The Capital One Venture X card entered the premium travel credit card space with a splash, offering a compelling mix of rewards, perks and a lower annual fee than several of its competitors.
When it first launched, it was one of the easiest premium travel cards to recommend. The math was simple, the benefits were strong and the lounge access was unusually generous, especially for a card with a $395 annual fee.
But the premium card landscape has changed. Banks have adjusted benefits, lounge access has become more crowded and less generous, and travelers are taking a harder look at whether these expensive cards still deserve a place in their wallets.
So, does the Venture X still hold its place as one of the most valuable luxury travel cards? Let’s take a fresh look.
Capital One Venture X
Annual Fee
$395 per year.
Additional cardholders can still be added to the account, but lounge access for them is no longer automatically included the way it once was. Capital One now charges an annual fee for eligible additional cardholders who want access to Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings and participating Priority Pass lounges.
Sign Up Benefits
This card currently offers a 75,000-mile bonus if you make $4,000 in purchases within the first three months after account opening.
We’d appreciate it if you used our referral link for the Venture X card if you are interested in applying. If you’re approved, we’ll get a referral bonus.
Earning Rewards
Venture X’s bonus categories mainly focus on travel bookings made through Capital One Travel. Capital One refers to its rewards as “miles,” but the program is not distance-based for earning or redemptions. A more accurate way to think of them is as flexible points in the Capital One Miles program.
- 10X on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5X on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- 5X on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- 2X on all other purchases
The big advantage is that the card earns 2X on everything. That makes it a useful card for purchases that don’t fall into another card’s bonus category.
The downside is that the biggest bonus categories require booking through Capital One Travel. That can be fine for airfare or rental cars, but I’m more cautious with hotel bookings. When booking hotels through a third party, you’re usually giving up hotel elite benefits, hotel points and direct-booking protections.
Redeeming Rewards
The miles you earn with your Venture X card can be used in several ways:
- You can use miles to erase travel expenses charged to the card at the value of 1 cent per mile. Purchases made from airlines, hotels, rail lines, car rental agencies, limousine services, bus lines, cruise lines, taxi cabs, travel agents and timeshares are generally considered travel purchases, though eligibility is based on the merchant category code assigned by the merchant.
- You can book directly through Capital One Travel using your miles at the value of 1 cent per mile.
- You can redeem for cash or a statement credit at the value of 0.5 cents per mile. Please don’t do this. It’s a poor value compared to the other options.
Besides using miles to pay for travel, you can also transfer Capital One miles to travel partners. That’s often the best way to get more value from your miles, though it depends heavily on which partner you use and whether award space is available.
Capital One currently has a wide range of airline and hotel transfer partners, including:
- Aeromexico Rewards
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Finnair Plus
- Flying Blue
- Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- TAP Miles&Go
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Virgin Red
- Accor Live Limitless
- Choice Privileges
- I Prefer Hotel Rewards
- Wyndham Rewards
Most partners transfer at a 1:1 ratio, but not all of them do. For example, Accor Live Limitless transfers at 2:1, I Prefer Hotel Rewards transfers at 1:2, JetBlue transfers at 5:3, and some airline partners transfer at 2:1.5.
This is one of the reasons I still like the Venture X. Capital One miles aren’t tied to a single airline or hotel chain, and they can be used in several ways. They’re not my favorite transferable points currency, but they’re flexible enough that I don’t worry about being stuck with them.
Key Benefits and Perks
Venture X cardholders receive a $300 annual travel credit based on the cardholder’s anniversary date, not the calendar year. Eligible travel needs to be booked through Capital One Travel.
This is an important limitation. I wouldn’t value the credit the same as cash because you have to use Capital One Travel. But for many travelers, it’s still relatively easy to use on flights, rental cars or the occasional hotel booking where the price is competitive.
Anniversary Bonus
Cardholders receive 10,000 bonus miles each year, starting on their first anniversary.
Since those miles are worth at least $100 toward travel, the $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles can offset the $395 annual fee for many cardholders.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
As you would hope for a card marketed to travelers, the Venture X doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.
$120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit
Every four years, you can get up to a $120 statement credit for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Lounge Access
This is where the Venture X has changed the most.
Venture X cardholders still receive airport lounge access, but the benefit is no longer as generous as it was when the card first launched.
- Capital One Lounges and Capital One Landings – Venture X primary cardholders receive access to Capital One Lounge and Landing locations. Current locations include Capital One Lounges at airports such as DFW, DEN, IAD, JFK and LAS, as well as Capital One Landing locations at DCA and LGA. Access is subject to availability, and cardholders need to present their eligible card or digital lounge pass.
