Writer: Eric Bank
Editor: Lillian Guevara-Castro
Reviewer: Ashley Fricker
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Capital One’s commercials are light-hearted, but the company is deadly serious about attracting new cardholders. This Capital One Venture vs. Venture X showdown reveals how far Capital One will go to gain market share at its competitors’ expense. Its two top travel cards offer excellent value — your choice hinges on the features you are willing to pay for.
Venture X Charges a Higher Annual Fee For More Travel Privileges
Though the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card costs about four times more than Venture, you get a lot of extra value for the money. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a Visa Infinite card with a minimum credit limit of $10,000. As a Visa Signature card, Venture offers a $5,000 minimum credit line.
Given all the features each card packs, we think they are reasonably priced compared to the competition.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and participating Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Top rated mobile app
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card provides better membership rewards to Venture X cardholders than the Venture card. As a Visa Infinite card, it offers many additional benefits that justify its higher cost, including anniversary and travel purchase credits worth more than the annual fee.
You earn generous bonus miles on flights, hotels, and car rentals you book through the Capital One Travel portal. You can also transfer your points to more than a dozen travel partner programs.
- Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is much less expensive than the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card yet provides many benefits. Both cards offer a generous signup bonus, and the Venture card’s rewards are competitive with other cards charging a similar annual fee.
The card provides credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fees as well as special deals when you book car rentals and hotel stays through Capital One Travel. Other benefits include travel accident insurance and extended warranty protection.
| FEATURE | Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
| Annual Fee | $395 | $95 |
| APR | 19.49% - 28.49% (Variable) | 19.49% - 28.49% (Variable) |
| Ability to Transfer Miles | Y | Y |
| Anniversary Bonus | Y | N |
| Annual Travel Credit | Y | N |
| Capital One Entertainment | Y | Y |
| Car Rental Benefits | Primary | Secondary |
| Cellphone Protection | Y | N |
| Cultivist, Shipt Membership | Y | N |
| Extended Warranty Protection | Y | Y |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | N | N |
| Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit | Y | Y |
| Gravity Haus Credit | Y | Y |
| Intro 0% APR | N/A | N/A |
| Lost Luggage Reimbursement | Y | N |
| Price Drop Protection | Y | Y |
| PRIOR Subscription | Y | N |
| Referral Bonus | Y | Y |
| Return Protection | Y | N |
| Roadside Dispatch | Y | Y |
| Signup Bonus | Y | Y |
| Travel Insurance | Y | Y |
| Trip Interruption Insurance | Y | N |
| Unlimited Miles | Y | Y |
| Virtual Card Numbers (Eno) | Y | Y |
While this chart compares the main points of each card, note that issuers change their offers all the time to entice new customers, and these benefits can change at any time.
5 Other Travel Cards Worthy of Consideration
These five travel cards offer stiff competition to the Capital One duo. It’s worth your time to compare each card closely so you get the benefits you want at a price you can accept.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost – each account anniversary you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card costs the same as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card but offers slightly better travel rewards. Your Chase Ultimate Reward points are worth 25% more when you redeem them through Chase Travel. Additionally, the Sapphire card offers a higher reward rate on select spending categories, including dining, streaming services, and grocery purchases.
Venture provides TSA Precheck/Global Entry reimbursement and limited complimentary lounge access. But Sapphire offers trip cancellation, interruption or delay coverage, and baggage delay coverage.
- Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $250 annually
- Member FDIC
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Sapphire Reserve® was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
The annual and additional authorized user fees are higher for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® than for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, so you should expect better perks. Reserve delivers slightly higher bonus reward rates and a 50% value increase in Chase Ultimate Rewards points when you redeem them through Chase Travel. But Venture X offers a higher reward rate on everyday purchases and an anniversary bonus.
Only Chase Sapphire Reserve® provides roadside assistance, DoorDash and Instacart benefits, delayed baggage insurance, and emergency medical, dental, evacuation, and transportation insurance during a covered trip. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card fights back with Hertz Gold Plus Rewards elite status*, cellphone protection, and Gravity Haus benefits.
- UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited mile-for-mile match for all new cardmembers. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a mile-for-mile match. You could turn 35,000 miles into 70,000 miles.
- Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x miles on every dollar of every purchase
- No annual fee.
- Turn miles into cash. Or redeem as a statement credit for your travel purchases like airfare, hotels, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants, and more.
- 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. Then 17.49% to 26.49% Standard Variable Purchase APR will apply.
- Terms and conditions apply.
If you insist on paying no annual fee and would like a 0% intro APR (regular APR applies after the intro period), the Discover it® Miles will be your clear choice over the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. That goes double if you also want the unlimited mile-for-mile match for miles posted during the first 12 months after account opening.
But the Discover card can’t compete on benefits. Venture alone offers a signup bonus, tiered rewards, and auto rental collision damage waiver. It also offers fee credits for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fees, lost luggage reimbursement, and extended warranty coverage. Discover offers overnight shipping, credit monitoring, FICO scores, and Social Security number alerts, all for free.
A more even matchup would be to pit the Discover it® Miles against the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, as both have a $0 annual fee.
- Earn 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new card to make $8,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points for flights booked directly through airlines or American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com.
- $600 annual hotel credit, $200 annual airline fee credit, $200 per year Uber cash credit, $300 per year digital entertainment credit, and more.
- Platinum Card Members have unlimited complimentary access to all locations of The Global Lounge Collection®, including 1,550 airport lounges.
- Apply with Confidence: Know if you’re approved for this Card with no credit score impact
- Fee Credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, CLEAR® Plus Membership
The Platinum Card® is the most expensive card in this review and perhaps the best credit card candidate for well-heeled travelers. But the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has better rewards, credits for Capital One Travel purchases, and an anniversary bonus. Amex offers credits for hotel stays, Uber rides/Uber Eats, airline incidentals, and CLEAR memberships.
