Venture X Lounge Access Downgrades

[sccredit]

Announcing upcoming changes to Venture X airport lounge access

Thomas, Capital One is dedicated to delivering a best-in-class airport lounge experience for our Venture X customers. As our lounges have grown in popularity, customers have increasingly encountered wait times in order to enter them. To address this, we are making lounge access changes for additional cardholders (including authorized users and account managers) and guests. As the Venture X primary cardholder, you will continue to receive complimentary access to Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings and Priority Pass™ lounges.¹ Please take the time to carefully review the changes below. We’ve also updated the Capital One Lounge and Landing and Priority Pass™ Terms & Conditions to reflect these changes.

Additional cardholder access changes

Beginning February 1, 2026, additional cardholders on Venture X accounts will not automatically have airport lounge access. Primary cardholders can pay an annual lounge access fee of $125 per additional cardholder to maintain their lounge access. This will grant additional cardholders access to Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings and Priority Pass lounges. You can still keep or add additional cardholders without lounge access for no fee. If you wish to add lounge access for your additional cardholders you’ll have the option to do so beginning February 1, 2026.¹

Guest access changes

Priority Pass Lounges:

Beginning February 1, 2026, guests of Venture X cardholders will no longer receive complimentary access to Priority Pass lounges. At that time, Venture X primary cardholders and eligible additional cardholders can bring guests to Priority Pass lounges at a rate of $35 each per visit.²

Capital One Lounges and Landings:

Beginning February 1, 2026, guests of Venture X cardholders will no longer automatically receive complimentary access to Capital One Lounges and Landings. Primary cardholders and eligible additional cardholders that spend at least $75,000 across their Venture X account per calendar year can bring up to two complimentary guests to Capital One Lounges and one complimentary guest to Capital One Landings per visit. Cardholder spend towards the $75,000 threshold begins in the 2025 calendar year. Complimentary guest access is valid for the calendar year in which the $75,000 spend occurs and the following calendar year. Venture X primary cardholders and eligible additional cardholders will continue to receive discounted pricing of $45 per guest per visit, and will now receive a discounted rate of $25 per visit per guest 17 and under. Children under two remain free.

[Patient957]

Pretty big nerf.  There's going to be a lot of bummed out folks on this one.  The guest nerf is especially nasty.  Not a single complementary guest!

We knew the lounge access was too generous to last.  This WILL reduce crowds, however.  So there's that.

Doesn't affect me, because like a drifter I was born to walk alone.  

[cardme]

This will likely push me out of the Capital One ecosystem, given I have a growing family.  If they would've left each member on the card with being able to bring in at least one free guest (even just for the Priority Pass lounges) it would've been more palatable, but given what's been communicated, it's definitely taking the card out of my rotation.

[MrDuck]

Yep, I got the email today too. Definitely a small let down. The Venture Savior Duo was my go to. However  with a family of 4 I'll definitely be looking for other options. I left Amex Platinum/Gold for the Cap1 Duo. 

I'm thinking I might just go back to 1 or 2 of each Hotel (Marriott/IHG) and Airline cards (AA/United).

I'm kinda tired of trying to keep up with these Venture X and Amex Platinum level cards as they continue to raise AFs and or Nerf perks.

[Varsity_Lu]

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@Patient957 wrote:

Pretty big nerf.  There's going to be a lot of bummed out folks on this one.  The guest nerf is especially nasty.  Not a single complementary guest!

We knew the lounge access was too generous to last.  This WILL reduce crowds, however.  So there's that.

Doesn't affect me, because like a drifter I was born to walk alone.  

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Regarding airport lounges, though I keep searching for an answer
I never seem to find what I'm looking for.

[creditrizz]

Never been to one of their lounges but I'm guessing they were getting full.  Honestly, a packed lounge is almost as bad as no lounge at all.  Amex raised the price on their card and got rid of free guests for under $75k, which helped, becuase theirs were getting packed.   Nothing worse than a room full of stressed out travelers having tantrums (and turning the bathroom into a factory line of one person doing the deuce after another and stinking up the whole club!)  Even now I come across a line to the lounge sometimes and give serious consideration to canceling my card.   

[Gregory1776]

I've dipped my toe into credit card YouTube & the overcrowding has been addressed there, someone, somewhere just saying it's better just going to a airport restaurant & avoiding the crowds and people.
I'm quite introverted. You aren't going to meet someone friendly, nobody wants to chat, everyone is in a rush, or minding their own business, you'll never talk to these people again or see them. (Young people suck. I'm not a sociable person, I'm trying to change that and people do everything possible to avoid human interaction).

Just made a flight; I'd rather have a table to myself and eat a subpar burger (wasn't that awesome) & have a soda or beer.

I also don't have a card that'll grant me a lounge, and don't even know if I want to ungrade the Sapphire Preferred at this time (when eligible in 10 months). I think the lounge is actually open at Philadelphia now...

[creditrizz]

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@Gregory1776 wrote:

I've dipped my toe into credit card YouTube & the overcrowding has been addressed there, someone, somewhere just saying it's better just going to a airport restaurant & avoiding the crowds and people.
I'm quite introverted. You aren't going to meet someone friendly, nobody wants to chat, everyone is in a rush, or minding their own business, you'll never talk to these people again or see them. (Young people suck. I'm not a sociable person, I'm trying to change that and people do everything possible to avoid human interaction).

Just made a flight; I'd rather have a table to myself and eat a subpar burger (wasn't that awesome) & have a soda or beer.

I also don't have a card that'll grant me a lounge, and don't even know if I want to ungrade the Sapphire Preferred at this time (when eligible in 10 months). I think the lounge is actually open at Philadelphia now...

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They can be pretty nice and chill sometimes, but at a busy time in a city like NYC (or any time at los angeles' tiny amex lounge) they can really become like a zoo exhibit of humans stressed to the max looking for seats or a piece of chicken thigh like they haven't seen either in weeks lol.   Some of the new ones, like amex @ ATL, is so big that it keeps everyone settled and calm since they all get some space of their own.  

[redpat]

One reason that I have both Delta and AA lounge access for is when or if I miss a conection or a flight gets cancelled I can head into a lounge and get better service and not have to wait in long lines with the other cattle in the terminal....

X, Centurion and Chase lounges do thing for me.

[Gregory1776]

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@redpat wrote:

One reason that I have both Delta and AA lounge access for is when or if I miss a conection or a flight gets cancelled I can head into a lounge and get better service and not have to wait in long lines with the other cattle in the terminal....

X, Centurion and Chase lounges do thing for me.

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Why is it that everyone has to stand right in front of the gate before boarding? and deplaning, everyone has to stand up, grab their bags (hit someone) and stand in the isle while they wait for the entirety of the plane in front of them to get off??

Seriously, I can see why they don't nip it in the bud. easier to sell elevated seats at the front. 
1 row at a time people. 🥴