Last week, Capital One released the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and everyone is going crazy over it.
I believe the reason people like it so much is because many of us really want to enjoy luxury benefits such as lounge access, TSA Precheck, primary rental insurance etc., but we don’t want to pay the price. We like to get away cheap.
But the Venture X card has a lower annual fee than other cards of the same caliber so it makes it competitive. The Venture X annual fee is $395, compared to the $550 annual fee for the Sapphire Reserve and the $695 annual fee for the Amex Platinum card.
In addition, you could get the Venture X annual fee erased flat out with the $300 travel credit that could be used when booking any travel on Capital One Travel (Capital One Travel is probably the best place to book airfare, hotels, etc, as we’ll explain in a moment), plus you get 10,000 points every anniversary year which is worth a minimum of $100 on Capital One Travel. Those 2 credits alone can pay off the $395 annual fee in full.
Anyone spending at least $400 on travel, which includes airfare, hotels, car rentals, etc, which encompasses a lot of us, can ultimately get the full annual fee erased with just those 2 aforementioned credits ($300 on Capital One Travel and 10,000 anniversary points).
On top of that, you’ll still be getting lounge access, Hertz President’s Circle status, and all other benefits that come along with the Venture X that’ll be discussed below.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve also comes with a $300 travel credit, and the Amex Platinum has various credits, but we can’t call those effectively erasing the annual fee. The Amex Platinum credits are very specific and not so practical to all. Not everyone uses $15 a month on Uber and not everyone uses $200 to cover some overweight baggage (etc). The same is with the Sapphire Reserve. The $300 travel credit is less than half of it’s annual fee. So there’s more involved in getting the credits with the Amex Platinum and Sapphire Reserve, it’s definitely not straightforward and applicable as the Venture X travel credit is.
Another breakthrough with the Venture X is that the authorized users get their own lounge access and Hertz President’s status, so you can split the annual fee between your authorized user friends since they’re all going to be getting those benefits (and authorized users are free).
Let’s compare in detail the Venture X card against the Amex Platinum and Sapphire Reserve.
Approvals are coming in nicely
We’re seeing very good approval statistics through our credit card database. Close to 80% of applicants were approved for the card. Many people got credit limits of $20,000 / $30,000! You can check out all approvals for the Venture X card here.
We had previously mentioned the Capital One rule that if someone has 2 or more Capital One cards, they can’t get another Capital One card. This rule does not seem to apply to the Venture X card since we’ve seen many consumers getting approved for the card while having 2 or more existing Capital One credit cards.
Mega welcome bonus
The Venture X has an exciting welcome bonus of 100,000 points after you spend $10,000 within the first 6 months. Plus, for a limited time, you will get up to a $200 statement credit for vacation rentals like Airbnb, VRBO, etc.
The rewards
The Venture X card has a great rewards earning structure:
- 10 points on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- 5 points on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Unlimited 2 points on all purchases
Capital One has recently made great improvement to their points program and now has 17 airline and hotel transfer partners. This gives Capital One points a great value, especially while you earn unlimited 2 points on all purchases!
Airline partners
Transfer Ratio | Transfer time | |
Aeromexico, Club Premier | 1:1 | Instant |
Air Canada, Aeroplan | 1:1 | Instant |
Air France KLM, Flying Blue | 1:1 | Instant |
Avianca, Lifemiles | 1:1 | Instant |
British Airways, Executive Club | 1:1 | Instant |
Cathay Pacific, Asia Miles | 1:1 | 5 business days |
Emirates, Skywards | 1:1 | Instant |
Etihad Guest | 1:1 | 24 hours |
EVA Infinity, MileageLands | 2:1.5 | 36 hours |
Finnair Plus | 1:1 | Instant |
Qantas, Frequent Flyer | 1:1 | 24 hours |
Singapore Airlines, KrisFlyer | 1:1 | 36 hours |
TAP Portugal, Miles&Go | 1:1 | Instant |
Turkish Airlines, Miles&Smiles | 1:1 | Instant |
Hotel partners
Transfer Ratio | Transfer time | |
ALL Accor | 2:1 | 1 business day |
Choice Privileges | 1:1 | Transfers will not be available until later on this year |
Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 | Instant |
$300 Capital One Travel credit
As we mentioned above, cardholders receive a $300 travel credit when booking any travel, including flight, hotel, and car, using the new and improved Capital One Travel portal.
