Capital One Venture X Business Card review: Business travel MVP
It’s hard to go wrong with a generous flat rewards rate and valuable, practical travel perks.
The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for .
Snapshot
4.9
Bottom line
This premium business travel card’s flat-rate rewards program and generous travel perks make it a lucrative option for small-business owners who want a taste of luxury travel and no preset spending limit.
Intro offer
Earn 150,000 miles
Rewards Rate
2X miles - 10X miles
Annual fee
$395
Regular APR
N/A
4.4
Cardholder rating
Extra perks
Online tools
Customer service
Information safe
4.9
Bankrate score
Remove a card to add another to compare
Remove a card to add another to compare
Capital One Venture X Business card Overview
The Capital One Venture X Business card builds upon what made the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card a great choice for frequent travelers and tweaks it for small-business owners. The result is easily one of the best business travel cards on the market.
It offers generous annual travel credits and airport lounge access at a relatively low annual fee. Plus, the card’s flat rewards rate makes it a solid option for businesses of all sizes because it rewards the same points on all purchases outside of its boosted categories.
-
Rewards
- 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles on other purchases
- Rewards value: Up to 1 cent per mile when redeemed through Capital One Travel, and about 2 cents on average through the right transfer partner
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis -
Welcome offer
- Earn 150,000 miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
- $395 annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- 2.99 percent late payment fee of the unpaid portion of your minimum payment
- See Rates & Fees
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Other cardholder perks
- $300 annual Capital One Travel credit
- 10,000 annual bonus miles on your account anniversary (starting on your first anniversary)
- No preset spending limit
- Get reimbursed up to $600 if your cellphone is stolen or damaged (when you pay your bill with your Venture X Business card)
- Up to a $120 statement credit toward TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry application fees
- Complimentary access for cardholders to over 1,300 airport lounges, including Capital One and Priority Pass lounges through the Partner Lounge Network
- $50 experience credit for eligible stays at Lifestyle Collection hotels, plus perks including room upgrades, late checkout and early check-in (when available)
- Free employee cards with customizable spending limits
- Standard account protections like $0 fraud liability for unauthorized charges
- See Rates & Fees
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis
Venture X Business pros and cons
Pros
-
Its flat-rate rewards program offers fair ongoing value no matter your business's size or spending habits.
-
It offers one of the most valuable sign-up bonuses available on a business rewards card.
-
The card carries a terrific mix of valuable and practical travel perks, including an annual travel credit and complimentary airport lounge access.
Cons
-
Though easy to offset, the annual fee is relatively high for a business card.
-
Unlike some cards with no preset spending limits, this card doesn't let you carry a balance, limiting its value as a financing tool.
-
The sign-up bonus carries a high spending requirement, which may be tough for some small-business owners to meet.
Why you might want the Venture X Business
The Venture X Business card carves out a niche in the high-end business card marketplace, delivering exceptional rewards value and travel perks at a lower cost than many luxury business travel cards.
Rewards: Ideal if you value simplicity and travel
The Venture X Business card’s rewards rates aren’t significantly better than those offered on other Capital One business cards, but they could be an excellent choice if you want a simple way to earn miles on your business purchases.
Along with 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals and 10X miles on rental cars and hotels booked through Capital One Travel, you’ll earn a flat rate of 2X miles on all eligible purchases. This feature should make it easy for several small-business owners to squeeze value out of the card. You won’t have to worry about tracking or enrolling in spending categories and can easily build miles from everyday business expenses.
For travel bookings outside of the Capital One portal, you can book directly or redeem miles for travel purchases made in the past 90 days, enabling you to book where you prefer while still earning 2X miles on the purchase. This flexibility could make Capital One miles more appealing than the rewards you’ll earn with other issuers.
Perks: Valuable, well-rounded travel benefits
Like the Capital One Venture X card for consumers, the Venture X Business card offers valuable, practical travel perks instead of the niche credits and memberships you tend to find on other premium travel cards.
