When people start travel hacking, two things that get them the most excited are sitting in the front of the plane (in business or first class) and getting into an airport lounge.
Unless you have a deluxe co-brand card that includes lounge membership or an American Express Platinum Card, you’re most likely to visit a lounge that’s part of the Priority Pass network. Priority Pass has agreements with lounges around the world and sells a membership that provides access to its members. Banks then provide a limited version of that membership to their luxury credit cardholders called Priority Pass Select.
For as long as I can remember, you had to take the extra step of enrolling with Priority Pass after getting a card that included a membership. Only then would you receive a plastic card in the mail which you HAD to show at the lounge for access. I make sure to always bring my Priority Pass card with me when I travel (it’s part of my pre-trip wallet shuffle.)
Things have gotten better now that Priority Pass offers a digital membership card that you can place in your digital wallet or access with the Priority Pass app. However, I don’t depend on that working because I’ve heard reports of some lounges refusing to take a digital membership and requiring the Priority Pass card for access.
This is why I was knocked back off my feet when I saw what Capital One says about Priority Pass access with the Venture X Card.
Having access with your digital card immediately is nice but it’s the third thing on the list which was a big surprise. In just 12 hours after enrollment with Priority Pass, you can use your Venture X card to access Priority Pass lounges.
No more having to bring an extra card with you to the lounge. You should now be able to show up at Priority Pass lounge (or restaurant or work/rest space) and simply show your Venture X card for access.
It makes sense that this was possible because all the lounge does is swipe your card. What difference does it make if it’s a Priority Pass card or a Capital One Venture X card, as long as the back end is set up to grant access to the cardholder?
The question now is why American Express, Chase or Citi hasn’t been able to do this for the past decade and it took Capital One to figure out this would be a worthwhile feature to add to their luxury card.
I’m curious if anyone has tried to enter a lounge just by using their Venture X card. Before you try it, remember that you have to activate your Priority Pass membership on the Capital One website at least 12 hours before visiting a club.
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2 comments
We have been using our European Credit cards to enter this way for a while. It’s nice to see the us finally catching up.
Being able to use your actual Venture X card for Priority Pass access is a nifty feature. Like you said, it’s a mystery why (in this uber techno age) this hasn’t been done until now. Will definitely try it next time.