- Priority Pass – Venture X primary cardholders are eligible for Priority Pass Select membership after enrollment, which provides access to participating Priority Pass lounges. As before, this Priority Pass membership does not include non-lounge benefits, such as airport restaurant credits.
The major change is guest access. Venture X cardholders no longer receive the same free guest access they once did. Guests now cost extra at Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings and Priority Pass lounges unless you qualify for complimentary guest access through Capital One’s spending requirement.
That makes the Venture X less valuable for families, couples and anyone who added authorized users mainly for lounge access. For solo travelers, the benefit can still be useful, especially if you fly through airports with a Capital One Lounge. But I would no longer tell someone to get the Venture X solely because of the lounge benefit.
Car Rental Benefits
The Capital One Venture X card provides complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status. This is Hertz’s top-tier status and usually requires 15 rentals or spending $3,000. You need to link your Hertz account to Capital One, and it can take a while for the status to show on your rentals.
Primary Rental Car Coverage
The Venture X is one of the few cards that provides primary rental car CDW coverage. This means you don’t have to file a claim with your personal auto insurance first. U.S. rentals for up to 15 days are covered for cars valued up to $75,000. International rentals are covered for up to 31 days.
This coverage is almost as good as what you’ll get with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Travel Insurance and Protections
Since it’s a Visa Infinite card, the Venture X has good travel protection insurance. You’ll have coverage for lost luggage, trip cancellation/interruption and trip delays. Unlike some delay coverages, this one kicks in at 6 hours or overnight.
The one coverage missing is luggage delay coverage.
Exclusive Hotel Discounts and Perks
When booking through Capital One Travel, Venture X cardholders get special perks at select higher-end hotels.
For Premier Collection hotels, bookings can include a $100 experience credit, breakfast for two, a room upgrade and early check-in and late checkout, when available. For Lifestyle Collection hotels, cardholders can receive a $50 experience credit, room upgrade, early check-in, late checkout when available and free Wi-Fi.
These benefits can be valuable, but remember that these bookings are still made through Capital One Travel. If you’re booking a hotel where you care about elite night credits, hotel points or elite benefits through the hotel program, compare carefully before booking through the portal.
Cell Phone Insurance
If you pay your cell phone bill with your Venture X card, you’ll receive up to $800 in coverage for damage to or theft of your phone. There’s a $50 deductible and a maximum of 2 claims per year.
You have to decide if it’s worth using the coverage from a credit card or paying for separate insurance.
Shopping Protection
The Venture X card also provides purchase protection, extended warranty protection and return protection. These benefits aren’t the main reason to get the card, but they’re useful to have when something goes wrong with a purchase.
Other Travel-Related Memberships
Capital One Venture X cardholders get a complimentary PRIOR subscription, a service focused on trip planning, destination guides and unique experiences.
The card also provides a discounted membership with The Cultivist, which provides access to museums around the world. This benefit has changed from the earlier version, which offered a short complimentary membership, so check the current terms.
Is the Venture X Still Worth It?
When Capital One launched the Venture X, it was one of the easiest premium travel cards to recommend. The annual fee was lower than many competitors, the $300 Capital One Travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles helped offset the cost, and the lounge access benefit was unusually generous.
That’s no longer quite as true.
The Venture X is still a strong card, especially if you can use the $300 Capital One Travel credit without forcing a booking you wouldn’t otherwise make. Add in the 10,000 anniversary miles, 2X earning on everyday purchases, primary rental car coverage and flexible redemption options, and the card can still justify its $395 annual fee.
But the lounge access changes matter. Losing free guest access makes the card less compelling for couples, families and anyone who added additional cardholders mainly for lounge access. It’s still a good card for solo travelers or people who value simplicity, but it’s no longer the runaway value it once was.
For me, the Venture X remains worth keeping. But I’d no longer call it an automatic recommendation for every traveler looking for a premium card.
Final Thought
The Capital One Venture X is still one of the better premium travel cards, but the reason to keep it has changed.
It’s no longer mainly about lounge access. That benefit is still useful, but it has been weakened enough that I wouldn’t build the entire value proposition around it.
Instead, the card’s appeal now lies in its simplicity. You get a $300 Capital One Travel credit, 10,000 anniversary miles, 2X earning on everything, flexible miles, solid rental car coverage and useful travel protections, all for a $395 annual fee.
That’s still a compelling package, as long as you’ll use the travel credit and you’re not relying on free lounge access for the whole family.
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