Capital One Venture X Card Review: An Outstanding Value for Travelers

Capital One Venture X Benefits

The Capital One Venture X comes with a range of benefits that can help you travel cheaply and comfortably. And, when you use your card for purchases, you’ll receive excellent travel and purchase coverage.

Welcome Offer Worth at Least $750

The first thing most people look at when evaluating a new credit card is the welcome offer, and the Capital One Venture X comes in strong, offering new members 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. These miles are worth a minimum of $750 if you redeem them to pay for travel purchases made with your Venture X card or book travel through Capital One Travel, but they can potentially be worth a lot more if strategically transferred to the right airline or hotel partner.

$300 Annual Capital One Travel Credit

Venture X cardholders receive a $300 annual travel statement credit toward booking flights, hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars through Capital One Travel. This credit gives you a lot of flexibility, since it doesn’t lock you into a single travel loyalty program, and it significantly offsets most of the card’s annual fee.

10,000 Anniversary Bonus Miles

In addition to the travel credit, Venture X cardholders receive 10,000 bonus Capital One miles on each account anniversary. With a minimum value of $100, these miles, combined with the travel credit, fully cover the annual fee. It’s worth underscoring just how rare this is; while many premium credit cards charge massive annual fees and offer various credits, they often require a lot of work to maximize. The Venture X is the only card that so easily pays for itself year after year.

Airport Lounge Access

Venture X cardholders and authorized users receive a Priority Pass Select membership, which comes with access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide. Capital One also offers its own network of premium airport lounges for Venture X cardholders, with locations currently open in Denver (DEN), Dallas (DFW), and Washington, D.C. (IAD and DCA). Enrollment required.

Note: Effective Feb. 1, 2026, Capital One Venture X airport lounge access policies for authorized users and guests will change.

Airline and Hotel Transfer Partners

Capital One’s list of transfer partners may not be as large as other issuers’, but it’s grown to be a real powerhouse in the industry. Venture X cardholders can transfer their miles to top frequent flyer programs in every major airline alliance, including Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club and Air France-KLM Flying Blue. Capital One also partners with a few hotel loyalty programs, including Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards.

Top-Notch Travel and Purchase Protections

As a Visa Infinite card, the Venture X comes with a broad range of generous travel and purchase coverage that kicks in when you use your card for eligible purchases. Cardholders receive:

• Primary car rental insurance
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Travel accident insurance
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty
• Return protection
• Cell phone protection

Capital One Venture X Drawbacks

As with any card, the Capital One Venture X has limitations that can be a dealbreaker for some consumers.

High Annual Fee

While loaded with perks, there’s no getting around the Capital One Venture X annual fee of $395. Even if you recoup that value later in the year with your travel credit, bonus miles and other benefits, that upfront charge still stings.

Fewer Bonus Categories

Simplicity can be a pro or a con. While the Venture X doesn’t earn bonus miles in categories like dining and travel, its base rate of 2 miles per dollar beats the 1x offered by most other cards on the market. Your upside might be more limited (unless you book travel through the Capital One portal to earn 5 or 10 miles per dollar), but you’re guaranteed a strong base earning rate.

Fewer Lifestyle Perks Than Other Premium Cards

The Venture X doesn’t offer nearly as many lifestyle benefits as other premium credit cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express (an advertising partner) or Chase Sapphire Reserve® do. For example, you won’t get any dining or shopping credits, and it’s missing some of the brand partnerships you’ll find on competing cards.

The saving grace is that the Venture X’s annual fee is relatively low compared to those cards, so it might help to think about the Venture X as more of a premium lite product.

Who Is the Capital One Venture X Card Best For?

The Capital One Venture X is best for someone who travels at least a couple of times a year, and doesn’t mind spending a little more money to get valuable benefits that enhance the travel experience. If you happen to live in Denver, D.C. or Dallas, where modern Capital One Lounges are already open, even better.

It’s also a great choice for those who spend more on their credit cards and are looking for a one-stop shop for their reward options. While it doesn’t offer bonus categories in dining or travel, the strong base earning rate of 2 miles per dollar means you don’t have to think twice about using your Venture X for any type of purchase.

You might also consider the Venture X if you value flexibility in your redemptions. Capital One gives you two main options to pick from: either redeeming your miles at a rate of 1 cent each to erase travel purchases made with your card or booking through Capital One Travel, or transferring miles to airline and hotel partners to book award flights and stays.

You can also redeem your miles for cash back, gift cards, shopping on Amazon and a few other options, but these are a poor value and get you less than 1 cent per mile.

Is the Capital One Venture X the Right Card for You?

The Capital One Venture X card may be right for you if any of the following apply:

• You want a premium card for enhanced travel benefits
• You spend a lot on travel and can take advantage of the bonuses offered when booking through Capital One Travel
• You live in a city where Capital One has an airport lounge
• You value simplicity and don’t want to jump through hoops to justify a high annual fee

Alternatives to the Capital One Venture X

If you’re not convinced that the Capital One Venture X meets your needs, here are a couple of other premium options to consider:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve: With a $795 annual fee, the Sapphire Reserve offers many of the same benefits as the Venture X, including airport lounge access, strong travel and purchase protections, and an annual travel credit worth up to $300. Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are more flexible than Capital One miles, and Chase’s list of transfer partners could be more useful if you prefer domestic airlines or larger hotel chains.
• Amex Platinum: This iconic card charges a whopping $695 annual fee but comes with a bevy of statement credits toward hotel stays, digital entertainment, airline incidental fees and more. These perks, along with airport lounge access, are potentially more valuable than what the Venture X provides, but you’ll have to put in a lot of work to maximize them.

If you like the idea of the Venture X but can’t justify paying the annual fee, consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card instead. It earns the same base 2 miles per dollar with access to the same transfer partners, and offers a compelling welcome bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. The annual fee is a more manageable $95.