Last fall, Capital One launched the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and it took the points and miles world by storm – and for good reason.
It's a souped-up version of the longtime favorite Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card , adding premium travel perks like lounge access, annual travel credits, and more. Yet its annual fee of $395 clocks in squarely in the middle of the market: Not quite cheap, but far less than other premium travel cards from the likes of American Express or Chase.
Maybe that's why Venture X has stolen the spotlight from the regular Capital One Venture Card. Still, there's no denying the Venture is a great travel card – especially for beginners.
From annual fees to welcome bonuses to lounge access and more, there are plenty of differences (and similarities) to dissect between Capital One's top travel cards. So keep reading for a full breakdown of the Capital One Venture X vs the Capital One Venture Card.
Comparing Annual Fees
This one couldn’t be any easier.
The annual fee on the Capital One Venture X card is $395, while the annual fee on the Capital One Venture Card is only $95 each year.
On paper, that means each and every year, you’re saving $300 right off the bat with the Venture as opposed to the Venture X. That alone could make this question a no-brainer for many travelers who can't stomach the thought of paying more than $100 in annual fees.
Yet there's a reason that Venture X charges an additional $300 each year: It offers far more benefits, including easy ways to recoup that entire cost (and then some). But if we're just comparing the out of pocket cost each and every year to hold the card, there is a clear winner in this category.
Winner: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Click Here to learn more about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Venture X vs Venture Card Lounge Access
If it's lounge access you want, this one is easy.
With the Capital One Venture X Card, you'll get access to the new Capital One Lounges . Capital One opened its very first lounge in Dallas last fall, giving Venture X cardholders exclusive free access. It’s a truly incredible space, with great design, fun amenities, and outstanding food. Venture X cardholders and two guests can get in for free.
More lounges are on the way in Denver (DEN) and Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) which should be open early next year, with goals to build more in the future .
Take a look inside the Capital One DFW Lounge!
In addition to Capital One Lounge access, Venture X cardholders get a Priority Pass Select membership, opening the doors of 1,200-plus airport lounges in cities big and small across the globe. They will also have access to comped meals at select Priority Pass airport restaurants , too.
Finally, in June, Capital One also added access to Plaza Premium Lounges , opening the doors to dozens more lounges abroad and at home. The Plaza Premium name also includes Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounges in four U.S. airports like New York City (JFK) and Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD); several lounges at the Cancún (CUN) airport; and Avianca lounges throughout Colombia. Here’s the full list of new lounges .
Want to bring in guests? You're in luck. Not only can primary Venture X cardholders bring in two guests for free, but they can also add up to four authorized users to their accounts at no additional cost . Those Venture X authorized users will also get the same lounge memberships – with the ability to bring in up to two of their own guests on each and every visit.
With the regular Capital One Venture Card, you'll get two free annual passes to visit the new Capital One Lounges. But unlike Capital One Venture X cardholders, guests will not be free. That’ll cost $45 each. One exception: Capital One has confirmed that Venture cardholders can use one of two free annual lounge passes to bring a guest with them.
Once cardholders have used up those free passes, they can still get a discounted entry rate of $45 per visit (the standard entry fee is $65 per visit). Even after you’ve used up free passes, guests still cost $45 apiece.
All said, that is a great deal for Venture cardholders – especially when you consider the card only has a $95 annual fee. But if having airport lounge access is important, this category could be enough to sway you towards Venture X, which is the clear winner in this category.
Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Click Here to learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Venture X vs Venture Card Welcome Offer Bonuses
When you sign up for a travel credit card, it’s all about the welcome bonus. Comparing the Capital One Venture X and Venture cards, you really can’t go wrong either way. After some recent changes, you'll get the exact same offer on both cards.
With the Capital One Venture X Card, you’ll earn 75,000 Capital One Venture Miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months of card membership. Considering you earn at least 2x Venture Miles on every dollar you spend, that bumps your total earnings to 83,000 once you meet the spending requirement – worth at least $830 toward travel.
