Capital One adds access to over 100 Plaza Premium Lounges

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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.

a room with orange chairs and tables
Plaza Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport Terminal 2 (image courtesy of Plaza Premium Lounge)

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.

a red couch in a room
Air France Lounge by Plaza Premium Group in Montreal (image courtesy of Plaza Premium Lounge)

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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