Capital One Venture X Rewards Critical Analysis


Luxury Travel Card with Premium Benefits

If you are in the market for a premium card and are open to a higher annual fee in return for valuable travel perks this card is the perfect option for you.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Intro Bonus
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Purchase APR & Balance Transfer APR
21.99% – 28.99% (Variable)
Rewards
2X – 10X Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Terms apply

5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. Terms apply

Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
Annual Fee
$395
Rates and Fees

Critics' Overview

If you have excellent credit (720 – 850*) and are looking to take your travel rewards to the next level then you don’t want to miss what this card has to offer. It does come with a steep annual fee but the introductory bonus, ongoing rewards and exlusive perks quickly justify the fee.

Card Details From Capital One

  • Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
  • Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
  • Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
  • Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
  • Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
  • Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
  • Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®

Our Critical Analysis


  • Generous new cardmember offer
  • $300 annual travel credit, terms apply
  • Bonus miles each year you renew
  • Complimentary lounge access

  • High annual fee
  • No intro APR period on purchases or balance transfers
  • Most benefits are only worthwhile for frequent travelers

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the perfect match for someone who is a frequent traveler or looking to enhance their travel experiences. While you have to pay a hefty $395 annually in order to be a cardholder, taking advantage of all this card has to offer quickly justifies that fee (and then some). If the annual fee is a dealbreaker then we suggest you check out its sister card the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card which carries a much lower $95 fee.

To start, you will earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months which can be redeemed for at least $750 towards travel. You’ll also receive a $300 annual credit for any travel bookings you make through the Capital One Travel portal. You will also recoup another $100 in value each year on your cardmember anniversary in the form of 10,000 bonus miles.

Travel purchases will be where you can rack up rewards extremely fast as you’ll earn 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and car rentals and 5 miles per dollar spent on flights. It is important to note that you must book through the Capital One Travel portal to qualify for these reward rates. Aside from travel purchases, Capital One keeps it simple and awards cardholders 2 miles per dollar spent on all other transactions. This is a fantastic base rate, making this card an excellent choice for everyday purchases. You can also add additional cardholders to your account for no fee to earn miles even faster.

When it comes time to cashing in your hard-earned miles, Capital One offers several options with the most valuable being redemptions for travel purchases. You can redeem miles to cover the cost of any travel purchase made with your Venture X card within 90 days and your miles will be worth 1 cent each. Additionally, you can redeem your miles directly in the Capital One Travel portal, use your miles to purchase gift cards or get a statement credit. Capital One continues to enhance its rewards program and now you can transfer miles to more than 15 travel loyalty programs. This is a great option that can push your mile redemption value over the 1-cent mark if you know how to navigate these travel partners and their award booking programs.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card card will take your travel to the next level since you will get unlimited access to Capital One Lounges and more than 1,300 lounges through the Partner Lounge Network. You will also get a credit of up to $100 for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck when you pay with the card and travel protections like primary auto rental insurance and travel accident protection. There are no foreign transaction fees to worry about either, making it a great option for international travel.

Since launching in late 2021, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has quickly become a fan favorite for travelers for good reason. If you are open to making your travel bookings through Capital One and will be able to take advantage of perks like lounge access, the $395 shouldn’t scare you off since annual perks will get you at least $400 in value. If you have excellent credit then select ‘Apply Now‘ to view all the card details and easily apply.


Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.
*CardCritics references a FICO® 8 score, which is one of many different types of credit scores. A financial institution may use a different score when evaluating your application.