| Note: I’ve updated this post that was initially published, as I finally got approved for the Venture X Business after previously being denied. All the details are below. |
Link: Apply now for the Capital One Venture X Business (Rates & Fees)
The Capital One Venture X Business is Capital One’s premium travel business card, which became available for online applications as of September 2023.
In this post I wanted to take a look at everything you need to know about applying for and getting approved for the card. Let’s start by talking about the basics of why you should consider the card, then we’ll cover the application restrictions, and then I’ll share my experience applying for the card. I’d appreciate if others who apply could also share their data points.
In this post:
Why you should apply for the Venture X Business
There are many reasons to apply for the Capital One Venture X Business. The card has a $395 annual fee (Rates & Fees), but that’s pretty easy to justify when you consider all of the perks of the card:
- The Venture X Business has a great welcome bonus where you can earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening
- The Venture X Business offers unlimited 2X miles on every purchase. You can book through Capital One Travel to earn 5X on flights and 10X on hotels and rental cars, all with no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees) and no preset spending limit
- The Venture X Business offers a $300 Capital One Travel credit plus 10,000 anniversary bonus miles every year, which in my opinion justifies the annual fee on an ongoing basis
- The Venture X Business offers a Priority Pass membership and Capital One Lounge access for the primary cardmember
Premium business cards don’t get much more well rounded than this in terms of the value proposition. Read my full review of the Capital One Venture X Business.
Venture X Business eligibility requirements
For many small business owners, the Capital One Venture X Business may be the first Capital One business card that they apply for. There are some rumors about Capital One application restrictions that aren’t true, so I wanted to cover all of those details in this section.
Who is eligible for the Venture X Business bonus?
When you go to the application page for the Capital One Venture X Business, you’ll see the following restriction listed regarding earning the welcome bonus:
“The bonus may not be available for existing or previous Spark cardholders.”
Admittedly that’s pretty broad. A Capital One spokesperson has clarified to me that this refers specifically to having the Capital One Spark Cash Plus (review) (Rates & Fees). So if you currently have the Capital One Spark Cash Plus, you won’t be eligible for the bonus on the Venture X Business. However, anecdotally (as I’ll share below), past Capital One Spark Cash Plus cardmembers are eligible for the Venture X Business, including the bonus.
You absolutely are eligible for the Capital One Venture X Business if you have any other Capital One business card, like the Capital One Spark Miles for Business (review) (Rates & Fees).
Do you earn the bonus if you get approved for the Venture X Business?
If you get approved for the Capital One Venture X Business, does that mean you’re also eligible for the bonus? In my experience, the answer is yes — generally Capital One will decline you for a card if you’re not eligible for the bonus.
For example, when you submit the application, you’ll see the following warning:
“If you don’t qualify, we may consider you for other cards. We’ll only check your credit once, and it won’t affect your Venture X Business application. You’ll be able to accept or decline our offer.”
Part of that offer is the bonus, so in my experience if you get approved for the card, that also means you’re eligible for the bonus.
Can you get the Venture X Business if you have the Venture X?
If you have the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review), which is the personal version of the card, you absolutely are eligible for the Capital One Venture X Business as well, including the bonus. There could be a lot of value to having both of these cards — see my comparison of the two products here.
Does the Venture X Business report to your personal credit?
Having the Capital One Venture X Business should not report to your personal credit report, as long as your account remains in good standing. When you apply for the card, there will be of course be an inquiry on your personal credit, but it won’t impact your score beyond that. In other words, applying for this card wouldn’t count as a further card toward Chase’s 5/24 limit.
What are Capital One’s application restrictions?
All card issuers have their own policies when it comes to approving people for cards. Along those lines, Capital One has among the fewest consistent restrictions, in my experience. I’ve found that it’s fine to have multiple Capital One business cards, there’s no strict limit as to how often you can be approved for cards, etc.
What credit score do you need to be approved for the Venture X Business?
There’s not a consistent rule as to what credit score you need to be approved for the Capital One Venture X Business, though I’d recommend having a credit score in the “good” to “excellent” category if you’re going to apply for this card.
