My First Visit To The New Capital One Lounge At JFK’s Terminal 4
NCnextcard team
TLDR: Effective February 1st, 2026, Capital One made significant (mostly negative) changes to guest lounge access for primary cardholders and authorized users of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business.
Advertiser Disclosure: nextcard may receive compensation from card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain. For the most up-to-date terms & conditions, refer to the official credit card application on the issuer's website.
These cards have traditionally been known as some of the most lounge-friendly cards in the space, especially given that you could bring in complimentary guests into the awesome Capital One lounges. You even got to add free authorized users, who got the same exact lounge access benefits as the primary cardholder.
Unfortunately, the amazing benefit of complimentary guest lounge access and free lounge access for authorized users on the Venture X Rewards came to an end on February 1, 2026. Given the popularity of the cards, the new fees may help reduce crowding at Capital One lounges.
All of the changes concern authorized-user and guest lounge access. The table below summarizes how the February 1, 2026 changes affected the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business. It shows what changed for authorized users and guests, which benefits remained available to primary cardholders, and where the two cards now differ, most notably in Priority Pass guest access.
You can review the full Capital One lounge access terms for the current policy.
Lounge Access Category | Venture X Rewards | Venture X Business |
|---|---|---|
Primary cardholder access | Complimentary access to Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings, and Priority Pass lounges | Complimentary access to Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings, and Priority Pass lounges |
Authorized users | No fee to add; optional lounge access costs $125/year | No fee to add; optional lounge access costs $125/year |
Capital One Lounge guest access | $45 per adult, per visit $25 per child (ages 2–17), per visit Free for children under 2 *No more complimentary guests | $45 per adult, per visit $25 per child (ages 2–17), per visit Free for children under 2 *No more complimentary guests |
Priority Pass guest access | $35 per guest, per visit | Two complimentary guests |
After $75,000 annual card spend | Two free guests per Capital One Lounge visit; one free guest per Capital One Landing visit (not applicable to Priority Pass) | Two free guests per Capital One Lounge visit; one free guest per Capital One Landing visit |
Capital One Lounges are really nice. The one in JFK is my favorite lounge I’ve been to!
It’s really unfortunate that Capital One added a cost for authorized user lounge access and guests of the primary cardholder. However, it was bound to happen as it was almost too good to be true. The changes may help combat lounge overcrowding, which has been a significantly worsening problem as the lounges became more popular.
Obviously, it’s a sad change that adding lounge access for an authorized user now costs $125 every year. But, it could still be worth it for some folks. You can still add an authorized user for no fee if they don’t need lounge access.
I’m thinking of the person that isn’t looking for all the benefits on a super premium credit card but does want the lounge access. Being an authorized user on the Venture X Rewards would be perfect for that. An eligible additional cardholder age 18 or older can travel the world as much as they want and receive unlimited lounge access for $125 a year.
Whether or not you get your own Venture X Rewards depends on how much you value the additional benefits of being a primary cardholder. With the card, you’ll get a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, up to $120 for Global Entry or TSA Precheck and all of the points you earn will be yours.
The Capital One Travel credit is super easy to use if you book through Capital One Travel, but it does not cover travel booked elsewhere. And it’s important to point out that the points will be yours because when you are an authorized user all of the points go to the primary cardholder.
There are a bunch of cards out there that WILL give you lounge access with guests. The first one that comes to mind is the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. It’s a premium lifestyle card that gives you and two guests complimentary lounge access to Chase Sapphire Lounges and Priority Pass lounges, all at a $795 annual fee.
It’s important to note that there are a plethora of other benefits that come with the Reserve. Some of the important benefits that come to mind are a $300 travel credit, up to $300 in dining credits at eligible Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables restaurants, up to $300 in StubHub and viagogo credits after activation, and complimentary Apple Music after activation. The dining and StubHub credits are split into two $150 half-year periods, and the StubHub and Apple benefits are time-limited.
Notably, the American Express Platinum Card® does not give complimentary lounge access to guests—you'll also have to pay a per guest fee for that.
Another card that might be intriguing for Priority Pass lounge access with guests is the Bilt Palladium card. With this card, you and two guests will receive complimentary lounge access to Priority Pass lounges. This comes at a $495 annual fee. The card also comes with $200 of Bilt Cash annually and a $400 annual Bilt Travel Hotel credit, split into two $200 half-year credits. Each hotel credit requires an eligible stay of at least two nights through the Bilt Travel Portal and does not roll over. If you pay rent or have a mortgage, it might be a good idea to look into this card. The Bilt Calculator 2.0 can help you make a decision about whether or not this card is a good fit for you.
If you are looking for Priority Pass lounge access only a couple of times a year, you might want to look into the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card. It is a no annual fee card that offers four complimentary Priority Pass lounge or experience visits per 12-month membership after enrollment. Just remember that it is four visits, not necessarily two free round trips. You can review U.S. Bank’s current benefit terms before applying.
I wouldn’t go out of your way to spend $75,000 just to get free guest access. If you end up spending $75,000 in a calendar year based on your normal spending habits, that’s totally fine to put it on this card. Then you can save yourself some money if you have guests coming with you to Capital One Lounges or Landings. The spending threshold does not change Priority Pass guest access: the Venture X charges $35 per guest, while the Venture X Business includes two complimentary guests per visit.
The way I think about this is in terms of opportunity cost. The beauty of the Venture X cards is that they earn a flat 2x miles on all purchases. So, as a catch all, they actually do pretty well. If you have that much spend and don't have a better place to put it, you can do pretty well with earnings + get lounge access as a side benefit.
I wouldn’t say it's necessarily a bad idea to have multiple in the same family but there are definitely alternatives to this idea. If you are focusing on lounge access, it might be a better idea to have one primary cardholder of the Venture X and then multiple authorized users.
But you can definitely get use of having multiple Venture X's in the same family since it’s really easy to use the $300 Capital One Travel credit and the welcome bonus on the card is pretty sweet.
The changes to lounge access for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Venture X Business aren’t welcome changes but they don’t mean you should run away from the cards. Paying $125 for an eligible authorized user age 18 or older to receive unlimited Capital One and Priority Pass lounge access is still solid.
And yes, it sucks that neither card includes free guests at Capital One Lounges or Landings unless the account reaches $75,000 in calendar-year purchases. Priority Pass is different: the Venture X Rewards charges $35 per guest, while the business card still includes two complimentary guests per visit.
What do you think of all the lounge access changes to the Venture X Rewards and Venture X Business?
There are a few alternative lounges at DCA, such as the Amex Centurion lounge and various airline lounges from American, United, or Delta. However, the Venture X provides access to the top tier "The Landing" dining experience.
Yup! Both cards earn 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases.
An authorized user is someone added to another person's credit card account, receiving their own card to make purchases without being legally responsible for the payments. The primary cardholder is responsible for all charges made by the authorized user.
Nope. There are Priority Pass lounges across the US and all over the world. You can see a map of all the lounges here.
With lounge access, you’ll have a place to relax, eat and/or work before your trip. A lounge is a nice, quiet place to sit back and kick up your feet.
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Advertiser Disclosure: nextcard may receive compensation from card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain. For the most up-to-date terms & conditions, refer to the official credit card application on the issuer's website.
