My Favorite Credit Card - Capital One Venture X
Last Updated on June 7, 2026 by Janell
Disclosure: This post features a Capital One referral link. If you apply through this link and are approved, I will earn a referral bonus. This helps support my site at absolutely no additional cost to you!
If you are looking for a top-tier travel credit card, we absolutely love the Capital One Venture X. We originally signed up for it last year because it offers primary rental car insurance—a huge perk that gives you peace of mind and saves you from paying the rental company's expensive daily coverage fees.
A Massive Welcome Bonus
They give you a generous sign-up bonus that you can use to instantly erase your travel expenses. Right now, they are offering a 75,000-mile bonus once you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months after account opening. Because Capital One miles are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel, this bonus will erase $750 of your travel purchases!
Offsetting the Annual Fee
While there is an annual fee of $395, Capital One makes it incredibly easy to get that value right back (and then some):
- $300 Annual Travel Credit: Every year, you get a $300 credit to use for bookings made through the Capital One Travel portal (flights, hotels, or rental cars).
- 10,000 Anniversary Bonus Miles: Starting on your first anniversary, you receive 10,000 bonus miles every year just for renewing. That’s worth another $100 toward travel.
Between the $300 credit and the $100 worth of miles, you are getting $400 in value every single year, completely wiping out the $395 annual fee. We travel a lot for youth sports tournaments, so this card pays for itself in our household almost instantly.
Click here to see if you qualify - it doesn't affect your credit.
Premium Airport Lounge Access
One of our absolute favorite perks of the Venture X is the lounge access. Airport waiting areas can be hectic, but this card transforms your travel day. You get unlimited, complimentary access for yourself and up to two guests to:
- Capital One Lounges: Famous for their amazing fresh food, craft cocktails, cold brew on tap, and relaxation rooms.
- Priority Pass and Plaza Premium Lounges: This opens the doors to over 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, ensuring you have a quiet place to relax and grab a bite to eat no matter where you are flying.
Fast-Track Through Airport Security
To make your airport experience even smoother, the Venture X includes up to a $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. If you hate waiting in long security lines, this benefit is awesome. Once approved, it is valid for over four years, and the credit refreshes every four years so you never have to pay out of pocket to keep it active.
Simple, High-Earning Rewards on Every Purchase
You don't have to worry about activating rotating categories or keeping track of complicated spending rules. The Venture X keeps rewards simple and lucrative:
- 2x Miles on every single purchase, every day.
- 10x Miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- 5x Miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel.
Whether you're buying groceries, paying for gas, or booking your next hotel stay, you are constantly stacking up miles to fund your next vacation.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
If your travels take you outside of the United States, you can use your card freely without worrying about extra costs. The Venture X has zero foreign transaction fees, saving you an extra 3% that other cards often tack on to international purchases.
See If You Qualify
If you're ready to upgrade your travel game, you can check if you're pre-approved without harming your credit score at all.
Click here to use my referral link and see if you qualify!
Bonus - if you do any shopping online, you can shop through Capital One Shopping Portal. You get $80 when you join and make a purchase. They always give you additional cash back offers. The trick is to add it to your browser, do some browsing, and a couple of days later they give you bonus offers.
I have received $100 cash back when I spent $100 on tickets through Vivid. Or 75% cash back at Kate Spade.
It adds up fast! I recently cashed out $500 to get a cruise gift card to help pay for our vacation, and then I had enough miles from this credit card to "erase" the rest of the cost of our vacation!
Click here to sign up for Capital One Shopping. (You dont need to have the credit card to use the cash back portal.)
