are to the general public.

Capital One Entertainment lets you purchase entertainment tickets in three different ways. You can redeem rewards, pay with cash or use a combination of the two. However, you must be a Capital One cardholder to book tickets with the portal, even if you want to pay with cash. Also, note that some events may not be eligible for all three payment methods.

If you purchase multiple tickets, your seats will be side-by-side unless otherwise noted. Keep in mind that you can’t order more than one set of tickets at a time. Typically, tickets ordered through Capital One Entertainment are shipped the same day your order is processed, and you should receive them the next business day. However, there are exceptions, such as if you’re buying tickets months ahead of the event and they haven’t been printed by the box office yet.

Redemption Rates for Miles and Cash Back

Redemption rates through Capital One Entertainment vary depending on what type of rewards you’re redeeming. Some Capital One cards earn miles while others earn cash back.

When using Capital One Entertainment with a credit card that earns miles, the redemption rate is 0.8 cents per mile. Thus, a $100 ticket costs 12,500 miles. By contrast, cash back has a 1:1 redemption rate, so $100 in cash-back rewards is redeemable for a $100 ticket.

Capital One may let you transfer rewards between accounts, so if you have both a card that earns miles and one that earns cash back, consider moving your rewards from the former to the latter. The rate for such transfers is 1 mile to 1 cent. By changing your miles to cash back before buying tickets through Capital One Entertainment, you could maximize the redemption value.

Who Can Access Capital One Entertainment?

The basic requirement to use Capital One Entertainment is to be a Capital One cardholder. However, the full requirements to use the portal involve a little bit more fine print. You must be:

• A Capital One cardholder with an eligible, U.S.-issued rewards credit card, and your account must be in good standing
• At least 18 years old
• A primary account holder or account manager for a consumer credit card, or a primary account holder for a small business credit card

Which Credit Cards Are Eligible for Capital One Entertainment?

Everything from the issuer’s cash-back cards to its entry-level and premium travel cards have access to Capital One Entertainment. Hence, credit cards in the following families are eligible:

• Capital One Venture credit cards
• Capital One Quicksilver credit cards
• Capital One Savor credit cards
• Capital One Journey credit cards
• Capital One Spark credit cards

Be aware that private-label store cards issued by Capital One, as well as co-branded credit cards, do not provide access to the Capital One Entertainment platform. Neither do debit cards.

However, ticket presales at this link are not part of Capital One Entertainment, and thus are available with co-branded Capital One Visa and Mastercard credit cards, as well as debit cards. Private-label store cards are still excluded from accessing ticket presales.

Earn 8% Cash Back on Your Tickets

Paying for your tickets with your own money (by way of credit card) rather than rewards? Then you’ll be excited to know Capital One credit cards in the Savor family earn a whopping 8% cash back on purchases made through the Capital One Entertainment portal. The Savor line has three cards:

• Savor Rewards Credit Card* ($95 annual fee)
• Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card ($0 annual fee)
• Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card ($0 annual fee)

But know that tickets purchased through the Capital One pre-sale link mentioned earlier won’t qualify for the 8% cash-back rate on Capital One Entertainment purchases.

Capital One Entertainment Categories for Browsing Tickets

The Capital One Entertainment portal lets you browse tickets in four categories: cardholder exclusives, sports, music and comedy and theater. Capital One Entertainment gives cardholders exclusive access to:

• Sports: VIP packages and athlete meet-and-greets
• Dining: Exclusive events at food festivals and collaborations with chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants
• Music: Exclusive event access, artist meet-and-greets, exclusive sound checks and complimentary food and beverages

The sports category includes all major professional sports in the U.S. and NCAA sporting events. The music and comedy and theater categories include tickets for several popular shows and artists. Capital One cardholders also have access to presales, allowing them to buy tickets for various events before the general public.

Cardholder exclusives available in the past have included March Madness, the Capital One Orange Bowl and iHeartRadio music festivals. However, the list is regularly updated with new events.

Savor Entertainment Categories for Earning Rewards

Interested in racking up as many Capital One credit card rewards as possible on your entertainment spending? A card in the Savor lineup may be exactly what you need. The earning structures for these cards are as follows:

• Savor Rewards Credit Card*: 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 4% cash back on all dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, 3% cash back at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases.
• Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery stores (which excludes superstores like Walmart and Target), 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases, and 1% on all other purchases.
• Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: 10% cash back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats through 11/14/2024, 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery stores (which excludes superstores like Walmart and Target), 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases, and 1% on all other purchases.

It isn’t always obvious what is considered entertainment for credit card purposes. For the purpose of earning cash back at an elevated rate, the entertainment category includes spending at:

• Movie theaters
• Sports promoters
• Theatrical promoters
• Amusement parks
• Tourist attractions
• Aquariums and zoos
• Dance halls
• Record stores
• Pool halls
• Bowling alleys

You also earn elevated cash back on purchases with eligible streaming services, such as Disney+, Hulu and Netflix. If you want an easy way to accrue rewards you can later redeem for tickets through Capital One Entertainment, paying for your monthly streaming service subscriptions with a credit card in the Savor lineup is a smart move.

Bottom Line

Capital One Entertainment is a portal available to cardholders with a Capital One-branded rewards credit card—both consumer and business cards are eligible—that lets you book tickets to concerts, sporting events and comedy and theater shows. Some events, such as VIP packages and presales, are exclusive to Capital One cardholders.

You can pay for tickets purchased through Capital One Entertainment with your own money, with rewards or with a combination of the two. The redemption value for miles is subpar, at just 0.8 cents per mile, but cash-back rewards offer a better 1:1 redemption value.