BEST CREDIT CARDSBEST CREDIT CARDSCAPITAL ONE VENTURE X REVIEW: A WORTHY OPTION AMONG PREMIUM CARDS

Capital One Venture X Review: A Worthy Option Among Premium Cards

Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on most purchases, and receive a slew of travel-related perks, including airport lounge access.
Gregory Karp Author Avatar
Oct 24, 2024 8:38 p.m. PDT
Edited by
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The Bottom Line

4.9

NerdWallet rating

A big sign-up bonus, travel credits, high rewards and airport lounge access could make this card worth the hefty annual fee.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Annual Fee
$395
Rewards Rate
2x-10x
Miles
Intro Offer
75,000
Miles
Recommended credit score
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
19.99%-29.74% Variable APR
Recommended credit score
Annual Fee
$395
Rewards Rate
2x-10x
Miles
Intro Offer
75,000
Miles
Recommended credit score
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
19.99%-29.74% Variable APR
Recommended credit score

  • Annual fee

    $395

  • Rewards rate

    2x-10x

  • Bonus offer

    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.

  • Intro APR

    N/A

  • Ongoing APR

    APR: 19.99%-29.74% Variable APR

    Cash Advance APR: 29.74%, Variable

  • Balance transfer fee

    Balance Transfer Fee applies to balances transferred at a promotional rate

  • Foreign transaction fee

    0%

View Rates and Fees
  • 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 and vacation rentals 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
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®

Pros and Cons

Pros

High rewards rate

New cardholder bonus offer

Lounge membership

Anniversary perk

Flexible rewards redemption

Cons

High annual fee

Requires excellent credit

Detailed Review

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has an excellent rewards rate, access to airport lounges and hundreds of dollars worth of travel credits that can make up for the $395 annual fee (see rates and fees).

To optimize the card, you’ll need to book on the issuer’s online travel portal. If that suits you, the card can stand up to the stiff competition in the market for premium travel credit cards. And despite its many features, the card is overall easier to understand than most premium cards, which can be baffling for newcomers.

You won’t get brand-specific perks, like free checked bags with a particular airline or a free hotel night at a hospitality chain, as you do with co-branded airline and hotel credit cards. But it offers the flexibility of the popular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, while adding a raft of perks that just might give it the X-factor to make it your ideal travel companion.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Basics

Card type: Travel.

Annual fee: $395 (see rates and fees).

Sign-up 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.

Rewards:

  • 2 miles per dollar spent on purchases.

  • 5 miles per dollar on flights booked via Capital One Travel.

  • 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel.

Redemption options:

  • Use miles to book travel through Capital One at a value of 1 cent per mile.

  • Redeem miles for statement credit against travel purchases at a value of 1 cent per mile.

  • Transfer miles to more than 15 partner airline and hotel programs. Per-mile value depends on the transfer partner and how you redeem the transferred miles.

  • Redeem miles for gift cards.

Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 19.99%-29.74% Variable APR.

Foreign transaction fees: None.

Credit required: Excellent.

Other benefits:

  • Up to a $300 annual credit for bookings made on Capital One Travel.

  • 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary (equal to $100 toward travel).

  • Unlimited access to Capital One Lounges and more than 1,300 lounges through the Capital One Partner Network.

  • Access to entertainment, sports and dining events through the Capital One Experiences program.

  • Complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status. (Car upgrades, expedited pickup and more.)

  • Credit of up to $120 for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck when you pay with the card.

  • Extra perks when you book a hotel stay through Capital One's Premier Collection like an $100 experience credit, daily breakfast for two people and complimentary WiFi.

  • Cell phone insurance.

  • Shopping protections. Includes price prediction, price watch, price drop protection, price match guarantee, extended warranty.

  • Travel protections.

(Note: Benefits may change over time.)

Compare to Other Cards

ANNUAL FEE
$395
INTRO APR
N/A
REGULAR APR
19.99%-29.74% Variable APR
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
ANNUAL FEE
$95
INTRO APR
N/A
REGULAR APR
20.99%-27.99% Variable APR
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
ANNUAL FEE
$0
INTRO APR
0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months from account opening and 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers
REGULAR APR
19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% Variable APR
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
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Benefits and Perks

High rewards rate

Bonus miles on travel spending are expected for a higher-end travel credit card, and this one has those if you’re willing to use Capital One’s online travel-booking site:

  • 5 miles per dollar on flights booked via Capital One Travel.

  • 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel.

Unlike some others in its category, this card is rewarding for everyday spending, too. It earns 2 miles per dollar spent on purchases outside those bonus areas. That’s an excellent rewards rate because so much spending falls outside the usual bonus categories.

If it’s your top-of-wallet card, you’ll rack up miles quickly even if you’re not booking a lot of travel.

Generous sign-up bonus

Sign-up bonuses can change over time, especially with travel credit cards. But the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has an excellent 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.

That's enough to cover the annual fee for nearly two years. The downside is you’ll have to put a lot of spending on the card first. Spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months is an average of about $1,333 per month.

