Capital One Venture X Card Review: 13 Reasons to Apply Today

Capital One Venture X

9

Product Rating

9.0/10

Strengths

• Generous sign-up bonus
• Earn bonus miles when you book travel through Capital One
• 10,000-mile anniversary bonus
• $300 annual travel credit
• No foreign transaction fees

Weaknesses

• No 0% introductory APR
• $395 annual fee
• No collision damage waiver is offered on car rentals

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When it comes to travel credit cards, you have plenty of options available. But one that should be on your shortlist is the Capital One Venture X Credit Card. It’s a premium travel card with a moderate annual fee, considering the many rewards and benefits the card offers.

In fact, we’ve come up with 13 reasons to apply for the Capital One Venture X Credit Card.

What Is the Capital One Venture X Credit Card?

The Capital One Venture X Credit Card is a travel rewards credit card that pays you back in miles. Generally speaking, those miles can be redeemed at 1 cent per mile, though certain categories will redeem at a higher or lower rate.

In addition to the abundant rewards miles, there’s also a very generous sign-up bonus. And as you might expect from a premium travel card, it includes many other travel benefits. Here’s a look at the reasons why you should consider the Capital One Venture X.

Learn more about the Capital One Venture X Credit Card

13 Reasons to Apply for the Capital One Venture X Card

The Capital One Venture X Credit Card offers the following benefits and rewards:

1. Signup Bonus

You’ll start by earning 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account. At one cent per mile, the sign-up bonus is worth $750 when you book travel through Capital One Travel – which you’ll want to do after reading Reason #11 below.

2. Anniversary Bonus

In addition to the signup bonus, Capital One Venture X users earn a yearly Anniversary Bonus starting on their first anniversary. The Anniversary bonus is 10,000 miles, worth $100 for travel.

3. Rewards

The Capital One Venture X Credit Card travel rewards are very generous. You’ll earn bonus miles when you make the following purchases with your card – 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases plus 10X miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel.

The 2X Miles on “all other purchases” is generous when compared to rewards offered by non-premium credit cards. But if you’re a frequent traveler, 10X Miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X Miles on air travel can make this card an obvious choice.

4. $300 Annual Travel Credit

If the travel miles weren’t generous enough, Capital One Venture X Credit Card has a $300 Annual Travel Credit. The credit is earned as a statement credit for bookings through Capital One Travel. The credit will be earned after your annual fee has been paid through the card.

The travel credit essentially reduces the $395 annual fee down to only $95. That’s a typical annual fee on non-premium cards, but you get so much more with the Capital One Venture X Credit Card.

5. No Foreign Transaction Fee

Most credit cards have a foreign transaction fee of 3%, but there is no charge with the Capital One Venture X. Think of it as a 3% discount on purchases made during international travel just for using the card.

6. Referral Bonus – 100,000 Miles

This is one of the most interesting benefits offered by this card. When you refer family or friends to the Capital One Venture X Credit Card, you’ll earn up to 100,000 bonus miles when they’re approved. Making just one approved referral annually adds many miles to your account.

7. Cell Phone Protection

Capital One will reimburse you up to $800 if your cell phone is stolen or damaged. For your phone to be eligible, you must pay your monthly phone bill using the Capital One Venture X Credit Card.

8. Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit

Capital One will provide a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit of up to $100 every four years. Like the cell phone protection plan, you must pay the fee using the card to be eligible for the credit.

9. Capital One Dining and Capital One Entertainment

Capital One Dining gives you access to exclusive reservations at award-winning restaurants and tickets to top culinary experiences. Meanwhile, Capital One Entertainment allows you to access to music, sports, and dining experiences with presales and tickets.

10. Capital One Lounge

Capital One provides airport lounge access to one of the largest airport lounge networks in the industry, with more than 1,400 lounges. You can take advantage of Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass, and Plaza Premium Lounges.

Visits to Capital One Lounges are unlimited, with two complimentary guests per visit, then $45 for each additional guest. Access to partner lounge networks is subject to availability but also offers unlimited complimentary access for two guests per visit.

11. Travel Booking Price Protection

Capital One’s travel booking price protection program includes the following benefits:

• Free price drop protection: you’ll get a partial refund if you book a flight when recommended by Capital One Travel, and there’s a price drop after you book.
• Match or beat competitors’ hotel rates: Capital One Travel checks Expedia and Travelocity to ensure you get the best rates.
• Capital One will match a better price: If you find a better price than Capital One Travel offers, they’ll match the difference. You must report a lower price within 24 hours of your original booking.
• Travel price alerts: You can set price alerts, and Capital One will watch your flight continuously and notify you if there is a price drop.

12. Redeem Miles through 15+ Travel Loyalty Programs

Capital One Rewards Miles can be transferred to the following 16 travel loyalty programs on a 1:1 basis:

• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air Canada – Aeroplan®
• Cathay Pacific – Asia Miles
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Choice Privileges®²
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• Finnair Plus
• Flying Blue
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• TAP Miles&Go
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• Virgin Red
• Wyndham Rewards

13. Special Benefits on Select Car Rentals

Capital One offers special benefits when you book a car rental with either Hertz or Turo, the world’s largest car-sharing marketplace.

With Hertz, you’ll have enhanced benefits with a complimentary upgrade to Hertz President’s Circle status as a Capital One Venture X cardholder. That will entitle you to skip the rental counter and take advantage of the widest selection of cars they have available.

