Link: Apply now for the Capital One Venture X Business (Rates & Fees)
We’ve just seen the online launch of the Capital One Venture X Business, which is Capital One’s new premium business card. I’d argue that this is now one of the best business cards on the market. The card offers a great return on spending, valuable perks that justify the annual fee, a huge bonus, and more.
I wanted to write a detailed review of the card, since it’s a product that many consumers are still familiarizing themselves with. Let’s take a look at the welcome bonus, annual fee, rewards structure, perks, and more.
In this post:
Capital One Venture X Business 150K miles welcome bonus
The Capital One Venture X Business is offering a massive welcome bonus, though the spending requirement is quite significant. Specifically, you can earn 150,000 Capital One bonus miles when you spend $30,000 on the card within the first three months.
I value Capital One miles at 1.7 cents each, so to me, 150,000 miles are worth $2,550. This is a huge bonus for any business that’s able to complete the spending requirement.
If you’re going to apply for this card, Capital One’s general application restrictions apply. Note that you’re not eligible for the welcome bonus on this card if you currently have the Capital One Spark Cash Plus (review) (Rates & Fees). However, you are potentially eligible if you have any other Capital One card, including a different kind of Spark product.
Read my guide to getting approved for the Venture X Business.
Capital One Venture X Business $395 annual fee
The Capital One Venture X Business has a $395 annual fee. Note that this annual fee is for the primary card member, and then you can add authorized user cards at no extra cost, so that you can rack up rewards for your employees’ spending.
While that annual fee might sound significant, everyone should be able to get outsized value from that fee, and holding onto the card should end up costing you very little. I’ll talk about that in more detail below, but the card offers two annual benefits that more than offset the annual fee, in my opinion.
Capital One Venture X Business rewards structure & spending ability
The Capital One Venture X Business has a lucrative rewards structure, and offers 2-10x Capital One miles per dollar spent. On top of that, the card has no preset spending limit, no foreign transaction fees, and is a World Elite Mastercard. Let’s go over the details of each of these points.
Venture X Business 5-10x miles with Capital One Travel
The Capital One Venture X Business offers bonus rewards for travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal. Specifically, you can earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel, and 5x miles on flights booked via Capital One Travel.
Based on my valuation of 1.7 cents per Capital One mile, that’s like a 17% return on hotels and rental cars, and an 8.5% return on flights. Some people might find it to be worthwhile to book through Capital One Travel to earn those rewards, but there’s often an opportunity cost to using a portal.
Venture X Business 2x miles on all other purchases
One of the greatest things about the Capital One Venture X Business is that it offers a minimum of 2x Capital One miles on all purchases. That makes this one of the best cards for everyday spending, as I value that at a 3.4% return on spending. I’d highly recommend using this card as your business card for everyday spending, since you won’t find a better return on any other business card.
While some other cards may have lucrative bonus categories, you can’t beat the ease and general value of earning 2x miles on all purchases.
Venture X Business no preset spending limit
The Capital One Venture X Business has no preset spending limit. This means that the card adapts to your spending needs over time based on spending behavior, payment history, credit profile, and other factors.
While this doesn’t mean that you can necessarily make a purchase of any amount on the card, this is a useful feature for businesses that frequently make large purchases that might not be covered by a traditional credit line.
Venture X Business no foreign transaction fees
The Capital One Venture X Business has no foreign transaction fees, making it a great card for purchases abroad. Not only can you avoid foreign transaction fees (which can be around 3% on some other cards), but you can earn rewards abroad as well.
Venture X Business is a World Elite Mastercard
The Capital One Venture X Business is a World Elite Mastercard. Mastercard has excellent global acceptance, and you can also expect the card to offer the typical purchase protection benefits that come with World Elite Mastercard.
Capital One Venture X Business perks & rewards
The Capital One Venture X Business really shines when it comes to the perks offered by the card. This includes everything from a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, to 10,000 Venture anniversary bonus miles, to lounge access, and more. Let’s go over the details of each of these.
Venture X Business $300 annual Capital One Travel credit
The Capital One Venture X Business offers a $300 annual credit that can be used through Capital One Travel, starting your first year. You can apply this to a $300 purchase through Capital One Travel, and can use it toward a flight, hotel, or rental car. This is quite straightforward to use — my preferred method is to simply book a $300+ flight, and get $300 off that purchase amount.
I’d consider that credit to more or less be worth face value, so to me that is the equivalent of a roughly 75% rebate on the card’s $395 annual fee.
