In November 2021, Capital One Venture X came on the scene with a bang. They offered a luxury credit card that rivals the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the American Express Platinum Card. The great thing was the annual fee of $395 was much lower than the other cards with similar benefits, such as travel credits.
Recently, they have updated their Priority Pass benefits to show that they are no longer offering restaurant and spa benefits like the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers. It is a blow to those that are switching cards. With so few Priority Pass lounges in many big airports, the restaurant benefits from $28 per cardholder, and one guest helps make this pass worth it to members.
Is the Priority Pass Just Lounges?
The Priority Pass has a network of 1300 lounges across the globe. Unfortunately, their network of lounges is negligible inside the United States. They have used restaurants and spas to help give the pass holders more benefits. With the Priority Pass, you can receive $28 for you and a guest at certain restaurants.
Capital One Venture X will no longer offer those benefits with their Priority Pass. They had shown them in the past year, but starting January 1st, 2023, there will be an end to that benefit.
In 2019, American Express Platinum Card lost its restaurant perks, but it still thrives with its network of lounges all over the states and abroad.
Now with the update, the Chase Sapphire Reserve still holds that benefit. Does that mean the Chase Sapphire Reserve is the better of the two cards? Not necessarily.
Capital One Building Their Own Lounge Network
Capital One is looking long-term. It has been working on creating its lounges, such as a lounge in Dallas Fort Worth, Denver, Dulles in DC, and now Las Vegas. Holding the Capital One Venture X allows entrance into these lounges with you and two additional guests. Capital One also added Plaza Premium lounges to the network in June 2022.
Those are huge benefits that you cannot deny. They are working to have a better network of lounges than American Express. So if the restaurant benefit was a considerable sway for you, think about the other amenities and lounges Capital One is adding to the card.
One big thing you can also consider with your family is the free addition of Authorized users. Capital One Venture X card offers four additional authorized users for free. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, that cost would be $75 extra for each authorized user.
Could The Capital One Venture X Be Your Next Card?
The Capital One Venture X card has been packing a punch with its benefits. It offers lounges, better transfers with partners, and an annual fee that can cost almost nothing when you use all the benefits.
When looking for travel cards, you must look at which cards can offer the best benefits and give you the most value. The Capital One Venture X could be the next card in your wallet or even one to consider.
Read the Review of Capital One Venture X Card
Final Thoughts:
Even Though the Capital One Venture X Card Priority Pass benefits are downgrading, the bank is improving all benefits. They are in tight competition with other luxury travel cards offering better rewards and benefits to help cardholders get more value. That can only benefit us.
Please do not take the negative news too strongly; remember, they are trying to improve their card for all of us. A lovely lounge is much better than restaurant benefits.
I’m Steve. I’m an English Teacher, traveler, and an avid outdoorsman. If you’d like to comment, ask a question, or simply say hi, leave me a message here, on Twitter (@thefrugalexpat1). Many of my posts have been written to help those in their journey to financial independence. I am on my journey, and as I learn more I hope to share more. And as always, thanks for reading The Frugal Expat.