Airport lounge access

Besides access to more than 1,300 Priority Pass lounges, a somewhat common offering on travel cards in this class, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers access to Plaza Premium Lounges and full access to the new Capital One Lounges. As of November 2023, Capital One Lounges are open at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, D.C., at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and at Denver International Airport.

🤓Nerdy Tip

Besides Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card holders, authorized users receive unlimited access to both types of lounges. Many travel credit cards restrict lounge access to the primary cardholder. Up to four authorized users can be added for free, which is not the case for other premium travel cards.

Anniversary perks

Central to the value of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card are the annual credits, which have substantial dollar value.

  • Up to a $300 annual credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel.

  • 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary (equal to $100 toward travel). The first batch of miles comes when you renew after one year of card membership.

Those credits alone, granted each year, make up for the annual fee. That assumes you’ll use the Capital One Travel online booking service. More on that later.

Flexible redemption options

Capital One's rewards program gives you several ways to use your miles for travel — both travel you already paid for and travel you want to book:

  • Redeem rewards as a statement credit. Book travel however you want, then redeem miles for statement credit for some or all of the cost. Miles are worth 1 cent each when redeemed, with no minimum redemption amount required. Any expense that Capital One considers "travel" is eligible, including not only flights and hotel stays, but "rail lines, car rental agencies, limousine services, bus lines, cruise lines, taxi cabs, travel agents and time shares," according to the Capital One website.

  • Book through the issuer's travel center. This online portal offers flights, hotels, rental cars and vacation packages. You can pay upfront with your miles, at a rate of 1 cent per mile.

  • Transfer miles to partners. Capital One lets you transfer your miles to the loyalty programs of a number of airline and hotel partners.

Airlines

  • Aeromexico (1:1 ratio).

  • Air Canada (1:1 ratio).

  • Air France-KLM (1:1 ratio).

  • Avianca (1:1 ratio).

  • British Airways (1:1 ratio).

  • Cathay Pacific (1:1 ratio).

  • Emirates (1:1 ratio).

  • Etihad (1:1 ratio).

  • EVA (2:1.5 ratio).

  • Finnair (1:1 ratio).

  • Qantas (1:1 ratio).

  • Singapore Airlines (1:1 ratio).

  • TAP Air Portugal (1:1 ratio).

  • Turkish Airlines (1:1 ratio).

Hotels

  • Accor (2:1 ratio).

  • Choice Privileges Hotels (1:1 ratio).

  • Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio).

Miles have no blackout dates and never expire.

Simplicity

“Simple” and “premium travel credit card” aren't concepts that usually go together, since the typical card in that category is wildly complicated. But relatively, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is easier to understand than, say, The Platinum Card® from American Express. That card has a dizzying array of benefits, many of which aren’t super-useful to everybody or take an inordinate amount of effort to use.

By contrast, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card at its core retains the simplicity of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card by offering a flat rewards rate on all spending and lets you use rewards to pay for travel.

It layers on airport lounge access and more rewards if you use the Capital One Travel portal.

The point is that someone willing to endure only modest hassle from their travel credit card can enjoy and benefit from the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. That same person might be frustrated by complex competing travel credit cards.

Travel-friendly perks

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers additional benefits frequent travelers will enjoy. Some come because it's a top-tier Visa Infinite card.

  • Complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status. This is the top status tier at Hertz. You can get confirmed one-car-class upgrades, 50% bonus on Gold Plus Rewards points on qualified rentals, free additional driver, expedited pickup and e-return, and more. The status is typically reserved for customers who have 20 or more rentals in a year or spend $4,000.

  • Trusted traveler application credit. A statement credit of up to $120 for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. The credit is available once every four years.

  • Cell phone insurance. This is for the primary cardholders and authorized users.

  • Travel protections. These include auto rental collision damage waiver, trip cancellation and interruption, and trip delay reimbursement.

  • No foreign transaction fees. Standard on travel credit cards and useful for overseas purchases (see rates and fees).

(Note: Benefits may change over time.)

MORE NERDY PERSPECTIVES

Face, Happy, Head

This is one of those cards with a high annual fee — but it's an annual fee that's relatively easy to justify. The annual travel credit is easy to use. Other benefits like lounge access are icing on the cake — and decadent icing at that. Plus, the transfer partners can make points ultra-valuable if you're willing to put in the effort to snag a great transfer redemption. Even if you don't go the transfer partner route and just use your points to book travel through Capital One, take solace in knowing that the bank's travel portal is better designed than similar portals from other competitors.

Sally French, writer/spokesperson, travel rewards

Venture X is my newest premium travel card, and I plan to make it my wallet's workhorse! Within a week of receiving the card, I had already used the annual travel credit for a trip to visit my parents. Between that travel credit, a massive sign-up bonus, lounge access and ability to transfer miles to partners for outsized value, I plan to keep the Venture X for years to come. The card basically pays me to hold it.

Craig Joseph, writer, travel rewards

I love the flexibility and simplicity. I recently used the card’s travel credit to book a flight to see a friend in Florida, and I used some of my miles for tourist activities like kayaking, water taxis and more. I’m also accumulating miles toward the next vacation without having to worry about expiration dates.