Venture X Business 10,000 miles anniversary bonus
The Capital One Venture X Business offers 10,000 Capital One miles on your account anniversary every year, starting on your first anniversary. At a minimum, you can redeem those 10,000 miles for one cent each toward a travel purchase, so that’s worth a minimum of $100. However, if you’re a savvy points redeemer, you can get even more value out of that perk.
Venture X Business Priority Pass membership
The Capital One Venture X Business offers the primary card member a Priority Pass membership (unlike on the personal version of the card, this isn’t available to authorized users). A Priority Pass membership offers access to 1,200+ lounges around the world. With the Priority Pass membership issued through the card, you can bring two guests into lounges with you at no extra cost.
Venture X Business Capital One Lounge access
The Capital One Venture X Business offers the primary card member access to Capital One Lounges (unlike on the personal version of the card, this isn’t available to authorized users). So far, Capital One has lounges in Dallas (DFW) and Washington (IAD), and these are excellent, much better than your typical Priority Pass lounge. They feature grab & go food, cold brew on tap, and delicious food and drinks to enjoy in the lounge.
Primary card members on the Capital One Venture X Business receive unlimited visits to Capital One Lounges, and can bring two guests with them. If you fly out of DFW or IAD with any frequency, there’s big value to having access to a Capital One Lounge, in my opinion.
Venture X Business Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
The Capital One Venture X Business offers a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee credit once every four years. You just have to charge the application fee to your card, and it will automatically be reimbursed. Both of these programs offer a lot of value if you’re a frequent flyer. I recommend signing up for Global Entry, since that comes with TSA PreCheck, while the inverse isn’t true.
How to redeem Capital One miles
As you can see above, the Capital One Venture X Business earns Capital One miles, and you earn a minimum of 2x miles per dollar spent on purchases. How can you actually redeem those miles, though? There are a couple of ways to most efficiently redeem Capital One miles:
- Miles can be redeemed for one cent each toward the cost of a travel purchase
- Miles can be transferred to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners, typically at a 1:1 ratio
Let’s briefly talk about both of those redemption methods.
Redeem Capital One miles toward travel costs
One way to redeem Capital One miles is at the rate of one cent per mile toward the cost of a travel purchase. This means you’re earning two cents per dollar spent toward travel, since the card offers unlimited 2x miles.
If you want to redeem your miles toward the cost of a travel purchase, the best way is by “covering travel purchases” through the rewards dashboard on your card. With this, you can make an eligible travel purchase using your card, and then you can go online after the fact and use your miles to pay for the purchase within 90 days of the date of purchase. Your credit will then be applied within two to three days.
Eligible travel purchases using your Capital One miles include purchases made from airlines, hotels, rail lines, car rental agencies, limousine services, bus lines, cruise lines, taxi cabs, travel agents, and timeshares.
It’s so nice to have the flexibility to make your travel purchase however you’d like, and then have the purchase reimbursed after the fact. Alternatively, you can book through the Capital One Travel Portal, and pay for your purchase directly with miles.
I can’t emphasize enough how lucrative it is to at least get a return of two cents on the dollar on all your business spending. A vast majority of people using travel rewards cards for everyday spending aren’t getting that level of return.
Convert Capital One miles into airline or hotel points
Personally my preferred way to redeem Capital One miles is to transfer them to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners. Capital One has nearly 20 travel partners, ranging from Air Canada Aeroplan, to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, to British Airways Executive Club, to Emirates Skywards, to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles.
If you put some effort into learning how to redeem miles & points, you can get way outsized value this way. Let me give one example. Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles is a Capital One Venture transfer partner, and I recently redeemed 45,000 miles for a one-way business class ticket on Turkish Airlines from Chicago to Istanbul to Frankfurt.
If paying cash, that ticket would cost have thousands of dollars. Meanwhile I booked it for just 45,000 miles, the equivalent of $450 worth of travel. Not bad, eh?
Is the Capital One Venture X Business worth it?
The Capital One Venture X Business has a great value proposition, and I think this might now be one of the most well rounded business cards out there. A few key points:
- While the Venture X Business has a $395 annual fee, for mental accounting purposes, I consider the $300 Capital One Travel credit plus the 10,000 anniversary bonus mils to offset that on an ongoing basis
- The Venture X Business has an excellent return on spending, that’s better than most people will get on other cards; earning 2x miles on everyday spending is awesome, and these rewards give you flexibility to redeem as cash toward a travel purchase, or to transfer to travel partners
- The Venture X Business has a huge welcome that’s very lucrative, and absolutely worth taking advantage of, if you’re able to
- The icing on the cake is the lounge access offered by the card, including a Priority Pass membership and Capital One Lounge access
With that out of the way, let me compare this card to a few others, just for additional context.
