Among the big three travel credit cardsthe Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are the two premium options, charging annual fees of $395 and $95 respectively.
The Venture X is considerably less expensive than other high-end travel cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express. The Venture’s annual fee matches that of other cards in its class, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Citi Premier® Card.
The Capital One Travel Card that’s right for you will depend on your travel and spending habits. The Company X is better suited to frequent travelers who want to book trips through Capital One Travel, the company’s online booking platform. Less frequent travelers looking for a card that can also be used for earn rewards on daily spendwould be better off paying the lower annual fee of the Venture card.
Which card does it better?
| Characteristic | Winner |
|---|---|
|
Costs |
Company |
|
welcome bonus |
Tie |
|
Awards |
Company X |
|
Travel Benefits |
Company X |
|
Access to the airport lounge |
Company X |
Costs
Winner: Venture
With an annual fee of $95, the basic Venture card offers a much lower barrier to entry, making it a better choice for less frequent travelers who can’t justify the Venture X’s $395 fee in order to to take advantage of its superior reward potential.
Both cards offer no foreign transaction fees — standard for travel credit cards — as well as no balance transfer fees. That said, none of the cards offer an introductory APR period, so we recommend choosing another. credit card for balance transfers.
If you prefer an even more streamlined version of the Venture overall cards with no annual feeCheck Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
welcome bonus
Winner: Tie
Amazingly, the Venture X and the Venture offer the exact same welcome bonus: 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 in the first three months, which equates to $750 in travel. This makes both maps competitive with some of the maps that populate our current list of best credit card welcome bonuses.
Although the welcome bonuses are the same, the Venture’s considerably lower annual fee makes it the best value.
Awards
Winner: Venture X
There’s not really a contest here: The Venture X offers a much more valuable rewards program. Here’s how the rewards for both cards stack up by purchase type:
Whether the Venture X benefit justifies the annual fee will be determined by your budget and travel habits.
Compare rewards
| Company X | Company |
|---|---|
|
10x miles on car rentals and hotels booked through Capital One Travel |
5x miles on car rentals and hotels booked through Capital One Travel |
|
10x miles on Turo car rentals until 05/16/2023 |
5x miles on Turo car rentals until 05/16/2023 |
|
5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel |
N / A |
|
2x miles on all other purchases |
2x miles on all other purchases |
Travel Benefits
Winner: Venture X
Both cards offer special deals on Hertz car rentals and both let you skip the line at the rental counter, but the Venture X gives cardholders President’s Circle status, which grants free upgrades and a wider range of cars to choose from.
Note that Venture X’s $300 annual travel credit is credited to your account after spending $300 through Capital One Travel; other travel purchases are not eligible.
Compare travel benefits
| Company | Company X |
|---|---|
|
Hertz Five Star® Status |
Hertz President’s Circle® Status |
|
Global Entry credit or TSA Precheck |
Global Entry or TSA Precheck Credit |
|
Up to $300 annual travel statement credit |
|
|
10,000 mile anniversary bonus (worth $100 for travel) |
Access to the airport lounge
Winner: Venture X
As Capital One slowly expands airport lounge offers for cardholders, the Venture X offers unlimited free access to Capital One lounges plus two free guests per visit. The problem? There is only one lounge currently open – at Dallas-Fort-Worth (DFW) airport. Note that Capital One has announced plans to open two more lounges, in Denver (DEN) and Washington, DC (IAD), but has not yet revealed opening dates.
As a consolation, Capital One offers cardholders access to partner lounges. The Venture X gives you access to over 1,400 lounges worldwide, including Priority Pass and Plaza Premium lounges.
The Venture Card offers less: two free passes per year to a Capital One lounge (which usually costs $65 per visit) or one of more than 100 lounges in the Plaza Premium Collection.
The bottom line
The Venture X is a solid choice if you’re a frequent flyer who can rack up enough rewards to offset the hefty annual fee. And the Venture offers decent value for less frequent travelers.
FAQs
What is the best travel credit card?
When reviewing all factors of all travel credit cards, CNET finds that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best travel card for most people.
What are foreign transaction fees?
Foreign transaction fees are charged by some credit cards when you make purchases abroad. They are intended to cover the cost of currency conversion and usually cost 3% of the transaction. Travel credit cards do not always charge foreign transaction fees.
What additional benefits do travel credit cards typically offer?
Most travel credit cards, some of which have high annual fees, include benefits that add value to these cards, such as travel accident insurance, trip cancellation insurance, reimbursement or protection against travel delays, reimbursement for lost luggage and car rental insurance.
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