Capital One recently partnered with Hopper and created a brand new experience to their travel portal. The travel portal offers competitive pricing and a whole lot of great perks not found anywhere else, including;
- Predictive booking feature: It lets you know when it’s the best time to book
- Price drop protection: If you use the predictive booking feature but later find that the price is cheaper on a different day then Capital One will match the price
- Price freeze: This allows you to freeze a price and book up to 14 days later
- Price match guarantee: Capital One will match any price you find anywhere else within 24 hours of booking
All these benefits make it a no-brainer to book with the Capital One Travel portal. Plus, with the Venture X card, you will receive a $300 travel credit and up to 10 points for each dollar spent!
Airport lounge access
The Venture X card includes access to two airport lounge programs:
- Priority Pass (with 2 free guests)
- The new Capital One lounges (coming shorty to Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, and Washington Dulles airports)
The best part! Authorized users are free and include their own Priority Pass and Capital One Lounge access.
$100 TSA Precheck / Global Entry Credit
Enroll in TSA Precheck / Global Entry and receive a statement credit towards the fee paid.
Complimentary Hertz President's Circle Status
This is an awesome perk that comes along with the card. You and all your authorized users (which can be added for free) will be complimentary upgraded to Hertz President’s Circle. With Hertz President’s Circle, you can choose any car within the Presidents Circle line. This basically guarantees you super upgrades by Hertz and enables you to book a mid-size car and walk out with a luxury SUV!
Plus, almost all car rentals will gladly match your Hertz status to their own top-tier status. So with the Venture X card, you can lock-in top tier status at practically all national car rental companies.
10,000 anniversary bonus points
On every card anniversary, you will receive 10,000 bonus points (worth a minimum of $100 towards travel).
As mentioned above, for someone who spends at least $400 in travel per year, between the $300 travel credit and the 10,000-anniversary points, they’ll get a total of $400 value towards travel, which effectively erases the full $395 annual fee!
Plus much more
The card comes along with many more competitive benefits and protections while traveling and shopping. Below, you can check out all the details plus compare them side by side with the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Earn 90,000 miles after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. Earn 80,000 points after spending $8,000 within the first 6 months (terms apply). Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. $695 – 10x miles on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel – 5 points on flights booked directly with airlines and Amex Travel on the first $500,000 you spend within a calendar year – New! 10 points on Chase dining, hotels and car rentals booked through the Chase Travel Portal No foreign transaction fee. No foreign transaction fee. No foreign transaction fee. Platinum level $195. Gold Level $0 Complimentary Hertz President's Circle Status (for you and your authorized users) Hilton Gold status. Marriott Gold status. Uber VIP. National Emerald Club Executive status. Avis Preferred Club status (publicly available). New! Hertz President Circle. Plus get an extra 4 hours to return your car (For the 4-hour grace period you need to use the Amex Platinum CDP ) Emerald Club Executive status Avis Preferred status Special Silvercar privileges Receive a $300 travel credit when booking any travel, including flight, hotel, and car, using the new and improved Capital One Travel portal each card membership year. Get a $12.95 monthly credit to cover the full cost of a Walmart+ membership. Get a $200 airline incidental fee credit each calendar year. Get a $200 statement credit each calendar year on prepaid Fine Hotels and Resorts and The Hotel Collection bookings, through Amex Travel (bookings with The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay). Get up to $20 back per month on Digital Entertainment purchases at the following providers: Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, The New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. Enrollment is required. Get $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus of $20 in December. Get a $300 Equinox statement credit per calendar year. Get a $189 CLEAR statement credit per calendar year. Get $50 statement credit for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue from January through June and a $50 statement credits from July through December. Get a $300 travel credit each cardmember year. From April 2022 through December 2024: Get a $5 credit each month for DoorDash. The credit gets added to your DoorDash wallet and expires after 3 months (it is be possible to combine three months' credits for a single $15 order) Get a $15 Instacart statement credit each month plus a free Instacart+ membership for 12 months Points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Get up to a $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check every 4 years. Get a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check every 4-4.5 years. Get a statement credit for Global Entry, TSA Precheck, or NEXUS every 4 years. Access to 1,300+ airport lounges, with a complimentary membership to Priority Pass Select Access to Plaza Premium lounges Complimentary access to the