Honest Capital One Venture X Review [After 3+ years]
I’ve been a committed Capital One Venture X card girl since the early 2020s, and I haven’t looked back.
The Priority Pass, annual bonuses, and ease of use abroad make it one of the best credit cards for travelers from the US. Not to mention the 75,000 bonus miles you can earn when signing up.
And as a user for many years now, I feel qualified to share my Capital One Venture X review with you if you’re on the fence about it!
I have no intention of letting go of this card, especially since I’m catching flights often and am in love with the lounge access.
But these are just my favorite aspects of this credit card, so let’s dive deeper into the actual benefits, the bonuses, and that one time I got $800 for only $80 with this card.
Disclosure: Some links to products and recommendations are affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you).
What Is the Capital One Venture X Card?
Before I go into my Capital One Venture X credit card review, let’s cover the basics of the card.
Capital One Venture X at a Glance
The facts about this credit card:
- Annual fee: $395
- Annual bonuses: $300 in portal credit + 10,000 miles (valued at $100)
- Foreign transaction fee: $0
- Sign-up bonus: Usually 75,000 miles (worth $750)
- Includes Priority Pass (only for card user)
- $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check
- Credit needed: Excellent
Who This Card Is Best For
The Capital One Venture X is best for frequent travelers with excellent credit.
It’s especially beneficial for people who travel frequently to or from the US because they can take advantage of Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check.
And you can relish in the Priority Pass. If you pay for that now, you could cancel it and use this card instead, since it’s just for one person.
It’s also a great card if you’ve built up miles with airlines, as you can transfer Capital One miles to those programs and add extra miles you might need. But always check the transfer rate, as some aren’t worth it.
My Experience with the Capital One Venture X Credit Card
I was skeptical about getting this credit card at first because of the high annual fee of almost $400. With that said, the $300 in portal credit and 10,000 annual bonus miles are worth $400 in value, and they’re very easy to use, especially if you’re traveling often.
In my personal Capital One Venture X review, here are my favorite benefits of having the card plus tips.
The 75,000 Miles Sign-Up Bonus
In my experience with the Capital One Venture X credit card, the 75,000 miles sign-up bonus is one of the biggest motivators to get this card.
After all, those 75,000 miles are worth $750 in travel!
The spend requirement is $4,000 in the first 3 months.
If you’re learning towards getting this card, be sure you can hit that spending amount first to ensure you get the bonus!
Those 75,000 bonus miles can be used in the portal or transferred to airline miles partners.
Capital One Venture X Priority Pass Review
The Priority Pass is probably the main reason I will not get rid of this credit card. I mean, you get a pass worth over $400 for free.
To me, this is the one benefit that makes the Capital One Venture X worth the fee.
Going from never having lounge access to using it for a few years now, I can’t go back.
I get my coffee, breakfast, dinner, whatever I want in the lounges. And most have been quite impressive.
And it’s unlimited visits!
I’ve been in at least 15 lounges around the globe now, and I never have to worry about bringing extra food or spending on overpriced food at the airport.
Pro tip: Read reviews on airport lounges beforehand. I’ve read about people with Priority Pass being denied, although I haven’t encountered it myself. If reviews show many people with Priority Pass get denied, it might be worth reserving a spot (usually about $8).
Using the Capital One Venture X In-Portal Credit
While booking through the Capital One travel portal is considered booking third-party, in my Capital One Venture X experience, I never had any issues with the flights I’ve purchased there.
I’ve booked flights through the portal with airlines like Air France, Delta, and American Airlines.
One concern is that sometimes the flight doesn’t include luggage, or the more expensive options with luggage are priced ridiculously high.
Let’s say the base fare is $166 (as shown above), but the only option with checked luggage in the travel portal is first class for $606, which is obviously not the case if you were to buy directly.
So what do I do?
I book the base fare through the portal, then add luggage on the airline’s website after I get the confirmation. I did this with my Air France flight with no issues.
With all that said, in my Capital One Venture X experience, using the portal is best for non-budget and US airlines in case of any 3rd-party issues.
Pro tip: Always cross-check flight prices between the portal and the official website. Most of the time the prices are the same, but sometimes the price in Capital One’s portal is much higher.
Transfer Partners Experience: Turkish Airlines
If you have people in your life telling you to sign up for airline miles programs, this is the time to start listening.
Since I frequently traveled with Turkish Airlines on long-haul flights, I was part of their Miles&Smiles program and had accumulated about 11,000 miles.
