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Most of us know what it takes to earn rewards with a credit card, but there are plenty of additional benefits you can get with plastic that you may not know anything about. For example, many of the top rewards credit cards come with consumer protections like extended warranties and purchase protection against damage or theft. Many top travel credit cards also come with added benefits — like annual travel credits, trip cancellation and interruption coverage and airport lounge access.

Beyond these more common perks, some credit card issuers also offer experiences you can get access to as a cardholder, including tickets to presale events, dining experiences, concerts and more. For Capital One, these experiences are all packaged together into a convenient portal: Capital One Entertainment.

What is Capital One Entertainment?

Capital One offers its own selection of bookable events for cardholders in the Capital One Entertainment portal. With this program, Capital One customers with eligible credit cards and debit cards can access premium experiences in four categories:

• Sports
• Music
• Comedy and theater
• Cardholder exclusives

Under cardholder exclusives, you can find various experiences, such as specialty dining events, vacation getaways, music events and presale access.

Note that these experiences aren’t free — in fact, they’re often far from it. Instead, this program basically unlocks an invitation to specially curated events that would be hard to access otherwise, including tickets to events that are likely to sell out. Plus, you can use your Capital One credit card rewards to pay for these tickets directly.

Capital One Entertainment vs. Capital One Dining vs. Capital One Travel

Capital One Entertainment is just one of three main portals that Capital One cardholders can use for exclusive experiences, although there is a bit of overlap among the three.

For example, while Capital One Entertainment might feature tickets to dining events and experiences, Capital One Dining actually lets you search for nearby restaurants and get exclusive reservations with them. Similarly, Capital One Entertainment might feature a vacation getaway package here and there, but that’s much different than what Capital One Travel offers, which is the ability to search for and book flights, hotels and rental cars.

Which cards have access to Capital One Experiences?

All Capital One cardholders with eligible rewards credit cards can access Capital One Entertainment, including customers with travel credit cards, cash back credit cards and small business credit cards.

Some of the most popular Capital One credit cards that can help you access this program include the:

You can even access it through the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card, which doesn’t earn rewards but is still eligible. Capital One debit cards, private-label retail credit cards and co-brand partner cards are not eligible, however.

What exclusives can I get with Capital One Entertainment?

Capital One Entertainment can vary widely, with some being hosted by Capital One itself and others including special access to outside events. Some current exclusives include:

• iHeartRadio Jingle Ball: Various cardholder seats are available for shows between December 3 and December 16.
• JBF Taste America: Curated by the James Beard Foundation, this culinary experience has been traveling throughout the U.S. and features multi-course dinners made by local chefs.
• The Nutcracker Rehearsal and Exclusive Dinner: View a behind-the-scenes rehearsal showing and enjoy dinner by a Two-Michelin Star restaurant.
• MLB Tickets: Get tickets for various MLB games, including the playoffs, World Series and spring training games.

If you live in the Washington, D.C., area, you can also utilize Capital One Entertainment to score special perks like discounted regular season tickets, VIP entrance, discounts on food and drink and more at the city’s Capital One Arena.

These are just some examples of the Capital One Experiences available at the time of writing. There are plenty of others and new options are added throughout the year.

How to get the most out of Capital One Entertainment

The good news about the Capital One Experiences program is the fact that you can access it for free. This means you can take advantage of available experiences if you want to, but you don’t have to feel obligated.

To get the most out of Capital One Experiences, you can start with these tips:

• Check the Capital One Entertainment portal before purchasing tickets elsewhere. Before you purchase tickets for that upcoming MLB game or concert, check Capital One Entertainment. You might find better prices and seats through this portal, especially if you want to use your rewards to book.
• Check for new events as often as you can. Since some events have the potential to sell out, you’ll have the best chance at scoring tickets for culinary events, concerts and more if you’re able to act quickly.
• Use a Capital One credit card that provides boosted rewards for Capital One Entertainment purchases. The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards credit card, for example, offers 8 percent cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases.

The bottom line

The Capital One Entertainment program is just another benefit you can get from having a Capital One rewards credit card, but there are plenty of others. With the right Capital One credit card, you can get access to presale tickets for concerts, sporting events and more while earning generous rewards for each dollar you spend.