Capital One Venture X Business Card review: A premium travel card with a reasonable annual fee

Our take: The Capital One Venture X Business offers exceptional rewards, solid benefits and versatile redemption options. However, the annual fee might be steep for those who don’t maximize the travel perks.

Capital One Venture X Business Card Overview

Card type: Business

The Capital One Venture X Business Card offers an appealing blend of rewards, flexibility, and travel perks. With a generous rewards structure, cardholders earn up to 10X miles on purchases through Capital One Travel bookings, making it a dream for businesses with large travel expenditures. The 2X miles on all other purchase ensures that every business expense contributes to a growing stash of miles. 

The card’s $395 annual fee is reasonable compared to other premium cards, thanks to recurring benefits like a $300 Capital One Travel credit, comprehensive airport lounge benefits and 10,000 bonus miles every card anniversary. 

One of the standout features is the card’s versatility in redeeming rewards. Beyond the standard travel purchases, cardholders can redeem their miles for statement credits, offering a straightforward way to offset expenses. For those seeking a bit more value, the option to transfer miles to various airline and hotel loyalty programs opens up more premium travel opportunities. Overall, the Venture X Business Card is a standout choice for business owners who want a premium credit card at a reasonable annual fee. 

Who is the Capital One Venture X Business card good for? 

The Capital One Venture X Business card is an excellent fit for frequent business travelers who prioritize flexibility and value in their rewards. It’s ideal for those who frequently spend on travel-related expenses like hotels and rental cars since it offers up to 10X miles through Capital One Travel. Additionally, the 2X miles on all other purchase ensure you’ll earn simple yet elevated rewards no matter what your business spending needs are. 

Capital One miles offer a wide array of redemption options and travelers will find the ability to transfer their earnings to rewards partners can help them stretch their value even further. Plus, the included lounge access and trusted traveler application fee credits can smooth out the rough edges that come with traveling through airports.  

Who shouldn’t get the Capital One Venture X Business card? 

The Capital One Venture X Business card may not be the best fit for those who never travel or spend on travel, as the greatest earning potential comes from spending on prepaid hotels and rental cars through Capital One. Additionally, the best redemption value for your miles will come from spending on travel or transferring to travel partners to use on travel. 

The card offers abundant travel benefits, but they come at a cost. Businesses seeking a lower annual fee in exchange for more pared-down benefits should consider a different card. Plenty of cards earn 2X rewards or more on business spending with a lower or no annual fee. If you don’t travel enough to make the most of the rewards structure or  the extra benefits, look to  a different card. 

Capital One Venture X Business card: How to earn rewards

The Capital One Venture X Business card earns an unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights booked
through Capital One Travel , and 2X miles on all other purchase . These miles can be redeemed in numerous ways, including travel purchases, statement credits or transferred miles to several partner airline and hotel loyalty programs, maximizing their utility.

The Venture X Business Card has one the highest welcome bonuses of any credit card, offering up to 300,000. This bonus can be redeemed for travel bookings or transferred to airlines and hotel partners for additional value. Cardholders also receive 10,000 bonus miles every anniversary year and $300 annual credit for booking through Capital One Travel . These bonuses easily offset the $395 annual fee, making it an excellent choice for businesses seeking elevated rewards and travel perks.

How to redeem Capital One Venture X Business card rewards 

The Capital One Venture X Business card earns Capital One miles, which offer flexible redemptions. Cardholders can redeem miles for cash back, travel bookings, gift cards, and merchandise or transfer them to 18 airline and hotel partners. While transfers to loyalty partners are typically the best option for maximizing value, there are times when the other options might make sense. Here’s a closer look at the ways to redeem Capital One miles:

Transfer to airline and hotel partners

For those seeking a more tailored travel experience, the Venture X Business Card offers the ability to transfer miles to various partner airline and hotel loyalty programs. This opens doors to leveraging miles within these programs for flights, hotel stays, upgrades and more. Capital One has 18 airline and hotel transfer partners and some of the best include Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles and Virgin Red. Through these programs, you can get some of the lowest award redemption rates on both domestic and international flights.

Capital One Travel

Redeeming Capital One miles through Capital One Travel is a great option because it requires no learning curve. All that’s required is that you log into the site, book your travel and use miles at checkout to pay. Miles are worth one cent each towards Capital One Travel bookings, which isn’t the highest value but it is one of the easiest ways to use them. If you’re booking a flight, you’ll even earn miles through your preferred airline as long as you provide your frequent flyer number.

Travel purchases

Venture X Business cardholders can easily redeem their miles to cover travel expenses by using their card for eligible purchases like flights, hotels and car rentals. Once the transaction appears on the statement, they can offset it by redeeming their miles for a statement credit at 1 cent per mile. This flexibility allows for a direct reduction in travel expenses, without worrying about award availability or blackout dates. Note that to redeem your miles as a statement credit for past travel, you have to do within 90 days of when the travel charge posted to your account.

Cash

Another straightforward option is to redeem miles for statement credits, effectively reducing the balance of previous purchases made with the card. This flexibility allows for a direct reduction in business expenditures. Redemptions made as a cash-back statement credit are typically worth 0.6 cents per mile and is generally not the recommended way to redeem your miles. Merchandise

Capital One has a merchandise portal where cardholders can redeem miles at 0.8 cents each towards designer perfumes, household items, clothing and everything in between.