For starters, you can take advantage of up to $300 in annual travel credits for bookings through Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles each year on your account anniversary. Combined, these perks can be worth around $400 (if you redeem your miles with Capital One Travel). These travel credits can also cover more travel purchases than the credits you’ll find on some competing cards.
The Venture X Business Card is also one of the few business cards with complimentary airport lounge access, offering Capital One Lounge membership and complimentary Priority Pass membership through the Partner Lounge Network. In fact, the Venture X Business card’s lounge access perks are second only to the access found on The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, which includes comprehensive Global Lounge Collection access — but with a $695 annual fee. Additionally, the Venture X Business card offers great travel and emergency assistance services and purchase security, including first-class cellphone protection.
Welcome offer: Ultra-valuable bonus for a business card
The Venture X Business pulls ahead of the competition with its sign-up bonus, which is one of the most valuable sign-up bonuses available on a business card. You can earn 150,000 miles after you spend $30,000 in the first three months from account opening. Even though it’s half the card's previous limited-time offer, the current bonus is still tremendous and more than you’ll find on most business cards.
Capital One miles are worth 1 cent each when you redeem them through Capital One Travel, so 150,000 miles could be worth a whopping $1,500 in travel. Based on Bankrate's latest credit card mile valuations, Capital One Miles can be even more valuable when you transfer them to the right airline or hotel partner. We estimate that Capital One Miles are worth around 1.7 cents when you transfer them to one of the issuer's top travel partners, so the bonus could be worth around $2,550 with the right booking.
Given that the spending requirement for the Venture X Business card's welcome offer is so high, some small-business owners may struggle to take full advantage. If you don't have many big business expenses on the horizon, a card with a lower bonus spending requirement may be a better fit.
Why you might want a different card
While the Venture X Business card’s rewards and perks should make its annual fee easy to offset, the price tag may still be too high for some business owners. The card also doesn’t carry many travel benefits and lacks redemption options compared to its competitors. If you’re focused on luxury perks, want a more attainable welcome bonus or want the option to redeem for travel and cash back without sacrificing point value, you might want to consider other card options.
Rates and fees: Intimidating annual fee
Although the card offers plenty of practical perks and versatile rewards that make its annual fee easy to justify, you may not want to worry about a fee hanging overhead. And if you have inexpensive business needs or you rarely travel, the Venture X Business card’s $395 annual fee (See Rates & Fees) may be hard to offset with rewards or perks.
Since there is no intro APR and no preset spending limit (meaning no ongoing APR either), you also won't be able to strategically carry a balance to free up cash flow or gradually reduce expenses over time.
On the plus side, there aren’t many other costs to worry about, including no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees) on purchases made abroad (which is typical for premium travel cards). You also won’t have to worry about accruing interest since you must pay off your balance in full each billing cycle.
Card features: Only a few luxury and business perks
Though the Venture X Business has plenty of great travel perks like airport lounge access and credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, its relatively low cost requires some trade-offs.
The card lacks some luxury perks you can find on cards with an annual fee of $500 or more, such as complimentary airline or hotel elite status. The card also falls short if you’re interested in business-centric bonus categories and features, as other premium business cards boast hundreds of dollars worth of annual credits for Dell products, Indeed recruiting, Adobe services and wireless providers.
Payment flexibility: No preset spending limit, but can’t carry a balance
If you need a lot of purchasing power, the Venture X Business card may be appealing since it has no preset spending limit. The amount you can spend varies based on factors such as your credit profile and account standing. You can even increase your purchasing power through positive card activity, like making multiple payments within a billing cycle.
However, unlike some competing cards with no preset spending limit, this card doesn’t allow you to carry a balance. You must pay off the card in full every month or you’ll face a late payment fee based on a percentage of your balance (See Rates & Fees). If you need both large purchasing power and the flexibility of an ongoing APR, the Venture X Business may not be the best fit compared to American Express business credit cards.
