Fury as Capital One cuts beloved airport lounge access perks
Capital One confirmed the change would be applied to all of these account owners in February 2026.
Venture X and Venture X Business card owners will still be allowed to give other individuals access to their cards - but they will have to pay $125 annually for access.
Venture X cardholders will also be required to pay $35 per guest to Priority Pass lounges, which are exclusive lounges affiliated with Capital One.
'As airport lounges continue to grow in popularity across the industry, we've seen our customers increasingly encounter wait times to enter them,' a Capital One spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
'It is important to us that we maintain a great airport lounge experience for our Venture X and Venture X Business customers, while continuing to deliver best-in-class premium travel cards at an accessible price point.'
Qualified cardholders will still be able to bring two guests to lounges and one to Landings locations, as long as the account owners spend over $75,000 a year.
Capital One launched Venture X cards in 2021, which they described as a 'unique premium travel card with industry-leading rewards and benefits.'
Venture X will be required to pay $35 per guest to Priority Pass lounges starting in February 2026
The company opened its first lounge at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport later that year.
Other lounges operate in popular airports in states like Colorado, Nevada, and Virginia.
With these two cards, fliers typically save $395 when visiting any Capital One airport lounge.
The company opened its first Landing lounge in 2024 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
'We need to revolt against the lounge access change,' one user wrote on Reddit in response to the new restrictions.
'Yeah dropping to 0 flat out is kinda ridiculous. They should've just went with 1 guest for primary and no guests for authorized user,' another user agreed.
While the upcoming policy may leave guests heartbroken, the primary cardholders will still be allowed to enjoy the perk.
'You might be underestimating how many solo travelers are going to be happy about these changes,' a commenter suggested on the social media site.
Venture X and Venture X Business members must pay $125 annually in order to bring guests to Capital One lounges
The Capital One Lounge at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia opened in 2023
'Venture X and Venture X Business primary cardholders will continue to receive complimentary access to over 1,300 lounges, including Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings and Priority Pass lounges,' the spokesperson confirmed.
'We thought carefully about these changes, and we remain committed to delivering a differentiated premium travel card for our customers.'
Airport lounges have remained must-visit destinations for passengers waiting for flights.
American Express was the first credit card issuer to open an airport lounge in 2013.
The company's lounges made headlines last year after announcing its decision to use online waitlists for all US Centurion Lounges.
Amex later caused backlash after removing an Equinox Body Lab from its Centurion Lounge at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
While these two companies have been competitive with one another, Chase Bank joined in a few years ago by opening a Chase Sapphire Lounge in Hong Kong.
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