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Earlier this week, news broke that Capital One has will soon launch a new premium hotel booking engine for Capital One Venture X cardholders that is set to compete with American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts, Chase’s Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, and Mastercard Lifestyle & Travel Services — all methods of Getting the elite experience without elite status via credit card & preferred partner hotel booking programs. At the very least, this should make the annual travel credit on the Capital One Venture X Card much easier to use to good value for those who enjoy these perk-heavy hotel booking programs.
Capital One Premier Collection will give cardholders the opportunity to book high-end hotels around the world with baked-in benefits in a similar way to other familiar programs like Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts. Cardholders will enjoy a number of concrete benefits on these stays:
- 10X Capital One Miles per dollar spent on Premier Collection bookings
- A $100 experience credit to use during your stay that will always include dining as an option
- Complimentary breakfast for 2 each day
- Free Wi-Fi
- You’ll still earn hotel loyalty points, elite credit, and qualify for elite benefits
Those booking through the Premier Collection will also be eligible for upgrades and early check-in and late checkout when available (though they do not specify how early or late).
What will make this program particularly exciting to many is that it could constitute a great way to use the Venture X’s annual $300 travel credit, which must be used for bookings via Capital One Travel. Provided that Capital One’s hotel prices are competitive, this could be a way to get a great stay out of that credit each year. Many hotels in these premium booking programs offer fairly standardized pricing across most channels, so I expect that we won’t see much price variance from what we see via other hotel booking engines. That said, these premium booking engines don’t always have access to the absolute best price available for some properties, so you’ll always want to shop around and be sure that it’s worth whatever premium you may be paying to get breakfast for 2 and the $100 experience credit (it many cases it can be).
Overall, I’m very excited to see this develop. I enjoy Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts and am happy to have access to another similar program. I expect that there will likely be a good deal of overlap in qualifying properties, though I certainly look forward to hunting around to see where there may be different availability. I further imagine that this could be useful for properties that overlap at times when my wife could book one night through Capital One and I could book another night through Amex FHR. That is of course assuming we find properties (where we want to stay) that belong to both programs. We’ll see when this launches. At the very least, this could be a great way to get great in-hotel benefits while also earning 10 transferable miles per dollar spent while also earning loyalty program points at chain properties that are included in the Premier Collection.
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@nickreyes : Any ETA on when this will go live/be available? Also wanted to know if I book something through the C1 portal and get the $300 credit but later cancel/downgrade the card before my actual stay, will that jeopordize any of the benefits I’m supposed to get because I’m no longer a Venture X cardholder?
Most important to me is to get the $300 credit, which I’ll make sure to book (and hopefly get credited quickly although I’ve heard of recent delays) before I cancel/product change but not sure if with this new program any enhanced benefits are only available if you’re a card holder at the time of your stay?
Meanwhile Greg values this perk at $0… just kidding buddy =)
I think you meant to say Capital One Values Greg’s perk at $0.
“I further imagine that this could be useful for properties that overlap at times when my wife could book one night through Capital One and I could book another night through Amex FHR.”
But it probably won’t work if it’s the same person booking it back-to-back, even if using 2 different programs, right?
Just curious why you think it wouldn’t work? I was going to try and use this and the Amex Plat FHR for 2 nights in Singapore back to back.
Very interested to see what hotels are included. The Venture X just keeps getting better and better.
Found the Amex FH&R free breakfast more Hiltonesque with a $25-$35 credit per person – but always fell short with taxes for a standard English/American hot breakfast with eggs, taters, bread and a protein.
I do much prefer the guaranteed 4PM checkout as its great for the last day of a domestic vacation before a flight home later that evening – to still tour, relax at beach, pool, etc.
Hilton Diamond had been great for late check-out (not 4PM guaranteed tho) only one time have we been turned down tho (Hotel del Coronado – upgraded to $4K/n suite one can’t really complain on a reward stay).
The Amex Amenities FH&R credit runs $100~$150 typically only $100.
That said FH&R only really made sense for us with the $200 Amex offset (and COvID presented rare great value bookings) we had 5 Plats during COVID downgraded to gold – will wait for a good upgrade offer if it pencils.
But the CL lounge changes are a deal killer, as well as Uber/Eats are loosing value with inflation.
We have a pair of Ven X cards, Apsires and a USB AR – which we will likely keep the USB AR is great for Costco and Mobile pay erywhere else card !and enough promos to offset AF.
I am excited to possibly use the Travel credit for perks and 10X at the Cap1 FH&R hotels. I wont use the credit for flights/ rentals but hotels that I can confirm reservations (and earn loyalty points with perks).
Hopefully they are partnering with Luxury Collection- love the historical properties and have been trying to visit more of them and the FH&R had been a great way