Is the Venture X Business worth the annual fee?

The Capital One Venture X Business made a splash with its 2023 launch, sporting a jaw-dropping welcome offer as well as many of the things we love about its personal counterpart, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

One such similarity is the $395 annual fee (see rates and fees for the Venture X Business; see rates and fees for the Venture X). This is a bargain compared to some other premium business credit cards, such as The Business Platinum Card® from American Express with its $695 fee (see rates and fees). Still, it’s considerably higher than the American Express® Business Gold Card‘s $295 annual fee (see rates and fees); increases to $375 on Feb. 1) and the $95 annual fee on Chase’s Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.

So, does the Venture X Business offer enough benefits and earning potential to justify its premium fee? Here’s what you need to know if you’re on the fence.

Welcome offer

Currently, new applicants can earn up to 300,000 bonus Capital One miles: 150,000 Capital One miles after spending $20,000 in the first three months from account opening and another 150,000 after spending $100,000 in the first six months.

TPG values Capital One miles at 1.85 cents each, making this bonus worth an impressive $5,550. If you can meet the steep minimum spending requirement, the full bonus alone is valuable enough to justify paying the card’s $395 annual fee for more than 14 years (see rates and fees).

Related: How to maximize your Capital One miles

Earning potential

Beyond the Venture X Business welcome bonus, you’ll earn 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights purchased through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases.

You can redeem your miles most simply by redeeming them for a statement credit to cover travel expenses. If you go this route, you’ll get a value of 1 cent per mile.

But you can also transfer your miles to any of Capital One’s 15-plus hotel and airline partners, including valuable options like Air Canada Aeroplan, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Wyndham Rewards. By taking advantage of these transfer options, you’ll usually get a value of at least 1.85 cents per mile, according to our valuations.

The ability to earn at least 2 miles per dollar, an effective 3.7% return, on all your purchases makes the Venture X Business an especially attractive option for big-spending business owners who don’t want to worry about bonus categories. With this card, you can feel confident knowing you’re earning valuable rewards no matter what you’re buying.

Related: Should you transfer Capital One miles to partners or redeem them directly?

$300 annual credit

Each year, Venture X Business cardholders receive $300 in credits for travel booked through Capital One Travel. This credit is automatic, which makes it relatively easy to use.

However, it is worth noting that since the credit is limited to travel booked through the Capital One portal, you’ll likely give up any hotel or rental car elite status perks. The drawbacks of booking through a portal can put a damper on the value of this annual credit.

Still, fully taking advantage of this perk will bring your effective annual fee down to just $95 (see rates and fees).

Related: How to decide whether to book travel directly or through a portal

Anniversary bonus miles

The travel credit isn’t the only annual perk you’ll get as a Venture X Business cardholder. Every year, on your account anniversary, you’ll also receive 10,000 bonus miles, worth $185, according to TPG valuations.

Even if you redeem these anniversary miles directly for travel at a rate of 1 cent per mile, this annual bonus is worth $100. This perk and the travel credit combined more than justify the card’s $395 annual fee (see rates and fees) each year.

Lounge access

As a Venture X Business cardholder, you get unlimited access to Capital One Lounges — currently open at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Denver International Airport (DEN) — as well as Priority Pass and Plaza Premium lounges.

Note that, unlike the personal Venture X, lounge access does not extend to authorized users.

Without credit card access, you would have to pay $65 for a Capital One Lounge daypass, meaning just one visit with two guests would cost $195. Six visits alone, or two visits with two guests each time, would cost $390 out of pocket, so you’ll make up the annual fee’s (see rates and fees) value quickly if you can take advantage of your Capital One Lounge access.

Related: Capital One Venture X vs. Venture X Business

Other perks

On top of these super-valuable perks, the Venture X Business includes additional travel benefits and protections:

These benefits are more difficult to quantify, but they’ll provide added comfort and peace of mind during your travels.

Related: 7 steps to take when an airline loses your luggage

Bottom line

If you can take advantage of all the Venture X Business benefits, you’ll more than justify the annual fee year after year. The benefits are so valuable that you only have to utilize a few to make up for the card’s fee each year. However, if you can’t maximize the annual travel credit or airport lounge access, you may want to go with another of our favorite business credit cards.

To learn more, read our full review of the Venture X Business.

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.

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Apply here: Capital One Venture X Business

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For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold, click here.