Capital One Changes Lounge Access Benefits on Venture X Cards Starting 2026

Capital One is rolling out significant changes to the airport lounge access benefits on its popular Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business card, set to take effect February 1, 2026. These cards have historically stood out for their strong travel perks, including complimentary lounge access for authorized users and generous guest privileges. However, that landscape is about to shift. Starting in 2026, authorized users will no longer receive automatic lounge access unless a $125 annual fee is paid per user—removing what has been a valuable no-cost benefit on the personal card and introducing a new, optional benefit on the business version.

Guest access is also tightening. Complimentary guest privileges at Capital One Lounges and Capital One Landings will only remain in place for cardholders who spend at least $75,000 per year on the card. This spending threshold applies per account and includes purchases by both the primary cardholder and authorized users. For those who don’t meet the threshold, guests can still be brought in—but at a cost of $45 per adult and $25 per child, ages 2-17. Furthermore, Priority Pass memberships issued through the personal Venture X card will lose their complimentary guest access entirely, with guests now costing $35 each, regardless of spending.

Our Take

This move clearly marks a devaluation of one of the most attractive features of the Venture X lineup—broad, cost-free lounge access. For many travelers, especially those who travel with family or colleagues, this change will reduce the overall value of the card. Introducing spending requirements and new fees feels like a pivot away from consumer-first benefits, particularly when those benefits were a key selling point for the card in the first place. While Capital One frames this as a way to combat lounge overcrowding, it’s also clearly a revenue play, especially when even Priority Pass guest privileges are impacted.

That said, the Venture X still holds its own among premium cards. The $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 anniversary bonus miles essentially offset the $395 annual fee, which means lounge access was always a strong—but not essential—bonus. For heavy spenders who will clear the $75,000 threshold, the lounge privileges remain intact. For everyone else, it’s time to reassess how much value lounge access brings relative to the card’s other benefits. And for those who don’t travel frequently or need guest access, this may simply reinforce using the Venture X for its core value and not its perks.