There are few things that will improve your time spent at the airport more than having access to an airport lounge. And you no longer have to be an ultra-frequent flyer with top-tier airline elite status to enter them: All you need is the right credit card.
But credit cards that offer lounge access don't come cheap. Expect to shell out annual fees ranging from $400 to $700 dollars a year – which can certainly be worth it when you factor in all the benefits they provide. But what if you want to bring the family into the lounges with you?
Many credit cards offering lounge access will charge you extra to bring guests with you, or just not allow you to bring them in at all. At the bare minimum, they'll charge you another annual fee to add an authorized user to your card which would grant them their own lounge access. But that's not the case with the *capital one venture x*.
Unlike competitors like *amex platinum card* and the *chase sapphire reserve*, the Venture X is the only premium travel card that allows you to bring the entire family into airport lounges without paying a dime more than its $395 annual fee.
We'll break down how Venture X cardholders can get lounge access for their entire family for just one $395 annual fee.
Learn more about the *capital one venture x*
What Airport Lounges Can Venture X Cardholders Access?
First, let's walk through what lounges you can actually access with the *capital one venture x*
When Capital One launched Venture X back in November 2021, it was easily the most exciting new credit card to hit the market in years – if ever – and a big part of that came down to its ability to get you into the brand-new Capital One lounges.
After years of planning and months of building, Capital One finally has its own branded airport lounge which launched right around the same time as the Venture X.
There’s just one so far – an incredible space in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – but the second and third locations are opening in Denver (DEN) and Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) sometime in the near future. The bank plans to keep building out its lounge portfolio as well.
Capital One Lounges
The Venture X card will get you and two guests into the Capital One lounges for free.
The first Capital One lounge location in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) is an incredible space. In fact, we think it might just be one of the best lounges you'll find in the U.S.
The Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) lounge itself clocks in around 10,000 square feet, but it feels much bigger than that. There’s an open and airy design, with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the tarmac below. Everything feels bright, fresh, and new. Once you enter the lounge, there’s plenty of seating, with armchairs, cafe-style tables, and long sofas.
Whether you’re at the bar, at a high-top table, or lounging somewhere else, there are power outlets and USB ports seemingly everywhere.
Capital One put a big emphasis on offering excellent food and drinks in this lounge. That holds up for every visitor. And once you’re in the door, it’s all free.
Read our full review of the Capital One Lounge in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)
Priority Pass Lounges
The Capital One Venture X will also get you a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership that gives you access to over 1,200 airport lounges across the world. Better yet, the Priority Pass membership you'll get with the Venture X is a bit stronger than what you'll get with the Amex Platinum Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve. That's because you be allowed to bring an unlimited number of guests with you on each visit, assuming there is space available in the lounge.
The quality and offering in Priority Pass lounges can vary quite a bit. But even the worst Priority Pass lounge is still better than sitting at the gate in the terminal.
Plaza Premium Lounges
In June 2022, Capital One also added access to Plaza Premium Lounges, opening the doors to dozens more lounges abroad and at home. The Plaza Premium name also includes Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounges in four U.S. airports like New York City (JFK) and Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD); several lounges at the Cancún (CUN) airport; and Avianca lounges throughout Colombia.
Here’s the full list of Plaza Premium lounges.
Want to know what lounges you have access to? Use the free Lounge Buddy app.Â
How to Get Lounge Access for the Whole Family with Venture X
Getting complimentary lounge access for the entire family with the Venture X card starts with the card's incredible authorized user benefit. Once you get the card, you'll have the ability to add up to four additional users to your account at no additional cost. And each of those authorized users will get their own lounge memberships and access with the ability to bring their own guests in with them.
So let's say you have a family of five and want to get everybody into the Capital One Lounge in Dallas (DFW). If you're the primary cardholder and add your spouse as an authorized user, they would get their own lounge memberships with the ability to bring two of their own guests in with them. Between the primary cardholder, the authorized user, and the four guests (two for each cardholder), you could easily bring six people into the lounge with you at no additional cost.
Whether you're visiting the Capital One Lounges, a Priority Pass lounge, or even a Plaza Premium lounge, the process works the same. Pay the $395 annual fee on the Venture X and you can get lounge access for you and four additional users. Plus, you and all of your authorized users will have the ability to bring in at least two guests on every visit. That's unheard of in the premium travel credit card space.
Take for example the *chase sapphire reserve* which offers access to Chase's Sapphire Lounges and a similar Priority Pass Select membership to the one you'll get with the Venture X. Not only does the Sapphire Reserve charge an annual fee of $550, but you'll also have to pay an additional $75 for each additional authorized user.
Sapphire Reserve authorized users will get their own lounge memberships with the ability to bring their own guests. But if you want access for the whole family, you'll be on the hook for at least $625 in annual fees each year – more expensive than the Venture X for similar lounge access.
Then there's *amex platinum card* which provides access to Amex's Centurion Lounges, the Delta Sky Club (if you are flying with Delta), Priority Pass Lounges, and Plaza Premium lounges. Simply put, no card opens more lounge doors than the Amex Platinum Card. But that access doesn't come cheap.
The annual fee on the Platinum Card is $695 (see rates & fees). Want to add an authorized user to your card so they can access lounges? That will be another $175 a year for up to three additional users. No matter if you add one user or up to three, it will cost the same $175. So if you want to get the whole family into the lounge with the Platinum card, you're looking at a bill of $870 each year – almost twice what it would cost with the Venture X.
Full Benefits of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
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- $300 Annual Travel Credit: Each year, cardholders will get a $300 travel credit to use through the Capital One Travel booking portal.
- Capital One Lounge & Priority Pass Select Lounge Access: Cardmembers will also be able to bring guests with them at no additional cost on each visit.
- Up to a $100 Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Membership in either program is good for five years.
- 10,000 Mile Anniversary Bonus: Every year on your account anniversary, you’ll receive 10,000 bonus miles after paying your card’s annual fee. These miles are worth a minimum of $100 towards travel.
- Earn 2x Miles on every purchase & More: Cardholders will earn 2x miles on every dollar spent. Cardholders will also earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One travel portal and 5x miles on flights booked via the portal.
- Complimentary Hertz President’s Circle Status
- Add up to four authorized users at no additional cost
- $395 Annual Fee
Learn more about the *capital one venture x*
Bottom Line
If you want airport lounge access and often travel with the whole family in tow, you won't find a better and cheaper option than the *capital one venture x*.
With the ability to add up to four additional authorized users at no additional cost, you can easily get your whole family into a lounge before your next trip for just the card's $395 annual fee – a unique benefit you won't find from other premium travel credit cards.
And then the next story will be about how crowded the lounges are. All about the referral bonuses.
I have had a Priority Pass from Amex for 3 years AND NOT ONCE HAS A LOUNGE LET ME IN. There’s always some excuse but the”perk” is worthless
“the Venture X is the only premium travel card that allows you to bring the entire family into airport lounges without paying a dime more than its $395 annual fee.”
This same is true for the Chase Ritz-Carlton ($450 AF) card.
I changed my products for my Marriott card last week, and as a result, I currently hold the Capital One Venture X and Ritz Carlton cards. I called their customer service lines and they both told me that I could only bring “two guests,” so I’m still not sure if I can bring the whole family to the lounge. In the end, I created AU accounts for each family member and applied PP cards for them.