Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card review: A strong alternative for luxury travel
A suitable credit card for people who want to maximize travel rewards without paying for excess luxury perks.
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Snapshot
5.0
Bottom line
If you’re a frequent traveler, this card is a cost-effective choice. The annual bonuses help offset its cost, and Capital One offers flexible travel redemptions and solid reward rates for everyday spending.
Intro offer
75,000 miles
Rewards rate
2 Miles - 10 Miles
Annual fee
$395
Regular APR
19.99% - 29.74% (Variable)
Bankrate Score
Rewards value
APR
Rewards flexibility
Features
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Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Overview
The Capital One Venture X Rewards card offers a winning combination of streamlined rewards and luxury perks for frequent travelers at a mid-tier price point.
On top of the 2X base rewards rate that has made the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card a favorite, the Venture X comes with valuable benefits like an annual travel credit and anniversary points. While these perks may not be as luxurious as those with other premium cards, they are easy to use and offer enough value to offset the annual fee.
The combination of valuable benefits, simple rewards and a $395 annual fee (See Rates & Fees) makes the Venture X a terrific fit if you're focused on ongoing value and practical perks.
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Rewards
- 10X miles on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles on all other purchases
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Welcome offer
- 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $395
- 19.99% - 29.74% (Variable)
- (See Rates & Fees)
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Other cardholder perks
- Annual $300 Capital One travel credit
- 10,000 bonus miles every year on your account anniversary (worth $100)
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit
- Priority Pass Select membership and Capital One Lounge access
- Complimentary Hertz Gold Plus President’s Circle status*
- Visa Infinite travel insurance benefits
- Purchase and return protection
- Cellphone protection
- $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis
Capital One Venture X pros and cons
Pros
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This card improves on its sibling card with 5X or 10X miles on select Capital One Travel, while earning an excellent flat rate on all other purchases.
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The annual travel credit and bonus miles are enough to offset the annual fee.
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Redeeming miles to cover travel purchases gives flexibility and time to accumulate additional points to cover those purchases.
Cons
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The annual fee may prove difficult to offset if you don’t use the travel credits.
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Transfer partners aren’t as extensive as other premium card issuers.
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There are limited ways to earn bonus miles reduce the card’s value when compared to similar cards.
Why you might want the Capital One Venture X
This card card combines bonus rewards on travel with a generous base rewards rate while providing valuable annual credits and a ton of travel perks. While the annual fee may be intimidating, it’s easy to offset if you take advantage of the card’s features to travel in style.
Rewards rate: Terrific mix of bonus categories and valuable rewards
The Venture X stands out from other top-tier travel cards thanks to its robust travel bonus category and generous flat rewards rate on all other purchases.
Like the original Venture card, the Venture X delivers streamlined 2X miles on all purchases. But the Venture X also offers 5X miles on airfare and vacation rentals and 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, while the original Venture only offers 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One.
On top of that, Capital One gives you flexible options for redeeming your miles. Along with booking airfare, vacation rentals and other travel through the issuer’s travel portal, you can redeem miles toward a statement credit for travel purchases made within the past 90 days. This lets you book any travel-related purchase and still put your miles to good use while giving you additional time to earn rewards to cover those purchases. You can also transfer your miles to any of Capital One’s travel partners.
Your miles are worth 1 cent each when you redeem through Capital One Travel or for statement credits on recent travel purchases, but some transfer partners could offer even higher redemption values. Based on Bankrate’s latest mile valuations, each mile is worth roughly 1.7 cents when transferred to the right airline or hotel partner.
Outside of travel, gift cards are probably your best redemption option since they could potentially get you a 1-cent-per-mile redemption value. Since rewards don’t expire for the life of your account and aren’t subject to blackout dates, you can hold on to your miles until you’re ready to use them.
Cardholder perks: Valuable, practical benefits for travelers
The Venture X offers $400 in value every year with two easy-to-maximize benefits. You’ll get 10,000 bonus miles each year on your account anniversary (worth $100) and a $300 Capital One travel credit each year. You can also receive up to $100 in experience credits and other premium benefits when staying at a Premier Collection hotel booked through Capital One Travel. These perks alone offset the annual fee.
The Venture X card’s Visa Infinite status provides several useful travel and purchase protections. It’s one of the best cards for travel insurance due to its trip cancellation and interruption insurance* (one of the most sought-after protection perks). You’ll also get an auto rental collision damage waiver*, trip and baggage delay reimbursement* (from common carrier tickets), as well as purchase and cellphone protection*.
