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Business Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Business Insider
I flew across Europe in business class with Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic. These were the 6 biggest surprises.
As my wife's 52nd birthday approached, I knew I wanted to do something special to celebrate her. My plan was to book a two-week trip for me, my wife, our daughter, and our niece that would take us from Florida to Dublin, Amsterdam, Valencia, Paris, and London. I wanted to book only first and business-class flights, as my wife loves to travel in style. In the end, I used 1 million credit-card points and spent $12,000 to make it happen. We had a great time, and our trip's several business-class flights with Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic came with a few surprises. Each airline impressed us with its lounges. When my wife and I started traveling, we signed up for travel rewards cards, such as the American Express Platinum and Venture X by Capital One. Our goal was to accumulate reward points and give us lounge access as we traveled. During this trip, we were able to access lounges from Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic, and they all exceeded our expectations. In each, we were able to enjoy hot meals and spread out on comfy seats. Some lounges even had showers, which were a nice amenity after a long flight. The complimentary WiFi in each lounge also allowed me to easily stay connected to family and my team at work. We were a little underwhelmed by the seats on our regional business-class flights in Europe. Our flights within Europe were on KLM's Cityhopper airplanes. Although we had lie-flat seats on our longer flights with Air France and Virgin Atlantic, the ones on these smaller regional KLM flights only reclined a little. Although our seats had a few inches more legroom than typical economy, they weren't particularly spacious. I'm a larger traveler, so these business-class offerings were not my favorite. Since the flights were shorter, there was no meal service or entertainment screens, either. Overall, I don't feel upgrading to European business class on these short-haul flights was worth it. The perks didn't justify the extra costs, especially since we spent so little time on the plane. It was surprisingly easy to rest on the lie-flat seats. The European business-class seats on KLM's Cityhopper flights left much to be desired, but we had lie-flat, pod-style seats for our longer flights with Air France and Virgin Atlantic. The seats reclined into beds so we could nap, and we slept easily on the long flights because of them. We arrived in Europe and back in the US feeling well-rested. Long plane rides can be tiring, but these seats — combined with the in-flight service and food — were so good made us wish the flights were longer. I'd say Air France and Virgin Atlantic provided the best service of all our flights. We were especially impressed by the level of service we received throughout our flights with Air France and Virgin Atlantic. The service on the Air France flight felt elevated— we were especially impressed by how attentive the flight attendants were. They ensured we had extra blankets, constantly brought water, and repeatedly returned during meal services to see if we needed anything else. On the Virgin Atlantic flight, the crew also regularly checked that we were comfortable. In Virgin Atlantic's business class, we even got to enjoy a lounge area in the middle of the plane that was filled with snacks like cookies and chips, plus juice, water, and soda. Our meals on each flight were delicious — nothing we ate felt like "airplane food." I'm surprised by how much thought every airline that served meals seemed to put into its business-class offerings. On the Air France flight from Atlanta to Paris, I had the best duck salad I've ever had — it was moist and flavorful. The truffle butter-breaded chicken on the Virgin Atlantic flight from London to New York was so tasty that I asked for seconds. During several flights, flight attendants also offered wine pairings with meals, and their suggestions seemed on point. I'm still surprised by how easy it was to stay entertained throughout the flights. I've been on thousands of flights, so I know they can get pretty boring. Fortunately, most of these flights' entertainment options left me impressed. In particular, our Air France and Virgin Atlantic flights had a great selection of classic and new movies, music, TV shows, and games. All told, we spent about 28 hours on the flights, and the airlines' entertainment options were so good that I didn't read any books I brought for the trip.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Wealthy New Yorkers say Amex Black Cards have lost their cache
Have credit cards lost their cache? A few years ago, whipping out an Amex Black Card was the ultimate status symbol — so much so that the hip hop collective A$AP Mob even wrote an entire song about it. But that was 2017. Now? It's all about practicality, not ego. A wealthy subset tell me they are increasingly choosing cards that either offer a suite of banking features — like the Chase Sapphire Reserve — or act as your dream assistant that can get you into Le Veau d'Or and plan your entire trip to San Sebastian — like Atlas. Advertisement 4 Credit cards like Atlas can get customers reservations at the toughest doors like Le Veau d'Or. Olga Ginzburg for NY Post While companies like American Express and Capital One don't break out the numbers for the cards targeted at high-net worth clients, it is clearly still an alluring space for companies. Popular trading app Robinhood unveiled a limited edition 10-karat gold card last year. Amex Platinum, Citi Strata Elite, and Capital One Venture X, have also invested in heavier metal cards that have more weight and gravitas than the plastic 'starter credit card' you get in college. But the cool factor just isn't there any more. People tell me high-end credit cards aren't a signal of wealth the way they used to be. (That's what Instagram is for) Advertisement 4 Popular trading app Robinhood unveiled a limited edition 10-karat gold card last year. Part of it has to do with the fact that people aren't pulling cards out of their wallets as much due to the rise of alternative payment methods like Apple Pay. A growing number of restaurants are even sending customers a link where they can pay the tab online and of course everyone is online shopping. The other reality many people are realizing is it's no good to whip out a black (or gold) card if you're eating at a second-rate restaurant. And that is where other companies are trying to swoop in to win over consumers. Advertisement Atlas has developed a devoted following of yuppy types since its launch in 2019. CEO Patrick Mrozowski told me that he believes that people are choosing his card because he provides a valuable service. 