Personally, I probably wouldn’t apply if my credit score were under 700, and ideally, I’d hope to have a credit score of 740 or higher. That being said, some people with scores lower than that report being approved, and some people with scores higher than that report being rejected. There are lots of factors that go into approval — your income, your credit history, how much credit Capital One has already extended you, etc. Furthermore, since this is a business card, approval is also largely about your business details.
Does Capital One pull from all three credit bureaus?
Capital One is one of the only card issuers that pulls credit from all three credit bureaus when you apply for a card. That’s still the case, though personally I don’t view this as a big deal at all.
Your score will typically be dinged a few points temporarily when you apply for a card, and it really shouldn’t matter with how many bureaus your credit is pulled. At least that’s my take — this restriction has never really bothered me, though I know others feel differently.
Keep in mind that if you choose to freeze your credit report, you’ll need to unfreeze your credit with all three bureaus prior to applying for this card.
How long does it take to get approved for the Venture X Business?
You can potentially be approved for the Capital One Venture X Business nearly instantly, with an approval within a minute. However, in some cases you may get a pending decision, in which case it could take up to two weeks to get a decision on your card. Don’t worry, you could still get approved even if you don’t get an instant decision.
What happens if you get denied for the Venture X Business?
If you’re not sure if you’ll be approved for the Capital One Venture X Business, should you be worried about getting denied? Generally speaking, getting denied for a card isn’t a big deal at all. You can always apply again in the future, and it’s not like a denial is reported negatively on your credit report. Rather the inquiry as such will show on your credit report (and could temporarily lower your credit score a few points), but that’s about it.
Let me take it a step further — I applied for the card back when it launched and was denied. I now applied again (less than two months later), and was approved.
Venture X Business application & approval experience
Ford and I have now both picked up the Capital One Venture X Business, for our respective businesses. We had very different experiences, but that’s because I was conducting a bit of an experiment with my first application. I’d say the results are just about best case scenario. Let’s first take a look at the basic details of the application, and then I’ll share how this played out for both of us.
Venture X Business application process
The application process for the Capital One Venture X Business is a single page, and is pretty straightforward. It’s made up of three sections. The first section asks for your personal information, including name, contact details, SSN, income, rent or mortgage payment, etc.
The next section asks for the basic details of your business, including the name, address, etc.
Then the third section asks for additional business information, like the business ownership structure, age of business, industry, annual business revenue, EIN, etc.
At that point you’ll be asked to agree to some disclosures and to review your application, and then you can submit your application. Hopefully you get an instant approval!
Venture X Business application approval
Back in September, Ford applied for the Capital One Venture X Business for his small business. His application was instantly approved, which is great. While not everyone will have this experience, most reports I’ve seen suggest that instant approvals are common on Capital One cards without preset spending limits.
That was the straightforward application…
Venture X Business application denial & later approval
Back in September 2023, I had the Capital One Spark Cash Plus, so I wasn’t eligible for the Capital One Venture X Business bonus. However, I figured I should take one for the team, to see what would happen if I applied. Would I get rejected? Would I get approved but just not earn the bonus?
Well, I submitted my application, and once it was processed, I was informed that I had been denied for the card, as expected. Rather than being outright denied, I was actually approved for an alternative card — the no annual fee Spark Miles Select. I was even offered a bonus for that card.
The information and associated card details on this page for the Spark Miles Select been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
I could then either accept that offer, or reject the offer and exit the application.
I ultimately decided to reject the offer. Why? Well, because I still really wanted to get the Capital One Venture X Business at some point in the future, since it’s going to be my go-to card for business spending. That was my focus.
Last week I finally got around to canceling the Capital One Spark Cash Plus, after transferring all my rewards to other Capital One cards, since that’s a requirement in order to get approved for the Venture X Business.
I wasn’t sure how long you have to wait until you’re eligible for the Capital One Venture X Business. I figured I’d take a chance, so I applied six days later. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was instantly approved, less than two months after my rejection.