How does the personal Capital One Venture X compare?
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) (Rates & Fees) is the personal version of the Capital One Venture X Business, and it’s a card that has become incredibly popular with consumers. I think there’s something to be said for having both cards, but how do the two cards compare?
- What the cards have in common is that they have the same annual fees, same rewards structure, and they both offer a $300 annual travel credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, a Priority Pass membership, and Capital One Lounge access
- The personal version of the card has the advantage of offering lounge access for authorized users, of offering Hertz President’s Circle status, and of offering cell phone protection
- The business version of the card has the advantage of offering a much bigger bonus (though also with a bigger spending requirement), and of having no preset spending limit
I’d say both cards are incredibly lucrative. The personal version of the card is perhaps more of a slam dunk in terms of value, and almost falls into the “too good to be true” category. Like I said, given that there’s almost no cost to holding onto these cards (due to the perks), I think there’s merit to having both cards.
How does the Chase Ink Preferred compare?
Historically I’ve considered the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) to be the all-around most lucrative business card. How do I think the two cards compare?
- While the Chase Ink Preferred has a lower annual fee, it doesn’t have the same ongoing perks that help offset the annual fee, so I’d argue that the Capital One Venture X Business will end up costing savvy consumers less on an ongoing basis
- The Ink Preferred is lucrative for the bonus categories that it offers, as you can earn up to 3x points in select categories, but the card offers 1x points in non-bonused categories; whether the 3x points in select categories on the Ink Preferred or 2x miles on all purchases on the Venture X Business is better, depends entirely on your spending patterns
- The Ink Preferred does offer some lucrative additional perks, like cell phone protection and rental car coverage
- The Venture X Business has the advantage of offering airport lounge access, which the Ink Preferred doesn’t offer
I’d argue that at this point the Capital One Venture X Business is a more lucrative and well-rounded business card for everyday spending, especially for those who don’t want to spend a lot of their free time maximizing rewards.
How does the Capital One Spark Miles Business compare?
Previously Capital One’s most lucrative business card for earning miles was the Capital One Spark Miles for Business (review) (Rates & Fees), so how does the card compare to the Capital One Venture X Business?
- Both cards earn 2x Capital One miles on everyday spending (while miles are branded differently — Spark vs. Venture — they’re the same for all practical purposes)
- The Spark Miles Business Card has a $95 annual fee (waived the first year), while the Venture X Business has a $395 annual fee
- I’d say there’s big incremental value to the Venture X Business, including no preset spending limit, a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, 10,000 Venture anniversary bonus miles, a Priority Pass membership, and unlimited access to Capital One Lounges
Between the two cards, I think the Venture X Business is the better value at this point.
Bottom line
The Capital One Venture X Business is Capital One’s new premium business card, and it offers an excellent value proposition.
While the card has a $395 annual fee, that’s easy to justify thanks to the $300 annual Capital One Travel credit and 10,000 anniversary bonus miles. On top of that, the card offers a Priority Pass membership, Capital One Lounge access, and a great return on spending, all with no preset spending limit.
The icing on the cake for this card is the huge bonus of 150K Capital One miles upon completing minimum spending. If you’re eligible for this card, I’d highly recommend applying. I know I plan on picking it up…
If you want to learn more about the Venture X Business or want to apply, follow this link.
Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
These comments are dumb. I'm not sponsored by Capital One. Like many in this hobby, I've had well over 100 credit cards. I've been analyzing credit card offers, and other deals, for the better part of 20 years. This one is not complicated. If you can meet the spend, you get about 7x on $30,000 in spend in 3 months. If you can use the $300 credit, which Ben accurately describes, around its value, the...
These comments are dumb. I'm not sponsored by Capital One. Like many in this hobby, I've had well over 100 credit cards. I've been analyzing credit card offers, and other deals, for the better part of 20 years. This one is not complicated. If you can meet the spend, you get about 7x on $30,000 in spend in 3 months. If you can use the $300 credit, which Ben accurately describes, around its value, the card's fee is taken care of. He's accurately described the transfer partners. This isn't some big mysterious card with weird undisclosed features that make me skeptical about Ben's motivations. It's all right there. It's exactly the kind offer that every travel blog talks about, given the uses of C1 miles.
What are people worried about. It's like everyone thinks they have some structural bias gotcha, when it's just a fair description of a card that I have no doubt would have been written exactly the same if Ben weren't sponsored by C1. Just a bunch of people looking to complain.
