Our Take
The bottom line:
An annual travel credit, stellar welcome offer and souped-up travel perks make the Capital One Venture X Business card a worthy add to your business’s wallet, even with the high annual fee.
Capital One Venture X Business
Annual fee
$395
Regular APR
N/A
Intro APR
N/A
Apply now
on Capital One's website
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Lounge membership
- High rewards rate
- Welcome offer
Cons
- High annual fee
- Requires excellent credit
- Balance must be paid in full every month
Compare to Other Cards
at Capital One | at Chase | at American Express |
Annual fee $395 | Annual fee $95 | Annual fee $375 |
Regular APR N/A | Regular APR 21.24%-26.24% Variable APR | Regular APR 19.49%-28.49% Variable APR |
Intro APR N/A | Intro APR N/A | Intro APR N/A |
Recommended credit score 720-850excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent |
Full Review
The
Capital One Venture X Business
card serves up perks like lounge access, an annual travel credit and bonus miles. Yes, the annual fee is high ($395
). But if you’re eyeing a premium travel card like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
, the Capital One Venture X Business
card is a competitive alternative.The
Capital One Venture X Business
card also delivers a whopper of a welcome offer (though you have to spend a pretty penny to get it) and earns 2
miles per $1 on all purchases, with no caps or restrictions. That’s double the rewards offered by most business travel cards. And the Capital One Venture X Business
card offers extra miles on travel booked through Capital One’s travel portal.While that all may sound too good to pass up, business owners should consider a few things before getting the
Capital One Venture X Business
card. First, you’ll need excellent credit (we recommend a FICO score of at least
720
) to qualify. Second, the Capital One Venture X Business
card is a charge card. That’s a plus if you have high operating costs or big expenses on the horizon since the card has no preset spending limit. But you’ll need the cash flow to pay any balance in full each month.You’ll also want to make sure you’ll use the card’s annual travel credit, anniversary bonus and airport lounge access to offset its annual fee. If not, a scaled-down travel card like the
Chase Ink Business Preferred
card or the Capital One Spark Miles for Business
card could be a better fit.Key features
Card type: Small business.
Annual fee: $
395
.Recommended credit score: FICO score of
720
or higher.Sign-up bonus:
Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards: Earn
2
x miles on all purchases (no limits), plus 10x miles on hotels and rental cars, and 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. APR: N/A.
Foreign transaction fee: None.
Other benefits:
- $100 statement credit on TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry.
- $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel.
- Complimentary access to more than 1,300 airport lounges, including Capital One, Priority Pass and Plaza Premium Group lounges.
Why you might want the Capital One Venture X Business card
Huge welcome offer
The
Capital One Venture X Business
card offers one of the largest sign-up offers available with a business travel card: Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
The spending requirement is admittedly high, though, and may put the bonus offer out of reach for many small-business owners.High rewards rate, flexible redemption
Very few business cards earn
2
miles per $1 on all purchases. Even fewer offer as many ways to redeem your rewards. Capital One Venture X Business
cardholders can use miles to book travel through Capital One Travel, transfer them to one of more than 15 loyalty programs or redeem them toward past travel purchases made on your card (within 90 days of purchase). Miles can also be cashed in for a check, account credit or gift card, but you lose a lot of the value.Annual travel credit
One of the most appealing perks of the
Capital One Venture X Business
card is the $300 annual travel credit, which nearly cancels out the card’s annual fee. The credit mirrors that of the issuer's consumer Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
and applies only to purchases made using Capital One Travel. You also get 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100) on every account anniversary.Airport lounge access
The
Capital One Venture X Business
card is one of just a handful of business cards that offers airport lounge access. Cardholders get a complimentary Priority Pass membership, which includes unlimited visits to more than 1,300 lounges around the world for you and up to two guests. Capital One Venture X Business
card customers also get unlimited access to Capital One lounges (though there are currently only two — at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dulles International Airport) for themselves and two guests.Why you might want a different card
It’s a charge card
The
Capital One Venture X Business
card is a charge card, which means you need to pay the balance in full each month. And, unlike some other business charge cards, there is no option to finance certain purchases. If your business has irregular cash flow or needs more payment flexibility, consider the
Chase Ink Business Preferred
card. You’ll still get a killer welcome offer, but with a much lower spending requirement: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.
You’ll also earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on travel and other select business expenses, as well as have the option to carry a balance if needed.
High annual fee
Premium travel perks typically come with a high price tag, and the
Capital One Venture X Business
card is no exception, with a $395
annual fee. (See rates and fees.) While the card’s cost is easily offset by the annual travel credit and airport lounge access, it’s not worth the price tag if you won’t fully use those benefits. Instead, consider the Capital One Spark Miles for Business
card, which earns the same 2
x miles on all purchases but has an annual fee of just $95
— and it’s waived for the first year. (See rates and fees.) You want even more perks
The
Capital One Venture X Business
card delivers a lot for business travelers, even occasional ones. But some serious business travelers want even more — more status, more credits, more lounges. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
is the way to go if you want to squeeze every perk and credit out of your business card.While the Business Platinum card has a lower base rewards rate — you earn
1
point per dollar instead of two — it delivers in the extras, with annual statement credits for cell phone service, airline incidentals, Clear Plus membership, and purchases with Dell, Adobe and Indeed. Plus, cardholders get automatic elite status with Hilton, Marriott and a number of rental car providers. Terms apply.All of that comes at a price, though, as the AmEx Business Platinum card has a $
695
annual fee (see rates and fees ).Capital One Venture X Business card vs. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Capital One Venture X Business card | The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | |
|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $395 . (See rates and fees.) | $695 . |
Welcome offer | Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. | Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply. |
Rewards rate |
|
|
Annual credits |
|
|
Lounge access |
|
|
Trusted traveler programs | TSA Precheck or Global Entry: Up to $100 statement credit toward application fee. |
|
Foreign transaction fee | None. | None. |
Should you get the Capital One Venture X Business credit card?
The
Capital One Venture X Business
card is well worth the annual fee if you do even occasional business travel, but you should look elsewhere if your cash flow can’t reliably support paying your balance in full each month.Apply now
on Capital One's website
Sign up for free
