Capital One Venture Cards Compared: VentureOne Vs. Venture Vs. Venture X

Capital One is known for its lucrative travel rewards credit cards. Generally the cards offer a great return on everyday spending, no foreign transaction fees, and perks that can help offset the annual fees (assuming there is one). Capital One’s most popular card portfolio is its Venture lineup, and nowadays there are three versions of the card. In this post, I’d like to take a closer look at the three Venture cards, and help anyone who might be trying to decide between these different products. Is there a clear winner? While everyone has to decide for themselves, I can at least help with the math! Links: Learn more about the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card What’s the difference between Capital One Venture Cards?Capital One VentureOne Card fees, rewards, & perksCapital One Venture Card fees, rewards, & perksCapital One Venture X Card fees, rewards, & perksWhich Capital One Venture Card should you apply for?The cards aren’t mutually exclusiveYou have the option of upgrading or downgrading cardsGo after a big welcome bonusThe value of 1.25x miles vs. 2x milesWhy the Capital One Venture X is the no-brainerCapital One Venture Card comparison FAQsBottom line What’s the difference between Capital One Venture Cards? There are three different “flavors” of the Capital One Venture, all going after a different consumer base: The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a $95 annual fee The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has a $395 annual fee Which of these cards is the best value? Let’s first go over the basics of these cards, and then we’ll take a look at which of these cards makes the most sense. Below is a chart covering some of the basics, but I’ll go into more detail below. Card detailsVentureOneVentureVenture XAnnual fee$0$95 $395Welcome bonus20,000 miles after spending $500 in three months75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in three months75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in three monthsEveryday rewards1.25x miles per dollar spent2x miles per dollar spent2x miles per dollar spentCapital One Travel5x miles on hotels & rental cars5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, & rental cars10x miles on hotels & rental cars, 5x miles on flights & vacation rentalsAnnual travel credit—$300 stays credit under current limited time offer$300 Capital One Travel credit every yearAnniversary bonus——10,000 miles every year starting on first anniversaryAirport lounges—Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings, Priority Pass membershipGlobal Entry / TSA PreCheck—Up to $120 credit every four yearsUp to $120 credit every four years Capital One VentureOne Card fees, rewards, & perks The Capital One VentureOne Card is the no annual fee card in the Venture portfolio: The VentureOne has no annual fee The VentureOne has a welcome offer of 20,000 Capital One miles after spending $500 within three months The VentureOne offers a minimum of 1.25x miles per dollar spent, with no foreign transaction fees; it also offers 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal Being able to earn rewards that can be converted into airline miles on a no annual fee card is awesome, especially as the card doesn’t have foreign transaction fees. However, for most consumers I think there’s value in paying an annual fee to get a more lucrative card. For that matter, there are other cards that may offer an all-around better return on everyday spending, like the Citi Double Cash® Card (learn more) and Chase Freedom Unlimited® (learn more). Read a full review of the Capital One VentureOne Card. Use the Capital One VentureOne internationally Capital One Venture Card fees, rewards, & perks The Capital One Venture Card is the mid-range card in the Venture portfolio: The Venture has a $95 annual fee The Venture has a limited time welcome offer of 75,000 bonus miles plus a $300 travel credit (that can be used toward hotel and vacation rental bookings through Capital One Travel in the first cardmember year) after spending $4,000 within three months The Venture offers a minimum of 2x Capital One miles per dollar spent, with no foreign transaction fees, making it one of the best cards for everyday spending; it also offers 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars, booked through the Capital One Travel portal The Venture offers perks like a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit once every four years, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status, and benefits when booking through Capital One’s Lifestyle Collection hotels, like a $50 experience credit, and upgrades subject to availability For someone who is willing to pay a reasonable annual fee but wants a rewarding card, the Capital One Venture Card is tough to beat. You’re earning an excellent return on everyday spending, and you get some perks that could help offset the annual fee. If you prefer a card with more bonus categories but a less lucrative return on everyday spending, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (learn more), Citi Strata Premier® Card (learn more), or American Express® Gold Card (learn more). Read a full review of the Capital One Venture Card. Earn 2x Capital One miles with the Venture Capital One Venture X Card fees, rewards, & perks The Capital One Venture X Card is the premium card in the Venture portfolio: The Venture X has a $395 annual fee The Venture X has a welcome offer of 75,000 Capital One miles after spending $4,000 within three months The Venture X offers a minimum of 2x Capital One miles per dollar spent with no foreign transaction fees; it also offers 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal, and 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through the Capital One Travel