Capital One Adds to Airport Lounge Network – Adds Plaza Premium (including Virgin Clubhouses) + Select Additional Lounges
A rather huge announcement from Capital One today.
Directly from the release:
“Capital One is announcing a new, expanded Partner Lounge Network that will offer eligible cardholders access to an additional 100+ lounges worldwide, including all domestic Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses, the Air France Lounge at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the MERA Business Lounges at Cancún International Airport, and more. Access to our growing Partner Lounge Network is based on card product:
- Venture X cardholders will now receive unlimited complimentary access to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges worldwide, in addition to current lounge offerings (unlimited complimentary access to 1,300+ Priority Pass Lounges worldwide and Capital One Lounges).
- Venture and Spark Miles cardholders can now use their two annual complimentary lounge visits to any of the 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges worldwide or Capital One Lounges, a unique benefit for a $95 AMF travel rewards card.
- To see a full list of lounge offerings and access policies, visit capitalonetravel.com/lounges/partner-lounge-network“
My Thoughts
This has the effect of making the Venture X more of an American Express Platinum Card competitor. Amex offers Plaza Premium lounges and Virgin Clubhouse access as well, on top of their own Centurion lounges. Capital One is also building out its own set of lounges to compete with the Centurion lounges. Both cards offer Priority Pass, but Capital One allows access to Priority Pass restaurants while Amex does not.
Amex additionally includes Escape Lounges and Airspace lounges as well as access to Lufthansa lounges, so they still have an edge. But the Venture X has an annual fee that is $200 less than the Platinum card at $395, and over time they will have more of their own branded lounges.
In any case, this is welcome news for Venture X cardholders, who will now have a much broader range of lounges to choose from when flying.
Capital One has really been hard at work growing their travel products lately, from the introduction and expansion of airline transfer partners, to launching their own lounge, the well-received Venture X card, and now this lounge expansion.
Thoughts?
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