Who should (and shouldn’t) get the Capital One Venture X card?

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

One of the most popular premium travel rewards credit cards is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees).

While its $395 annual fee is significant, the card offers a host of travel perks — from an up-to-$300 annual travel statement credit for purchases made through Capital One Travel to lounge access to up to four free authorized users — that can easily offset the full yearly cost of the card.

The card is a step up from the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees), the tried-and-true Capital One product that charges an annual fee of $95 but still offers a taste of what its more expensive sibling provides.

Of course, the Venture X isn’t for everyone. Let’s dig deeper to see who should — and shouldn’t — apply for this card.

Official application link: Capital One Venture X

Key Capital One Venture X benefits

The Capital One Venture X is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Those 75,000 miles are worth at least $750 when redeemed for travel directly through Capital One Travel or as statement credits toward other travel purchases. But their value is boosted to $1,388, according to TPG’s latest valuations, thanks to a robust set of airline and hotel transfer partners.

While that might be alluring enough on its own, the card extends plenty of other valuable, everyday benefits:

Earning: The Venture X earns 10 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked via Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked via Capital One Travel and an unlimited 2 miles per dollar on everything else
Statement credit: Up to $300 back in statement credits annually for bookings made through Capital One Travel
Anniversary bonus: 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary, starting on your first anniversary (worth at least $100 toward travel)
Lounge access: Complimentary access for cardholders, authorized users and up to two guests per visit to Capital One Lounges and for all guests traveling with the cardholder or authorized user to more than 1,400 Priority Pass lounges worldwide
Authorized users: Up to four authorized users can be added at no charge, and they also get the same guest access as the cardholder for the Capital One Lounge and Priority Pass
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Up to $100 in statement credits for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
Annual fee: $395(see rates and fees).

Who should get the Venture X?

If you’re considering the Venture X, let’s narrow down why the card might best fit you.

You want simplicity in a premium card

The Venture X credit card is a premium card that is simple to understand. Unlike some other products with a dizzying array of statement credits and third-party partners, the Venture X keeps its perks relatively straightforward.

In fact, the Venture X offers benefits that even beginner travelers can maximize, including a $300 annual travel credit through the travel portal (hotels, airfare and rental cars qualify). The Venture X also adopts a simple earning structure, accruing 2 miles per dollar on most charges, complemented by elevated earning rates for bookings made via Capital One Travel.

In addition, Venture X cardholders receive 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary. Those miles are worth $100 when redeemed via the travel portal or potentially even more if you transfer miles to an airline or hotel partner.

Simple math will show that between the annual travel credit and bonus miles on each account anniversary, you’re already breaking even on the $395 annual fee(see rates and fees). And that doesn’t include a variety of other perks.

You want access to airport lounges

While more and more travel credit cards seem to offer airport lounge access these days, the Venture X still has a few features that set it apart in this respect.

Venture X cardholders have access to a growing network of Capital One Lounges. Currently, two are open, at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dulles International Airport (IAD). The lounges have a modern design, premium dining experiences and a robust grab-and-go selection.

In addition, Venture X cardholders get access to over 1,400 Priority Pass lounges worldwide.

You want free authorized users

Venture X cardholders can add up to four authorized users at no cost.

That’s an excellent value proposition, considering authorized users get unlimited access to Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges worldwide — with the same guest policies as the cardholder.

In addition, authorized users get Hertz President’s Circle elite status. By registering through your Capital One account, your authorized user can enjoy top-tier status with Hertz car rentals.

Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program, and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.

You want some of the best travel protection benefits

This Visa Infinite card offers some of the industry’s most comprehensive travel and trip protection benefits.

That includes trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, cellphone protection, primary rental car protection, purchase protection, extended warranty protection and return protection.

Who shouldn’t get the Venture X?

While the Venture X is an impressive, high-end card, it isn’t for everyone. Let’s take a closer look.

You want a robust network of premium lounges right now

The Venture X offers extensive travel perks, but thus far, it has just two proprietary airport lounges open.

Indeed, while Capital One has grand ambitions with its own lounge network, Amex has a significant head start with Centurion Lounges at more than 20 airports, as well as the Global Lounge Collection, which includes Priority Pass and Delta Sky Clubs (when flying on the same day with Delta).

Therefore, certain flyers who often hit the lounge might prefer a card like The Platinum Card® from American Express.

You don’t travel much or plan to leverage transfer partners

To truly maximize the Venture X card, you should consider leveraging Capital One’s transfer program.

Capital One has made several significant advancements to its mileage program over the past few years, including shifting from just fixed-rate redemptions to adding airline and hotel transfer partners and improving mileage transfer rates. Currently, there are 18 airline and hotel transfer partners, with 16 transferring at a 1:1 ratio. If you don’t use transfer partners, the best you can do is a redemption rate of 1 cent per mile.

However, by utilizing transfer partners, there are several sweet spot redemption opportunities, including economy flights to Hawaii for just 7,500 Capital One miles by transferring to Turkish Miles&Smiles and redeeming for United business-class flights to South America for 50,000 Capital One miles by transferring to TAP Miles&Go.

Bottom line

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is an excellent option for those in the market for a premium credit card with easy-to-digest benefits. However, for those looking for a card with better lounge access or who don’t need the flexibility of airline and hotel transfer partners, there may be better options out there. That said, we think the card is nearly a no-brainer for travelers ranging from luxury seekers to the more budget-minded.

Learn more in our full review of the Venture X.

Apply for the Capital One Venture X and earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

For rates and fees of Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, click here.

For rates and fees of Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, click here.

Who should (and shouldn’t) get the Capital One Venture X card?

Key Capital One Venture X benefits