Capital One Lounge Access: Key Updates

Recently, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and its sibling, the Capital One Venture X Business, have climbed to the top of the premium travel credit card charts. They’ve lured in the jet-setting crowd with tempting perks ranging from a $300 annual travel credit to 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, all the way to that all-important airport lounge access.

However, like in every utopian tale, there are hints of trouble brewing. Capital One has decided to revamp its lounge access privileges, and spoiler alert: the changes might not tickle your fancy—unless you enjoy having peace and quiet over clinking cocktail glasses in one of these lounges, as overcrowding has become quite the nemesis.

Capital One Lounge Access Changes February 2026

Mark your calendars, folks. Come February 1, 2026, Capital One will throw a wrench in the works with a major shake-up of its lounge access rules. These changes will affect how members get into Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings, and Priority Pass lounges. Here’s a spoiler: the policy makeover targets lounge access for authorized users and the ability to bring guests into these privy paradises.

To get everyone up to speed, let’s reminisce about the good ol’ days, where lounge happiness was virtually free-flowing:

With the Capital One Venture X:

• The primary cardholder plus up to four authorized users could bask in the lounge luxury, no extra charge for these chosen ones.
• Lounge hopping? Check. Members could drag along two guests to Capital One Lounges or just one buddy to Capital One Landings.
• A Priority Pass membership was your golden ticket, allowing two guest invites, free of the dreaded fee.

With the Capital One Venture X Business:

• Only the primary cardholder got the lounge red carpet rolled out. Authorized users? Not so much.
• The same guest policies applied at Capital One Lounges and Landings.
• The Priority Pass still allowed a couple of plus-ones to glide by without swiping their plastic.

Capital One trotted out this wordy justification:

“As more souls flock to the sanctuaries that are airport lounges, the VIP queues have lengthened. We aim to enhance the lounge experience for our Venture X stalwarts while maintaining an enviable premium card that’s sensibly priced.”

“So, buckle up for our lounge access overhaul. Primary card members will still enjoy over 1,300 lounges globally, including our own destinations and those in the Priority Pass network. Rest assured, these moves weren’t made lightly, as we continue to offer a cutting-edge travel card.”

Capital One $125 Authorized User Lounge Access Fee

Starting February 1, 2026, those lucky ducks who enjoyed automatic lounge perks as authorized users will find themselves out of luck. Instead, the privilege will now require an investment of $125 per authorized user for lounge access, with up to four slots available for purchase per card member.

This change is universal for both personal and business cards, the latter now catching up to allow authorized users a nibble of lounge luxury.

All lounge types are affected—Capital One’s own, and with Priority Pass partners. Tough luck for those on the current scheme who are essentially getting up to $500 worth of goodwill—it’s about to dry up faster than a desert oasis.

To access lounges, cardholders will have to declare authorized users for lounge privileges. Otherwise, the status quo means no fees for those who aren’t designated guests.

Capital One $75,000 Annual Spending for Lounge Guests

February 2026 doesn’t just bring access fee hikes, but it pulls the rug from under complimentary guest entitlements at Capital One Lounges and Landings. Now, only the cardholder gets the divine pleasures, unless their spending hits a hefty $75,000 annually on the card. Achieve this, and you regain the ability to accompany two guests into lounges and bring one along to Landings.

Key points to note:

• The $75,000 benchmark is for each calendar year, per account.
• The countdown begins with 2025 spending, and meeting it buys you privileges for that year and the next.
• Both the main cardholder and those authorized users coughing up $125 must pay to guest folks in.
• If you’re short of the magic number, extra heads into the lounge are priced at $45 per adult, $25 for young ones, while tiny tots (under two) remain free of charge.

Capital One Priority Pass Benefits Changes

The sun also sets on Priority Pass guest perks for personal card holders from February 2026. The business version dodges this bullet, continuing its tradition of courtesy for two complimentary guests.

The cost of human companionship in these lounges will now run you $35 per additional head—regardless of hitting the $75,000 threshold, since that only covers Capital One-owned locales.

My Take on Capital One Lounge Access Changes

Like a determined mosquito, these updated policies sting. The Venture X value has taken a punch to the gut—though, to be honest, five years is a good run for little to no change.

Capital One isn’t alone in this move; similar shifts have been seen industry-wide due to overcrowding frustrations. This will definitely trim the guest list dramatically, with no free rides for authorized users and a steep spending challenge for free guest perks.

If there’s a bright spot, it’s that the business card now allows some guest perks for nominated VIPs, something new on that front.

Considering the new spending hurdle for guest entry, it helps that the Venture X’s everyday rewards make scaling that mountain feasible for many.

Overall, these changes might push some folks to jump ship, but for many, the core benefits still outweigh the costs. The annual fee of $395 is easily justified by the combined power of the $300 travel credit and 10,000 bonus miles. All else is just a cherry on top.

The cut to Priority Pass guests on personal cards is unfortunate—it doesn’t set a promising precedent. The norm for premium cards has been at least two free invites.

This underscores the economics behind premium credit cards: a non-stop race to capture the elite market while keeping it balanced on the financial scale. These changes seem equally driven by practicality and profitability, hinting that scaling back isn’t just a result of lounge logjams, but also the bottom line.

Bottom Line

Come February 2026, Capital One’s lounge access changes bring a mixed bag: authorized users on both card variants will face a $125 lounge access charge. Meanwhile, a $75,000 spend earns you guest privileges, and Priority Pass no longer throws in free company for personal cardholders.

These moves might cause many to reconsider, yet for some, the math of the Venture X still adds up. And with lounge congestion reaching critical mass, these measures might just thin the throng.

What do you make of this new development in Capital One’s Venture X lounge access world?