President Biden reinforces Trump administration's travel ban, adds South Africa to the list
President Biden has doubled down on the ban on non-U.S. travelers from Brazil, England, Ireland and 26 additional countries across Europe, known as the Schengen Area. This effort will help the U.S. continue to fight to contain the continuing COVID-19 surge, a U.S. public health official confirmed to Reuters on Sunday. Biden will also add South Africa to that list of countries.
The original ban orders that most foreigners who have visited one of the restricted countries in the past 14 days not be allowed to enter the United States. The South Africa portion of the ban will go into effect on Saturday, Jan. 30.
South Africa is being added to the list because of the "concerning" COVID-19 variant spreading in the region. "The South African variant, also known as the 501Y.V2 variant, is 50% more infectious and has been detected in at least 20 countries," according to Reuters.
The ban originally enacted by the Trump administration in March of 2020 was scheduled to expire on Tuesday.
The Schengen Area includes the following 26 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Related: What is the Schengen Area and what European countries are included?
Although we knew Biden would extend the ban, this is still likely to leave travelers in the lurch.
The ban follows one of Biden's first actions as president: to make wearing a mask mandatory while traveling domestically, as deaths from COVID-19 in the United States exceed 400,000, as TPG's Victoria Walker previously reported. President Biden signed an executive order on Jan. 21 requiring that masks be worn on "many" airplanes, trains, buses and during all interstate travel, calling mask-wearing a "patriotic duty." Previously, there was no federal requirement to wear a mask in public spaces.
In addition, the U.S. recently announced that, as of Jan. 26, all U.S.-bound international travelers will need to have a negative COVID-19 test result in order to enter. All passengers returning to the U.S. will also need to self-quarantine upon arrival according to current CDC regulations.
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month