Learn more about the Capital One Venture X Credit Card

Capital One Venture X Credit Card Rewards: Redemption Options

The Capital One Venture X Credit Card gives you several options for redeeming your rewards:

• Book travel (airfare, hotels, and car rentals) through Capital One Travel, redeemed at 1 cent per mile.
• Apply miles to travel purchased within the previous 90 days.
• Transfer your miles to a travel loyalty partner program at a 1:1 ratio (some travel partners may provide a higher transfer ratio).
• Gift cards and online shopping. While most come with a 1-cent-per-mile redemption, purchasing through Amazon or PayPal lowers the conversion to just 0.8 cents per mile.
• Cash back: While this is often the most convenient way to redeem your miles, it’s also the least beneficial. Miles can be converted to cash back at just 0.5 cents per mile. 

Capital One Venture X Credit Card Fees

Annual fee: $395 – no charge for additional cardholders

Balance transfer fee: 3% of the amount transferred unless Capital One provides a special offer on balance transfers

Cash advance fee: The greater of $10 or 3% of the amount of each cash advance

Late fee: Up to $40

How to Apply for the Capital One Venture X Credit Card

To apply for the Capital One Venture X Credit Card, you must be at least 18 years old, a legal resident of the US, and have “excellent credit.”

Capital One doesn’t define the parameters for excellent credit, but you should expect they’ll be looking for a score in the range of 720 to 740 or higher.

Regarding qualification requirements, I know from personal experience that one of the questions they ask on the application is, “Have you been approved for another Capital One card in the previous six months?”. Since I didn’t have another Capital One card, I can’t say for certain if having one would’ve disqualified me or anyone else. But it is something to be aware of.

Apart from the excellent credit requirement, Capital One does not indicate minimum employment or income requirements, nor other factors such as debt-to-income ratios. That certainly doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply, just know there is no magic formula guaranteeing approval.

Capital One Venture X Credit Card Alternatives

The Capital One Venture X Credit Card is a top travel rewards card, but you should always shop around before you make a final choice. Here are some alternative travel rewards cards worth considering:

Platinum Card from American Express

The Platinum Card from American Express is another top travel credit card. The card comes with a fairly high annual fee of $695, but it comes with a ton of rewards and benefits.

For starters, there’s a sign-up bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $20,000 within the first 3 months of opening your account. You can enjoy 5X points on flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel, plus 1X points on all other purchases. And the Amex Platinum is currently offering 0% APR on purchases for the first six months. 

There are plenty of other perks, including a $200 hotel credit, $200 airline fee credit, and $200 in Uber Cash, as well as a $100 Global Entry credit or $85 TSA PreCheck credit. And the card offers car rental loss and damage insurance, cell phone protection, 24/7 Global Assist Hotline, travel protection, and the ability to transfer rewards points to airline and hotel partners.

The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two night stay.

Learn more about the American Express Platinum Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card is another top travel credit card. The annual fee sits at the moderate end of the premium card range, at $95. But you’ll earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of opening the account, then 10X points on hotels and car rentals and 5X points on flights booked through Chase Travel. 

You’ll also earn a $300 annual travel credit, as well as 3X points on other travel, 10X points on Chase Dining, 3X points on other dining, and 1X points on all other purchases. Bonus points can be redeemed for travel, gift cards, statement credits, or even cash. You’ll also enjoy 24/7 customer service, a $100 credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee, and room upgrade and daily breakfast at more than 1,000 properties booked with The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection. 

Like the Capital One Venture X Credit Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card also provides various buyer travel protection plans and a generous referral program. You can earn 10,000 bonus points for each friend who applies and is approved for a card, up to 50,000 bonus points per year.

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Citi Premier Card

The Citi Premier Card offers 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in purchases within three months of opening your account. The bonus points are redeemable for $800 in gift cards.

The rewards are less generous than the Capital One Venture X Credit Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, but this is a low annual fee card. You can earn 3X points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels, and 1X on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed for travel rewards, gift cards, or shopping at Amazon.com or BestBuy.com. 

There’s also a $100 annual hotel savings benefit as a discount on a single hotel stay of $500 or more. Meanwhile, you can transfer points to participating airline loyalty programs. As a cardholder, you’ll also be able to take advantage of Citi Entertainment, giving you special access to ticket purchases on thousands of events and presale tickets to concerts, sporting events, and dining experiences.

One of the Citi Premier Card’s best features is its low annual fee of just $95. And if that’s not enough, there are no foreign transaction fees.

Learn more about the Citi Premier Card

Capital One Venture X Credit Card Pros & Cons

Pros: 

• Generous sign-up bonus
• Earn bonus miles when you book travel through Capital One.
• 10,000-mile anniversary bonus
• Referral bonus of up to 100,000 miles
• $300 annual travel credit.
• No foreign transaction fees.

Cons:

• No introductory APR. 
• $395 annual fee
• No collision damage waiver is offered on car rentals.

Apply For The Capital One Venture X Credit Card

Should You Apply for the Capital One Venture X Credit Card?

If you’re looking for an outstanding travel rewards credit card, you should certainly consider the Capital One Venture X Credit Card. There are cards that offer higher rewards, but they often have much higher annual fees.

The Capital One Venture X Credit Card offers an excellent package of rewards and benefits, considering the annual fee of just $395 – which itself is on the low end of the range for premium travel cards.

The Capital One Venture X Credit Card will work best if you are a frequent traveler. Travel is the best way to accumulate rewards miles on the card and the better way to redeem them at the highest value. If you’re not a frequent traveler, check out our article on the best cashback credit cards.