Once, I was booking a flight from Taipei to Istanbul and saw that it cost 35,000 miles with Turkish Airlines, while it would be $800 if I paid with my bank card.
The Capital One Venture X credit card has different partnerships with various airline loyalty programs, and with Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, the transfer rate is 1:1.
So what did I do? I transferred over 24,000 miles ($240 worth) from my Capital One portal to my Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles account, bringing my total to 35,000 miles.
I paid for the whole flight with the 35,000 miles and paid only $80 out of pocket for taxes.
This was my first big miles win!
➡️ Check out more transfer conversions and partners with Capital One ⬅️
Miles Reimbursements on Travel Purchases
This is something I didn’t learn about until after having this card for years. It’s using miles to reimburse your travel purchases!
For example, I paid the base fare for a flight in the portal using my annual travel credit and miles. But it didn’t include luggage, which I still wanted covered.
So I went to the flight booking confirmation page on the airline’s official website and paid for the luggage with my Venture X credit card.
Then, in my Capital One account, I go to the Rewards section, select “Cover Travel Purchases,” and choose what I want to cover with miles.
The miles conversion is the same when using the travel booking portal. So my $80 checked luggage cost me 8,000 miles. And my $80 was charged back onto my credit card within a few days.
This is so helpful when you want add-ons covered, or if you book a flight outside the Capital One portal but still want to use miles.
$300 Annual Travel Credit + 10,000 Anniversary Bonus Miles
In my Capital One Venture X experience, as long as you use the $300 annual credit + the 10,000 bonus miles, you’ve covered the annual fee.
The $300 in portal credit can only be used in the Capital One travel portal and must be used within that year.
The 10,000 bonus miles never expire, so there’s no rush to use them. They can be used in the portal, transferred to airline partner programs, and used to cover travel expenses on your credit card.
Other Capital One Venture X Travel Inclusions (I Haven’t Used Yet)
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Credit
It’s absolutely worth mentioning in this Capital One Venture X review that users can get up to $120 reimbursed for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Yes, you can only pick one.
I personally haven’t done either because I fly into the USA about once a year, so I would rarely use them.
To get the benefits of either PreCheck or Global Entry, you first need to pay the application fee, and once you’re cleared, you’ll get the money back into your account.
You can apply for this every four years.
Trip Cancellation/Interruption Coverage
Another reason the Capital One Venture X credit card is worth the fee is its trip cancellation and interruption coverage.
I haven’t had to use it, but it can cover a certain amount lost on non-refundable, prepaid tickets in certain situations. Since these policies may change and are part of the fine print, be sure to read them in more depth when getting the card.
Other travel protections include: lost baggage, trip delays, and baggage delays.
Rental Car Insurance
To be honest, I’ve only rented a car once in my life. And since it was in Ireland, it wouldn’t have been eligible under this credit card.
With that said, Capital One offers car rental insurance in most countries worldwide. Since I haven’t used it, you can check out the full car rental insurance policy here to see how it works.
Travel Accident Insurance
This one is a bit grim, but in the case of accidental death or dismemberment on a common carrier (like airplanes, trains), this credit card provides coverage. Always double-check your policy when signing up to confirm the exact eligibility guidelines.
Pros and Cons in my Personal Capital One Venture X Review
To wrap up my Capital One Venture X credit card review, let’s see where it wins and where it could improve.
Where the Card Excels
As long as you use the annual credit, use the included Priority Pass, and get yourself Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, this card pays for itself and more.
Being abroad full-time, I’ve thankfully always been able to use this card with no problems, and there are no foreign transaction fees.
Plus, I find that the currency conversion when I pay in a foreign country reflects pretty accurately on the statement.
Where It Falls Short
The only place I can think of where this card falls short is when you’re using the travel portal and some airlines are automatically more expensive or don’t include luggage, so you have to add it outside the portal.
With that said, as long as you’re booking a reputable airline, it’s pretty easy to add things on later.
Plus, with the option to use miles to cover travel expenses on your credit card, you can still book flights directly on your Venture X and have the amount credited back to you. I wouldn’t always rely on this, but it’s a nice perk!
Final Verdict — Is the Capital One Venture X Worth It?
To wrap up my Capital One Venture X review, if you use this card, then yes, it’s 100% worth it.
I was very on the fence about a $395 annual fee, but once I started using the card and saw how it paid for itself, I was sold.
Just be sure to use the annual credit; the card pays for itself, and you get to enjoy the additional perks of Priority Pass plus ProCheck/Global Entry.
