Is The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Worth It?

Now that the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has been around a while, it’s become a true competitor to other premium travel credit cards from issuers like American Express and Chase.

This is partly because the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has a much lower annual fee than the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or The Platinum Card® from American Express. But it’s also due to its broad airport lounge access benefit, flexible travel credits and the ongoing travel benefits cardholders receive.

But is the Capital One Venture X card “worth it” in a traditional sense? If you travel at all, you can easily get a lot more than $395 in value during the first year.

When is the Capital One Venture X worth it?

The Capital One Venture X can be worth it if you’re getting more than $395 in value each year from the perks you’ll receive. Here’s a rundown of all the reasons you should consider signing up:

You like the card’s rewards structure

The Capital One Venture X makes it easy to earn a considerable amount in rewards on travel purchases and everyday spending. Signing up for this card gives you the chance to earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel. On regular spending, you can earn:

• 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day

You can use $300 in annual travel credits

One of the biggest benefits of this card is the annual travel credit all members automatically receive, which almost completely offsets the card’s annual fee. Cardholders can get up to $300 back as statement credits toward travel bookings they make with their card through Capital One Travel. This credit should be easy to use, because this travel portal lets you choose from a similar selection of flights, hotels and car rentals you would find elsewhere online.

Like other travel portals, Capital One Travel lets you search for travel based on your destination and dates, so you can compare all your options in one place. Plus, this credit can apply to multiple bookings.

You want Priority Pass Select and Capital One airport lounge membership

The Capital One Venture X card comes with Priority Pass Select membership, which lets you enter more than 1,700 airport lounges worldwide and has a retail value of $469. However, cardholders can also enter Capital One’s new airport lounges and available partner lounges.

Cardmembers can bring up to two guests for free into Priority Pass or Capital One lounges. Additional guests can also be brought into Capital One lounges by cardholders for an additional fee of $45 each.

You’ll benefit from up to $120 in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credits

Like many premium travel credit cards, the Capital One Venture X gives cardholders up to $120 in credits toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership. Because joining Global Entry also gets you TSA PreCheck, joining this program is a better deal. You can use this credit every four years, and it can be used for anyone, not just the cardholder.

You want to transfer miles to Capital One travel partners

Like credit cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Citi ThankYou® points and American Express Membership Rewards points, the Capital One Venture X offers you the chance to transfer your miles to airline and hotel partners.

Here’s a full list of Capital One transfer partners and current ratios at time of writing:

It’s worth noting that the Capital One Venture X card offers the same flexible redemption options as the regular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, including the option to redeem Capital One miles for travel at a rate of 1 cent each. Cardholders can also redeem rewards for cash back, statement credits, gift cards, merchandise and more.

When is the Capital One Venture X not worth it?

While the Capital One Venture X can be well worth the annual investment, that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. In fact, there are several scenarios where consumers would be better off with a different rewards credit card altogether.

• You rarely travel
  

  If you’re an infrequent traveler, or you hardly ever travel by plane, it may be difficult for you to maximize cardholder benefits like airport lounge access and the fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership. You’ll also earn fewer miles if you don’t spend much on airfare, hotels, car rentals and other travel over time.

• You plan to carry a balance
  

  This card’s high APR makes it a poor option if you plan to use it to carry debt, even every once in a while. In that scenario, you may want to consider low-interest credit cards or credit cards that offer 0 percent APR for a limited time.

• You want to keep credit-related costs to a minimum
  

  While this card’s $395 annual fee can easily be offset with its annual travel credits and the value of its benefits, you still have to pay this amount upfront. This factor makes the Capital One Venture X expensive — even if you’re getting plenty in return.

• Your credit score isn’t that great
  

  Capital One says this card is available to consumers with “excellent credit.” This detail means you’re unlikely to get approved if your credit score isn’t at least in the good range, which starts at 670 for scores using the FICO scoring model. If your credit score is fair or worse, you likely won’t be able to get approved for this card, even if you want it.

Should you get the Capital One Venture X?

Like any other premium travel credit card, the Capital One Venture X offers plenty of perks in exchange for a relatively high annual fee. Whether or not paying $395 for this card makes sense depends on whether you can actually use the benefits it offers.

That said, the Capital One Venture X was created to compete with other top-tier travel credit cards — this fact becomes evident when you compare options based on their annual fees. Whereas the Capital One Venture X will set you back $395 per year, the Chase Sapphire Reserve costs $550 per year and the Amex Platinum will set you back $695 per year.

If you’re hoping to acquire a premium travel credit card with the lowest possible out-of-pocket cost, the Capital One Venture X is easily the best option out there.

The bottom line

The Capital One Venture X has a lower annual fee than the competition, up to $300 in travel credits the first year, a generous sign-up bonus and airport lounge membership. There’s not much to complain about. Even so, you should take the time to compare this card to other top rewards cards, including other Capital One credit cards and travel credit cards.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card can definitely be worth it, but you’ll need to do some research to know if it holds value for you.