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It’s no surprise that leading card issuers (Capital One and American Express in this case) offer exciting premium travel cards that can benefit frequent travelers. Two of their premium cards include The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express, some of the best travel cards on the market. This Capital One Venture X vs Amex Platinum Card comparison can help you decide if one of these premium credit cards is the better option for you.
75,000 bonus miles: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
80,000 points bonus: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Capital One Venture X vs Amex Platinum Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium credit card offering an annual $300 travel credit, Priority Pass airport lounge access, and flexible redemption options. You can also earn up to 10x miles on purchases and receive 10,000-anniversary miles for each card renewal.
The Platinum Card® from American Express offers up to $200 in annual statement credits for select travel (enrollment required, terms apply). You can also get complimentary access to several airport lounge networks, earn up to 5x Membership Rewards® points on purchases, and enjoy other luxury travel perks (more on this below).
Annual Fee
There is a stark difference between the annual fee of both cards. However, don’t let that scare you. If you can use the benefits offered, these fees can easily be offset.
Here’s a glimpse of what they are:
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: $395 (primary) and $0 per additional card; no foreign transaction fees
- Amex Platinum: $695 (See Rates & Fees) and $195 for additional cards; no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees)
While the Platinum Card has a significantly higher annual fee, you also get more benefits. You must decide if the extra perks are worth the additional cost.
Welcome/Signup Bonus for Capital One Venture X & Amex Platinum
Both Capital One Venture X and Amex Platinum cards are currently offering some of the biggest welcome/signup bonuses you can earn.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel, with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
The Platinum Card from American Express
New The Platinum Card® from American Express cardmembers can earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $8,000 on purchases on their new Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
If you have earned a Platinum Card signup bonus previously, you cannot earn a second bonus.
Earning Travel Rewards
With either card, travel purchases earn the most points/miles, and you may need to use the credit card travel booking portal (i.e., Capital One Travel or AmexTravel.com) to get the bonus rewards.
Both cards are excellent travel rewards cards.
Capital One Venture X
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card earns up to 10x Venture miles:
- 10x miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5x miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles per dollar on all other purchases
Amex Platinum
The Platinum Card earns up to 5x Membership Rewards® points on purchases:
- 5x points on flights booked directly from airlines or through Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 per year, then 1x)
- 5x on prepaid hotels through AmexTravel.com
- 1x on all remaining purchases
Redeeming Travel Rewards
Each point is worth 1 cent for travel rewards for either card. You may also be able to get more mileage by taking advantage of the 1:1 airline or hotel transfer partners.
Capital One Venture X
Your award travel redemption options include the following:
- Travel statement credits for purchases in the last 90 days
- Upcoming travel through Capital One Travel
- Airline and hotel point transfers
This is one of the best Capital One travel credit cards.
Most of the transfer partners offer a 1:1 transfer ratio. There are currently no domestic airline transfer partners. For domestic award flights, you must book partner flights through Avianca, Singapore Airlines, and other carriers.
Related: How To Redeem Capital One Venture Miles For Maximum Value
Amex Platinum
Your most valuable redemption options are:
- Award flights through AmexTravel.com
- 1:1 airline and hotel point transfers
- Gift cards
The 1:1 airline transfer partners are similar to Capital One, but you also get Delta Air Lines and JetBlue as your domestic options.
Each point is worth 1 cent for award flights and retail or restaurant gift cards.
Related: How Hard Is It To Get The American Express Platinum Card?
Additional Travel Benefits
The better premium travel card depends on which additional benefits you want.
Capital One Venture X
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card doesn’t pack as many travel and shopping perks as the Amex Platinum. However, these perks can be worth the annual fee if you fly and are also competitive with other cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (you can compare these cards in our Capital One Venture X Rewards vs Chase Sapphire Reserve review).
- $300 Travel Credit: Receive an annual $300 credit for your Capital One Travel purchases
- 10,000 Miles Anniversary Bonus: With each card renewal, you get 10,000 miles worth $100 in travel rewards.
- Airport Lounge Access: Receive complimentary access to the Priority Pass and Capital One lounge networks
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Up to $100 in application fee credits every 4 years
- Elite rental car status: Automatic Hertz President’s Circle status
- Cell Phone Protection: Up to $800 in cell phone insurance against theft and damage
Amex Platinum
The Platinum Card® from American Express offers a plethora of travel and retail benefits you won’t find with other cards.
- Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Card.
- Hotel Credits: Cardholders can get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when they pay with the Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- Expedited Airport Security: Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit (up to $100) and CLEAR credits (up to $189)(terms apply, enrollment required)
- Global Lounge Collection: Complimentary access to Centurion, Priority Pass (enrollment required), Delta Sky Club, Escape, and Plaza Premium lounges (terms apply)
- Hotel Loyalty Status: Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold status (terms apply, enrollment required)
- Trip Insurance: Up to $500 in trip delay insurance and up to $10,000 per trip ($20,000 per year) in trip cancellation coverage (terms apply, enrollment may be required)
Related: Little-Known American Express Platinum Benefits
When to Try for the Capital One Venture X
You should consider getting the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card for these reasons:
- Want a lower annual fee
- Prefer its signup bonus
- Want to earn up to 10x miles on travel (instead of a maximum of 5x)
- You have other Capital One credit cards to pool miles
- Desire the 10,000-anniversary miles perk
While you don’t get as many additional perks, your annual fee is lower than most premium travel credit cards. It can also be easier to earn more miles on travel purchases and redeem them for travel statement credits on non-flight rewards.
The travel statement credit feature is also valuable as you can get maximum redemption value for most travel purchases and earn rewards miles in the process.
When to Try for the American Express Platinum Card
The Amex Platinum is the better option for these reasons:
- The welcome bonus can be easier to earn
- Earn bonus miles when you buy flights directly from the airline
- Has domestic airlines as 1:1 transfer partners
- Can use the additional statement credits and luxury travel perks
- You can get free CLEAR membership in addition to Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Are you comfortable paying the higher annual fee
You should also consider this card if you prefer redeeming your card points for award flights to get the highest redemption value. Your points aren’t worth as much for hotels, car rentals, cruises, and other redemptions.
Here’s the credit score needed for the Amex Platinum.
Summary Capital One Venture X vs Amex Platinum
Both of the Capital One Venture X and Amex Platinum cards are worth it if you travel regularly and are frequent flyers. The better card comes down to whether you can use the Amex Platinum’s numerous travel benefits. If so, the Platinum Card, one of the best American Express cards, can be worth trying for first as the benefits outweigh the costs.
75,000 bonus miles: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
80,000 points bonus: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Related Articles:
- Amex Gold vs Amex Platinum Review (Best Amex Luxury Card?)
- The Capital One Venture X vs United Quest Card Review
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Review
- Chase Sapphire Preferred vs American Express Platinum
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
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