Capital One Venture X is a premium travel card that offers free access to Priority Pass lounges for up to 4 authorized users. Venture X also has a business version with similar annual fees and some important differences. Venture X cards have a $395 annual fee, but $300 is refunded in the form of travel credits after Capital One Portal travel bookings. Both cards also issue an anniversary bonus of 10,000 Capital One points. So the card pays itself off after the first year without having to go through several coupon book credits that are needed for the Amex cards.
Capital One Venture X Personal Card Approval Chances
Capital One cards are known to be sensitive to the number of credit checks, along with the number of personal credit cards opened or closed in recent months. My first two attempts to open the Venture X were made 4 months apart in 2022 which were futile. I was way over 5/24 in 2022 (not sure if it matters to Capital One) and I wanted to test my luck this year when I got under 5/24.
Capital One Venture X Personal Card Pre-Approval
I highly recommend trying the Venture X Preapproval web page (https://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/preapprove/venture-x/) if you have been repeatedly denied in the past for the Venture X card. The pre-approval process worked for me and I proceeded with the application and was approved instantly for a 30,000 credit line. I did not have to freeze my Experian credit to make this work and I have had several credit checks this year from Chase Business Ink card applications.
If you are in the same situation as me, I highly recommend using the pre-approval process rather than going through referral links which failed me in the past. I already transferred some of my bonus miles for a redemption booking and am looking forward to using Venture X as my main card for Costco purchases and overseas shopping. I will continue to use the Amex Blue Business card for all my domestic non-category general spending as I value MR points more for ANA redemptions (https://awardcracker.com/ana-mileage-club-sweet-spots/).
Capital One Venture X Personal Card Benefits
- Earn unlimited 2 transferable points for every dollar spent worldwide.
- Transfer Capital One miles (without any limits) to other members as long as they have a credit card that earns Venture Miles or Spark Miles. The person you are transferring the miles to does not need to be related to you or live at the same address.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: Up to $2,000 per person, which pales in comparison to the Chase Sapphire cards (https://awardcracker.com/premium-credit-card-travel-benefits-comparison/).
- Trip delay reimbursement: Up to $500 per person when your flight is delayed overnight or by six hours or more.
- Lost luggage reimbursement: Up to $3,000 per trip if the airline damages or loses your bags.
- Primary rental car insurance in the US and overseas: Up to $75,000 due to damage caused by collision or theft to a rental car. Rental car coverage is not valid in Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland (Chase travel cards don’t have any country exclusions).
- Purchase, return protection and extended warranty: Up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account annually on purchases; returns up to $300 per item and $1,000 per account; warranties extended by an additional year.
- Cellphone protection: Up to $800 in coverage per claim with a maximum of two claims and $1,600 per 12-month period ($50 deductible).
- Priority Pass Lounge access for 4 authorized users with no stated limit for guests (access is limited to two guests for Capital One and Plaza Premium lounges). Priority Pass Lounge access is possible by simply showing the Venture X card to the agent.
- Priority Pass Cards must be requested using dedicated online links. You cannot request for Priority Pass Cards by calling Capital One agents or by calling Priority Pass agents.
- Once the personal Venture X card has been activated, it can take a few days for the PP link to work (https://www.prioritypass.com/capitalone).
- Business Venture X Priority Pass Card can be requested immediately after activation (https://accountfeatures.com/capitalonebusiness/contactInfo.aspx).
Capital One Venture X Business Charge Card
Shortly after getting approved for the Venture X personal VISA card, I also applied for the Venture X Business Master card and got instantly approved.
Both the Capital One Spark Cash Plus and Capital One Venture X Business cards DO NOT report business card activity to personal credit bureaus. All other business card offerings from Capital One will report activity to personal credit bureaus.
If you already have a Capital One Spark Cash Plus business credit card, you are not eligible to apply for the Venture X business card (until you close the Spark Plus card and wait for a few days).
The important differences between Venture X personal & business cards are summarized in the table below.
Capital One Venture X Card Comparison
| Parameter | Venture X Personal | Venture X Business |
| Type of Card | Visa with a credit limit | Master charge card without a preset limit |
| Annual Fee | $395 | $395 |
| $300 Annual Travel Credit | Yes | Yes |
| 10,000 annual bonus miles | Yes | Yes |
| Priority Pass membership & access to Capital One Lounges | Yes for primary card member and 4 authorized users | For primary card member only. |
| Number of Guests Allowed into Priority Pass Lounges | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Number of Guests Allowed into Capital One & Plaza Premium Lounges | 2 | 2 |
| Priority Pass Non-lounge Benefits (e.g., Dining) | No | Yes |
| Global Entry for the main card holder | Yes | Yes |
| Global entry for authorized card holders | No | No |
| Trip Cancellation / Interruption | $2,000 per person | $2,000 per person |
| Trip Delay (>6 hours) | $500 | $500 |
| Common carrier insurance: Travel Accidental Death Coverage | $1,000,000 per person | $1,000,000 per person |
| Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Luggage | $3000 ($2,000 for New York residents) | $3000 ($2,000 for New York residents) |
| Cell Phone Protection | Yes | Yes |
| Primary Car Rental Coverage | Yes | Yes |
Venture X business Card Benefits
Venture X business is a World Elite Mastercard with unique benefits (https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/personal/find-a-card/world-elite-mastercard-credit.html).
It is easy to add authorized users to Venture X business without adding to the 5/24 count, but they don’t get free Priority Pass Lounge access compared to the personal Venture X.
Priority Pass Non-lounge Benefits
Access to Priority Pass non-lounge benefits (dining credits, retail experiences, and spa discounts) is the biggest difference I noticed with the Venture X business card compared to the personal version.
Priority Pass Restaurants
Priority Pass Restaurants typically offer $28 dining credit per person and you can bring one extra guest per visit ($56 for two people). The easiest way to find the participating restaurants in a given airport is by using the search function in the Priority Pass smartphone app or on the website.
For example, I searched for Sydney airport and the first result showed “Sydney dining options”.
Once you click on the first result, the entire list of participating Priority Pass Restaurants in all the terminals is revealed.
I recommend researching the participating PP restaurants before your trip to get a free meal at the connecting airports. They may also come in handy if the lounges are overcrowded.
Downgrading Capital One Venture X to a no annual fee card
I don’t know why anyone would do such a thing since the card is pretty much free. However, if you are downgrading to save money on the annual fee, you must do so 60 days before your annual fee posts (otherwise you won’t get a refund). This process only works if you have had the Venture X card for a couple of years.
If the card is less than a year old, cardholders may not be eligible for an early downgrade. You can always close your Venture X card within a month after the annual fee is billed to get a full refund.
Summary
I am excited to finally get my hands on both Capital One Venture X cards, which I have been dreaming about since the day they were introduced. Based on my experience, it is safe to say that Capital One approval chances are high when you are well under 5/24 and not affected by business credit card application credit checks. I was able to get approved for both personal and business Venture X versions without freezing my Experian credit.