Capital One is removing the free airport lounge access benefit from two of its credit cards. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees) and Capital One Spark Miles for Business* will no longer grant cardholders two free visits every year to Capital One and Plaza Premium lounges.
This move continues the trend of card issuers and airlines limiting lounge access, often as a response to overcrowded lounges. “We are making this change to ensure guests have a best-in-class experience in our Capital One Lounges every time they visit,” Capital One said in an emailed statement to CNBC Select.
Here’s what you need to know about the cards that will lose lounge access and your other options for credit cards with airport lounge perks.
Mid-tier Capital One cards to lose airport lounge access
This is a rare benefit for a card with a sub-$100 annual fee. If you’ve ever been curious about having a card with a lounge access perk, it’s still a good time to sign up for the Venture Rewards and get a year’s worth of this benefit without paying a high annual fee.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
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Rewards
5 Miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles per dollar on every other purchase
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Welcome bonus
Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
N/A for purchases and balance transfers
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Regular APR
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Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business also earns Capital One miles and has a $0 annual fee for the first year, then $95 after that. If this small business card is a good fit for you, you can try it for a full year before deciding whether to pay the annual fee and continue using the card.
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Information about the Capital One Spark Miles for Business has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
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Rewards
5 miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles per dollar on every other purchase
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Welcome bonus
Earn 50,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within three months from account opening
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Annual fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 after that
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Beyond the two free lounge visits per year, both Capital One Venture Rewards and Spark Miles cardholders can pay a discounted rate of $45 per visit to access Capital One lounges (versus the $65 non-cardholders pay).
Other ways to access Capital One and Plaza Premium Lounges
As long as the lounges aren’t at capacity, anyone can pay $65 to visit a Capital One airport lounge. But there are premium credit cards that include unlimited visits to Capital One, Plaza Premium and Priority Pass airport lounges. Both the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card* provide this benefit.
These cards each come with a hefty $395 annual fee, but they also have benefits that can easily make the high fee worth paying. With either card, you’ll get an annual $300 travel credit (for Capital One Travel bookings) and a 10,000-mile bonus (worth $100 in travel) every year starting on the first anniversary of when you opened your account.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
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Rewards
10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars, 5 Miles per dollar on flights when booked via Capital One Travel; unlimited 2X miles on all other eligible purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
19.99% – 29.99% variable APR
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Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
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Foreign transaction fees
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Credit needed
Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card
Information about the Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
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Rewards
Unlimited 2X miles on all eligible purchases, and 5 Miles per dollar on flights and 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booked via Capital One Travel portal
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Welcome bonus
Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
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Credit needed
Alternative low-annual-fee cards with airport lounge access
If you’re looking for a card with an airport lounge access benefit and an annual fee under $100, you don’t have many options. And all of these cards provide a limited number of free lounge visits.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
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Rewards
5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center, 4X points on travel, gas stations, and EV charging stations, 2X points on streaming services, 2X points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, and dining, 1X point on all other eligible purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening ($500 value)
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Annual fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
21.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
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Balance transfer fee
Either 3% of the amount of each transfer or $5 minimum, whichever is greater
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
On the American Express secure site
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Rewards
Earn Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card: 12X directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio, 6X at U.S. gas stations, on US purchases for shipping, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel, on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants, 3X on all other eligible purchases. Terms & Limitations Apply.
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Welcome bonus
Welcome Offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first three months of Card Membership.
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
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Balance transfer fee
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
United℠ Explorer Card
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Rewards
2 miles per $1 spent on United purchases; 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, eligible delivery services and hotel stays; 1 mile earned on every $1 spent on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
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Annual fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
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Balance transfer fee
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Foreign transaction fees
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Credit needed
Member FDIC. Terms apply.
United℠ Business Card
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Rewards
Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, dining (including eligible delivery services), at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting. Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
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Annual fee
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
21.99% – 28.99% variable APR
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Balance transfer fee
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Foreign transaction fees
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Credit needed
Member FDIC. Terms apply.
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For rates and fees for the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, click here.
*Information about the Capital One Venture X Business Card and the Capital One Spark Miles for Business has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
Sumber: www.cnbc.com
