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Capital One Card Devaluation: Venture and Spark Miles cardholders lose lounge access

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Head’s up to those of you with Capital One Venture or Spark Miles credit cards! Starting in 2025, you’ll no longer get 2 annual passes to use at the Capital One lounge or Plaza Premium Lounge passes with your cardmembership. You’ll still get 2 passes to use on either network, but those will expire 12/31/24, and starting 1/1/25 you’ll only be able to access via a reduced $45 lounge fee. If you hold either the Capital One Venture X or Capital One Venture X Business, you’ll continue to enjoy unlimited access for you and 2 guests.

Capital One Lounges are incredible

I’ve visited the Dallas and DC lounges and they are wonderful. Great food to sit down, grab n go food already packaged, delicious coffee, and it just feels fresh and luxurious. Clearly…they’re having to cut some cost and targeted the low fee cards first.

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Capital One Lounge Access

At first glance it doesn’t really look like anything has changed; however, you’ll note the stipulation that Venture and Spark cardholders 2 comped visits expire 12/31/24 for both lounge networks

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The FAQs reveal the damage

“Effective January 1, 2025, Venture and Spark Miles cardholders will no longer receive complimentary lounge access. You will have 2 complimentary visits to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges to use by December 31, 2024. Venture and Spark Miles cardholders can access Capital One Lounges at a special rate of $45 for themselves and their guests.”

 

Overall

These lounges get overcrowded, and if you want to keep them feeling exclusive and not over-run, these kind of devaluations are a good first step toward reducing foot traffic. The implementation of grab n go food has been especially expensive when people can effectively come in, take whatever they want, and then bounce. Perhaps those with $95 annual fee cards abused this more than those with $395 fee cards?

What do you think of these changes?

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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