Capital One Venture X Plaza Premium Lounge Access Changes

Meh.....

The Capital One Lounge is currently operated by Plaza Premium, but this will soon change. I believe this shift is part of a larger transition.

It's the slow axing of benefits. Chase, Amex, etc. all went down this way. Once they get enough people signed up, they can pull the rug from under and start cost cutting

In a few years, Venture X fee will be where Chase and Amex are, while also offering the same watered down benefits from the original product offering.

Capital One needed to be better since they were late to the game, but all card issuers follow suit once they see they can reduce benefits and increase fees without losing any traction, due to the lack of real competition.

Where are the Plaza Premium lounges that are pictured in your article? DFW plaza premium lounges is small with below average food. But the employees are always helpful.

I think that once the C1 lounge at LGA opens, give it 12 months and the annual fee will go up to $550-$595

Meh... I don't think the food is amazing, but it's definitely at least average for lounge food in the USA. I still prefer Capital One and Centurion over it though. Capital One actually has better food than AA's flagship first lounge usually.

Not all, some are Plaza Premium and some are TAV airport services of turkey.

"due to the lack of real competition."

I don't disagree with the "they'll eventually be the same" prediction, but honestly asking: what would "real competition" be?

Already have American Express, Citi, Chase, Capital One, Discover. Who's left, for the US market? Bank of America?

Priority Pass in the US, hour wait list for a mediocre lounge.

While Priority Pass does not operate any of their lounges themselves, their parent company (Collinson Group) also owns The Club, a chain of airport lounges.

Interesting. Rio Brazil was on location where I recently could use Capital One directly but not Priority Pass.

Citi does not currently offer a real premium travel card with lounge access at the moment, so they would have the ability to add competition. Discover is merging with Capital One. BoA already has a premium travel card with lounge access. The next banks on the list would be US Bank and Barclays

"Once they get enough people signed up, they can pull the rug from under and start cost cutting"

"due to the lack of real competition."

I don't see credit cards as a cartel like airlines.
They can pull the rug, we can pull the spending.

Market is very competitive. What do you mean lack of real competition.
Competition doesn't mean they give you a free card with unlimited benefits. Price wars isn't equivalent to charity.

They might be eventually be the same, but it's because they are trying to compete not collude.

You don't see that many cards giving Priority Pass few decades ago. They all copied each other to win customers.

It's nothing close to "virtually all" Plaza Premium lounges accessible via Priority Pass.

Here is the currently (pre-devaluation) accessible list: https://www.plazapremiumlounge.com/en-uk/landing-pages/capitalone

Here is the list of lounges that will be accessible after devaluation: https://www.prioritypass.com/lounge-changes-june-2023

This is a major, negative change. The following lounges will no longer be accessible:

- Nairobi
- Johannesburg
- Durban
- Rio de Janeiro
- Sao Paulo
- Cali
- Bogota
- Cartagena
- Barranquilla
- Medellin
- Bucaramanga
- San Salvador
- Cancun
- Chongqing
- Macau
- Jakarta
- Clark
- Taipei Songshan
- Copenhagen
- Göteborg
- Stockholm
- Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport
- Christchurch
- Queenstown

So yes, a small, limited number of 24 lounges will no longer be accessible at all, including lounges in popular destinations like Cancun, through this minor change in benefits that is totally not a big deal.

Ben, I get not biting the hand that feeds you. Can I offer my cat to do it for you instead? Jimbo Meydenbauer Meowser The First will gladly sink his teeth into this. Or maybe you can send Winston after Capital One, he looks fierce. But *someone* should call this out. It's not a small change, or a minor one. It is substantive.

As always, continually evaluate your cards and change as needed/wanted. If this change negatively affects you then look into the Amex Plat cards

Cant comment for all of the lounges on the list that you say are not include but for sure the Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen are included.

I think some lounges were probably ripping off Capital One. The small domestic one at Toronto YYZ asked me to use my Capital One VX to access even though they were part of priority pass. There's probably something they're gaining by doing that.