First-year vs. ongoing value
The Venture X Business card offers terrific first-year value via its sign-up bonus and features some of the best ongoing rewards rates and perks available on a premium business travel card. As long as you travel regularly, this card should offer great short- and long-term value.
The card’s sign-up bonus is worth more than the bonuses you’ll find on most business travel cards. The value you’ll get by redeeming the intro offer for travel bookings with Capital One is nearly enough to offset the annual fee almost four times over.
The card’s ongoing rewards and perks make it well worth the annual fee — you would only need to spend about $1,700 per month with your card to earn enough rewards to cover the annual fee (assuming you redeem points for travel through Capital One Travel).
Based on our card rewards value methodology, with an estimated annual spend of $100,000 (enough to meet the current bonus spending requirement if you can manage it in your first three months) and a redemption value of 1-cent-per-mile, here's what you could potentially earn in your first year and beyond with the Venture X Business card:
Benefits and Costs | First-year value | Ongoing value (no welcome offers) |
Yearly rewards | +$2,240 | +$2,240 |
Welcome offers | +$1,500 value (after you spend $30,000 in the first three months) | — |
Perks (of monetary value) |
|
|
Annual fee | -$395 (See Rates & Fees) | -$395 |
Total value | $4,294 | $2,794 |
We tried it: Here’s what our experts say
Bankrate credit cards writer Ryan Flanigan uses the Capital One Venture X Business Card’s status as a charge card to his advantage.
The giant sign-up bonus from this card was enough to practically finance an entire cruise for my family. And redeeming miles for past travel purchases on my statement is one of my favorite ways to use Capital One miles since I don’t have that feature on other cards. The travel credit comes in handy for rental cars and other out-of-the-box travel needs, the anniversary bonus helps offsets the annual fee, and having no preset spending limit helps with my business needs. It more than pays for itself every year.
— Ryan Flanigan, Writer, Credit Cards
How the Venture X Business compares to other business cards
The Venture X Business card’s main draw is its well-rounded perks and rewards for a relatively low price. However, there are a few alternatives worth considering if you’re hesitant about the annual fee, you need buying power specifically for large purchases or you want the option to carry a balance.
Annual fee
Intro offer
150,000 miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening
Rewards rate
2 miles per dollar on every purchase. 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel. 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards rate
Unlimited 5% total cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. Unlimited 2.5% total cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more. Unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
Rewards rate
5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. 2 Miles per $1 on every purchase, everywhere.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Best cards to pair with the Venture X Business
All of Capital One’s business cards are flat-rate rewards cards, so you can broaden your search to other issuers if you want bonus category rewards. Consider pairing the Venture X Business with these business cards that have high rewards rates if their bonus categories match your biggest business expenses.
Who is the Venture X Business right for?
The Venture X Business caters to small-business owners who want high-caliber travel rewards and perks but don’t need a premier card with a $500 or higher fee. The card’s straightforward rewards and perks make it suitable for many annual expenses.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the Venture X Business worth it?
The Capital One Venture X Business offers terrific rewards and perks at a reasonable cost. Though it carries a high annual fee, this is easy to offset with just a few of the card’s valuable perks. Benefits like airport lounge access and travel credits are especially hard to find on business cards in this price range, making the Venture X Business a welcome find and ideal choice for business travel.
There are some trade-offs, however. The card’s impressive sign-up bonus requires a lot of spending in a short period. And though there’s no preset spending limit, you won’t be able to carry a balance, which limits the card’s value as a financing tool. Still, this card is a clear winner for business travelers. As long as you can pay your balance off in full each billing cycle, the Venture X Business card makes it easy to earn rewards and unlock great travel perks without paying a huge fee.
How we rated this card
Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring business credit cards, including each card’s rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more.
We analyzed over 50 of the most popular business credit cards and scored each based on how its key features stacked up compared to those of other cards in its category.
Here are some of the key factors that gave this card its score:
*For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Frequently asked questions
What cardholders think
Capital One Venture X Business
In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder’s product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate’s own reviews of these cards.
Community Reviews
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.