So as you can tell, it’s fine if you’ve had the Capital One Spark Cash Plus in the past, you can just can’t be a current cardmember. At least in my experience, I was considered a previous cardmember less than a week after no longer having the Spark Cash Plus. I’m thrilled to finally have this card, and the personal and business version of the Venture X will now get the bulk of my card spending.
Bottom line
The Capital One Venture X Business is a lucrative business card, in terms of the welcome bonus, the return on spending, and the perks. The card’s benefits should more than offset the annual fee, so if you have an eligible small business, I’d highly recommend applying.
Hopefully the above covers any of the things you may have wondered about the application process. The good news is that there are fairly few restrictions surrounding eligibility for the Venture X Business, so many people should be able to get approved.
I finally got approved for this card, and will be using it for a lot of my spending going forward.
More data points would be useful, so if you applied for the Venture X Business, what was your experience like? Did you get an instant approval, denial, or…?
I have applied for 6-7 business cards in the last 12 months , but only 2 personal
Cards in 12 months . I was denied for the business venture X, because of too many inquiries… I really want this card
I have good income , sole proprietorship small business ( 25 annual revenue ) 830
Credit score…. I like going for SUB…. Do I really have to go six months without applying for a card, to get approved ?
I know I posted here on 11/16/23 and Ben replied this morning (11/17/23) — I saw it this morning and now I can’t see it.
Ben — whatever site/service you use for comments is really terrible. It’s a shame and makes interaction on your site user unfriendly.
Ben, I was in the same situation as you were in being denied (commented earlier in September too) when I had the Spark Cash card open. After being denied upon applying for the Venture X Business, I closed the Spark card in late September. Yesterday I applied again for the Venture X Business and was approved immediately. Thanks for the updated information.
Great insights into the Capital One Venture X Business application process! The breakdown of eligibility, bonus details, and personal experience applying for the card is truly helpful. Thanks for sharing!
The NPSL is complete BS. Applied for this card as we have a lot of business expenses coming up and could hit the 30k in the first few weeks. Vendor after vendor, we kept getting the declined message and found out that we couldn't spend past 10k, had a purchase that was 15k and that was unable to be processed. I called Cap 1 and mentioned that this card is completely useless for what we...
The NPSL is complete BS. Applied for this card as we have a lot of business expenses coming up and could hit the 30k in the first few weeks. Vendor after vendor, we kept getting the declined message and found out that we couldn't spend past 10k, had a purchase that was 15k and that was unable to be processed. I called Cap 1 and mentioned that this card is completely useless for what we need it for and they said that it evolves with your business. My response was that we are needing to spend this huge amount for renovations, no business is going to be needing to spend 15k in a single transaction every month so this was useless. I would avoid this card and get a true card with a limit if you can.
"one of the only card issuers"
If you only knew how much that phrase makes me shudder.
I got the 100k Venture bonus, then canceled that card when the 100k Venture X offer came out. It pays for itself with the hotel credit, 10k anniv points, & nice lounges, but I rarely spend on it! I am much more interested in 3x travel with my CSR (with a bonus on the portal) or 3x 1st year everything/6x dining with my new CFU. Even 5x with Citi Custom Cash but I really wish...
I got the 100k Venture bonus, then canceled that card when the 100k Venture X offer came out. It pays for itself with the hotel credit, 10k anniv points, & nice lounges, but I rarely spend on it! I am much more interested in 3x travel with my CSR (with a bonus on the portal) or 3x 1st year everything/6x dining with my new CFU. Even 5x with Citi Custom Cash but I really wish the C1VX would do something besides their endless commercials to make spending on their cards a less boring 2x.
No unique transfer partners.
Just another 10x / 5x travel portal.
Capital One remains undifferentiated.
SUB then punt.
I have the Spark Cash Business and the Venture Rewards (no fee) cards. They are linked. My goal is to use cash back/miles to transfer to airlines. I can move my cash back from the Spark into the Venture Rewards card to do so. So far correct?
If I want to apply for the Venture X Business, it seems like I have to close the Spark Cash Business. Right?
To “protect” all my cash back...
