Capital One Venture X benefit changing in January

A few weeks ago I got an email from Priority Pass that the benefits that I get through my Capital One Venture X card were changing effective January 1st. While it was a bit of a bummer to hear, I can’t say that I’m incredibly surprised. Read on to see how you might be affected

What Is Priority Pass?

Priority Pass Select membership is a benefit that comes with several premium and ultra-premium credit cards. It offers complimentary access to over 1,300 airport lounges and experiences throughout the world. I have had a Priority Pass membership off and on (mostly on) over the years and have used it probably hundreds of times or more. It’s one reason that I don’t mind wasting my life in airports.

How to Get a Priority Pass Membership

While you can pay for a Priority Pass membership (or one-time visits), by far the most prevalent way to get a Priority Pass membership is as a benefit of a specific credit card. Here is a brief sample of some of the credit cards that come with Priority Pass Select membership:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• Hilton Aspire
• U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
• Citi Prestige® Card
• Hilton Business card (10 visits per year)
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (10 visits per year)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Capital One Venture X

You can see some of the top credit card offers on these cards here.

Capital One Venture X Priority Pass changes

The email I got announced that

Effective January 1st, 2023, access to Priority Pass non-lounge experiences will no longer be part of the membership programme provided as part of your Capital One Venture X Visa Infinite benefits. You will continue to have unlimited access for you and two guests to all Priority Pass airport lounges worldwide.

So that means that people who get their Priority Pass memberships through a Capital One Venture X will no longer be able to visit airport restaurants like Yankee Pier in San Francisco or Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar in Houston. This is the same as people who get their Priority Pass memberships through American Express cards.

The Bottom Line

While this is a bit of a bummer for people (like me) who get their Priority Pass membership from a Capital One Venture X card, it may not be unexpected. I don’t know how the cost of non-lounge benefits compare to how much Capital One has to pay for lounge visits, but I could imagine that it is higher. Certainly I would rather them remove this benefit than increase the annual fee. I still think the value proposition of the Venture X is solid, and to me it is still the best of the premium credit cards. Your only choices at this point are to get a Priority Pass membership with another credit card or forego visiting airport restaurants

Are you affected by this Capital One Venture X change? What are you planning to do? Leave your thoughts in the comments