4 A black card had so much cache that A$AP Rocky and the A$AP Mob wrote an entire song devoted to it. Getty Images for MTV 'We are a concierge company first and a credit card company second,' he said. 'We've been focused on building an amazing concierge service, hiring the best travel agents, and building personal relationships with restaurants.' Those relationships have resulted in members getting some of the most competitive reservations in the city, like The Corner Store. Advertisement This story is part of NYNext, an indispensable insider insight into the innovations, moonshots and political chess moves that matter most to NYC's power players (and those who aspire to be). Other cards, like the Centurion, do provide perks — complimentary hotel and airline upgrades, free access to airport lounges, a club in New York City, the promise of aspiration reservations, and annual credits at Saks Fifth Avenue — but not typically at the level of Atlas. Meanwhile, the Bilt Rewards card has distinguished itself by emphasizing community engagement over traditional credit card offerings and has partnerships with local restaurants like Delmonico's and fitness studios like SoulCycle. Another trend that is complicating things for high-end credit card companies is the fact that big spenders are spreading out purchases between multiple cards. 4 Consumers are opting to use cards that are more specific to the purchases they are making. Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Zach Perrett, the CEO Of Plaid, which provides technology to help connect bank accounts to fintech apps for over half of banked Americans, told me he is seeing people using half a dozen cards. 'People are connecting four or five, six or seven credit cards into a budgeting application,' Perret told me. 'Some of this is because you want to spend money on the card that is relevant to the thing that you're purchasing — let's say you have a Delta card, you want to put your travel on your Delta card.' Advertisement One person who recently canceled his black card and is now splitting purchases between a Delta card, a Chase sapphire card and a handful of other cards said it was like paying for a club you never use. 'The only benefit was the airport lounges, but now those have fallen off a cliff … I never used any of the other benefits they touted like personal shopping,' he explained. 'I paid more for this than most of my private club memberships in the city — I couldn't justify it anymore.'
Business Insider
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
I pay $395 a year for a credit card that I rarely use — but its benefits are worth way more than the fee
That's the case with my Capital One Venture X card. Even though it charges an annual fee of $395, it might be the biggest bargain in my vast collection of credit cards. This card comes with several travel perks that I appreciate It's hard to justify applying for a card with a $395 annual fee, especially when there's a similar alternative that's less expensive. However, a few things set the Capital One Venture X apart from its sibling, the Venture card, which has a $95 annual fee. Venture X cardholders receive unlimited access to the Capital One Lounges for themselves and up to two guests. Sadly, Capital One recently announced that, starting February 1, complimentary guest access will be restricted to cardholders who spend $75,000 annually. Or, additional cardholders can get that access for a $125 annual fee. This card also comes with a complimentary Priority Pass membership, which offers access to over 1,700 airport lounges around the world and can cost hundreds of dollars. Other benefits include a $120 credit toward the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and a $300 annual travel credit toward reservations booked through the Capital One Travel portal. The Venture X offers at least 2x miles per dollar on all purchases. However, I find the most value when transferring my rewards to one of its airline frequent-flyer or hotel loyalty programs. For example, we recently transferred 50,000 points to Turkish Airlines to redeem five last-minute flight tickets that would've cost us about $1,800. In many ways, my card pays for itself after a few trips with my family As a frequent traveler, it's pretty easy to use the $300 annual travel credit, bringing the net cost of this card down to $95 a year — exactly the fee of the Venture card. Previously, I added my wife, my father, and even my teenage daughter as authorized users to my Venture X card so they would also receive complimentary access to Capital One Lounges. Fortunately, there's a Capital One Lounge at our home airport in Denver that my family of five has used often (in addition to other lounges). Between all of us, we've consumed dozens of meals a year at these lounges. So, we almost never had to purchase food at the airport, which would otherwise be necessary before a meal-free flight on Southwest or other airlines. Besides, the quick food options at airports can often be low quality and overpriced. The value of all the food and beverages we consume, along with the $300 annual travel credit, makes the card's $395 annual fee seem trivial. Despite the card having even more benefits, I don't have to use it much to see its value Even though this card offers miles on all purchases and has some other perks, I don't use it that much. I don't find that its transfer partners can compete with other programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards. For example, I often use Southwest and Hyatt, which are partners with Chase, but not Capital One. So even though the Venture X is one of my favorite cards, it's also one of my least-used. However, since I can regularly use the Capital One Venture X's airport-lounge benefit for me and my family, I never have to worry that the card will be worth its annual fee.
