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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.
Miami Herald
23-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Opening date revealed for Capital One's new ‘flagship' lounge at JFK Airport
Traveling through New York's JFK Airport is now a little more luxurious, thanks to Capital One's newest lounge. The credit card company opened its "flagship" lounge location - its largest lounge to date - in JFK's Terminal 4 on June 19. Inside the 13,500-square-foot space, travelers will find modern and sophisticated areas to eat, drink, and relax, all of which are designed after iconic New York City sights, like a sleek Manhattan-themed bar and a dining area inspired by Central Park. Travelers will also find a New York bodega-style deli counter, where they can order coffee drinks from Bean & Bean Coffee Roaster, authentic New York bagels from Ess-a-Bagel, chopped salads, egg sandwiches, and more. An interactive cheesemonger experience from Manhattan-based Murray's Cheeses offers curated cheese boards and charcuterie, paired with seasonal wines and beers. Open 24 hours a day, the new lounge also offers a "midnight snack" meal service of late-night bites, which will be exclusive to the JFK location as "an ode to the city that never sleeps," according to Capital One. In terms of amenities, the flagship space will offer reservable work rooms, a parents room with bottle warmers and comfortable chairs, a shower suite with plush towels and Dyson hair dryers that can be reserved by QR code, plenty of tables, comfortable chairs, and "the most expansive tarmac views of any Capital One lounge," the company said. The lounge is located on the lower level of Terminal 4's retail hall and is open 24 hours a day. Travelers with a boarding pass for a same-day flight can enter the lounge up to three hours before departure. To receive complimentary access to the space, travelers must be a Capital One Venture X or Venture X Business card holder. Travelers with the Capital One Venture and Spark Miles cards can access the lounge at a discounted rate of $45. All other travelers can pay a $90 fee to enter the space. The JFK lounge is the fifth location in the Capital One Lounge network, which also has outposts at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Washington Dulles (IAD), Denver (DEN), and Las Vegas (LAS). The company also has a single Capital One Landing lounge concept at Washington D.C.'s Reagan National Airport (DCA), and a second Landing location is coming soon to New York LaGuardia's (LGA) Terminal B. ___________ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Chase's new Sapphire Reserve credit card compares to rivals
JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is hiking the annual fee on its Sapphire Reserve card from $550 to $795 and adding perks like new spending bonuses. Yahoo Finance Senior Credit Card Writer Ben Walker joins Wealth to break down how the revamped card compares to Chase Sapphire Preferred, American Express (AXP) Platinum, and Capital One (COF) Venture X credit cards. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Wealth here. Sign in to access your portfolio
