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Capital One Venture X cardholders (and free authorized users) have access to an expansive network of lounges, including the absolutely beautiful Capital One Lounge in DFW as well as a Priority Pass Select subscription which includes both lounges and (unlike Amex) Priority Pass restaurants. Last week, Capital One significantly improved its lounge network via a new partnership with Plaza Premium Lounges, giving eligible cardholders access to its network of more than 100 lounges worldwide.
Interestingly enough, Plaza Premium Lounges used to be part of Priority Pass, but the partnership was a pandemic casualty, ending in the Summer of 2021. Confusingly, Amex Platinum cardholders can still access the lounges using their Platinum card, but Priority Pass members can’t. It’s a welcome change to see Cap One add these lounges into the fold.
It’s not just Venture X cardholders that can access these lounges. Folks that have the Capital One Venture Rewards card and the Spark Miles for Business card get two complimentary lounge visits each year. These used to only be good at Capital One Lounges (with its severely limited footprint), but now they can be used at Plaza Premium Lounges as well, a major increase to the utility of the benefit for those cards.
The Capital One Plaza Premium Lounge access includes:
- All Plaza Premium Lounges worldwide
- The Air France Lounge at Montreal Airport
- All Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses within the United States
- MERA Business Lounges at Cancun Airport
You can see a full list of Capital One eligible lounges on Plaza Premium Lounges’ website.
Quick Thoughts
The Capital One Venture X certainly deserves to be in the conversation for the best premium card on the market. One reason is an impressive suite of travel benefits like primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, access to the stunning Capital One lounge in DFW (with Dulles and Denver to be added in 2022) and a Priority Pass Select membership that incudes restaurants. The fact that authorized users get all of the same benefits at no additional charge is astounding.
The addition of Plaza Premium Lounges makes the card even more attractive. It now has arguably has the best non-proprietary lounge network of the major premium cards, as it has a Priority Pass with restaurants (unlike Amex) and now Plaza Premium (unlike Chase).
I was recently at the Capital One Lounge in DFW and was absolutely blown away (review coming soon). To me, it sets the standard for US lounges, especially with the severe crowding issues that are afflicting Centurion Lounges across the country. If Cap One is able to expand the C1 Lounge footprint and maintain the same level of quality, it will be become the clear leader for premium credit card lounge access. Chase and Amex better watch their backs.
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Where is the “ as well as a Priority Pass Select subscription”? That is much more than 100 lounge accesses.
I’m not certain that I understand the question, but let me take a stab at it. The “more than 100” refers to the number of lounges added through the addition of Plaza Premium Lounges, not the total amout of lounges accessible for Venture X cardholders. You’re absolutely correct that Priority Pass Select gives access to more than 1300 lounges by itself.
It’s worth noting that regular Venture cardholders (and Sparks Miles) don’t have access to Priority Pass Select, so can only access Plaza Premium and Capital One lounges with their passes.
Denied at DMM today. It’s clearly included in the list plaza premium provides. Talked to a manager, showed them their own company website, and he said it was not accurate.
Tim, this is interesting but….you never state what plaza premium is. I’d never heard of it till now. Obviously a lounge but could you please tell a little more about it. Is it priority pass? I’m still confused.
I mean , what is plaza premium?
You’ve helped me and other readers find a lot of good deals, but sometimes I long for more in depth clarity in your writing. I’m requesting you to step back after you write something and ask yourself if a total novice would be able to understand all that you’ve written.
Thanks for all your tips these last couple of months. Did the sun basket one. Woop woop. Very grateful for that one.
Keep up great work.
Hi SamBam, thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. It’s certainly a difficult balance between brevity and information sometimes, and it’s good to know that sometimes some folks feel left out of the the information! 🙂
Sorry, if you already know this, but just in case you don’t, whenever there’s blue text, that will take you to a link with more information about something that’s referenced. So, for instance:
“Last week, Capital One significantly improved its lounge network via a new partnership with Plaza Premium Lounges, giving eligible cardholders access to its network of more than 100 lounges worldwide.”
In this example, if you’re wanting to learn more about the Plaza Premium network of lounges, there’s a link to the full site embedded in that text.
Another example is here:
“The Capital One Plaza Premium Lounge access includes:
You can see a full list of Capital One eligible lounges on Plaza Premium Lounges’ website.”
That blue text takes you to a full list of every Plaza Premium Lounge that’s now accessible using eligible Capital One cards.
To answer your original question, Plaza Premium Lounges is a network of more than 100 lounges worldwide. Like the article says, it used to be part of Priority Pass, but left during the pandemic. Click that link above and you can see all of the lounges that are now accessible using an eligible Capital One card.
Thanks again for the feedback and glad that you were able to get in on the Sunbasket deal!
I’m looking forward to the DFW lounge, as I’m connecting there in a few weeks. Truth be known, I scheduled the connection in DFW versus ORD just to check out the lounge.
I was there for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I had high expectations…and it exceeded them. Really a new level of domestic lounge, IMHO.
Quick question – so do I use my Venture X card to access these lounges? Just show my credit card? Or do I get the Cap One specific Priority Pass (trying to avoid one more Priority Pass!). Thanks!!
Same q. I’m worried that Cap One sent me a PP card and I tossed it in with all my others and now have no clue which one is my “super card.” So, do we just need the actual Cap One card?
Yep, all you need is your card for the Plaza Premium Lounges
Yes, for C1 lounges and Plaza Premium it will be just your card.
Very helpful–thanks Tim! I of course know about AMEX’s own lounges, but I hadn’t realized that there is now a subset of 3rd party lounges accessible through AMEX Platinum that are not accessible through Priority Pass using CSR. Also, visited Cap One Lounge in DFW earlier this month using my Venture (not X) card–totally blown away how great it was!
Honestly, I forget about that with Platinum as well…and it’s worth remembering, especially worldwide where it’s sometimes the only option!
Glad you were able to check out the DFW lounge…I totally agree.
I was in the Plaza Premium Lounge in Helsinki one week ago. It was the dirtiest airport lounge that I have ever been in. After walking through, seeing the stained carpets and chair, and seeing unappetizing food, we elected to leave and went out to a terminal restaurant to purchase food and drink. No thank you! I hope that other Plaza Premium products are better than Helsinki terminal 2.
Disappointing since I’m heading to Helsinki in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the heads up.
Our layover was 9 hours so we left the airport for about 100 yard walk to the Hilton that is in the airport. Got least expensive room and slept for about four hours. If we had a shorter layover then leaving the airport would have been a mistake because you will not be allowed into Finnair business class lounge after you leave arrivals terminal. If you can stay in the arrivals terminal for your layover AND you have access to the Finnair business class lounge then I highly recommend that. There are NO suitable business class lounges in departures terminal and most are like a REALLY bad American Airlines lounge.
super helpful – many thanks