Business Insider
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
I pay $395 a year for a credit card that I rarely use — but its benefits are worth way more than the fee
Nobody likes to pay annual fees for their credit cards — but savvy cardholders will gladly fork over the money when the benefits far outweigh the cost. That's the case with my Capital One Venture X card. Even though it charges an annual fee of $395, it might be the biggest bargain in my vast collection of credit cards. This card comes with several travel perks that I appreciate It's hard to justify applying for a card with a $395 annual fee, especially when there's a similar alternative that's less expensive. However, a few things set the Capital One Venture X apart from its sibling, the Venture card, which has a $95 annual fee. Venture X cardholders receive unlimited access to the Capital One Lounges for themselves and up to two guests. Sadly, Capital One recently announced that, starting February 1, complimentary guest access will be restricted to cardholders who spend $75,000 annually. Or, additional cardholders can get that access for a $125 annual fee. This card also comes with a complimentary Priority Pass membership, which offers access to over 1,700 airport lounges around the world and can cost hundreds of dollars. Other benefits include a $120 credit toward the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and a $300 annual travel credit toward reservations booked through the Capital One Travel portal. The Venture X offers at least 2x miles per dollar on all purchases. However, I find the most value when transferring my rewards to one of its airline frequent-flyer or hotel loyalty programs. For example, we recently transferred 50,000 points to Turkish Airlines to redeem five last-minute flight tickets that would've cost us about $1,800. In many ways, my card pays for itself after a few trips with my family As a frequent traveler, it's pretty easy to use the $300 annual travel credit, bringing the net cost of this card down to $95 a year — exactly the fee of the Venture card. Previously, I added my wife, my father, and even my teenage daughter as authorized users to my Venture X card so they would also receive complimentary access to Capital One Lounges. Fortunately, there's a Capital One Lounge at our home airport in Denver that my family of five has used often (in addition to other lounges). Between all of us, we've consumed dozens of meals a year at these lounges. So, we almost never had to purchase food at the airport, which would otherwise be necessary before a meal-free flight on Southwest or other airlines. Besides, the quick food options at airports can often be low quality and overpriced. The value of all the food and beverages we consume, along with the $300 annual travel credit, makes the card's $395 annual fee seem trivial. Despite the card having even more benefits, I don't have to use it much to see its value Even though this card offers miles on all purchases and has some other perks, I don't use it that much. I don't find that its transfer partners can compete with other programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards. For example, I often use Southwest and Hyatt, which are partners with Chase, but not Capital One. So even though the Venture X is one of my favorite cards, it's also one of my least-used. However, since I can regularly use the Capital One Venture X's airport-lounge benefit for me and my family, I never have to worry that the card will be worth its annual fee. I'll have to reassess come February, though. If we plan to travel often, the $125 annual lounge-access fee for guests may still be a decent deal for my family members.
