Pros
- Strong travel rewards
- Big sign-up bonus
- Valuable travel credits
Cons
- Expensive annual fee
- Limited transfer partners
- Sign-up bonus comes at a big cost
6 things you need to know about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
1. Benefits outweigh the annual fee by a mile
Total Benefit Value: $1,089
Ease of Use: Moderately easy
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has an estimated Total Benefit Value of $1,089 as of May 2022, based on Credit Karma’s calculation.
The Total Benefit Value measures how much a premium rewards card could be worth if you use each benefit once. We found the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card pays for itself with travel credits and other benefits that are worth nearly three times as much as the $395 annual fee.
Here are a few of our favorite benefits this card offers.
- $300 travel credit
- 10,000 anniversary bonus miles
- Airport lounge access
We believe these benefits are fairly practical for frequent travelers because they cover run-of-the-mill expenses that you’ll regularly come across when traveling.
The benefits are also moderately easy to use. Capital One doesn’t place many restrictions on how you spend your travel credit and bonus miles, so you won’t have to put in a lot of effort to get value from this card.
2. The travel rewards are strong
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers solid rewards for travel spending and bonus categories that are on par with other premium rewards cards.
You’ll earn …
- 10 miles for every $1 spent on hotels booked through Capital One Travel
- 10 miles per $1 on rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5 miles per $1 on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases
Keep in mind that to qualify for most of the bonus categories, your travel purchases must be made through Capital One’s travel portal. This may make it difficult to earn elite status with your favorite airline and hotel chains — some airline and hotel rewards programs may not count reservations made through third parties toward their status requirements.
3. A big sign-up bonus at a big total cost
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with a big sign-up bonus of 75,000 bonus miles (worth $750 when redeemed for travel) after spending $4,000 on purchases during the first 3 months that you have the card.
The spending requirement works out to more than $1,300 a month. So if you’re not prepared to spend this kind of cash, you may want to look at other premium rewards cards that may offer more valuable bonuses.
4. The annual fee is not as bad as it looks
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card charges a reasonable annual fee — for a premium rewards card.
While it might not sound like much of a bargain, you might find the $395 annual fee quite a bit more affordable than what competitors like the Platinum Card® from American Express ($695) and Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($550) charge.
5. The travel perks may help offset the annual fee
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card pays for itself with travel credits.
You can receive up to a $300 annual statement credit for trips booked through Capital One Travel. Plus, you’ll get 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 when redeemed for travel) each year after your account anniversary. These two perks alone could help offset the annual fee.
Additionally, you can get up to $120 in statement credits every four years when you apply for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® to help you breeze through airport security.
6. You’ll enjoy a more comfortable trip
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card also comes with airport lounge access to help you relax before your flight.
As a cardholder, you and two guests will have access to more than 1,300 lounges around the world including Capital One Lounges and lounges in their partner lounge network.
Understanding your points and redemption options
Capital One Venture® rewards are worth 1 cent each when redeemed through Capital One Travel, based on Credit Karma’s point valuations.
But you can also transfer your points to another rewards program.
Capital One is a flexible rewards program, which means you can transfer your miles to other loyalty programs. Capital One partners with some hotel programs and a number of international airlines, including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Etihad and Aeromexico.
Unfortunately, at present, there aren’t any domestic airlines where you can transfer your points.
Who is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card good for?
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card could be a good choice for people who want a somewhat more affordable premium rewards card.
If you want more value than a standard, run-of-the-mill travel card offers, but you don’t want to pay an astronomically high annual fee, then the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a good bet. It gives you access to top-notch rewards and premium benefits without breaking the bank.
Not sure the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is for you? Consider these alternatives.
If the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card doesn’t seem like the right fit, here are some other travel cards you might be interested in.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Good for people who want a more affordable travel credit card.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Good for people who want a more flexible premium rewards card.
- Platinum Card® from American Express: Good for people who want a more luxurious premium rewards card.