I just paid my third annual fee for the Capital One Venture X Rewards card without hesitation. Year after year the card more than pays for itself, so I plan to keep it.
The $395 annual fee isn’t trivial, but it’s lower than many other premium travel cards. In my second year I got nearly $800 in value from a Caribbean trip to Grenada, including coverage for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. Even after the welcome bonus year, the ongoing benefits continue to deliver.
Key benefits I value in year three:
– $300 annual Capital One Travel credit each account year for bookings through Capital One Travel.
– 10,000 anniversary bonus miles every account anniversary (starting on the first anniversary), worth $185 by TPG’s December 2025 valuations.
– Complimentary access for the cardholder plus up to two guests to Capital One Lounges and access to more than 1,800 Priority Pass lounges (note: guest access rules will tighten in 2026).
– Strong portal earning: 10 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked via Capital One Travel, and 5 miles per dollar on vacation rentals and flights booked there.
– Everyday earning of 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases.
For me the $300 travel credit plus the 10,000 anniversary miles already offset the $395 fee, and lounge access plus robust earning rates push my net value well beyond that. I often earn tens of thousands of Capital One miles on this card each year in addition to the anniversary bonus.
Venture X is my default card
I carry several travel cards with different bonus categories, but the Venture X earns 2 miles per dollar on everything, which is higher than any other card I own. To simplify payments—especially when someone else in my family is the one paying—I set the Venture X as the default card in Google Pay. My husband is an authorized user who enjoys redeeming miles but doesn’t track card category bonuses, so making Venture X his default ensures he always earns 2x.
How I’m using it in year three
I’m planning a Kentucky Bourbon Trail trip in 2026. I’ll apply the $300 travel credit to hotel costs in Lexington. Since I’ll stay multiple nights, any amount over $300 will be booked through Capital One Travel to earn 10 miles per dollar. I’ll fly into Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) from London on British Airways, and I’ll use the 10,000 anniversary miles plus the tens of thousands I’ve accumulated to transfer to British Airways Avios at a 1:1 ratio for the flights. I’ll also book the rental car through Capital One Travel to earn 10x and to have the card’s auto rental collision damage waiver in place.
Bottom line
Venture X remains my go-to card because its credits, anniversary miles, lounge access and earning rates outweigh the annual fee. New applicants can currently earn a best-ever welcome bonus of 100,000 miles after spending $10,000 on purchases within the first six months, making this an attractive time to apply.
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