Apple products

Capital One has a special portal where cardholders can redeem miles for Apple products at 0.8 cents per mile. It’s identical to the online Apple store, with the same product offerings. 

Experiences

Capital One Experiences is a ticketing platform where cardholders can book tickets to concerts, sporting events, theater shows and other live events. For example, when Taylor Swift announced her highly-anticipated Eras tour, Capital One cardholders got access to an exclusive ticket stash courtesy of this program. Clearly, it can be valuable for highly-coveted event tickets. Using your Capital One miles through the Experiences portal gets you 0.8 cents per mile in value–definitely not the best, but an option if you want to save money on event tickets.

Gift cards

Capital One miles are worth 0.8 cents per mile for gift card redemptions. Again, this is not a good redemption value. If you regularly find yourself redeeming miles this way, you might be better off having a no-annual-fee cash-back card.

Amazon and PayPal checkout

Venture X Business cardholders can redeem Capital One miles through Amazon or PayPal checkout at 0.8 cents each.

Capital One Venture X Business card rates and fees

• Annual fee: $395
• Foreign transaction fee: None
• Purchase APR: None. Balance is due in full every month.

Additional benefits

• Annual travel credit: Up to a $300 annual credit for booking through Capital One Travel .
• Annual bonus: Cardholders receive 10,000 bonus miles every anniversary year.
• Trusted traveler program credit: Cardholders receive up to $100 every four years towards TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fee credit.
• Lounge access: Cardholders receive unlimited access to Capital One lounges and Priority Pass Select membership.

Credit cards similar to the Capital One Venture X Business card

While the Capital One Venture X Business card provides exceptional value for the $395 annual fee, some small businesses might prefer a card with a lower annual fee or with different benefits. The good news is that there are numerous business cards that earn double rewards on all spending and meet the low-annual fee criteria. Here’s a look at credit cards that are similar to the Venture X Business card:

Capital One Spark Miles Credit Card vs. Capital One Venture X Business

The Capital One Spark Miles and the Capital One Spark Miles for Business are both tailored for business owners. One notable similarity is that both cards earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase. However, the Venture X Business card offers 5X miles on flights and 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. The Spark Miles Select has a lower annual fee of $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 after and a lower earning rate of an unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.5X miles on every other purchase.

The Capital One Spark Miles 2X card also has a lower welcome bonus of 50,000 miles after spending $4,500 within the first three months of account opening. This is less than half of the welcome bonus offered by the Venture X card, but the spending threshold to earn it is far more attainable.. The card also comes with a $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fees every four years. Overall, the card is more practical and aimed at those who want to earn elevated rewards without added costs or bells and whistles.

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express vs. Capital One Venture X Business

Both The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express and the Capital One Venture X Business card are excellent options for business owners.. Like the Capital One Venture X Business card, the Blue Business® Plus card also earns 2X points on all spending, though that reward rate is limited to the first $50,000 spent per calendar year. All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar spent.

The card also has a substantially smaller welcome bonus of just 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership. American Express even has more transfer partners than Capital One does (21 vs. 18), though the two programs share 12 transfer partners in common: Aeromexico Club Premier, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Choice Privileges, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Virgin Red.

In exchange for a potentially lower rewards rate, Amex Blue Business Plus cardmembers pay no annual fee and also receive a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening (then a variable APR of 18.49%–26.49%). This card is a great lower cost alternative to the Capital One Venture X Business, providing elevated rewards on the first $50,000 spent and access to many of the same transfer partners as Capital One. 

To view rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, see rates and fees.

Is the Capital One Venture X Business card right for you?

The Capital One Venture X Business card might be right for you if you’re looking for a travel rewards  credit card with premium perks and an annual fee significantly lower than what you’ll find on other premium travel cards. It’s an ideal fit if you spend substantially on travel-related expenses like hotels and rental cars, as the card offers an impressive 10X miles on purchases through Capital One Travel. Additionally, the 2X miles on all other purchase can be a great way to earn miles on all of your business spending, no matter how varied.

Moreover, this card is a gem for those who value flexibility in their rewards. The ability to redeem miles for travel purchases, statement credits, or transfer them to various airline and hotel loyalty programs provides versatility, and can amplify the value of earned miles when transferred to travel partners. Beyond rewards, the Venture X Business card’s suite of travel benefits, including statement credits for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, and an annual travel credit, adds value for those who can benefit from the perks.

 If you want a business card with a massive welcome bonus, lucrative travel perks and high earning potential on everyday spending, the Venture X Business card is worth considering.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Venture X Business card worth getting?

The Venture X Business card can be worth getting if you can get enough value from the card’s perks and rewards to justify the $395 annual fee.

Can the Capital One Venture X Business card be used for business?

The Capital One Venture Card can be used for business, even though it’s a personal credit card. However, since it’s best to keep personal and business spending separate, we recommend not using the Venture X Business Card for business expenses.

Is the Capital One Venture X Business card the same as Capital One Elite Travel Spark?

The Capital One Venture X Business card is a revamped version of the Capital One Elite Travel Spark Card, which is no longer an active product.

---

Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.