Major Capital One Venture X Lounge Access Changes Coming in 2026

Friends,

Capital One just announced some big changes to the lounge access benefits on both the Venture X and Venture X Business cards — and while they’re positioning it as a way to improve the customer experience (by reducing lounge crowding), it’s pretty clearly a cut. I am also not certain this will solve their lounge crowding issues in the long-haul.

Still, this doesn’t necessarily mean the card’s a dud.

Here’s what’s changing, who it impacts, and how I’m thinking about it:

🚨 What’s changing (starting Feb 1, 2026):

• Authorized users will no longer get lounge access included for free. If you want them to have access to Capital One Lounges, Landings, or Priority Pass, you’ll need to pay $125 per authorized user, per year (up to four).

• Guest access to Capital One Lounges and Landings will only remain free if you spend $75,000 per calendar year on the card. Otherwise, guests will be charged $45 per adult or $25 per child (2–17) — under 2 is still free.

• Priority Pass guesting is going away entirely on the personal Venture X. Even if you hit the $75K spend, you’ll pay $35 per guest. The business version of the card still allows two free guests.

👥 Who this impacts:

• Anyone who’s been leveraging free lounge access for their family through authorized user cards (previously free to add) now faces a $500 bill to keep that perk across four people.

• If you frequently bring guests into Capital One Lounges, you'll either need to ramp up your spend significantly or be ready to pay per visit — which can get expensive quickly on family trips or business travel.

• And if Priority Pass was your go-to lounge access method and you liked bringing others along, this is a major blow to the personal Venture X value.

✈️ My take:

This is a real downgrade, no question. Especially if lounge access — and sharing that access — was a core part of why you kept the Venture X in your wallet.

That said, the card still has strong bones:

• $395 annual fee, still easily offset by the $300 travel credit and 10K anniversary miles.

• Solid everyday earning at 2x on everything, plus access to transfer partners.

• Capital One Lounges are genuinely excellent, and the cardholder still gets in for free.

So: yes, this stings, but the card’s fundamentals still hold up. I’ll keep mine (for now): what do you make of these changes?

Fly well.