I have the Spark Cash Business and the Venture Rewards (no fee) cards. They are linked. My goal is to use cash back/miles to transfer to airlines. I can move my cash back from the Spark into the Venture Rewards card to do so. So far correct?
If I want to apply for the Venture X Business, it seems like I have to close the Spark Cash Business. Right?
To “protect” all my cash back in my Spark account, I suppose I should move it all to the Venture Rewards card and then close the Spark Cash?
And then apply for the Venture X Business?
Any risks or issues? I understand I may not be approved for the new card but am I jeopardizing my cash back points somehow? I suspect they will lose their “cash back” feature and I am ok with that as long as they retain their transferability to airline programs.
@ Joe -- I think my update to the post just now should answer all your questions. :-) Your strategy sounds correct.
Thanks! I’ve been waiting a month and a half :-).
For my cash back points in my Spark Plus account that I need to close before applying (like you did), I’m pretty sure I’ll eventually use them as miles by transferring them into my Rewards Whatever account, but if I wanted to keep their “cash back” nature for now and close the Spark Plus account, what should I do? Is there another Cap 1...
Thanks! I’ve been waiting a month and a half :-).
For my cash back points in my Spark Plus account that I need to close before applying (like you did), I’m pretty sure I’ll eventually use them as miles by transferring them into my Rewards Whatever account, but if I wanted to keep their “cash back” nature for now and close the Spark Plus account, what should I do? Is there another Cap 1 account I could open first, and transfer the cash back there, keep them as cash back, BUT ALSO keep the ability to later transfer them into miles into my Cap 1 Rewards Whatever account?
PS commenting on your site is still not great…
@ Joe -- Hah, yes, sorry for the delay, I missed it the first time around. If you really wanted to preserve the ability to redeem these rewards as "true" cash back (rather than transferable points or points toward travel), then you could open up another Capital One card. However, that seems like a lot of effort, and like it could also make it harder to eventually be approved for the Venture X Business.
The problem with some capital one cards that have the $30,000 spending for a good welcome bonus is that while there may not be a credit line, there is a spending limit, so they make it very annoying to reach it but not approving the whole amount without making a payment and then they limit the amount of the payment so it is not like you can just make a $30,000 payment. The representatives are less than helpful. This could be a catch for many.
This is so true. I have a 30k+ tax payment due and was hoping to put it on this card. Turns out my initial spending limit is only 10k, so I basically have to max out my spending each month for three months to even meet the min. spending requirements for the bonus. Very annoying.
Why couldn't you do this three days in a row? Make a $10K charge, payment next day. C1 credit is instantly available on my card, so I don't think there would be anything preventing you from doing that.
@Dave, I totally understand, and in theory that would work, but because I experienced the same issue as @DMoney, it isn't that easy.
The charge itself takes 2-3 days to post to your account after making it (it shows as "Pending" for a few days). Then, assuming you are watching it everyday, you can make a payment, but that takes another 2-5 days for Capital One to apply it to your account and clear...
@Dave, I totally understand, and in theory that would work, but because I experienced the same issue as @DMoney, it isn't that easy.
The charge itself takes 2-3 days to post to your account after making it (it shows as "Pending" for a few days). Then, assuming you are watching it everyday, you can make a payment, but that takes another 2-5 days for Capital One to apply it to your account and clear your balance. Really frustrating, especially since I have the personal card that always has a zero balance even though I charge $40-50k a month on it. To be honest, the bigger issue is finding three $10k charges vs the one large charge.
I posted on this back in September when I applied for the card. So sorry to hear that others continue to have this issue. I spoke with Capital One at length about this, but they provided no solutions. Clearly this is no reflection on Ben, but it is questionable business practices on Capital One's part.
I was rejected for a Venture x card because I was deceased. I checked all the credit bureaus which said I was alive. I went in person with all my IDs but still I am regarded as deceased. It’s frustrating that Capital One cannot correct an internal glitch. Luckily I was able to get a Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
this version of PP here is eligible for restaurant, correct?
@ George -- Correct, that's what all the reports that I've seen suggest.
Thanks!
