Capital One Venture X No Longer Provides Access to Priority Pass Restaurant, Shopping, Spa Services

As of Jan. 1, 2023, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card no longer provides access to Priority Pass restaurant, shopping and spa services worldwide. This change is pretty bad news for Venture X cardholders as their Priority Pass Select membership benefits have been majorly devalued.

Here’s what you need to know about the changes to Venture X cardholders’ Priority Pass access.

Venture X Priority Pass Changes

In mid-December, it was announced that Capital One’s agreement with Priority Pass would be changing and Venture X cardholders would no longer have access to Priority Pass “non-lounge experiences.” This change is reminiscent of when American Express removed access to Priority Pass non-lounge experiences from its cards back in 2019.

Fortunately, Venture X cardholders will still receive complimentary access to every lounge in the Priority Pass network (as well as Capital One lounges and Plaza Premium lounges), but the loss of access to these “non-lounge experiences” is pretty bitter and not so sweet.

Non-Lounge Experiences

When you think of Priority Pass, you probably think of their network of more than 1,300 airport lounges (all of which you still can access with the Priority Pass Select membership that comes with the Capital One Venture X Card). These lounges are the core of Priority Pass’s business, and they’re definitely what it’s most well known for. However, lounges are far from the only part of Priority Pass that provides value.

Apart from airport lounges, Priority Pass’s network also includes “non-lounge experiences,” such as restaurants, shopping and spas. And these partners provided a ton of value.

For instance, at certain airport restaurants, Priority Pass Select members receive $28 to $32 off their bill. If you show up with a guest, you can double that and get a total of $56 off your bill. Unfortunately, Venture X cardholders no longer have this option.

For spa offerings, Priority Pass Select members can walk into certain spas and get free massages.

Take a look at the complimentary offerings for Priority Pass Select members from Be Relax Spa in Los Angeles International Airport:

• 30-minute Lounger Massage – Be Back (a $35 value)
• 15-minute Lounger Massage plus Aromatherapy & O2 – Be Back (a $35 value)
• 10-minute Head Massage plus Aromatherapy & O2 – Head Up (a $38 value)
• 10-minute Foot Massage plus Aromatherapy & O2 – Be Feet (a $38 value)

As you can see, these complimentary massages are valued at $35 to $38. Unfortunately, Venture X cardholders can no longer enjoy complimentary spa access, meaning that they’ll be missing out on up to $38 worth of value.

On top of that, Venture X cardholders won’t have access to the same retail offers through Priority Pass that they did before Jan. 1.

These changes mean a large loss of value for Venture X cardholders, and it could also mean some unexpected charges for Venture X members who haven’t read through all their emails. Priority Pass sent out their first email notification of this change on Dec. 15, 2022, and then sent out another one on Jan. 3, 2023. However, if any Venture X cardholders happened to send those emails straight to their spam folders, it could end up costing them.

Imagine, for instance, that a Venture X cardholder walks up to the counter of an airport restaurant that’s part of the Priority Pass network and orders $28 worth of food, unaware that their Priority Pass membership no longer covers the tab. Well, that person is going to have to pay that $28 out of their own pocket.

The Bottom Line

It’s worth noting that the Capital One Venture X card became available to consumers in November 2021, meaning that a lot of people will be paying their annual fee for their second year in the next few months. If you’re yet to pay your second annual fee, you might want to consider whether that $395 fee is still worth it without these benefits.

Before Chase cardholders start laughing at the Capital One crowd, you should know that the change to Capital One’s Priority Pass policy was announced as a change related to Visa Infinite benefits (which is the same card type as the Chase Sapphire Reserve®). Although Chase hasn’t made any statements yet about whether the Sapphire Reserve’s Priority Pass benefits will be affected, it’s certainly in the realm of possibility.

Overall, the removal of access to “non-lounge experiences” from the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card’s Priority Pass benefits package represents a major devaluation. As a Venture X cardholder myself, I received hundreds of dollars in merchandise and services from Priority Pass non-lounge experiences in 2022. Knowing that I won’t be able to do the same in 2023 is a pretty big letdown.