Melissa Lambarena, writer, credit cards

I'm the authorized user on my husband's card, and I love that I get to piggyback on the perks. I've used this card to gain access to lots of airport lounges. The annual fee is high, but with the travel credit, it's relatively easy to more than offset that fee each year. To me, this is a great blend of high-end benefits and extreme practicality.

Sara Rathner, writer/spokesperson, credit cards

Drawbacks and Considerations

Annual fee

With annual fees, it’s all relative. A yearly fee of $395 is substantial, but other luxury travel credit cards have similar or even significantly higher fees.

A sampling:

Still, if the big annual fee bothers you, but you like aspects of the card, consider the original Venture card with fewer perks: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. (See a comparison below.)

Outside the Capital One family, look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card with an annual fee of $95. It’s versatile and valuable as a travel credit card.

Value tied to booking portal

Capital One Travel, the issuer’s online travel-booking site, has nice features, including predictive pricing models and tools to help customers get the best deals — including proactively comparing hotel rates against Expedia, Orbitz and other travel booking sites. It offers access to thousands of flights, hotels and rental cars, and features free price-drop protection, 24/7 alerts and the option to freeze a price and come back 14 days later to book it.

But this card’s value is so tied to that booking portal that it diminishes one of the main traits of the Venture family of cards: flexibility.

If for some reason you won’t use Capital One Travel for booking, the bonus rewards for spending on this card as well as the huge $300 travel credit are worth nothing to you. The card’s value proposition quickly shrinks. Some savvy travelers prefer to book directly with hotels, for example, which adds to their elite status with a particular hotel chain or allows them to use status benefits they already have. Booking through a travel portal can negate those elite benefits.

By contrast, the competing Chase Sapphire Reserve® also links the value of its rewards to its travel portal. Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are worth 1.5 cents each if used to book travel there. But an important difference: Its $300 annual credit can be used for a broad range of travel purchases, including taxi rides, campground fees and train fares. That travel can be booked anywhere, and the credit is applied automatically.

The comparable anniversary credit on the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, one that can be used more flexibly for travel, is worth $100.

Granted, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a higher annual fee of $550.

Lack of familiar transfer partners

For travelers who like to squeeze every last drop of value out of loyalty programs, the growing roster of transfer partners of the the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is appealing. You can now transfer your Venture miles to more than a dozen airline partners — but none are U.S. carriers. While transferring miles to foreign airline carriers can bring outsize value for your miles, it may be overwhelming for those just beginning with transfers. It does offer U.S. hotel partners for transfers to such programs as Wyndham Rewards.

If you want to work all the angles, one of the aforementioned Chase travel cards might be a better choice: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. You can move points to several useful airline and hotel loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio. Partners include United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Marriott.

Chase’s transfer partners:

Airlines

  • Aer Lingus (1:1 ratio).

  • Air Canada (1:1 ratio).

  • Air France-KLM (1:1 ratio).

  • British Airways (1:1 ratio).

  • Emirates (1:1 ratio).

  • Iberia (1:1 ratio).

  • JetBlue (1:1 ratio).

  • Singapore (1:1 ratio).

  • Southwest (1:1 ratio).

  • United (1:1 ratio).

  • Virgin Atlantic (1:1 ratio).

Hotels

  • Hyatt (1:1 ratio).

  • InterContinental Hotels Group (1:1 ratio).

  • Marriott (1:1 ratio).

How it compares to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Both Venture cards are general travel credit cards and come with the same base rewards rate of 2 miles per dollar spent. You can redeem miles at 1 cent apiece for credit on your statement against a recent travel purchase, use them at Capital One Travel or transfer to more than 15 travel loyalty programs. And both offer the same credit for applying for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. A third Venture card, the $0-annual-fee Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card - Miles Boost, is a less useful comparison (see rates and fees).

Is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card worth the higher annual fee? Here’s a quick comparison.

Empty Table Header

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Annual fee

$395 (see rates and fees).

$95 (see rates and fees).

Sign-up 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.

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Base rewards

2X.

2X.

Rewards on hotels and car rentals booked on Capital One Travel

10X.

5X.

Rewards on flights booked on Capital One Travel

5X.

2X.

Credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

Yes.

Yes.

Annual credit for bookings made on Capital One Travel

$300.

None.

Annual bonus miles

10,000 ($100 toward travel).

None.

Airport lounges

Unlimited access to Capital One Lounges and more than 1,300 Priority Pass lounges internationally.

If you already have the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you can also apply for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

How To Decide If It's Right For You

The value of the annual credit for bookings at Capital One and the anniversary miles, if you can fully use them, pays the annual fee on this card.

So the healthy rewards and the perks, including airport lounge access, are essentially free. That makes the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card a contender for people on the hunt for a premium travel credit card.

Still unsure about whether this card, or any travel card, is what you need? See our best credit cards page for options across categories.

Hertz President's Club status: Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. 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.

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.

Alternate Pick: Lower annual fee

This card earns bonus rewards in a variety of popular spending categories, including dining and travel. You can transfer points on a 1:1 basis to about a dozen airline and hotel programs, or you can use them to book travel through Chase at 1.25 cents per point. Annual fee: $95.


Methodology

NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.

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