The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a must-have card for travelers.
The Venture X card comes with a $300 annual credit credit for bookings through Capital One, airport lounge access, 10x miles on hotels and rental cars, and 5x miles on flights booked through the travel portal, and top-tier Hertz President’s Circle elite status.
The card also earns an unlimited 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases, making it the best card for everyday purchases.
This article will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
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- $300 Annual Credit for Bookings through Capital One Travel
- 10,000 Miles for Each Account Anniversary
- Hertz President’s Circle Elite Status
- Airport Lounge Access (Priority Pass, Capital One, & Plaza Premium)
- 10X Miles on Hotels and Rental Cars, and 5x Miles on Flights Booked with Capital One Travel
- 2X Miles on All Other purchases
- $395 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
The Venture X currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Earning Miles
The Venture X earns miles that you can transfer to airline and hotel points partners, which you can earn at the following rates:
- 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
- 2 miles per dollar on other purchases.
Annual Fee
The Venture X has an annual fee of $395, which sounds steep at first.
But when you factor in the $300 travel credit and 10,000 points (worth at least $100 towards travel), you actually make a $5 profit each year without factoring other benefits.
Card Benefits of the Venture X
The Venture X comes with a lot of premium benefits that makes this one of my favorite cards:
$300 Annual Travel Credit
Venture X cardholders receive a $300 annual credit for travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal to book flights, hotels, or rental cars.
The credit applies every cardmember year, including the first year. For example, if you open the card in February, the travel credit will reset every February.
The credit can be used across multiple transactions until the $300 limit is reached, and no registration is necessary for the credit.
The Capital One Travel portal is powered by the website Hopper, so booking is quite easy. You can even see the cheapest dates to fly.
One thing to remember is that hotels booked via a travel portal like Capital One do not entitle you to elite status benefits or the ability to earn hotel points.
But you can still enjoy elite status benefits and points for flights or car rentals booked via a travel portal.
10,000 Miles Every Card Anniversary
As an incentive to keep your Venture X rewards card for the long-term, Capital One offers 10,000 miles every cardmember anniversary, which occurs about every 12 months after you first open the card.
The 10,000 bonus miles will post to your account within one or two billing cycles of you paying the $395 annual fee.
10,000 bonus miles are worth at least $100 towards travel, but it could be worth $150 to $200 by transferring the miles to airline mileage programs.
Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
This card comes with Priority Pass airport lounge access, which gets you access to over 1,300 airport lounges.
Nothing is better than escaping the hustle and bustle of the airport and to escape the crowds to get free food and drinks.
Capital One Airport Lounges
Capital One introduced their own airport lounges in 2021 to compete with the American Express Centurion Lounge network.
Currently, there is only one lounge open in Dallas (DFW) with future plans to open lounges in Washington D.C. (IAD) and Denver (DEN) in 2023.
The Dallas Capital One Lounge is top of the line.
It features a premium in-lounge dining experience with seasonal menus and regionally sourced ingredients, along with craft cocktails on tap, local beers, regional wines, and a full-service coffee and espresso bar from La Colombe. Plus, there are grab-and-go food and drink options for the plane.
The Dallas Lounge also offers a fitness studio with Pelotons, shower suites, relaxation rooms, private nursing rooms, and nap pods.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit
This card offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit like many other travel cards.
TSA PreCheck is a membership program offering dedicated airport security lines and faster security screening (typically 5 minutes or less) at more than 200 airports across the United States and includes over 81 airlines.
Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck and expedited immigration upon arrival from an international trip back to the United States.
Hertz President Circle Status
Another great benefit of the Venture X card is Hertz President Circle elite status, which gets you upgrades and extra points.
At airport locations, it also allows you to choose any car in the President’s Circle aisle when you book at least an intermediate car. At most airports, I typically find BMWs, Infiniti sedans, Ford Mustangs, Dodge Chargers, and SUVs.
If you already have the Venture X, you and your authorized users can easily upgrade by (1) signing into Capital One, (2) clicking “Redeem” in the Rewards box, (3) clicking “Benefits” at the top of the page, (4) clicking “Hertz President’s Circle Status,” and (5) filling out your information in the screenshot below.
Up to Four Free Authorized Users
Capital One Venture X card members can add up to four authorized users to the Venture X card for free.
The ability to add four free authorized users is a big selling point for this card because your authorized users get:
- Hertz President’s Circle elite status.
- Free Airport Lounge Access with Priority Pass and Capital One Lounges, including two free guests.
- Travel Protections such as Trip Delay Insurance, Rental Car Insurance, Lost Luggage Protection, and Trip Cancellation Insurance when using the Venture X to pay for travel.
- Purchase Protection when using the Venture X to pay for items.