My spouse and I both applied and were approved for the Business Venture X - both for the same business we share jointly. We both already have Spark Miles Cards and both have personal Venture X cards - which are great. We used the link from One Mile at a Time and were approved instantly. The sign on bonus is amazing. Not sure we will keep the Spark Miles cards once the new Venture X Business cards are up and running.
I'm at 7/24 and got denied for too much recent credit so they have a soft 5/24 rule it seems
+1. I'm at 5/24 exactly and was declined for too many new accounts
Ben — something is totally off with the way comments are shown… I can’t see your answer to Sam that you referred to in your reply to my first post and when I posted my second comment I didn’t see your answer to my first comment. This is my third comment in this thread. I am using Safari on iPad.
Love most of your content and perspectives but the way your site deals with...
Ben — something is totally off with the way comments are shown… I can’t see your answer to Sam that you referred to in your reply to my first post and when I posted my second comment I didn’t see your answer to my first comment. This is my third comment in this thread. I am using Safari on iPad.
Love most of your content and perspectives but the way your site deals with comments is not good and unfortunately a step back to what it used to be — I am sure you heard this before.
@ Joe -- I appreciate you reading and the feedback on the comments, sorry that it wasn't clear. Chris left a comment, then I responded, and then Sam responded, and that's what I responded to. You have to click "read more" to see that under Chris' comment. I'm trying to figure out how we can make it so that none of the comments are hidden, since that seems like it would simplify things.
So, could a blog that is explicitly "presented by CapitalOne" be potentially rejected when applying for a biz credit card? No judgment, just genuinely curious.
@ DT -- I'm a little confused by the question? I was rejected with my application, as I should have been, because I have a card that makes me ineligible. Sorry if I'm not understanding your question correctly?
Thanks for the data points.
So, how long does the Spark Cash Business have to be closed before applying for this card to at least be theoretically eligible?
And re ECR12 comment about 5/24 — can you confirm?
@ Joe -- Based on everything I've seen (and experienced), the Spark Cash Plus and Venture X Business don't show on your personal credit report/count toward 5/24, unlike Capital One's cards with a credit limit. Regarding the other question, I shared my thoughts on that to Sam's question below. Thanks for the question!
My Spark Plus card was closed in April 2023 and I just got instantly approved on the Business Venture X.
Thanks.
Ben — any official or non-official guidance on the timing element?
The annoying thing is what if your only C1 card is the Spark Cash Business and you have a bunch of points there that you don’t want to transfer/lose. Then you have to open another C1 account to save them (which would one would be best???), then close the Spark, and then apply for this Venture X Business — this will take...
Thanks.
Ben — any official or non-official guidance on the timing element?
The annoying thing is what if your only C1 card is the Spark Cash Business and you have a bunch of points there that you don’t want to transfer/lose. Then you have to open another C1 account to save them (which would one would be best???), then close the Spark, and then apply for this Venture X Business — this will take some time to do to be in some reasonable window although this big bonus will likely be gone by then…
@ Joe -- I'm trying to figure it out best I can, and I'll report back once I have an update. As far as another Capital One card does, have you considered the personal version of the Venture X? If you're looking for a no annual fee option, you could just get the VentureOne, and that would at least allow you to preserve your points. But I think there's a lot more value to getting a premium card, especially given the bigger bonuses.
"In other words, applying for this card wouldn’t count as a further card toward Chase’s 5/24 limit."
Frequent Miler has said "Note: Most Capital One Business credit cards (including this one) DO count against Chase's 5/24 Rule" in reference to the Spark cards (see:https://frequentmiler.com/best-credit-card-sign-up-offers/#CapOne). Clearly most business cards from other issuers don't count... but are you absolutely sure Cap1 business cards don't count?
@ ECR12 -- As you'll see, Frequent Miler specifically notes that only certain Capital One cards count toward that. The two exceptions seem to be the Spark Cash Plus and Venture X Business, as those two don't seem to report to personal credit reports in the same way (which largely seems to be because these cards don't have preset spending limits). Hope that helps!
