The Venture X credit card continues to reign supreme in the points and miles world.
With an outsized value and annual fee of $395- significantly lower than competing travel credit cards with similar perks that charge upwards of $500 or more a year, anybody who travels with any regularity needs to add this card to their wallet.
Key features
- 2X Spending on everything
- Great travel portal: 10X hotels, 5X vacation stays and car rental
- Lounge Access through Priority Pass Network (for authorized users too)
- Free Authorized Users
- $300 annual travel credit
- Shopping Portal
- TSA Precheck or Global Entry Credit
- Visa Infinite Benefits such as Travel Insurance, Extended Warranty and Protection
Points Earnings
For someone who likes to travel but doesn’t want the headache of managing multiple credit cards or opening and closing credit cards for points (called ‘credit card churning’), the Venture X is a one-stop shop credit card that earns 2X on every purchase. While you won’t earn 3X or 4X points at restaurants like you would with cards in the Chase Sapphire family or certain American Express cards, you will accrue double points when forced to spend hefty sums on new tires, a water heater or an expensive dental bill which you otherwise would not for the competing credit cards.
Capital One offers some of the best multipliers around. When booking any kind of lodging or car rentals, do the research and compare rates across multiple credit card platforms, direct with companies, as well as online booking agents like Booking.com, airbnb and Google. Most often, once all taxes and fees have been added to the reservation, the total cost ends up being within a few dollars of each other and booking through the Capital One portal becomes an instant no-brainer. If you can earn 3000 points for your $300 hotel reservation, why wouldn’t you? The only drawbacks would be for anyone with hotel loyalty programs or those trying to collect stays through Booking.com, priceline, etc. as the portal booking would not count towards those needed stays.
Airport Lounge Access
Venture X cardholders are also entitled to free membership to the Priority Pass Lounge Network, the largest airport lounge network in the world with over 1,700 locations worldwide. These lounges vary in amenity from location to location, but all will provide a comfortable place to sit, free wifi and complimentary food and beverages. Although I have been to some lounges that feel like sad cafeterias, others have felt like upscale boutique hotels, complete with ‘order what you want’ menus, bartenders and a noodle bar with an awaiting chef. Venture X cardholders also have access to the exclusive Capital One Airport Lounges, although there are only a few still in the US while they work to expand their network.
Authorized Users
One of the most impressive features of the Venture X is the ability to add up to 4 authorized users on the account for free.
And what’s more is that these authorized users get their own Priority Pass Lounge memberships, and each member can bring 2 additional guests free of charge. In the competitive points/credit card game, Chase Sapphire Preferred is the only other card that offers free authorized users. The Chase Sapphire Reserve on the other hand charges $75 for each authorized user and depending on the card, and American Express charges $175 to $195 per authorized user. For more information on Authorized Users, please read the deep dive here.
Annual Travel Credit
On your account anniversary, Capital One will add a $300 travel credit to your account which can be used when booking through the travel portal. Although you will not earn the multipliers when using this credit (10X on hotels, 5X on vacation stays and car rentals), it deeply offsets the $395 annual fee and affords a free nights stay or a significant chunk off of any kind of reservation.
Shopping Portal
The shopping portal is also a fantastic benefit and the offerings change regularly. Before purchasing anything online, I always check the portal as I’ve snagged some incredible deals such as a 49X points for Bluehost, 5X points for Booking.com, or 11X points on Etsy. Unlike the Chase shopping portal, there’s a search tool so you can quickly decipher if a brand or store you are looking for offers any current multiplier deals.
TSA Precheck or Global Entry
After applying for and paying for either TSA Precheck or Global Entry, Capital One will reimburse you for $120, the current cost of either program. No reaching out or filing a claim necessary- the $120 will simply be added back to your account. Both TSA Precheck and Global Entry programs are good for 5 years, and they are an absolute must for anyone that flies with any kind of frequency. Global Entry includes TSA precheck, so if you have any international travel plans, then Global Entry is the way to go.
Visa Infinite Premium Network
Venture X is part of the Visa Infinite network, a premium tier of protection and privileges that offers a wide variety of exclusive perks, travel insurance and benefits when purchases and experiences are paid for on the card. The most notable benefits are the following, and once a claim is made and verified for these issues, Capital One will reimburse you for the losses as outlined in their benefits guide:
- Travel insurance: trip interruption or cancellation, baggage delay, baggage loss, and auto rental coverage
- Purchase protection, extended warranty, cell phone protection
- Multilingual Travel and Emergency Services 24/7
Final Thoughts
The Venture X has played a steady role in my life for the last several years and I am constantly blown away out how quickly the points accrue. With 15 airline and hotel transfer partners, the flexibility of Capital One points makes them super easy to use. I’ve utilized points for multiple free flights, including Business class to Vietnam, and with so many apps that have eased the pain of finding award flights, your next getaway is much closer than you think. It’s a useful card with loads of perks and doesn’t require the mental gymnastics of tracking handfuls of cards for maximum point earnings.
For more in depth review of these cards, Nerd Wallet does a fantastic review here, as well as YouTuber John Liang who covers a variety of credit cards including the Venture X. See John’s review of the Venture X here.
If you decide to apply for the Venture X, feel free to use my referral code!