- Ability to earn 2 to 10 miles per dollar on purchases, which helps you maximize rewards for family spending.
Adding an authorized user will not qualify you to an additional $300 travel credit, 10,000 anniversary miles bonus, or an additional TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry credit.
But if an authorized user made a purchase via the Capital One Travel Portal, that would could towards the $300 credit. Or if the authorized user purchased Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check, that would use that credit.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
This card has no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the U.S., which is helpful if you travel internationally to help you avoid paying a 3% fee on those international purchases.
Primary Rental Car Insurance
Primary rental car insurance covers any damage to a rental car when you pay for the rental using this card.
But you still need to maintain liability car insurance to cover damage to another person or property.
Trip Delay Insurance
This card offers trip delay insurance when you purchase your flight with this card.
This reimburses you for reasonable expenses things like hotels, food, transportation, and other necessary items.
Flights are increasingly delayed or canceled, and it is too risky to not use a card that offers free trip delay insurance.
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance reimburses you for non-refundable expenses if your trip is interrupted or canceled for a covered reason such as illness, severe weather, or an accidental injury when you pay for your travel expenses with this card.
Lost Luggage Protection
Baggage insurance covers the cost to repair or replace your luggage and the contents inside if your bag is lost or damaged during a covered trip.
You must purchase the trip with this card, and it will also cover immediate family members traveling with you.
Purchase Protection
Purchase protection can save you a lot of money if you bought an eligible item that is damaged or stolen within 90-days.
For example, if accidentally dropped your new phone or laptop and broke the screen, you could file a claim to get it replaced if it was purchased within the last 90 days.
Extended Warranty
Credit card extended warranty protection adds up to an additional year of coverage for eligible purchases on manufacturer’s warranties up to 3 years.
Coverage matches the protection provided by the original warranty so that damage or defect would have to be covered by the original warranty for extended warranty coverage.
Cell Phone Insurance
Breaking or losing your cell phone is never a pleasant experience, especially when cell phones cost over $800+ to replace.
You can avoid paying these steep costs when you pay your cell phone bill with this credit card.
There is no cost for cell phone insurance saving you about $10 per month per phone, but you will have to pay a small deductible if you make a claim.
Return Protection
If a retailer of an item won’t accept a return within 90-days of purchase, you can get reimbursed for the cost of up to $300 per item and $1,000 per account via Venture X’s credit card return protection.
Special Capital One Perks
This card offers special perks for being a Capital One cardholder:
- Capital One Travel: Access the Capital One Travel portal for exclusive prices on flights, hotel stays, and more. Pay with your rewards, your card, or a combination of the two.
- Capital One Entertainment: Access exclusive music, sports, and dining experiences through Capital One Entertainment. This could include pre-sales, special event tickets, tickets for suites, and more.
- Capital One Dining: Access exclusive cardholder-only reservations at restaurants and tickets to special culinary experiences.
- Capital One Cafes: Get 50% off drinks using your Capital One card at Capital One Cafes.
- CreditWise: Get access to your credit score access and receive alerts about changes to your Experian or Transunion credit reports with Capital One’s tool CreditWise.
Travel Accident Insurance
Travel accident insurance pays out a specified benefit in the very unlikely scenario that you or your immediate family become severely injured, including dismemberment, loss of sight, hearing, or speech, or death due to a covered accident on a common carrier during your travels when purchased with this card.
Travel and Emergency Assistance
Cardholders have access to Visa Infinite’s Travel and Emergency Assistance Services when traveling.
This benefit is not travel insurance, and all additional costs are your responsibility. Still, they can help with providing legal and medical referrals, emergency transportation assistance, prescription assistance, and help you locate your lost luggage.
For example, if you got into legal trouble abroad, Visa could provide free assistance to help you locate an English-speaking attorney or get in contact with the U.S. embassy, but any costs of the attorney would be your responsibility.
Visa Infinite Concierge
The Venture X card gets access to the Visa Infinite Concierge, which can help you with travel planning, buying tickets, booking reservations, and other tasks.
You can reach the Visa Infinite Concierge by emailing [email protected] or calling:
- 1-877-660-0905 (inside the US)
- 1-312-800-4290 (worldwide).
Car Rental Discounts
You get access as a cardmember to car rental discounts and perks via Visa Infinite, including:
- Avis – Up to a 30% discount.
- Hertz- Special savings, one-car class upgrade (when available), two-hour grace period, and 10% extra points when using special Visa Infinite Hertz CDP # 2150933.
- National- Complimentary Executive Club Executive level membership, plus up to a 25% savings via this link.
- Silvercar– Up to a 30% discount when you pay using your Visa Infinite card.