In addition, The Platinum Card provides credits for spending on digital entertainment, Equinox membership, Walmart+, and Saks Fifth Avenue. You also get emergency evacuation and transportation coverage on eligible trips.
- Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
- $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
- Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
- Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 18.49% – 28.49% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies
- Top rated mobile app
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is the issuer’s low-cost travel credit card that doesn’t charge an annual fee. Frugal consumers will also like the card’s 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, which is unavailable from Venture or Venture X.
The VentureOne card can’t match Venture’s signup bonus, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credits, or rewards rate. But both share several benefits, including the same bonus rate on Capital One Travel purchase transactions, no foreign transaction fees, auto rental collision damage waiver, purchase protection, extended warranty protection, and special access to live events and dining experiences.
What Are the Requirements of the Capital One Venture Cards?
Both cards require good to excellent credit, not necessarily as defined by FICO but according to Capital One’s standards. You will need a good credit score, typically 700 or higher for the Venture card and perhaps higher for Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
The standard credit card requirements apply, including:
- Age 18+
- US citizenship or residence
- A Social Security Number
- Sufficient income to afford the minimum payments
- A phone number and email address
In addition, the following items in your credit history may derail your application:
- Bankruptcy
- Defaulting on a debt
- 60+ days delinquent on payments within the last 12 months
Capital One may require you to have had a $5,000 credit card limit or loan for at least three years. Capital One’s 1/6 Rule prevents you from applying for more than one of its credit cards within a six-month period. Also, Capital One typically prevents consumers from simultaneously owning more than two of its personal credit cards at one time.
How Do I Apply For a Capital One Credit Card?
You can apply for a Capital One card online by filling out an application. You can see whether you prequalify for a card before you officially apply to avoid a possible rejection and credit score damage resulting from a hard inquiry.
You can prequalify for a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card without a credit check, but prequalification doesn’t extend to the Venture X at this time. You’ll receive an immediate verdict from Capital One, including recommendations for one or more of its credit cards if you prequalify.
Simply enter the following information using the online form:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
- Email address
- Employment status
- Highest level of education
- Annual income
- Monthly rent or mortgage payment
- Bank account ownership
- Date of Birth
- Social Security Number
Remember that preapproval does not guarantee that Capital One will approve your application.
After you have passed the prequalification step, you must submit the same information to apply for a Capital One card. In addition, you will be asked to provide your citizenship status, occupation, monthly credit card spend, authorized user data, and how often you carry a credit card balance.
Capital One will immediately perform a hard credit check before approving or declining your application. A hard credit pull may slightly impact your credit score, but other factors may offset any damage. If the issuer approves your application, it will send you a confirmation email.
You should receive your credit card in seven to 10 business days. You may be able to make online purchases with your new card before it arrives. To do so, download the Capital One mobile app and look up your card’s number, security code, and expiration date.
How Do Venture Miles Work?
You’ll earn miles on every purchase you make with either Venture card. You can redeem your reward miles to cover purchases you made in the last 90 days from airlines, hotels, rail lines, car rental agencies, limousine services, bus lines, cruise lines, taxi cabs, travel agents, and timeshares.
By booking your arrangements through Capital One Travel, you can also apply your miles before traveling. There are no blackout dates or restrictions.
The value of your miles can vary based on what you redeem them for, such as for a gift card, a check, a statement credit, or Capital One Entertainment events. You can transfer your miles to partnered programs if you prefer. Alternatively, you can give your miles to family members or friends.
How Do I Decide Between the Venture and Venture X Card?
Your spending habits should guide your decision. If you keep a tight budget and travel infrequently, the lower annual fee of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card may be the decisive factor. You should be able to recoup that fee through rewards, credits, and savings throughout the year.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card requires a larger initial outlay, but its generous credits and high reward rates will almost certainly exceed the annual fee. In other words, these two cards will likely pay for themselves if you take advantage of their travel benefits and rewards. That’s a powerful argument for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
But you may prefer the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card if you:
- Don’t travel often
- Don’t book travel through the Capital One Travel portal
- Prefer a flat rewards rate
- Already have cellphone protection
- Already belong to the Hertz President’s Circle
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is probably a better choice if you can use its many benefits, including its credits, reimbursements, anniversary rewards, insurance coverage, complimentary subscriptions, and roadside assistance.
Can I Upgrade My VentureOne Card to Venture X?
Yes, you can, but you shouldn’t. Instead, apply separately for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to ensure you receive the signup bonus. You can then decide whether to keep your current Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
If you close your VentureOne card, you’ll have to transfer any unpaid balance to another card (fees apply) or pay it off. If you close your VentureOne card during its intro 0% APR period, you’ll lose access to interest-free purchases and balance transfers.
Two Excellent Travel Cards: Capital One Venture X and Venture
The bottom line on Capital One Venture vs. Venture X is this: Get the card that better suits your lifestyle. But first, check out the competitors we have reviewed, as each is a viable alternative to the Capital One duo.
Consider costs and benefits, especially items that sound nice in theory but that you won’t put to use. If you travel frequently, remember that the more expensive cards may pay for themselves and then some.
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) 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.
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Editorial Note: Our site content is not provided or commissioned by any credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed on CardRates.com are the author's alone, not those of any credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by credit card issuers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information; however, all credit card offer details, including information about rewards, signup bonuses, introductory offers, and other terms and conditions, is presented without warranty. Clicking on any offer on CardRates.com will direct you to the issuer's website, where you can review the current terms and conditions of the offer.
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