The one thing that troubles me about all the blogs is that nobody really wants to take ownership completely on the 5/24 issue, which seems to remain a little vague.
This card is a great option for someone that already has acquired all of the Chase Ink cards and it's too soon for a do-over, and I've already got Amex platinum and business cards. I can easily meet the spend in the 4th quarter and was hankering for a card to earn some good bonus miles on. This fit the bill nicely. I already have the Venture and Venture X and got approved for this with no probem. I've already made excellent use of Capital One points transfers.
Only may be useful for those separating expenses. In fact other cards give a better return for related purchases.
To all the complainers clutching their pearls, here's a wild thought. Maybe just take the information Ben posts here and make your own assessment of the card's relative value to your wallet and points earning? Crazy, I know.
OMAAT owes you nothing. Ben puts an insane amount of work into this blog and to insinuate it's anywhere near TPG-level because of a 1-week sponsorship is ludicrous. But I get the feeling some of y'all...
To all the complainers clutching their pearls, here's a wild thought. Maybe just take the information Ben posts here and make your own assessment of the card's relative value to your wallet and points earning? Crazy, I know.
OMAAT owes you nothing. Ben puts an insane amount of work into this blog and to insinuate it's anywhere near TPG-level because of a 1-week sponsorship is ludicrous. But I get the feeling some of y'all aren't really vested in this hobby; you like to fantasize and opine more than anything. Get out in the real world and work some. Maybe you'll realize that success isn't the enemy you think it is.
I bet these are the same people that don't understand the business model of social media companies. "Why is it free? Who cares! I'm the customer!" XD
To say that a person can get 10x on hotels via the portal is meaningless without the context of how well the portal pricing is on hotels. It's the same with Citi Travel. Sure you can get 10x but the pricing is so terrible on Citi Travel that no one who understands would ever book a hotel via that portal. Capital One provides nothing meaningful that isn't available on another platform. No thanks.
I rarely book air travel through portals because they don't allow you to select seats. Usually if I am flying coach, I pay for upgrades, want an exit row, etc. And there's no way to do it with the portals.
@ CSue -- I'm not sure which airline you're booking on, but usually you can take the confirmation code and then go to the carrier's website. Once there, you should be able to select seats, and manage your reservation as you usually do.
What claims of impartiality? The blog literally states it is presented by Capital One. Literally means the opposite of impartial.
Try reading the disclosure at the top and then you'll get it. If that's too difficult, here it is: "Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the bank, credit card issuer, airline, hotel chain, or product manufacturer/service provider, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities."
Ben, I and most long-time readers have always come back because of your reviews and impartiality, for both airlines/lounges and credit card updates.
I know Capital One probably paid you a huge amount, but having them sponsor the site, even temporarily, immediately detracts from the review. It doesn't matter how great the card actually is, the disclosure at the top that it's your own opinion goes right out the window in most people's minds...
Ben, I and most long-time readers have always come back because of your reviews and impartiality, for both airlines/lounges and credit card updates.
I know Capital One probably paid you a huge amount, but having them sponsor the site, even temporarily, immediately detracts from the review. It doesn't matter how great the card actually is, the disclosure at the top that it's your own opinion goes right out the window in most people's minds (not to mention it makes the home page brutal to look at).
I remember the last time you did this, a year or two ago, and it back fired hugely in the comment section. This time seems to be no different.
Again, it's hard to fault you because you likely received a major payout, and who am I to say that I would do any differently if I were in your shoes. However, you need to know that it absolutely detracts from OMAAT and your reputation of impartiality. You can respond saying that you truly believe everything written here and that the opinions are your own, but everyone reading believes it less than they do on a standard blog of yours (which is a funny and ironic impact of this marketing from Capital One...).
I agree with PTSM91. How can the opinion be your own when the top says sponsored by Capital One? Just a week or two ago you were pushing the Citi Aadvantage Executive card. Sure, everyone needs to make a living but I no longer find any credit card that you recommend to be in the best interest of readers.
@ 767 -- Capital One is sponsoring the site (just as we usually have some sort of display ads), but unless otherwise stated, the content isn't reviewed by Capital One, and there are no limitations on what I can say (I mean, other than having to be accurate).
Yes, a couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, as it had a limited time offer. I write about most cards when...
@ 767 -- Capital One is sponsoring the site (just as we usually have some sort of display ads), but unless otherwise stated, the content isn't reviewed by Capital One, and there are no limitations on what I can say (I mean, other than having to be accurate).
Yes, a couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, as it had a limited time offer. I write about most cards when they come to market, have limited time offers, or have benefit changes. It seems like on a website dedicated to maximizing points that would be useful, no?