Back in June, Capital One upped the offer on the regular Venture card from 60,000 Venture Miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months to match the Venture X offer. You'll now earn 75,000 Capital One Venture Miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months of card membership. Again, considering you earn at least 2x Venture Miles on every dollar you spend, that bumps your total earnings to 83,000 once you meet the spending requirement – worth at least $830 toward travel.
In fact, this may not be a temporary enhanced bonus on the Venture Card, but a permanent fixture – a Capital One spokesperson said the bank has no plans to change this new 75,000-mile bonus.
So when you are comparing the Venture X vs Venture Card, you'll need to look beyond the welcome offer to see which option is best for you.
Winner: Tie
Annual Travel Credits
This is a big one.
If you hold the Capital One Venture X Card, you'll get a $300 travel credit each and every year you hold the card redeemable towards flights, hotels, and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel Portal . While the credit isn't as lucrative and easy to use as the $300 travel credit you'll get with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® , it should be pretty easy to use as long as you plan to spend $300 on flights, hotels, or rental cars each and every year.
Simply head to the Capital One Travel portal in your online Capital One account and make a booking. Generally speaking, pricing should match what you can find on Google Flights or directly with hotels and rental car agencies. Once you make a purchase, you'll automatically get $300 back each year.
This benefit alone can make the Venture X card worth its annual fee. So long as you can use it, it brings your effective annual fee down to $95 ($395 annual fee minus the $300 travel credit) – right on par with what the regular Venture card charges.
In addition to the annual $300 travel credit, Venture X cardholders will get 10,000 Venture Miles when they renew their card for another year, starting in their second year. Considering Venture miles are worth a minimum of one cent each, these miles are worth at least $100. These two benefits alone can easily justify your $395 annual fee .
The regular Venture Card does not offer any comparable credits.
Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Click Here to learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
There are some other perks that aren’t earth-shattering, and this is one of them.
Both of these cards give you a $100 credit to cover the cost of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. That’s fairly common these days among travel cards, but it is certainly a nice perk for the cheaper Venture card.
Just pay your application fee with your card and poof – the credit kicks in to automatically cover the cost. You get this credit once every four years, and membership in either program lasts for five years. That means as long as you keep either card open, you’re set to keep your enrollment up to date in either program.
Can’t decide? Go for Global Entry , as that comes with TSA PreCheck benefits but also gets you into a designated customs and immigration line when returning to the U.S. from abroad.
Winner: Tie.
Earning Points with Venture & Venture X
Whether you hold the Venture X or the regular Venture Card, you'll earn 2x Venture Miles on every dollar you spend. But Capital One provides some additional incentives for Venture X cardholders to book travel through the Capital One Travel Portal.
With the Capital One Venture X, you'll earn an unlimited 10x miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. You'll also earn 5x Venture Miles per dollar spent no flights booked through Capital One's travel portal.
With the Regular Venture Card, you'll earn 5x Venture Miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, but there is no additional incentive to book flights through the portal.
Finally, thanks to a new partnership through May 2023 , Venture X cardholders will earn 10x miles per dollar spent on Turo bookings through the Turo app or at Turo.com . If you have the regular Venture card, you’ll earn 5x miles per dollar spent on Turo bookings.
This category is close, but the slight edge goes to Venture X, thanks to the extra points you'd earn booking travel through the Capital One Travel portal.
Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Click Here to learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Authorized User Fees
The regular Capital One Venture card does not charge a fee for additional authorized users. That's commonplace among cards with a low (or no) annual fee. But there's a twist here.
The Capital One Venture X card also doesn't charge authorized user fees, and you'll have the ability to add up to four of them at no additional cost. Better yet, those authorized users will get their own lounge memberships with the ability to bring two of their own guests on each visit.
That's simply unheard of in the world of premium travel credit cards.
Take, for example, The Platinum Card® from American Express which has an annual fee of $695 each year (see rates & fees ). But if you want to add an authorized user, that will set you back another $175 each year – though that cost allows you to add up to three users.
Then there is the Chase Sapphire Reserve® which has an annual fee of $550. But if you want to add an authorized user, that will cost an additional $75 each year.