Visa Infinite Benefits
This credit card also gets access to other Visa Infinite benefits, including:
- Access to Luxury Hotel Collection.
- Free Membership to Shipt.
- Pre-sale to Sofar Sounds shows (mystery pop-up music shows in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and London)
- 3-month free to Skillshare and 30% annual memberships.
- NortonLifeLock’s ID Navigator, which monitors the dark web, monitors one-credit bureau and offers stolen wallet assistance.
- Buy One Get One wine tastings in Sonoma, California.
- Discounts and Premium benefits at 115+ golf courses with Troon Golf.
Redeeming Capital One Miles
There are several ways to redeem Capital One miles. The easiest way is to redeem miles for one cent per mile towards the cost of a travel purchase or for gift cards.
But for the most value, you will want to convert Capital One miles to airline or hotel points at the partners listed below.
My favorite programs are:
- Turkish Miles & Smiles: Fly to Hawaii on United Airlines for just 7,500 miles one-way.
- British Airways: Book short-haul flight on American Airlines.
- Avianca LifeMiles: A quirky program with great options to fly to Europe in business class.
- Air France Flying Blue: You can score some great deals in their monthly promo rewards including very cheap economy flights to Europe.
AeroMexico
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Air Canada (Aeroplan)
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Air France (Flying Blue)
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Avianca (LifeMiles)
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British Airways
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Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles)
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Emirates
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Etihad
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EVA
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Finnair
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Qantas
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Singapore (KrisFlyer)
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TAP Portugal
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Turkish Airlines
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Virgin Red
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Accor (2:1)
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Choice Hotels
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Wyndham Rewards
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Pros and Cons of the Venture X
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros:
- Unlimited 2x miles on everyday spending is huge! This is why I put the majority of my spending on this card.
- You can offset the annual fee with minimal effort.
- Four free authorized users who also get many benefits.
Cons:
- The Capital One Lounge network is much smaller than American Express’ Centurion Lounge network.
What Cards Compete with the Venture X?
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Better Airport Lounge Access
The Platinum Card® from American Express (review) is a great premium travel rewards card for travelers who want airport lounge access, including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), Escape Lounges, Priority Pass lounges.
The American Express Platinum has a $695 annual fee, but you receive many annual statement credits when you enroll your card to offset the fee, including:
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Card.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- $200 Uber Cash Credit: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Benefit renews annually.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive a statement credit that covers the full cost each month.
- $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus at 45+ airports nationwide and get up to $189 back per year on your membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®.
You also earn 5x Membership Rewards points when booking flights directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year) and 5x Membership Rewards points when booking prepaid hotels with American Express Travel.
On top of that, you automatically earn Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold statuses, which offer points bonuses, room upgrades, late check-out, and other premier benefits.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
More Points on Dining and Other Travel
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- $300 Annual Travel Credit
- 10x Points on Hotels and Rental Cars and 5x Points on Flights Booked Through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3x Points on Dining, Takeout, & Eligible Food Delivery
- 50% More Redemption Value
- Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $550 Annual Fee
The card_name (review) is a great option for travelers who want premium perks such as airport lounge access and top-tier travel protections.
The Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee, but you receive an annual easy-to use $300 travel credit and access to 1,300+ Priority Pass airport lounges.
Plus, great benefits such as trip delay insurance, primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase and return protection, extended warranty, and no foreign transaction fees.
Cardmembers also earn extra points with:
- 5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- 3x points on travel.
- 3x points on dining, and food delivery purchases.
- 1x points everywhere else.
One thing to remember is that you won’t earn points on your first $300 in travel purchases each cardmember year since the $300 travel credit covers those purchases.
You can also cash out points at a 50% bonus (1.5 cents per point) when redeeming points towards travel or transfer the points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
Is the Capital One Venture X Worth It?
The Capital One Venture X is my favorite travel rewards credit card and the card I use almost everywhere, with the exception of the American Express® Gold Card (review) for restaurants and supermarkets, Bilt Mastercard® (review) for rent, and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (review) for business expenses.
I love the ability to get a ton of premium perks for effectively no annual fee when factoring in the $300 travel credit and 10,000 miles each anniversary. Plus, I can share the benefits with my family by adding them as authorized users.
The Venture X definitely a card that you should consider add to your wallet if you travel at least a few times per year.
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- $300 Annual Credit for Bookings through Capital One Travel
- 10,000 Miles for Each Account Anniversary
- Hertz President’s Circle Elite Status
- Airport Lounge Access (Priority Pass, Capital One, & Plaza Premium)
- 10X Miles on Hotels and Rental Cars, and 5x Miles on Flights Booked with Capital One Travel
- 2X Miles on All Other purchases
- $395 Annual Fee
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