new Capital One lounges (coming shorty to Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, and Washington Dulles airports) Authorized users receive their own Priority Pass and Capital One lounge access Access to 1,200+ airport lounges, with a complimentary membership to Priority Pass Select: Centurion Lounges AirSpace Lounges Escape Lounges Delta Skyclub lounges (when flying Delta) Select Lufthansa lounges (when flying Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, or Swiss) Access to 1,200+ airport lounges, with a complimentary membership to Priority Pass Select. Coverage for canceled or interrupted travel due to an unforeseen medical emergency etc. Max $2,000 per person for non-refundable airfare. Coverage for canceled or interrupted travel due to an unforeseen medical emergency etc. Max $10,000 per person per trip, max $20,000 per year for non-refundable travel expenses including flight tickets, hotels, and more. Coverage for canceled or interrupted travel due to an unforeseen medical emergency etc. Max $10,000 per trip for non-refundable travel expenses including flight tickets, hotels, and more. Primary coverage for on rentals for collision damage and theft (excluding Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland, or Northern Ireland). Coverage is for rentals for up to 31 days. Max $75,000 per rental Secondary worldwide coverage on rentals up to 30 days (excluding Australia, Italy, and New Zealand). Max $75,000. You can purchase an Amex premium plan that will offer primary coverage up to 42 days. Max $100,000. Worldwide primary coverage on rentals. Coverage is for rentals up to 31 days, Max $75,000 per rental. Get coverage if you, G-d forbid, die in an accident while traveling or lose a limb, sight, speech, or hearing (on common carriers). Receive up to $1,000,000 in compensation. Get coverage if you, G-d forbid, die in an accident while traveling or lose a limb, sight, speech, or hearing (on common carriers). Receive up to $1,000,000 in compensation. Get up to $3,000 per trip for lost or damaged luggage. Max is $2,000 for NY residents. Get covered for lost or damaged luggage up to $2,000 per person for checked baggage and up to $3,000 per person for checked and carry-on baggage combined. Max $10,000 per trip for NY residents. Get up to $3,000 per person for lost or damaged luggage. If your flight is delayed for 6+ hours, you can claim up to $500 per person to cover expenses like meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal use items. If your flight is delayed for 6+ hours, you can claim up to $500 per trip to cover expenses like meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal use items. Max 2 claims per year. If your flight is delayed for 6+ hours, you can claim up to $500 per trip to cover expenses like meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal use items. Not happy with a purchase? Get a refund on purchases that have passed the store return policy - up to 90 days from the date of purchase. Max $300 per claim, max $1,000 per year. Not happy with a purchase? Get a refund on purchases that have passed the store return policy - up to 90 days from date of purchase. Max $300 per claim, max $1,000 per year. Not happy with a purchase? Get a refund on purchases that have passed the store return policy - up to 90 days from date of purchase. Max $500 per claim, max $1,000 per year. Get your original manufacturer's warranty time-matched (up to a year). (Will only cover if the original warranty is for 3 years or less). Max $10,000 per claim, $50,000 per account. Get one additional year to your original manufacturer's warranty time. (Will only cover if the original warranty is for 5 years or less). Max $10,000 per claim, $50,000 per year. Get your original manufacturer's warranty time matched (up to a year). (Will only cover if the original warranty is for 3 years or less). Max $10,000 per claim, $50,000 per account. Get reimbursed for up to $800 per claim (with a $50 deductible) if your cell phone breaks or gets stolen. To activate coverage, you need to pay your monthly cell phone bill with your Venture X credit card. Max 3 claims per year. Get reimbursed for up to $800 per claim (with a $50 deductible) if your cell phone is damaged or gets stolen. To activate coverage, you need to pay your monthly cell phone bill with your Platinum credit card. Max 2 claims per year. Get refunded if your purchase is damaged or stolen, up to 90 days from the date of purchase. Max $10,000 per claim, $50,000 per account. Get refunded if your purchase is damaged, lost, or stolen, up to 90 days from the date of purchase. Max $10,000 per claim, $50,000 per year. Get refunded if your purchase is damaged or stolen, up to 120 days from the date of purchase. Max $10,000 per claim, $50,000 per account. If your baggage is delayed for 6+ hours, you can claim up to $100 per day to cover expenses like toiletries & clothing, for up to 5 days. Get 4 free roadside service calls valued up to $50 each per year. Get covered $2,500 with a $50 deductible for any medical expense while traveling 100+ miles from your home (trip must include travel on a common carrier). Get 10,000 anniversary bonus miles each year.
– 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
– Unlimited 2x miles on all purchases
– 5 points on prepaid hotels booked directly with Amex Travel
– 1 point everywhere else
– 10 points on Lyft rides
– New! 5 points on flights booked through the Chase Travel Portal
– 3 points on all other dining and travel
– 1 point on all other purchases
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