Forbes
03-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
This Travel Card Is Outsmarting the Competition—Here's Why I Keep It In My Wallet
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. When it comes to selecting the best travel rewards credit card , it's easy to get overwhelmed by the options available. Two of the top contenders in recent years, however, have been the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, which charge annual fees about as large as their lofty reputations. After all, you get what you pay for. With recent changes to the Chase Sapphire Reserve , including a significant overhaul to its benefits structure and a steep hike of its annual fee to $795 (as of June 23, 2025), the Venture X card has eked out a glorious win over the CSR as the superior travel card in my eyes. Here's why. As the cardholder of over a dozen credit cards and counting, knowing that the Venture X sits in my wallet front and center gives me a sense of security and satisfaction. And that's because I sleep well at night knowing that even before counting the rewards that I've racked up, the card more than pays for itself. While an annual fee of $395 (rates & fees) is difficult to swallow every year, the feeling becomes an afterthought thanks to the beneficial combination of its $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel and the 10,000 bonus miles each account anniversary (worth $100), which has me coming out ahead before factoring in any other perks. Here are some of the other perks of the Venture X: Welcome bonus: 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening $300 annual travel credit (must be used through the Capital One Travel portal) Access to Capital One lounges and Priority Pass™ lounges after enrollment $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit Hertz President's Circle status Rental car protection Trip delay insurance Trip cancellation and interruption insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Travel accident insurance Up to four authorized users at no additional cost No foreign transaction fees In my first year of holding the Venture X, I was able to maximize my earnings between the welcome bonus and strong earning structure on flights and hotels. In fact, I was able to earn more than $2,000 worth of Capital One miles . The card's access to lounges proved to be extremely valuable, offering a space where I could rest and grab a free meal before a flight. The additional range of insurance saved me hundreds on primary insurance for car rentals and helped reimburse me when an airline lost one of my bags on a trip. All in all, the Venture X offers up-front value with little extra effort required. For that reason, it's a staple in my wallet, and even with changes to other premium travel credit cards, it's still my go-to. In June, Chase unveiled sweeping changes to its premium travel card, the Sapphire Reserve. More than just a bump of the annual fee to $795, making it one of the most expensive credit cards available on the market, the card's revamp ushered in a slew of changes that aren't necessarily for the better. The card offers the following: Welcome bonus: 100,000 bonus points, plus a $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening Access to Chase Sapphire lounges and Priority Pass™ lounges $120 Global Entry, Nexus or TSA PreCheck application fee credit Rental car insurance Trip cancellation and interruption insurance Trip delay insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Roadside assistance $0 foreign transaction fee Previously, the Chase Travel portal provided the bank a formidable edge in point redemptions, as Ultimate Rewards® points redeemed by Sapphire Reserve cardholders were worth a flat rate of 1.5 cents apiece. Unfortunately, Chase's move away from flat-rate redemptions for Sapphire Reserve cardholders has taken that advantage away. In its stead, Chase is offering a new redemption system called Points Boost , where Sapphire Reserve cardholders can redeem points at a value of up to 2 cents apiece on select flights and hotel stays. However, getting maximum value is tricky, and on bookings not eligible for Points Boost, the redemption value drops to 1 cent per point. Find the best travel credit card for your travel needs. On top of the new changes, the Reserve includes other benefits that can make the card worthwhile, depending on the person and their day-to-day spending. Are you interested in a Peloton membership? Do you eat out a lot? Do you regularly buy concert tickets through StubHub? These are all conditions as to whether or not the card would be worth the cost for you and whether, most importantly, they're valuable to you in a travel card. Additional Sapphire Reserve perks: Up to $300 in credit at restaurants in the Sapphire Reserve Exclusives Table program in the form of two biannual $150 credits Up to $300 statement credit for StubHub, in the form of two biannual $150 credits Up to $250 toward Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions Up to $120 in credit towards a Peloton membership $120 in Lyft credits ($10 a month) $300 annually in monthly DoorDash promos and a complimentary DashPass membership worth $120 annually Complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status through December 31, 2027 Up to $500 in credit for The Edit℠, Chase's luxury hotel portal, in the form of two biannual $250 credits Fee of $195 per year for each additional user added to the card If you spend over $75,000 on the card in a year, you can unlock the following perks: Southwest Airline benefits: Receive $500 Southwest credit and Southwest A-List status when booked through Chase IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status $250 in credit for Chase's shopping platform, The Shops In my eyes, these new changes take the card from what was previously a strong travel option to a shell of its former glory. Despite the expensive $795 price tag, the travel benefits offered by the more affordable Venture X beat Chase's offerings, whose additional perks create a complicated web of research and bookkeeping for you to keep track of. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, users with high spending thresholds may earn more perks, but the Venture X card has a much lower threshold, making it accessible for all travelers—from those who take one vacation a year to seasoned digital nomads. I like that you don't need to worry about hitting high spending targets in specific categories to earn premium rewards with the Venture X. Conversely, for a luxury card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is asking too much of people who don't want to dedicate hours to memorizing card benefits. To me, the Venture X rewards a more straightforward approach, which makes it an ideal card for people who want premium perks without the need to chase bonus categories. It offers a competitive welcome bonus, lower annual fee, lucrative perks, travel protections and a solid customer service team. What more can you ask for? 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 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.
