The *capone venture x* has long been one of the best credit cards for airport lounge access, offering unlimited entry to Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges worldwide – along with generous guest access.
But that’s about to change – and for many travelers, it means updating which Priority Pass membership they use before their next trip.
When the calendar flips to February, Venture X cardholders will no longer be able to bring guests into Priority Pass lounges for free. Guests will cost $35 per visit, unless you’re using a Priority Pass membership tied to a different premium travel card that still includes complimentary guests.
Capital One announced last year it would overhaul its lounge guest policies, affecting both its own Capital One-branded lounges and Priority Pass locations. While free guest access at Capital One Lounges can still be restored by spending $75,000 in a calendar year, there’s no similar workaround for Priority Pass – unless you carry another eligible card. If you do, it’s time to make sure you’re using the right Priority Pass membership number when you head to the airport.
Here’s what’s changing – and how to ensure your guests can still get in.
What’s Changing
Beginning in February, Venture X cardholders will no longer receive complimentary guest access at Priority Pass lounges. Instead, guests will cost $35 per person, per visit. Travelers with the *venture x business*, however, will still be able to bring two guests into Priority Pass lounges for free.
Starting next month, authorized users will also lose complimentary lounge access. To maintain access, you'll need to pay $125 per year for each additional cardholder (up to four authorized users).

These changes follow similar updates Capital One announced for its own lounges, ending what had previously been one of the most generous guest access policies among premium travel credit cards.
Best Cards for Priority Pass Lounge Access
With these changes, now is the time to start looking for alternatives that still allow complimentary guest access. Several premium travel cards continue to offer strong Priority Pass benefits … and for many travelers, it might not even require adding a new card to their arsenal.
Here are some of the top options that still include free guest access:
- American Express Platinum Card®: Unlimited visits, plus two free guests
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Unlimited visits, plus two free guests
- Citi Strata Elite℠ Card: Unlimited visits, plus two free guests
- Bilt Palladium: Unlimited visits, plus two free guests
- Plus, many others …
Because the Venture X previously allowed unlimited guests, it became the default Priority Pass card for many travelers. If you've already got one of these cards in your wallet – in addition to the Venture X – making it your primary lounge card could save you big the next time you head to the airport.
How to Switch Your Priority Pass Card
To move your Priority Pass membership from the Venture X to another eligible card, follow these steps:
- If you haven't already, enroll in Priority Pass through your (other) credit card’s benefits page.
- Create a new Priority Pass account using the card that includes guest access. You can use the same email address as your previous account.
- Add the new Priority Pass number to your app or present your new card when entering lounges.
To confirm the correct card is linked, check the card logo under the “Account” tab in the Priority Pass app.

Trying to enter a lounge with your old Priority Pass number from Capital One – even if you have access through another credit card – won’t work. Make sure you've enrolled through one of the other banks and have the correct card linked before you travel to avoid unexpected guest fees at the door.
Bottom Line
Some big changes are on the horizon for Venture X cardholders: Starting next month, they'll need to either pay for guests at Priority Pass lounges or switch to a different credit card that still includes complimentary guest access.
Luckily, Priority Pass has become a pretty standard benefit on most premium cards these days. If you've already got another card offering this perk, be sure to enroll and use your new membership number the next time you head to the airport.
Bummed about the change but will keep the card as I have used for many years and still do. double points on everything you pay for and so many new airline transfers and point bonuses make it worthwhile, especially as CLT is my home base.
First Southwest says no more free bags and now this. The airline industry is really killing it with their customer service this year.
I’m not particularly upset about this. My home airport has both a Capital One and Centurion Lounge, and we tend to go to the Centurion Lounge more often because it’s more convenient. I think the 2x points on all purchases still makes Capital One a useful card to keep.
They only reason to keep this card is if there is a partner airline that you need to xfer points to that no one else has. Otherwise this credit card just became obsolete.
We have been Capital One customers since you recommended it. I will not renew the card since the lounges were the main reason we kept the card. I have quit using it and will move to chase in the fall. I hope it works out for them.
Does one need to spend $75,000/yr on the account to retain complimentary access? Or is it necessary for the primary cardholder or authorized user to have that much accrued on their individual card?
And does the $75,000/yr apply to Priority Pass access too?
$75,000/year on the account. That is combined spending from both the primary cardholder and the authorized users.
I assume auth user won’t get any complimentary priority pass lounge access either?
Being Atlanta based that’s all we have available and used it regularly in Europe. Well probably down grade at renewal and hope for Sky Priority + access in Europe.
I agree that this is very disappointing news. I wonder if eliminating the guest access and not the authorized user would have solved the problem. We spend a lot annually on our Venture X card with my husband as the primary and me as a authorized user. We just came back from a trip and were commenting that this lounge access made travel so much better and made it worth the significant annual fee because the lounge access for our couple trips a year was so nice. Not sure we will be renewing the card next year…we really have to redo the math.