My review of the Capital One Venture X: airport lounge membership for my whole family for just $395 a year

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I have several premium credit cards that offer airport lounge access. But the most affordable one, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card with an annual fee of "just" $395 (rates and fees), is quickly becoming one of my go-to credit cards for two specific reasons: complimentary airport lounge memberships for my siblings and parents, and earn 2x miles on therapy expenses. 

Here's why this card, which also earned Business Insider's nomination for one of the best credit cards for frequent travelers, is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

The Capital One Venture X Benefit That Saves Me $2,000 A Year

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with many great benefits, including a $300 annual credit for travel booked through the Capital One travel portal. I also get a 10,000-mile bonus each year when I renew my card, which is worth at least $100 in travel credit.

But I didn't open this credit card for these perks. After all, the $300 annual travel credit from my Chase Sapphire Reserve® is far easier to use, since it automatically applies to any eligible travel expense.

Airport Lounge Memberships for Five People

Instead, I primarily opened this card for its incredible airport lounge access benefits for up to five people. 

My family and I split time between the U.S. and Taiwan, and it isn't uncommon for all six of us to be in different countries or even different continents at the same time. With the amount of time we spend in airports every year, lounge access makes a huge difference when we travel.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers complimentary airport lounge access to several programs worldwide: Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, and Capital One's own lounges. Furthermore, it's the only credit card that allows me to gift airport lounge access to four people by adding them as authorized users on my credit card.

I've gifted close friends this benefit in the past, and currently share my benefits with my parents and two of my three siblings. (The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card doesn't allow cardholders to add more than four authorized users, even if you're willing to pay for them.)

While many of the best premium credit cards also come with lounge access, few allow you to add authorized users with no additional fee, and none of the others include complimentary lounge access for authorized users. 

A comparable membership package from Priority Pass alone costs $469 a year, making the card's $395 annual fee (rates and fees) a no-brainer in terms of value, even just for one person. Meanwhile, Capital One lounges cost $45 per visit for adults who hold other Capital One credit cards, or $90 for non-cardholders. 

Compare: Authorized User Fees and Benefits from Chase and American Express

For comparison purposes, here's how much I would pay to gift my family airport lounge access if I added them to my other premium credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has an annual fee of $550 and charges $75 a year per authorized user, who then gets complimentary access to Priority Pass. I used to pay for five authorized users, which cost me an additional $375 yearly on top of the $550 annual fee. 

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a $695 annual fee, and I'd pay $350 annually for an authorized user. However, that cardholder then receives credits for CLEAR expedited security screening and Global Entry in addition to Priority Pass and Centurion Lounge access after enrollment. So if I went all-out for my parents and three siblings to share my suite of travel benefits, I'd pay a whopping $1,750 a year on top of the hefty $695 annual fee.

Read more about both cards in our Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card review and our Amex Business Platinum card review.

How I Earn and Redeem Capital One Venture X Rewards

I have more credit cards than I'd admit to most people, so I only use my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card when I can earn more with it than I would get from another card. 

How I Spent My Welcome Bonus

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers a welcome bonus of 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening — worth $1,275 in travel, based on Business Insider's points and miles valuations. 

I'm planning a milestone event with friends early next year, so I used my welcome bonus to "erase" the down payment on my venue rental.

I could have gotten much more value by transferring my miles to Capital One transfer partners, but I have plenty of points in other transferrable credit card reward programs (Chase Ultimate Rewards points are my favorite). Instead, Capital One's unique redemption opportunity allows me to use my rewards to "erase" certain travel expenses from my statement balance. 

I paid $1,000 for my down payment, which earned me 2,000 in Capital One Venture Miles at 2x miles (worth $20 when redeemed as a statement credit). Those 2,000 miles, combined with my existing stash of rewards, allowed me to cover the entire four-figure expense without paying a penny out of pocket. 

I Earn 2x miles on Therapy with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

I primarily use my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card on transactions that don't earn bonus miles on another card. Many of my credit cards earn at least 3 points per dollar on restaurants and travel, so I use those when dining out or paying for flights and hotels. 

Meanwhile, I earn 2x on most purchases I charge to my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. I could earn more if I booked travel or entertainment through Capital One, but I'm loyal to Chase and purchase most of my flights using my Chase Sapphire Reserve® (because I think it offers the best travel insurance protection). 

Instead, I pay for therapy with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, earning 2x miles on every $165 session (plus $3 for credit card fees). My therapist is out-of-network, which means my insurance plan doesn't cover my visits.

While a $3.36 return isn't a lot of money, it's a nice little treat — on top of bettering my mental health, of course. 

Transfer Points to Capital One Transfer Partners

Capital One has one of the largest portfolios of transfer partners in the travel rewards ecosystem. I haven't used my rewards this way so far because I'm still rebuilding my stash of Capital One miles.

