There’s a lot to love about the new Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Capital One’s new premium credit card has a huge welcome bonus of 100,000 Venture miles, and offers perks like a $300 annual travel credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, a Priority Pass membership, access to Capital One Lounges, and more. I’ve already applied for this card, and was instantly approved.
Arguably the single most impressive aspect of this card is how lucrative it is for authorized users. I’ve never seen a premium credit card that has such valuable and widely useful perks for authorized users, so let me explain in this post why this so special.
How much does it cost to add Capital One Venture X authorized users?
Capital One Venture X cardmembers can add up to four authorized users to the card at no extra cost. That’s right, you can add four friends or family members to your account, and it won’t cost you anything beyond the standard $395 annual fee for the primary cardmember.
You’re probably thinking “well if it’s not costing anything, then authorized users probably aren’t getting many benefits?” Wrong. And that’s one of the things that makes this card so awesome.
What benefits do Capital One Venture X authorized users receive?
The up to four complimentary authorized users on the Capital One Venture X receive several perks, including:
- A Priority Pass membership, providing access to 1,300+ lounges around the world; Priority Pass memberships issued through Capital One allow access to Priority Pass restaurants, and also allow you to bring up to two guests into lounges with you
- Access to Capital One Lounges, including the ability to bring up to two guests; as of now there’s a single lounge at DFW, but in 2022 we should see lounges open in both DEN and IAD
This is huge, as there’s not a single credit card out there (that I know of) that’s open to new applicants and that lets you add authorized users for free and give them a Priority Pass membership.
In addition to those two primary perks, Capital One Venture X authorized users also receive:
- Hertz President’s Circle status, offering car upgrades and much more
- The same 2-10x miles per dollar spent on the Capital One Venture X as the primary cardmember; of course the primary cardmember is responsible for paying the bill, but this can be useful for maximizing rewards for family members as well
- The same purchase protection offered on account of the Capital One Venture X being a Visa Infinite Card
What benefits don’t Capital One Venture X authorized users receive?
What perks don’t Capital One Venture X authorized users receive?
- There’s no additional $300 travel credit for authorized users, though spending on an authorized user’s card could count towards the credit
- There’s no additional TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry credit for authorized users, though a fee charged to an authorized user’s card could be reimbursed
- There are no additional 10,000 anniversary bonus miles for authorized users
How do you add Capital One Venture X authorized users?
The process of adding Capital One Venture X authorized users to your card is easy. The first option is to add authorized users during the application process. Towards the end of the application you’ll be asked if you want to add additional cardmembers.
If you need a bit more time to think about who you want to add, you can instead add authorized users after you’ve opened your account (this is what I do, because when I’m applying for an account I’m focused on getting approved). Just log into your account, and on the account management page, click on the “I Want To…” button towards the top right of the page.
A window will pop up, and there you’ll want to select the “Add Account User” option, under the “Control Your Card” section.
You can then select the “Access Level” for the user you’re adding:
- You can designate someone as an “Account Manager,” in which case they will receive their own online log-in and can help you manage the account
- You can designate someone as an “Authorized User,” in which case they’d only get their own card, but wouldn’t get an online log-in, so couldn’t in any way manage the account
Regardless of which option you choose, you’ll be on the hook for all the charges of your authorized users.
Once you select the type of authorized user you want to add, you’ll just have to share some basic details about them, including their first and last name, phone number, date of birth, and social security number. Adding a social security number is optional if you’re only adding someone as an authorized user rather than as an account manager.
A couple of further things to note about adding authorized users:
- If an authorized user wants to pick up the Capital One Venture X as a primary cardmember in the future, they’d still be eligible, including for the welcome bonus
- If authorized users are concerned about their Chase 5/24 status, note that them receiving a card as an authorized user could count as a further credit card towards their 5/24 limit
Does it make sense to add Capital One Venture X authorized users?
The obvious answer is that of course it makes sense to add authorized users to the Capital One Venture X. At no additional cost, you can add four authorized users, and they’ll suddenly get airport lounge access.
I’m sure everyone has friends and family who will be delighted to be gifted unlimited airport lounge access. This perk is even more awesome for those based at DFW, DEN, and IAD, all of which should have Capital One Lounges by 2022.
I can’t understate how generous it is that Capital One lets you add authorized users to the card at no cost. Just to compare this to some other premium cards offering Priority Pass memberships to authorized users:
To be able to get those perks for authorized users without paying extra is simply awesome.
Why you might not want to add Capital One Venture X authorized users…
You probably should add authorized users to the Capital One Venture X, as it costs nothing. But just to play devil’s advocate, let me give an example of why that might not always be the best option, at least for those of us who love maximizing value.
I could add Ford as an authorized user on my card, but instead, he applied for his own card. Why? The way I view it, Venture X is better than breakeven, even just for the primary cardmember. In the long run, Venture X has a $395 annual fee, but the card offers:
- A $300 annual travel credit through Capital One Travel
- 10,000 anniversary bonus miles; I value Capital One miles at 1.7 cents each, so to me that’s worth $170
Not even factoring in everything else, the card gets me roughly $470 worth of value every year with a $395 annual fee. For those who are engaged in miles & points and value things the way I do, I think there’s value in having people outright get their own card, rather than being added as an authorized user.
So this is a product where I think it can make sense for a couple to each pick up their own card as a primary card member, and then you can gift lounge access to a bunch of family members and friends. At least that’s my plan.
Bottom line
The Capital One Venture X has just opened to applicants, and there’s so much to love about this card. One of the best things about this card is that you can add up to four authorized users at no extra cost.
What makes this so awesome is that authorized users get many of the same perks as the primary cardmember, including a Priority Pass membership, access to Capital One Lounges, a great rewards structure, and top-notch purchase protection.
If you’re picking up the Capital One Venture X, do you plan on adding authorized users?
(Featured image courtesy of God Save The Points)
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