The lounge access policies on the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Business Card always seemed too good to be true. But whenever there’s an outsized value to be had, I make sure to utilizeĀ it while the getting is good. Alas, the good times are coming to an end.
Consumer card changes:
The Capital One Venture X Consumer Card currently allows 2 free guests at Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges and 1 free guest at Capital One Landings. It also allows for 4 additional user cards at no fee, which also have those lounge benefits.
Effective 2/1/26, each additional cardholder will have to pay an annual $125 lounge access fee to maintain access to Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and Capital One Landings. Additional cardholders will need to apply for a new Priority Pass membership on 2/1/26. You can remain an additional cardholder for free, but you’ll need to pay the $125 annual fee starting on 2/1/26 for lounge access. Alternatively, you can pay $45 per guest per lounge visit for adults, or $25 for guests between 2-17 years old. Kids under 2 are free.
Considering that the Venture cards have more annual credits than the cost of the annual fee, you’ll probably find it worthwhile to carry a primary card rather than paying $125 to be an additional cardholder.
Additionally, for the consumer Venture X card, effective 2/1/26, no free guests will be allowed for the primary or additional cardholders at any lounges, only the cardholder can access Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and Capital One Landings for free. However, if you spend $75K per calendar year, you will unlock 2 free guests at Capital One Lounges and 1 free guest at Capital One Landings for the primary cardholder and for additional cardholders who also pay the $125 annual lounge access fee. The free guesting will last for the remainder of the calendar year, plus the following calendar year, and will expire on 1/31 of the 3rd calendar year. That means if you spend $75K in January 2026, your free guesting will expire on 1/31/28.
Effective 2/1/26, primary cardholders, as well as additional cardholders who pay the $125 annual lounge access fee, will have to pay $35 per guest at Priority Pass lounges. This fee isn’t waived for cardholders who spend $75K per year.
Business card changes:
The Capital One Venture X Business Card currently allows 2 free guests at Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges and 1 free guest at Capital One Landings.
Currently, the Capital One Venture X Business Mastercard gives access to Priority Pass non-lounge airport experiences and restaurants. This will no longer be included as of 9/9/25. The rate for more than 2 guests at Priority Pass lounges will also increase from $32 to $35 on that date. You may need to re-enroll in Priority Pass on that date as well.
Effective 2/1/26, each additional cardholder will have to pay an annual $125 lounge access fee to have access to Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and Capital One Landings.
Additionally, effective 2/1/26, no free guests will be allowed for the primary or additional cardholders at Capital One Lounges and Capital One Landings for free. However, if you spend $75K per calendar year, you will unlock 2 free guests at Capital One Lounges and 1 free guest at Capital One Landings for the primary cardholder and for additional cardholders who also pay the $125 annual lounge access fee.
For the business card, both the primary cardholder as well as additional cardholders who pay the $125 lounge access fee will continue to get 2 free guests at Priority Pass lounges. Additional guests will cost $35 each.
That means that while the Capital One Venture X Consumer Card has the current advantage thanks to additional cardholders getting lounge access, starting 2/1/26 that advantage flips to the Capital One Venture X Business Card thanks to free Priority Pass guest access. But the loss of Priority Pass non-lounge experiences and restaurants on the business Mastercard is a real shame, as very few cards still include that benefit.
Capital One Lounge or Landing access for Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardĀ andĀ Capital One Spark MilesĀ cardholders remains $45 per adult or $25 for kids 2-17, per visit. Kids under 2 are free. All others may purchase day passes at the standard rate of $90 at select locations based on Lounge or Landing capacity.
Head spinning?Ā Here’s a chart of the changes:
| Capital One Lounge | Priority Pass Lounge | Priority Pass Non-Lounge Experiences And Restaurants | Capital One Landing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venture X Consumer Primary Cardholder | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 2 guests. Effective 2/1/26: Free for cardholders. Guests cost $25 for kids or $45 for adults unless you spend $75K/calendar year, which allows for 2 guests. | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 2 guests. Effective 2/1/26: Free for cardholders. Guests cost $35 each per visit. | Not available. | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 1 guest. Effective 2/1/26: Free for cardholders. Guests cost $25 for kids or $45 for adults unless you spend $75K/calendar year, which allows for 1 guest. |
| Venture X Consumer Additional Cardholder | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 2 guests. Effective 2/1/26: Lounge access requires $125 annual lounge access fee or $45 per visit fee. Guests cost $25 for kids or $45 for adults unless you spend $75K/calendar year, which allows for 2 guests. | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 2 guests. Effective 2/1/26: Lounge access requires $125 annual lounge access fee. Guests cost $35 each per visit. | Not available. | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 1 guest. Effective 2/1/26: Lounge access requires $125 annual lounge access fee or $45 per visit fee. Guests cost $25 for kids or $45 for adults unless you spend $75K/calendar year, which allows for 1 guest. |