You can transfer your Capital One miles to:

• Aeromexico Club Premier (miles transfer at a 1:1 ratio)
• Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio) 
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio) 
• ALL — Accor Live Limitless (2:1 ratio)
• Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio)
• British Airways Executive Club (1:1 ratio) 
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1 ratio) 
• Choice Privileges (1:1 ratio)
• Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio) 
• Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio)
• EVA Infinity MileageLands (2:1.5 ratio)
• Finnair Plus (1:1 ratio)
• Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio)
• Singapore KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio) 
• TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go (1:1 ratio)
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1 ratio)
• Virgin Red (1:1 ratio)
• Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio)

Capital One Venture X Benefits and Features

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with several other noteworthy benefits that save me a lot of money and stress each year. 

$300 in Annual Travel Credit Through Capital One Travel

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card cardholders get access to Capital One Travel, a booking platform for flights, hotels, and rental cars. You'll earn 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars and earn 5 miles per dollar when you use your card to pay forflights and vacation rentals when booked through the portal.

You can also redeem miles through the portal at a rate of 1 cent each to pay for your bookings. Finally, you'll have access to useful tools including price prediction, price watch, and a price match guarantee.

Each year, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card cardholders also receive $300 in credits toward travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal. The portal lets you book flights, hotels, and car rentals and offers several features you won't find on competing sites, including price prediction, price watches, and price drop protection.

However, I don't find this $300 credit quite as easy to use as the annual credit from my Chase Sapphire Reserve®. The Capital One credit only applies to travel booked through the portal, and I typically prefer buying flights and hotels directly from the company.

The Capital One portal offers some additional options I haven't seen elsewhere, such as luxury vacation properties I'd otherwise have to book via Airbnb or Vrbo. But rates are higher through the portal, at least from my personal experience, so I often have to decide if I want to pay more for the privilege of using my travel credit. 

Thus far, I've used my annual credit on short-hop domestic flights where I don't care about earning miles or worry about potentially getting stranded in the event of poor weather. I'd be happier if I could purchase flights the way I usually do, and have the $300 credit automatically apply to eligible transactions. 

Access to Premier Collection Hotels

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business Card† cardholders can also book hotels through the Premier Collection, Capital One's luxury hotel booking program. 

This collection competes directly with the Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts program and The Edit by Chase Travel, and includes access to hundreds of upscale hotels worldwide. 

Cardholders who book via the Premier Collection get exclusive, elite-esque hotel benefits such as: 

• A $100 experience credit toward dining, spa, and other hotel activities
• Daily breakfast for two
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Early check-in and late checkout when available
• Room upgrades when available

Thus far, I haven't used this benefit at all because I'm busy chasing Marriott elite status. 

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Application Fee Credit

Once every four years, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card cardholders can receive a statement credit of up to $120 for the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee. 

I hold several credit cards that offer credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck enrollment, so I typically use this credit for my friends and family members. 

Global Entry allows you to use the expedited immigration lane when returning to the U.S. from international travel, and it includes enrollment in the TSA PreCheck® program. As a result, I usually advise people to sign up for Global Entry instead of settling for just TSA PreCheck. 

Rental Car Elite Status

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card cardholders, account managers, and authorized users receive automatic Hertz President's Circle elite status, which comes with perks like guaranteed upgrades, skip the counter and e-return, a free additional driver, and more. 

I rarely rent cars when I travel, and I typically use my Chase Sapphire Reserve® to pay when I do so because it offers primary rental car insurance, which means I don't need to file any claims through my personal auto insurance company. But if I downgrade that credit card, I will probably use my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Hertz benefits and coverage for rental cars because this card also includes primary rental coverage. 

This means I don't have to buy insurance through my rental car company. If I use Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to rent a car and decline the rental company's collision damage waiver, the card's primary car rental insurance will cover me for damage due to collision or theft on most vehicles worldwide. Some countries are excluded, so be sure to read the full guide to benefits for the details.

Cell Phone Protection

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with cell phone protection for the primary cardholder and any authorized users. This benefit doesn't even require any of us to buy the phone with this card; as long as I pay my cell phone bill with this card, I'm eligible for up to $800 in coverage per eligible claim for damage or loss. There's a $50 deductible per claim, and I can make two claims totaling $1,600 per 12-month period.  

Travel Insurance and Purchase Protection Benefits

This card comes with a slew of powerful travel insurance benefits including travel accident coverage, insurance for trip cancellation or interruptions, trip delay reimbursement, and lost luggage reimbursement. I can also take advantage of extended warranty and purchase protection if I buy large-ticket items with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

I have yet to use any of these benefits on this credit card, primarily because I have several other cards with overlapping benefits. But since I'm keeping this one for the long haul, I'm considering downgrading some of my credit cards to cut down on my annual fees and relying on the protections from this one. 