These are all valuable, practical perks for frequent travelers which can come in handy when travel issues arise.
Why you might want a different travel card
If you find the annual fee too high for your liking or feel that the welcome offer no longer provides the value it once did, you should consider a different travel card for your needs.
Annual fee: Might be too costly
While the card's annual fee is not as high as many of its premium competitors, it might still be too steep for some, especially occasional travelers.
The Venture's X card’s $395 annual fee (See Rates & Fees) could be difficult to justify if you don’t earn enough rewards from card spending or can’t use the anniversary bonus miles and annual credit. If you don't plan on using those features, another card would likely be a better choice.
Welcome offer: Recent drop in value
The Venture X card's current welcome offer is a drop from the card’s previous bonus. You'll now earn 75,000 bonus miles if you spend $4,000 in your first three months — a 25,000-point drop from the previous offer of 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 in the first six months. While the current bonus should be easier to earn, it’s much less valuable. Based on Bankrate’s latest points and miles valuations, the current 75,000-mile offer is worth around $1,275, compared to the old bonus value of $1,700.
While the previous offer was impressive, the current bonus is still better than some of the card’s main competitors, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which charges a lower annual fee and earns 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 in your first three months. Plus, its limited-time offer can earn you up to $300 in statement credits for Chase Travel purchases made within your first year.
Learn More: How to use the Venture X’s sign-up bonus
We tried it: Here’s what our experts say
Bankrate credit cards editor Nouri Zarrugh loves the Venture X card’s combination of practical perks that make the annual fee easy to offset:
I love that the card offers practical travel perks, expedited security screening credits and an annual travel credit. They’re all easy to take advantage of and can more than offset the annual fee on their own. Other premium travel cards may offer more perks, but they’re mostly ones that I’ll never use and — at least for me — don’t justify the higher fee.
— Nouri Zarrugh, Editor at Bankrate
First-year vs. ongoing value
The Venture X card comes with several valuable perks that should more than justify its annual fee in the first year and beyond.
Thanks to the card’s generous flat rewards rate, offsetting the Venture X card’s annual fee shouldn’t be too difficult, especially if you can squeeze more value out of your miles with a strategic transfer to an airline or hotel partner.
Here’s a look at how much you can expect to earn based on our card value rating methodology, which assumes an annual spend of $22,500:
| Benefits and Costs | First-year value | Ongoing value (no welcome offers) |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated yearly rewards via card spend | +$513 | +$513 |
| Welcome offers | +$750 (75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 during the first three months, assuming a 1-cent-per-mile redemption value) | — |
| Perks (of monetary value) |
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| Annual fee | -$395 (See Rates & Fees) | -$395 (See Rates & Fees) |
| Total value | $1,627 | $877 |
How the Capital One Venture X compares to other travel cards
The Capital One Venture X offers great annual perks for its price tag, but let’s see how it stacks up against two of its most prominent competitors.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Rewards rate
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.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Rewards rate
5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Rewards rate
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Best cards to pair with the Capital One Venture X
The Venture X offers boosted flat-rate miles, so a bonus category card that rewards everyday expenses outside travel would make an ideal partner.
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is a prime choice since you can convert your cash back to Capital One miles at a higher value without an annual fee (See Rates & Fees). Conversely, you could also cash out your miles by transferring them to the Savor if needed.
This increases the value of the Savor’s 3 percent cash back on dining, entertainment, grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target) and popular streaming service purchases. Plus, its 8 percent cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases can offer significant value for your entertainment experiences.
See Next: How Ana Staples combines the Venture X and Savor cards
Who is the Venture X right for?
The Venture X can be a terrific option if you want access to exclusive events and experiences or if you fly often and enjoy traveling in style.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the Capital One Venture X worth it?
The Capital One Venture X card is an outstanding pick if you want a low-maintenance card with practical travel perks and no unnecessary features that often come with higher-fee cards.
The Venture X is easily worth it if you love the flexibility of flat-rate rewards and travel enough to take advantage of annual credits and perks.
This combination makes the Venture X one of the best travel credit cards on the market.
Dig deeper: Why we love the Capital One Venture X
*For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply
How we rated this card
We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.
Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest).
We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:
Frequently asked questions
What cardholders think
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder’s product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate’s own reviews of these cards.
Community Reviews
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.
