Capital One made a serious splash last year with its first premium travel credit card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. With great perks like lounge access and a $300 annual travel credit issued as a statement credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel for just a $395 annual fee, it stands out against higher priced alternatives like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or The Platinum Card® from American Express.
But one aspect of the Venture X card's lounge access sets it apart even more, yet has gone completely unnoticed. While other top travel cards can get you and two guests into 1,400-plus Priority Pass lounges nationwide, we've confirmed that Capital One Venture X cardholders can bring an unlimited number of guests into Priority Pass locations.Â
I first stumbled onto this interesting wrinkle this week while browsing the benefits page for my Venture X card, where Capital One spells out all the lounges cardholders can access as well as how many guests they can bring. That includes Capital One Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and also Priority Pass Lounges.
As you can see, Capital One specifically lists that Venture X cardholders can bring up to two complimentary guests per visit for both Capital One and Plaza Premium Lounges. That even holds true for Venture X authorized users who get their own lounge membership with the ability to bring complimentary guests.
But for Priority Pass lounges, Capital One simply says “Complimentary guest access” without any specific cap. Despite showing an asterisk, there are no more details … but a Capital One spokeswoman confirmed to Thrifty Traveler that there is no guest limit for Venture X cardholders at Priority Pass.
“There is no limit to the number of complimentary guests Venture X cardholders can bring with them into Priority Pass Lounges,” the spokeswoman said, adding that access to Priority Pass is, as always, subject to space availability.
It's unclear whether this has been the policy for Venture X cardholders since the card launched a year ago or if it's a relatively recent change. Either way, it makes the Capital One Venture X one of the best and cheapest options for getting airport lounge access – especially if you travel with family or in larger groups.
Despite charging fees of $550 a year and $695 annually (see rates & fees), respectively, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express both cap cardholders at two complimentary guests when visiting Priority Pass locations. The Sapphire Reserve used to allow unlimited guests but nixed that benefit back in 2018.
This just strengthens the case for the Venture X Card's nearly unbeatable lounge access policy.
To get set up with Priority Pass with your Venture X, you'll need to head to prioritypass.com/capitalone and enter your information to enroll. You should get a physical Priority Pass card in the mail in a few weeks and can activate your digital membership through the Priority Pass app immediately.
But you don't need any of that to enter Priority Pass lounges (or bring a bunch of friends). Unlike the others, you can simply show your Capital One Venture X card at the check-in desk once your account is enrolled and activated with Priority Pass.
Related Reading: Capital One Venture X Will Lose Some Priority Pass Perks
Bottom Line
Is this a recent change or a wrinkle that went unnoticed for more than a year? We're not sure. No matter what, it's a great benefit that makes the lounge access for Venture X cardholders even stronger.
The question remains whether Capital One will eventually follow Chase and cap guest access policies for cardholders. But for now, this easily makes the Priority Pass membership from the Venture X card the best on the market – and still the cheapest.
Click Here to learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
Who cares how many guests you can bring when entry is denied for countless reasons. Being denied entry to a lounge because you’re a Priority Pass member is becoming the norm as of late. Empty lounges claiming no Priority Pass entry due to capacity constraints is wide spread.
Thanks for this detail. The information available under Priority Pass isn’t clear and I’ve received incorrect details from Capital one reps in the past.
This is absolutely terrible. Might as well just open the lounges for everyone at this point. They’re already packed, often full with a wait list, or some lounges turning away priority pass members, and now all of that is going to get worse. As someone with thr card, this is terrible and I hate it.
There was a limit of 2 people with the guest at least in March 2022.
Priority Pass is a joke, most airports don’t give access to their lounge’s with Priority Pass. LAX doesn’t have any, fifth largest airport in the US
How about restaurants until the end of the month when they no longer will work?
Not entirely sure how this will be handled for the next month. My guess is it is capped at 2 guests specifically for the restaurants but I don’t know that for sure.
Just received an email from PP specifying access for passholder and two guests. Not sure if the unlimited guest access still holds true.
Hi Alen. I saw the same email. Capital One is still showing unlimited guest access on their site (linked below). At best, their messaging around this is quite inconsistent.
https://capitalonetravel.com/lounges/partner-lounge-network
Please don’t pick a credit card based on Priority Pass being a so-called perk. It’s a joke and getting worse all the time.