Capital One credit cards can help you book seats to popular sporting events that you can't get anywhere else

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• Capital One Entertainment is a platform that allows you to book unique dining experiences, concerts, city tours, and more.
• Capital One is exceptionally helpful for those who want to attend any of the flurries of sporting events currently taking place.
• Capital One Entertainment reserves seats exclusively for cardholders —meaning you've got access to seats that most others do not.
• Read Insider's guide to the best rewards credit cards.

Capital One Entertainment is a platform that allows you to book things like concerts, stand-up comedy shows, Broadway plays, and sporting events. You can even book fun activities, such as various city tours and tasting events hosted by famous chefs.

But Capital One Entertainment is much more than just a Ticketmaster alternative. It's that friend who "knows a guy" when all the tickets to your event are sold out — and it can get them for you at a really good price.

With MLB Opening Day next week, March Madness heating up, and the NCAA Frozen Four beginning today, Capital One Entertainment is particularly useful for Capital One credit card holders at the moment.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

2 ways Capital One Entertainment can help you attend your favorite events

1. It saves seats that aren't available anywhere else

While browsing Capital One's inventory of tickets, you may notice on many seats a tag below the price that says "Cardholder Exclusive Tickets by Capital One." This signifies that they are only bookable through Capital One. If you search other sites for the same seats, you won't find them.

Historically, MLB tickets have been a great deal via Capital One Entertainment. The quality of seats compared to the price are often a big win. Seats start at just 5,000 miles.

However, depending on the market, this could also be a very bad deal. Insider's points and miles valuations peg Capital One miles value at 1.7 cents each. If you're paying 5,000 miles for a seat, the cash price should $85 or more for it to be a good deal.

2. Its prices can be dramatically lower than other sites

You'll routinely find that Capital One charges much less for its cardholder exclusive tickets than you'll pay for non-exclusive tickets — whether through Capital One Entertainment or other sites.

Here's an example of a good deal via Capital One Entertainment versus other sites. For the NCAA Men's Final Four championship game, you'll pay $5,500 for:

• Two really good seats
• Two nights in a king room at the Marriott Marquis Houston
• Two tickets to pregame hospitality
• Access to Fan Fest
• Two VIP tickets to Capital One JamFest

Capital One exclusive events don't have a service fee or a delivery fee.

Do note that you also have the option to pay with Capital One miles for this event. But you'll only get a value of 0.8 cents per mile, which is not a good deal.

Now let's look at prices on Ticketmaster. For seats in the same section (and several rows farther away from the court), you'll pay a total of $7,737.95, including an offensive $1,235 in service fees. That's $2,237 more expensive than Capital One Entertainment — and you won't get a hotel stay and additional VIP access.

If you choose to buy your tickets with cash, you'll get 8% back for your spending if you've got one of the following cards:

• Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card - Product Name Only
• Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card - Product Name Only
• Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card - Product Name Only

8% is a stellar return rate that goes a long way to offset the price of your event. But it gets better.

If you've got a Capital One miles-earning credit card, such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card - Product Name Only or Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card - Product Name Only, you can turn that cash back into miles at a rate of 1 cent per mile. In other words, you'd effectively be earning 8 miles per dollar (equal to 13.6% back, per Insider's points and miles valuations).

The Savor cards also earn 10% back on Uber purchases — and offer statement credits to offset Uber One membership through November 14, 2024. That's helpful if you plan to use a rideshare app to get to the stadium.

What to know about booking sporting events via Capital One

Capital One Entertainment is a great way to find relatively inexpensive seats to events that are either outrageously expensive or sold out on other sites. Some cardholder-exclusive events can only be booked with rewards, though, so you'll do best if you have a healthy stash of Capital One miles on hand.