The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular premium travel cards on the market.

While its $395 annual fee is significant, the card offers a host of travel perks — from a $300 annual credit for purchases made through Capital One’s travel booking site to lounge access to up to four complimentary authorized users — that can easily offset its full annual cost.

The card is a step up from the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, the tried-and-true Capital One product that charges an annual fee of $95 but still offers a taste of what its more expensive sibling provides.

Of course, the Venture X isn’t for everyone. Let’s dig deeper to see who should — and shouldn’t — apply for this card.

Key Capital One Venture X benefits

The Capital One Venture X is currently sporting a welcome offer of 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Those 75,000 miles are worth at least $750 when redeemed for travel directly through Capital One’s travel booking site or as statement credits toward other travel purchases.

However, according to TPG’s September 2025 valuations, the bonus value is boosted to $1,388 if you transfer these miles to Capital One’s 15-plus airline and hotel transfer partners instead.

While that might be alluring enough on its own, the card extends plenty of other valuable, everyday benefits:

• Anniversary bonus: 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary, starting on your first anniversary (worth at least $100 toward travel).
• Annual fee: $395.
• Authorized users: Up to four authorized users can be added at no charge.
• Credit: A $300 credit annually for bookings made through Capital One’s travel booking site.
• Earning: The Venture X earns 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and car rentals booked via Capital One’s travel booking site, 5 miles per dollar spent on flights and vacation rentals booked via Capital One’s travel booking site and an unlimited 2 miles per dollar spent on everything else.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Up to $120 in statement credits for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
• Lounge access: Complimentary access for cardholders, authorized users and up to two guests per visit to Capital One Lounges and up to two guests traveling with the cardholder or authorized user to 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges worldwide (until Feb. 1, 2026, when these policies change). After this, authorized users will no longer receive complimentary access to Capital One lounges or Priority Pass lounges (unless they pay a $125 lounge access fee), and cardholders will no longer be allowed two complimentary guests to airport lounges (unless they spend $75,000 on the Venture X in a calendar year).

Related: The best premium credit cards: A side-by-side comparison

Who should get the Venture X?

If you’re considering the Venture X, let’s narrow down why the card might best fit you.

You want simplicity in a premium card

The Venture X credit card is a premium card that’s straightforward to use. Unlike some other products, which offer a dizzying array of statement credits and third-party partners, the Venture X keeps its perks relatively straightforward.

In fact, the Venture X offers benefits that even beginner travelers can maximize, including the aforementioned $300 annual credit through the travel portal and the 10,000 anniversary miles. Simple math will show that between the annual travel credit and bonus miles on each account anniversary, you’re already breaking even on the $395 annual fee. And that doesn’t include a variety of other perks.

The Venture X also adopts a simple earning structure, accruing 2 miles per dollar spent on most charges, complemented by elevated earning rates for bookings made via Capital One’s travel booking site.

Related: 8 frequently asked questions about the Capital One Venture X card

You want access to airport lounges

While more and more travel credit cards seem to offer airport lounge access these days, the Venture X still has a few features that set it apart in this respect.

Venture X cardholders have access to a growing network of Capital One Lounges, including at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dulles International Airport (IAD), Denver International Airport (DEN), and a Capital One Landing at Reagan National Airport (DCA). The lounges have a modern design, premium dining experiences and a robust grab-and-go selection.

In addition, Venture X cardholders get access to 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges worldwide.

You want free authorized users

Venture X cardholders can add up to four authorized users at no cost — an excellent value proposition for a premium travel rewards card.

Authorized users also get Hertz President’s Circle elite status. By registering through your Capital One account, your authorized user can enjoy top-tier status with Hertz car rentals.

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.

You want some of the best travel protection benefits

This Visa Infinite card offers some of the industry’s most comprehensive travel and trip protection benefits.

That includes trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, cellphone protection, rental car protection, purchase protection, extended warranty protection and return protection.

Related: 5 of the most underrated travel rewards cards

Who shouldn’t get the Venture X?

While the Venture X is an impressive, high-end card, it isn’t for everyone. Let’s take a closer look.

You want a robust network of premium lounges right now

The Venture X offers extensive travel perks, but thus far, it has just three proprietary airport lounges open and one dining concept.

Indeed, while Capital One has grand ambitions with its own lounge network, American Express has a significant head start with Centurion Lounges at more than 20 airports, as well as the Global Lounge Collection, which includes Priority Pass™ lounges and Delta Sky Clubs (when catching a same-day Delta flight).

Therefore, certain flyers who often use the lounge might prefer a card like The Platinum Card® from American Express.

You don’t travel much or plan to leverage transfer partners

To truly maximize the Venture X card, you should consider leveraging Capital One’s transfer program.

Capital One has made several significant advancements to its mileage program over the past few years, including shifting from just fixed-rate redemptions to adding airline and hotel transfer partners and improving mileage transfer rates.

If you don’t use transfer partners, the best you can do is a redemption rate of 1 cent per mile.

Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable credit card points

Bottom line

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is an excellent option for those looking for a premium credit card with easy-to-digest benefits.

However, for those looking for a card with better lounge access or who don’t need the flexibility of airline and hotel transfer partners, there may be better options out there.

That said, we think the card is nearly a no-brainer for travelers ranging from luxury seekers to the more budget-minded.

To learn more, read our full review of the Venture X.

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Learn more: Capital One Venture X

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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.