Why you should add authorized users on the Capital One Venture X

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card shook up the premium rewards credit card market when it launched in November 2021, giving legacy cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve a run for their money.

While the Venture X’s $395 annual fee is still something to consider, it’s much lower than what Capital One’s rivals charge. Not only are the card’s perks competitive, but many even extend to authorized users — and cardholders can add up to four authorized users for free.

Today, let’s go over the full suite of benefits that additional users of the Venture X card will enjoy. In particular, we'll highlight the growing number of lounges that you and your traveling companions can all visit together without any additional, out-of-pocket cost.

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Venture X overview

Before we begin, we’ll review the details of the Venture X card:

• Sign-up bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus Capital One miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Earning rates: Earn 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases.
• Annual travel credit: Receive up to $300 on your statement when you book travel with your Venture X through the Capital One Travel portal.
• Anniversary bonus: Earn 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary.
• Capital One Lounge access: Get unlimited access to Capital One Lounges for you and two guests. Each guest thereafter will cost $45.
• Plaza Premium Lounge access: Visit over 100 Plaza Premium airport lounges, effective June 14, 2022. Cardholders can bring two free guests, and additional guest rates can vary.
• Priority Pass membership: Enjoy access to more than 1,300 Priority Pass lounges worldwide for you and all guests traveling with you.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck reimbursement: Receive up to a $100 statement credit every four years for either trusted traveler program.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• $395 annual fee.

Related: 6 things to do when you get the Capital One Venture X

Which Venture X benefits apply to additional cardholders?

While the $395 annual fee on the Venture X may seem high on paper, one key benefit of the card is the ability to add up to four authorized users for no additional charge. That’s huge, considering the Amex Platinum charges $175 for three authorized users (see rates and fees), and the Chase Sapphire Reserve charges $75 per authorized user. This makes the Venture X a much more affordable option for couples or families.

Additionally, many perks extend to authorized users as well.

Here are the benefits that your Venture X additional cardholders will enjoy.

Airport lounge access

Capital One's flagship lounge at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) opened in October 2021, and the amenities — which include Peloton bikes to premium, locally sourced eats — are outstanding. Two more lounges at Denver International Airport (DEN) and Dulles International Airport (IAD) will open later this year.

While there’s only one Capital One Lounge open for now, Venture X cardholders also get complimentary Priority Pass lounge membership (with the ability to bring in all guests traveling with you) and access to over 100 Plaza Premium lounges (with the ability to bring in up to two guests for no additional charge).

However, what makes the Venture X’s lounge privileges even more compelling is that authorized users can enjoy the same lounge access privileges as the primary cardholder. So, you can add four free authorized users to your card and each one of these users can visit all of the lounges named above while also bringing in unlimited numbers of guests.

Related: Big family? No problem! Get unlimited lounge guests with this credit card

If you have a large family, this benefit could be invaluable. Just know that an adult must accompany guests under 18 years old.

To game this out, let’s say you opened the Venture X and then added four additional users for free. You and each of your authorized users would each be able to get into Capital One and participating Plaza Premium lounges along with two guests each. Add it all together — five cardholders plus two guests apiece — and you could get 15 travelers into the airport lounge altogether (one of those people being you). And the guest policy for Venture X cardholders is even better at Priority Pass lounges: unlimited guests. Not bad for a single credit card — plus you could easily consume over $395 worth of food and drinks each year with this perk.

Just note that the exact procedure for accessing these lounges varies:

• Capital One Lounges: Show your Venture X card and eligible, same-day boarding pass for entry.
• Priority Pass lounges: Register for your complimentary Priority Pass membership at this link using your Venture X details. Then, present your Priority Pass card and eligible, same-day boarding pass for entry.
• Plaza Premium lounges: Show your Venture X card and eligible, same-day boarding pass for entry.

This applies to both the primary cardholder and authorized users on the card.

Complimentary Hertz Gold Plus Rewards elite status

Hertz’s partnership with Capital One grants complimentary Hertz President’s Circle elite status to Venture X primary cardholders and authorized users. This top-tier status gets you a guaranteed one-class car upgrade, 50% bonus points on all rentals, access to a broader range of cars and a dedicated customer service line.

Eligible cardholders must enroll through the unique “Benefits” tab link found within the Capital One website or mobile app. Cardholders can find the link to register by visiting their eligible card’s “Rewards” tab or “Capital One Travel Benefits” tab and clicking on the Hertz benefit tile. Primary cardholders must enroll authorized users through this same process.

You can also stack this benefit with the ability to earn extra miles on rental car bookings made with Capital One Travel. You can get your Hertz perks and earn 10 miles per dollar on rentals booked with Capital One Travel, which isn't a stacking combination available with other cards, portals or rental agencies. In this way, you're guaranteed the best of both worlds.

Purchase and travel protections

The Capital One Venture X is a Visa Infinite card, so there are a number of important travel and purchase protections that both the primary cardholder and authorized user(s) can count on:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: Up to $2,000 per person for you and immediate family members for prepaid, nonrefundable tickets.
• Trip delay reimbursement: Up to $500 per person for reasonable expenses like hotel rooms, food, toiletries or clothes when your flight is delayed overnight or by six hours or more.
• Lost luggage reimbursement: Up to $3,000 per covered trip if the airline damages or loses your bags.
• Cellphone protection: Up to $800 in coverage per claim with a maximum of two claims and $1,600 per 12-month period. A $50 deductible applies per occurrence.
• Primary rental car insurance: Up to $75,000 due to damage caused by collision or theft to a rental car.
• Purchase, extended warranty and return protections: Up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account on purchases; warranties extended by an additional year; returns up to $300 per item and $1,000 per account.

Which benefits do Venture X authorized users share?

Authorized users on the Venture X do not receive their own individual $300 annual travel statement credit, nor do they receive another Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit. Each of these is limited to a single credit per account. That means these credits should apply to eligible charges made with an additional card on the account, but they will count against the primary cardholder’s benefit.

Likewise, only the primary cardholder will receive the 10,000-mile anniversary bonus.

That said, authorized users’ spending racks up Capital One miles at the same rates as the primary card, and purchases they make will count toward the card’s minimum spending requirement to earn the introductory bonus. So, adding users to your account and having them spend (responsibly) on your behalf could help you snag those 75,000 bonus miles even faster.

How to add authorized users to your Venture X

Once you decide that you want to add authorized users to your Venture X, head over to your Capital One account and look for the “I Want To” button on the right side of the screen. Then, click “Add Account User.”

You’ll then have to decide the level of access you want to provide to your authorized user. You have two options:

• Account manager.
• Authorized user.

Here’s a full chart of what primary cardholders, account managers and authorized users can access.

Once you review the options and make your selection, you’ll enter your authorized user’s first and last name, phone number, date of birth and Social Security number.

Read more: Everything you need to know about authorized users

Bottom line

There’s no question about it: Capital One Venture X provides generous benefits to authorized users. The best part is that you can add four additional cardholders for free, making the Venture X affordable for larger families. Next time you visit a Capital One, Priority Pass or Plaza Premium lounge, you’ll be able to bring in the whole squad thanks to these authorized user benefits.

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

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

Official application link: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

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

Additional reporting by Ryan Smith.