Not charging authorized user fees is a big reason why we feel that Venture X is the best card for traveling families . And even though both cards waive authorized user fees, we're giving the edge to Venture X in this category as authorized users get far more benefits – including their own lounge memberships.
Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Click Here to learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Using Venture Miles to Book Travel
Whether you hold the Venture X or the regular Venture Card, there is no advantage when it comes to using your miles.
Unlike how Chase handles bookings through their travel portal – where Sapphire Reserve cardholders will get 1.5 cents each towards travel as opposed to only 1.25 cents each for Sapphire Preferred cardholders – each Venture Mile is worth the same regardless of which card you hold.
That means when you use your miles to cover recent travel purchases or even use them through the Capital One Travel Portal , they will be worth a flat 1 cent each. That means you can use 50,000 miles to book a $500 flight.
Then there is the stable of Capital One transfer partners . Regardless of which card you hold, the transfer ratios will be the same. Here's a look at what's available.
Program Type Ratio Transfer Time
Aeromexico Airline 1:1 Instant
Air Canada Aeroplan Airline 1:1 Instant
Air France/KLM Airline 1:1 Instant
Avianca LifeMiles Airline 1:1 Instant
British Airways Airline 1:1 Instant
Cathay Pacific AsiaMiles Airline 1:1 Up to five business days
Emirates Airline 1:1 Instant
Etihad Airline 1:1 Up to 1 day
EVA Air Airline 2:1.5 Up to five business days
Finnair Airline 1:1 Instant
Qantas Airline 1:1 Up to 1 day
Singapore Airline 1:1 Instant
TAP Air Portugal Airline 1:1 Same day
Turkish Airlines Airline 1:1 Same day
Virgin Red Other 1:1 Same day
Accor Hotel 2:1 Up to two business days
Wyndham Hotel 1:1 Same day
Choice Hotels Hotel 1:1 Same day
Read more: The Best Ways to Use Capital One Venture Miles
Winner: Tie
Travel & Rental Car Insurance
The best travel credit cards help protect you when things go wrong and help you avoid paying for add-on coverage.
The Venture X Card offers strong travel insurance coverage when booking flights like trip interruption and delay insurance, and lost baggage coverage. But where the Venture X really shines is with rental car insurance – an area where the regular Venture card simply isn’t as strong.
Read more about the Capital One Venture X rental car insurance benefits !
Charge your rental car to your Venture X, and you get some of the strongest rental car insurance you’ll find. Decline the rental car agency’s policy and you’ll have a strong insurance policy that will cover most damages or even the theft of the vehicle. It applies to rentals in the U.S. for as long as 15 days and in most foreign countries for up to 31 days.
In addition to car rental insurance coverage, Venture X cardholders will receive complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status .
As the highest level of elite status in their Gold Plus Rewards program, President’s Circle elite members who book an intermediate car or higher get guaranteed upgrades to the next available car class or the ability to choose a car from the President’s Circle Ultimate Choice aisle. Members can also skip the counter when renting a car, have access to a dedicated Hertz Rewards customer service line, and can add an additional driver at no cost.
The rental coverage offered on the regular Venture card is secondary coverage which isn't nearly as strong.
Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Click Here to learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Venture X vs Venture Card: Which Card is Better?
By the numbers, the Venture X card takes five categories, while the Venture Card takes one. Three categories end in a tie.
But every traveler can – and should – weigh each of these categories differently. If you don't care about lounge access and think you might have a hard time using up the annual $300 travel credit on the Venture X, the regular Venture card might be a better option.
If your primary goal is to earn Venture miles and use them through one of the many Capital One transfer partners, there's really no benefit to holding one card over the other. At the end of the day, both cards are really solid options and some of the best travel rewards credit cards available.
Bottom Line
When comparing Venture X vs the Venture Card, there is a lot to unpack. While many of the benefit offerings are the same, there are some key differences that could sway you one way or another – especially if you're on the hunt for more travel perks like lounge access or annual travel credits.
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