By Nick Wilson 
Many people like to use the Capital One Venture X card, a travel credit card, thanks to its array of rewards. The card has multiple benefits for individuals who love to explore travel and want to make it a worthwhile experience with lots of interim spending during their trip.
The Venture X card has a yearly fee of $395 but offers benefits that could save you more than that if you are a frequent traveler. Some of the perks include a big sign-up bonus, extra miles for booking travel through Capital One, and statement credits for things like Uber rides and airport lounge access. However, here are a few things to consider before going for a premium credit card.
We’ll break down those rewards and benefits and look at some potential downsides to consider. The goal is to help you decide if applying for this credit card makes sense, depending on how you like to use credit cards. By the end, you should have a better idea of whether Venture X could be worth it for your situation.
Earning Rewards
The Venture X Card offers a big welcome bonus to start. You earn a 75,000 mile bonus, as corroborated by AwardWallet’s Capital One Venture X Review, once your purchases go up to $4,000 within the first three months after opening your account. Spending money on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One is where you’ll really rack up the miles, too.
For every $5,000 you spend, you’ll get 50,000 bonus miles. This is because you get 10 bonus miles for each dollar spent in these categories. You also get five miles for each dollar on flights booked via Capital One Travel. Other purchases still earn 2 bonus miles per dollar, too.
While not the most, the miles add up fast without limits. As long as you use the credit card a lot for your trips, you can enjoy free flights and travel more quickly.
Travel Benefits
The Venture X card provides some sweet travel perks to help offset the yearly fee. You get up to $300 in statement credits each year to use toward purchases made through Capital One Travel. Another bonus perk is access to the short security lines at airports.
Capital One gives you a credit every 4 years to use on something called TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, which lets you use those faster lines. Combined with the bonus miles you earn on travel; these credits and benefits can really help save you money when taking flights and going on vacation. As long as you use the perks, they go a long way in making up for that yearly $395 fee.
Click here to learn more about travel rewards.
Annual Fee
Now, $395 per year may seem like a lot to pay just for a credit card. But Capital One gives you ways to bring the real cost down. The card gives you up to $300 in travel credits to use on things like Uber rides each year. And another $100 in statement credits for airport lounges or hotels. If you max those out, that’s $400 right there to offset the fee.
You also get the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit every four years, which is around $100. When you consider all the bonus points and miles you earn on travel, too, the fee is much more reasonable. As long as you use the credit card and the perks enough each year, the cost difference from your normal spending could be very small.
Possible Drawbacks
This card has some things you need to watch out for. The yearly fee of $395 is only worth it if you use up all the credits each year. Some people may not go on enough trips to do that. Getting the 75,000 bonus miles requires you to spend $4,000 within the first 3 months from account opening, which may be difficult for some.
You also earn extra miles only on purchases during your trips and just two miles per dollar on other purchases. Other cards give more rewards when buying food or gas.
The miles are best used for travel bookings via Capital One; there may not be as many options to transfer them to airline and hotel partners as with other premium cards. Because of these things, this card works best if you travel a medium to high amount and are okay with redeeming through Capital One. But there may be even better rewards cards out there if you have different spending habits.
Conclusion
The Venture X rewards card certainly offers strong travel perks and rewards that can help many busy travelers save money each year on flights, hotels, and more. If you travel frequently and spend decent money on those trips, the return on the yearly fee ends up being substantial.
However, the card isn’t ideal for everyone, especially those who may struggle to use up all its bonus categories or don’t want to be tied to redeeming rewards primarily on Capital One Travel. So, before you make a decision, double-check that the pros align with your spending before applying.