portal The Venture X offers endless perks, including a $300 annual travel credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, a Priority Pass™ membership, access to Capital One Lounges, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle status, access to Capital One Landings, primary rental car coverage, and cell phone protection The Venture X offers access to Capital One’s Premier Collection hotels, like a $50 experience credit, and upgrades subject to availability If you travel with any frequency, it should be really easy to justify the annual fee on this card. Personally, I value the $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 anniversary bonus miles at more than the $395 annual fee, so everything else is just the icing on the cake. If you value a premium card but this isn’t quite the right fit, consider a product like the American Express Platinum Card® (learn more), Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (learn more), or Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (learn more). Read a full review of the Capital One Venture X Card. Get unlimited Capital One Lounge access with the Venture X Which Capital One Venture Card should you apply for? How should you decide whether to apply for the Capital One VentureOne Card, Capital One Venture Card, or Capital One Venture X Card? While not everyone is going to agree on the best strategy, let me share some general things to consider. The cards aren’t mutually exclusive The first thing to understand is that you could actually apply for multiple of these cards, though there’s a bit of nuance to the eligibility rules. All cards follow a 48-month rule, but which cards count toward that varies by card: You’re not eligible for the Capital One Venture X Card bonus if you’ve received a new cardmember bonus on that exact card in the past 48 months You’re not eligible for the Capital One Venture Card bonus if you’ve received a new cardmember bonus on the Venture or Venture X in the past 48 months You’re not eligible for the Capital One VentureOne Card bonus if you’ve received a new cardmember bonus on the VentureOne, Venture, or Venture X, in the past 48 months As you can see, if you want to earn multiple of these bonuses over time, you’ll want to first apply for the less premium card, and then work your way up. That might be a consideration for some people, though let me of course emphasize that eligibility rules could change over time. You can potentially earn the bonuses on multiple Venture cards You have the option of upgrading or downgrading cards Credit card issuers generally let you upgrade or downgrade cards within the same product family, as long as you’ve had a card for at least 12 months. This won’t always be possible, but more often than not it is. That means you could apply for one card in the Venture lineup, and then if you later decide that another card is a better fit for you, you can product change to that. You should be able to upgrade or downgrade your card Go after a big welcome bonus There’s a significant difference in terms of the welcome bonuses here. The Capital One VentureOne Card offers a bonus of 20,000 miles, while both the Capital One Venture Card and Capital One Venture X Card offer significantly larger bonuses. Capital One miles can be redeemed for a minimum of one cent each toward a travel purchase, though personally, I value them at 1.7 cents each, for the ability to convert them into airline miles and hotel points. So there’s a difference of at least $550 between the value of just the miles in these bonuses (75,000 miles vs. 20,000 miles), and by my valuation, there’s a difference of $935 between the value of the points. That’s a reason to pick up one of the premium cards, and if you later decide it’s not a good fit for you, there should be the option to downgrade. Redeem Capital One miles toward the cost of travel purchases The value of 1.25x miles vs. 2x miles The Capital One VentureOne Card offers 1.25x miles per dollar spent, while the Capital One Venture Card and Capital One Venture X Card offer 2x miles per dollar spent. So how should you account for the difference in value there? At a valuation of 1.0 cents per mile, that’s a difference in return of 0.75% on spending At a valuation of 1.7 cents per mile, that’s a difference of 1.275% on spending To keep things simple, let’s compare the no annual fee Capital One VentureOne Card and $95 annual fee Capital One Venture Card, and how quickly you could recoup the annual fee. With the difference of 0.75 Capital One miles per dollar spent: If you value miles at 1.0 cents each (based on the ability to redeem them as cash toward travel purchases), then you’d come out ahead with the Venture over the VentureOne if you spend at least $12,667 per year (or $1,056 per month) If you value miles at 1.7 cents each (based on the ability to convert them into airline miles at a 1:1 ratio), then you’d come out ahead with the Venture over the VentureOne if you spend at least $7,451 per year (or $621 per month) This doesn’t even factor in the other perks offered by the more premium versions of the card, like a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit, etc. Redeem Capital One miles for Singapore Airlines business class Why the Capital One Venture X is the no-brainer I think most people can agree that it makes sense to apply for the Capital One Venture Card over the Capital One VentureOne Card, even if they ordinarily prefer cards without annual fees. The welcome bonus is much better, as is the return on spending. You should be able to downgrade the card after a year if you decide it doesn’t make sense to you. But should you instead pay an extra $300 in annual fees and get the Capital One Venture X Card? Personally I think the math there potentially checks out as well: You’ll get a $300 Capital One Travel portal