Since its debut in late 2021, the *venture x* has become a fan-favorite … and rightfully so. A premium travel rewards credit card with benefits and perks worth more than its middle-of-the-road $395 annual fee – what's not to love about that?
That outsized value is exactly what led us to recently speculate that the card's modest annual fee is destined to go up. But so far, Capital One has resisted the urge to hike the card's annual fee in favor of tweaking or trimming benefits. That included automatic Hertz President's Circle status, a valuable benefit that seemed to be on the chopping block with an expiration date at the end of the year.
Not anymore: This benefit has been extended indefinitely. Capital confirmed to Thrifty Traveler this week that “eligible Venture X cardholders will continue to qualify for complimentary Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle status.”
That means Venture X cardholders renting through Hertz can continue getting perks like a guaranteed vehicle upgrade, access to Hertz's Ultimate Choice lot, and the ability to add an extra driver for free – oh, and the card's top-notch primary rental car insurance, too. What's more, a similar benefit for Hertz Five Star® status, available to those with the *capital one venture card*, has been extended as well.
Read our full breakdown of Hertz President's Circle status!
Losing complimentary Hertz President's Circle status may not have been the end of the world, but it would have been part of a bigger, troubling pattern for the Venture X.
In just the last year and change, we've seen the bank remove access to Priority Pass restaurants and make negative changes to the card's $300 travel credit. Thankfully, Capital One and Hertz found a way to extend this key perk for cardholders and buck the trend of scaling back benefits.
But even if you don't frequently rent vehicles or care about the Hertz status, the Venture X is worth your attention. You won't find a cheaper premium travel credit card, period.
So long as you plan to spend $300 on some combination of flights, hotels, and rental cars each year, the card's annual fee is more like $95. Once you factor in the 10,000 bonus Capital One miles (worth a minimum of $100 towards travel) you get each year for renewing your card, you've more or less covered the card's entire $395 annual fee … and then some.
Read our full review of the Capital One Venture X card!
Add in all the other benefits like airport lounge access, Premier Collection hotel benefits, and added travel protections, we think holding this card can be a no-brainer even for cardholders who only travel a handful of times each year.
If you don't yet have the card, new cardholders can bonus_miles_full That's worth a bare minimum of $750 when redeemed for travel but you can likely do even better by transferring miles to one of Capital One's stable of travel partners.
Read more: The Best Ways to Use Capital One Miles
Bottom Line
After signs that it would end later this year, Capital One just announced that Venture X cardholders will continue getting complimentary Hertz President's Circle status indefinitely.
No one likes to lose benefits, so this is great news for current and future cardholders. It further solidifies the Venture X as one of the best bargains in the world of premium travel credit cards.