Capital One Venture X Annual Fee and Other Costs

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card charges a $395 annual fee (rates and fees). Not only is this my most "affordable" premium credit card, but as I've demonstrated, I also get thousands of dollars in value from my investment every year.

This card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees — a must-have benefit when traveling internationally. 

Capital One Venture X Frequently Asked Questions 

Why You Should Trust Me: How I Reviewed the Capital One Venture X

In my assessment of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, I compared it to other premium travel credit cards and looked closely at these factors:

• Ease of use — Is the card's rewards program accessible to beginners and experts alike? Are there many options for using miles or points?
• Potential rewards — Are there useful bonus categories that can accelerate rewards earning, and are any of them capped at a certain amount of spending?
• Annual fee — Is the annual fee justified based on the card's rewards and benefits?
• Benefits — How do the card's benefits, especially travel and premium benefits, compare to similar cards?

For an in-depth look at Business Insider's credit card methodology, here's a guide to how we rate credit cards.

Katherine Fan

Correspondent, Credit Cards

Katherine Fan is a personal finance expert, journalist, and public speaker with almost 10 years of industry experience. She began her career in tech before transitioning to journalism in 2015. Katherine currently serves as Personal Finance Insider's correspondent for credit card coverage. Before joining Business Insider as Senior Editor of Credit Cards, Katherine covered aviation, award travel, loyalty programs, and credit cards as a senior reporter for The Points Guy, and small business finances as a lead writer for Nerdwallet. Katherine has also freelanced for major media publications such as Bankrate, CreditCards.com, the Dallas Morning News, LendingTree, Upgraded Points, and Slickdeals Money. Her work has been syndicated by Nasdaq, MSN, and Yahoo. ExperienceKatherine has published more than 1,800 articles, guides, and reviews covering credit card benefits and rewards, small business finances, points and miles travel, loyalty programs, and real estate investing. Katherine has been a speaker at TravelCon and a guest on multiple podcasts including NPR Life Kit, Expedia's Out Travel the System, and The Points Guy's Miles Away. In her spare time, Katherine moonlights as a photojournalist covering Formula 1, Austin City Limits, and SXSW for the Austin American-Statesman and other media outlets. When she's not jetsetting around the world, you'll likely find her in Austin cooking up a batch of spicy Chinese food.ExpertiseKatherine's expertise encompasses:

• Small business finances
• Credit cards
• Points and miles travel
• Travel insurance
• Real estate investing

Katherine's interest in personal finance extends to her own interests. Despite a salary of just $28,000 a year from her first full-time job, Katherine built an excellent credit score of 805 from scratch through hard work [and privilege], which allowed her to purchase her first home six years after graduating from college. She's since added five more doors to her real estate portfolio, although she plans to retire on her index fund investments.Thanks to credit card travel rewards, Katherine has flown well over one million miles visiting 44 countries across all seven continents. She's sailed with orcas in Antarctica, flown home in first class from Japan, photographed a wedding at Hobbiton in New Zealand, and gone on safari in South Africa. But her most meaningful trips always bring her home to loved ones in Taiwan. EducationKatherine holds dual degrees in photojournalism and Asian American studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a certificate in business Chinese proficiency from National Taiwan University. She began her professional career in tech as a software sales executive for seven years before returning to her media roots. 

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Angela Fung

Marketing Compliance and Operations Manager

Angela Fung is the marketing compliance and operations manager for Business Insider’s personal finance team. She is a personal finance expert and has been a part of Business Insider for nearly four years. ExperienceAngela leads the compliance team in identifying and reducing risk for readers, the editorial team, and external partners. Her team aims to provide readers with accurate, up-to-date information about financial products and maintain reader trust. She ensures regulatory and partner marketing guidelines are upheld for partners and adheres to the personal finance team’s editorial standards so they can maintain editorial independence. Angela likes helping readers better understand personal finance so that they can build a strong foundation for their financial plan and, hopefully, give themselves the freedom to do more in other facets of their lives.ExpertiseAngela has expertise in and oversees compliance in the following areas of personal finance:

• Personal credit cards
• Business credit cards
• High-yield savings accounts
• CDs

She also has a thorough knowledge of federal regulation for consumer financial protection. A few examples include:

• Regulation Z, Truth in Lending
• Unfair, Deceptive, Or Abusive Acts Or Practices (UDAAP)
• Regulation N, Mortgage Acts and Practices Advertising Rule
• Endorsement Guidelines

EducationAngela graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. In her free time, she shoots lifestyle photography, volunteers at Meals for Unity, and plays tennis.

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