Can you upgrade to Venture X Biz? Will they still give you the bonus on hitting the spending requirements?
@ Mark -- You definitely don't earn the bonus if you were able to upgrade from another card, as the bonus is specifically for those who apply outright. As far as whether it's possible to upgrade to this card, I haven't heard any firsthand reports on that.
If you were able to upgrade, I imagine it would only be from another business card without a preset spending limit, like the Spark Cash Plus. I...
@ Mark -- You definitely don't earn the bonus if you were able to upgrade from another card, as the bonus is specifically for those who apply outright. As far as whether it's possible to upgrade to this card, I haven't heard any firsthand reports on that.
If you were able to upgrade, I imagine it would only be from another business card without a preset spending limit, like the Spark Cash Plus. I wouldn't expect to be able to upgrade to it from a card that does have a set credit limit, since it's a different kind of card.
Ben, thanks for this article and sharing your experience of the two applications. I applied yesterday and was also denied. It was a bit puzzling as the denial reason was "Based on your application information, too many accounts of this type" which didn't make much sense to me. However, since you indicated that anecdotally those with the Spark Cash were being denied, and your application experience seemed to be consistent with that, this probably explains...
Ben, thanks for this article and sharing your experience of the two applications. I applied yesterday and was also denied. It was a bit puzzling as the denial reason was "Based on your application information, too many accounts of this type" which didn't make much sense to me. However, since you indicated that anecdotally those with the Spark Cash were being denied, and your application experience seemed to be consistent with that, this probably explains the reason behind my deinal. I was planning to close my Spark Cash account in the near future anyway so after that I will reapply.
P.S. I am fine with your temporary sponsorship by Capital One. You are always upfront and transparent explaining what you have done. So I trust you will provide unbiased reviews.
@ Chris -- Sounds like we're in the same boat then. I applied fully expecting to get rejected, since I thought it would at least be useful to have that official data point. Fortunately it appears that former Spark Cash Plus cardmembers do eventually become eligible for this.
And I appreciate your trust -- thank you! :-)
@Ben- How long do you think the Spark Plus needs to be closed before applying for the Venture X Business card? Thanks
@ Sam -- That's a great question. For what it's worth, Ford had closed his Spark Cash Plus in May 2023, so all I can anecdotally share is that four months is definitely sufficient. It's possible you might have to wait a week, or a month, or a few months.
Hopefully someone else can chime in with another data point that narrows the range a bit. :-)
@Ben- Thank you. I can confirm that a closed Spark Plus card works. Used your link and applied for the Business Venture X and was approved instantly. I can say that my Spark Plus card was probably closed in April 2023.
Thanks
@ Sam -- Thanks so much for the support, and congrats on the approval!
Is it maybe time to write an article addressing "One Mile at a Time Presented by Capital One?"
Unless I missed that article. Not being snarky, but it seems like a major change and worth some transparency
@ James K. -- Totally fair question! It's just a one week sponsorship (through Tuesday) to celebrate the online launch of the Venture X Business. Unless otherwise stated, the content isn't in any way reviewed by Capital One, and is my own, and I'm not writing these posts due to any quota that exists, but rather because I like to cover every interesting card launch in great detail.
OMAAT always has some sort of display...
@ James K. -- Totally fair question! It's just a one week sponsorship (through Tuesday) to celebrate the online launch of the Venture X Business. Unless otherwise stated, the content isn't in any way reviewed by Capital One, and is my own, and I'm not writing these posts due to any quota that exists, but rather because I like to cover every interesting card launch in great detail.
OMAAT always has some sort of display ads, so during this period, Capital One just purchased all our display ad space. I understand the "presented by Capital One" may cause confusion, so I apologize for that. But don't worry, there's no change in ownership, or anything else.
Thanks for explaining!
Keep doing what you do. I find you to be the most transparent up front blogger. Been reading you like foreveber. Glad you have been able to make this a career.
Ignore the haters.
It's been discussed ad nauseum in the comments sections of other Venture X Business articles here. TL:DR: They are sponsoring the site temporarily, Ben's opinions remain his own.