credit, which you can use to book a $300 flight or hotel; that right there should recoup the difference on an ongoing basis You’ll get a Priority Pass™ membership, offering you access to the biggest lounge network in the world You’ll get access to Capital One Lounges and Capital One Landings, which are both growing networks If you keep the card for a second year, you’ll also get 10,000 anniversary bonus miles And there are many, many other perks. The Capital One Venture X is really a premium credit card that makes sense even for people who don’t usually get premium credit cards. If you can get over the initial “sticker shock” of paying a $395 annual fee, you’ll quickly get outsized value from the card. Get a Priority Pass™ membership with the Venture X Capital One Venture Card comparison FAQs What is the difference between the Capital One Venture cards? Capital One has three cards in the Venture family: VentureOne, Venture, and Venture X. The biggest differences are their annual fees, mileage earning rates, welcome offers, and travel benefits. VentureOne has no annual fee and a lower earning rate. Venture has a $95 annual fee and offers a higher everyday earning rate. Venture X has a $395 annual fee but adds substantially more premium travel benefits and credits. The right card depends largely on how much you spend, how frequently you travel, and which benefits you are likely to use. Which Capital One Venture card is best for most travelers? There isn’t one Venture card that is right for every traveler. The three cards are aimed at different types of cardholders. VentureOne is the no annual fee option for someone who wants Capital One miles without committing to an annual fee. Venture is the middle option, combining a relatively modest annual fee with 2x miles on everyday purchases and additional travel benefits. Venture X is the premium option, with a higher annual fee but significantly more travel focused benefits and credits. Should I apply for VentureOne, Venture, or Venture X? Consider VentureOne if avoiding an annual fee is your priority. Consider Venture if you want a straightforward 2x miles earning travel card but don’t want to pay Venture X’s $395 annual fee. Consider Venture X if you travel frequently enough to make use of its premium travel benefits, including airport lounge access and its annual travel credit. The important comparison isn’t simply the annual fee. Instead, it’s the value of the benefits you expect to use relative to that fee. Is Venture X worth paying more for than Venture? Venture X has a $395 annual fee compared with $95 for Venture, so the difference in annual fees is $300. Venture X, however, provides additional benefits that Venture doesn’t, including a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, anniversary miles, and access to Capital One and participating partner lounges. For someone comparing the two, the key question is whether they will actually use those additional benefits. A frequent traveler may have a very different calculation from someone who takes only one or two trips a year. Is Venture worth paying an annual fee for instead of VentureOne? Venture has a $95 annual fee, while VentureOne has no annual fee. Venture also earns 2x miles per dollar on everyday purchases, compared with VentureOne’s lower base earning rate. The breakeven calculation therefore depends partly on how much you spend. The more eligible everyday spending you put on the card, the more the higher earning rate can offset Venture’s annual fee. You should also consider the welcome offer and ongoing benefits rather than comparing the earning rates alone. Can I apply for Venture if I already have VentureOne? Yes, the Capital One Venture bonus isn’t available to those who have received a new cardmember bonus on the Venture or Venture X in the past 48 months. However, having (or having had) the VentureOne doesn’t preclude you from earning the Venture bonus. Can I have Venture and Venture X at the same time? Yes, it’s possible to have both the Venture and Venture X at the same time. The only restriction worth understanding is that you’re not eligible for the Venture welcome bonus if you’ve received a new cardmember bonus on the Venture X in the past 48 months. The inverse isn’t true, though — you are eligible for the Venture X bonus if you have or have had the Venture. Which Venture card is best for frequent travelers? Venture X is the Venture product specifically positioned as the premium travel card, with benefits including lounge access and an annual Capital One Travel credit. Venture may be a better fit for someone who travels but doesn’t need premium lounge and travel benefits and instead wants a lower annual fee with a straightforward rewards structure. Bottom line Capital One’s Venture lineup consists of the Capital One VentureOne Card, Capital One Venture Card, and Capital One Venture X Card. Each card has a unique value proposition: The Capital One VentureOne Card is great for having no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and earning transferable points The $95 annual fee Capital One Venture Card is one of the most rewarding mid-range cards for everyday spending, and it has a great welcome offer The $395 annual fee Capital One Venture X Card builds on the basics of the Venture Card, but offers worthwhile perks that should justify the fee, including lounge access, credits, and bonus miles You can’t go wrong with any of these cards, though personally, I’d apply for one of the premium cards for the much better welcome bonus, and then you could always downgrade the card at a later point. I think the Capital One Venture Card is the best option if you’re looking for the best welcome offer, while the Capital One Venture X Card is the most compelling in terms of the long term perks. What’s your take on which Capital One Venture Card version is best?