| Venture X Business Mastercard Primary Cardholder | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 2 guests. Effective 2/1/26: Free for cardholders. Guests cost $25 for kids or $45 for adults unless you spend $75K/calendar year, which allows for 2 guests. | Through 9/8/25: Free for Cardholder and 2 guests. Additional guests cost $32 each per visit. Effective 9/9/25: Free for Cardholder and 2 guests. Additional guests cost $35 each per visit. | Through 9/8/25: Free for Cardholder and 2 guests. Effective 9/9/25: Not available. | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 1 guest. Effective 2/1/26: Free for cardholders. Guests cost $25 for kids or $45 for adults unless you spend $75K/calendar year, which allows for 1 guest. |
| Venture X Business Visa Primary Cardholder | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 2 guests. Effective 2/1/26: Free for cardholders. Guests cost $25 for kids or $45 for adults unless you spend $75K/calendar year, which allows for 2 guests. | Free for Cardholder and 2 guests. Additional guests cost $35 each per visit. | Not available. | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 1 guest. Effective 2/1/26: Free for cardholders. Guests cost $25 for kids or $45 for adults unless you spend $75K/calendar year, which allows for 1 guest. |
| Venture X Business Additional Cardholder | Through 1/31/26: Not available. Effective 2/1/26: Lounge access requires $125 annual lounge access fee or $45 per visit fee. Guests cost $25 for kids or $45 for adults unless you spend $75K/calendar year, which allows for 2 guests. | Through 1/31/26: Not available. Effective 2/1/26: Lounge access requires $125 annual lounge access fee and includes access for cardholder and 2 free guests. Additional guests cost $35 each per visit. | Not available. | Through 1/31/26: Free for Cardholder and 1 guest. Effective 2/1/26: Lounge access requires $125 annual lounge access fee or $45 per visit fee. Guests cost $25 for kids or $45 for adults unless you spend $75K/calendar year, which allows for 1 guest. |
Will these changes affect your decision on whether to keep or cancel your Venture X card?
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23 Comments On "Ouch: Goodbye To Capital One’s Ultra-Generous Lounge Policies; Chart Of The Card Differences"
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crowded lounges defeat the purpose
What about family members under age 18?
$25 each for 2-17 years old without free guesting.
Is it worth downgrading and getting the sapphire reserve?
Only for the SUB. I see this as an attempt by Capital One to do two things:
1) Priority Pass likely hit them with higher fees, so they are doing this to avoid raising the AF.
2) Encourage more cards in circulation as the cost of holding this card is effectively $0/year. Those that get the hardest are those with children as I don’t see a way out of paying for kids > 2 years old.
Once again cap1 removing restaurant perks mid cardholders af! Chaseās model raise the fee cap1 model remove the perks
Will Chase Sapphire do the same?
So the only one that’ll still offer 2 free guests is
Venture x business primary. Is there any reason not to switch to using that from the venture x consumer?
Very intresting but just goona put out there – I shut down my capital one venture x probaly 3 years ago (downgrded it to quicksiver) and yet every year i get a new priorty pass in the mail and it works every time.
Same
So if I have priority pass from venture x I wonāt be able to get a guest in for free, vs if I have priority pass from sapphire reserve I will?
Correct – starting next year
It seems reasonable to restrict lounge access due to overcrowding, but this is draconian.
I think they should remove free authorized users but still allow guests like the saphire reserve.
Dan, can you please write a post which cards do offer lounge access with guests? This is brutal š
This isn’t cool. Should allow people time to adjust or reduce/prorate AF for those of us that use it. If the program starts 2/1/26, does that mean spend in 2025 will count towards the 2/1/26? (Assuming so from the verbiage but as this is a very weird/unwelcome change, wanted to be sure I was reading it correctly). I made the 75k spend already but wouldn’t make the spend between 1/1/26 – 2/1/26 obviously.
Agree. š
Yes, 2025 spend would grant access through 1/31/27.
If I spend $75k as the main cardholder:
1) does the AU get access without paying the $125 fee?
2) does the AU also get 2 free guests?
Its in the post – AU needs to pay 125.00 to get any lounge access (or you can pay $45 AU and their guests – Kids $25 ) 75k just helps for the guests of the main card holder, and paying AU (75k doesn’t help for priority pass – all guests need to pay 35.00)
@Dan
For anyone that only has the Consumer Venture X (and no other premium cards with PP access)… Wouldn’t it be a no-brainer to downgrade it to quicksilver and then get the Business Venture X?
The lounge was the main perk for me, and the fee/travel credits still cost me money if I could have just used points for the same travel purchase.
Inability to bring travel companions into the lounge defeats the purpose. Adding a fee destroys the value.
Yes, I will be cancelling.
Definitely downgrading.
I see no reason why to keep this card. Up until now, this card had the best lounge option, now I get better lounge benefits from amex platinum.
There are no other benefits that this card excels over other cards
Yes I know you consider the card free after benefits, but hey! Since when do you pay cash for travel. Using the 300 credit on the capital plus portal, which is often times more expensive than other options just doesn’t cut it.
yes but capital one has the option of price mach that no other card has i use it all the time and it works so yes capital one travel is more expensive but if you find any site that is cheaper capital one will mach it so its still a very good card
I am very happy about this,I walked into a lounge recently and immediately walked back out because I couldnāt move in there,and sat by the terminal in peace