@ pstm91 -- Hey, I appreciate your feedback, and I hear you. I've been doing this for 15+ years, and I hope that those who have been reading for a long time can recognize that I've been pretty consistent. I don't know how many times over the years people have told me I'm trying to sell the site, or whatever. Well, I'm still here, and I'm still writing.
The blog always has display ads, and...
@ pstm91 -- Hey, I appreciate your feedback, and I hear you. I've been doing this for 15+ years, and I hope that those who have been reading for a long time can recognize that I've been pretty consistent. I don't know how many times over the years people have told me I'm trying to sell the site, or whatever. Well, I'm still here, and I'm still writing.
The blog always has display ads, and companies can also buy out all the ad space on the site if they want to. It's not something I directly deal with, but the display ads don't impact my editorial content. Unless otherwise stated, card issuers (or any other third party) don't review this content. I wrote this post exactly as I wanted to. Heck, I wrote the review from around 4-7AM this morning, and I can guarantee there was no one around to review it. :p
I'm curious -- other than taking issue with the concept of the display ads being from a single company right now (while acknowledging you'd probably do the same), do you actually disagree with anything in my review and think it's unfair in comparison to my reviews of other cards? Or are you just opposed on principle? Because if there are specific claims I make that you take issue with, by all means let me know.
And if this content isn't for you, I totally get it. Odds are that for the next 50+ weeks, there won't be any sort of site sponsorship. And hopefully you'll see content is the same as always. So I hope you can give me the benefit of the doubt in that regard (but it not, that's also your prerogative).
As always, your feedback and thoughts are appreciated. The issue is less so the content - as far as I know nothing is inaccurate or deceiving, and I've been reading for most of those 15 years (scary thought!) to know you're honest and well intended - it's more to do with them sponsoring the site and then all of a sudden having a ton of blogs on their products forced down our throats. It doesn't...
As always, your feedback and thoughts are appreciated. The issue is less so the content - as far as I know nothing is inaccurate or deceiving, and I've been reading for most of those 15 years (scary thought!) to know you're honest and well intended - it's more to do with them sponsoring the site and then all of a sudden having a ton of blogs on their products forced down our throats. It doesn't matter how many disclaimers you post, the second it becomes a "sponsored site," the impartiality fades away and simply seems like you're plugging a product. Granted with any credit card post, you're plugging a product, but those random posts have a more natural and genuine sense to them, that you alone are behind your words and feelings. These posts may be your own, but they are "sponsored." Judging by the comments on these blogs, it appears many of your readers feel this way too.
I appreciate the content, and have always loved the card updates, news, etc. These sponsored posts feel too much like an ad to appreciate them or the product.
On an unrelated note - I thought it was a Capital One picture behind your home page but upon further review it looks like a Santorini or Mykonos picture that you've added - could you go back to the plain background? It is headache inducing having the blocks/posts scrolling up.
@pstm91-
You state that "the issue is less so the content - as far as I know nothing is inaccurate or deceiving". Then what is the issue? Ben makes clear that sponsors have no editorial control over what he writes. And that's verified because, as you state, nothing he's written is false or deceiving. So what does it matter who it's sponsored by?
Every single blogger out there has to eat. Some (like Ben)...
@pstm91-
You state that "the issue is less so the content - as far as I know nothing is inaccurate or deceiving". Then what is the issue? Ben makes clear that sponsors have no editorial control over what he writes. And that's verified because, as you state, nothing he's written is false or deceiving. So what does it matter who it's sponsored by?
Every single blogger out there has to eat. Some (like Ben) choose to make it public who is paying for their meals. Just because other bloggers don't put a sponsorship sign on their website doesn't mean they're not earning an income from their posts. Lots of bloggers out there, for example, use their readership numbers to finagle upgrades or other special treatment on flights and hotels in exchange for positive reviews. This is the schtick of probably 90% of so-called travel influencers on instagram. Just because none of them say it out loud doesn't mean it's not present.
The bottomline is that you shouldn't let the presence or absence of a sponsorship logo influence what you think of the information presented. Presence of a logo doesn't mean the content is automatically biased, and absence of a log doesn't mean the content is automatically unbiased. You should evaluate the information on its own merits. And on its own merits, you state you're finding Ben's information accurate and not deceptive. So what's the problem?
Personally, I don't mind Ben getting paid for his posts *as long as* his information is still trustworthy, and so far, it has been. Someone has to pay him so he can spend time making this free content that we the readers find useful. And I'd rather it be Capital One than me :-)