How the Capital One Venture X Card Helped Me Travel Smarter (and Cheaper!)

Before 2020, international travel was a regular part of my life. But like so many others, the pandemic put everything on hold. Prior to that I had just been on a multi-city trip that I planned myself. I hit up Lisbon, Brussels, Cardiff, and ended in London. It was amazing! I’ll never forget that trip – I planned it myself, and it even had a few stops to meet friends I haven’t seen in so long. But that was in March 2019!!! Far too long ago for my liking.

Aside from a trip to St. John in 2022 — which technically is the U.S. Virgin Islands and doesn’t count as international for U.S. travelers — I hadn’t been abroad in years.

By 2025, I was determined to change that.
I made it a personal mission to finally get back out into the world! I needed a real passport-stamping, new-culture-immersing adventure. And I knew that to do it smartly (and affordably), I needed the right travel credit card.

Being that I was someone that has made it their own personal mission to keep traveling for work, in my mind people where I’m from didn’t travel at all let alone all over the world.  Traveling for leisure seemed unattainable outside of traveling for work. I was from the lower east side of Buffalo, and I know quite of few people who never even leave the city…EVER! I finally wanted to feel like a traveling that got some benefits! throughout my life while I did work in travel I did a lot for leisure as well. But I never gained any points or miles. and after all these years I finally was able to get a flight all on travel points and credits!

And it wasn’t a fast decision to try and find the right card. I felt like I was searching endlessly, constantly comparing card benefits, and reading subreddits on credit cards.

After A LOT of research, I landed on a card I can honestly say I love: the Capital One Venture X.

It made all the difference — especially when I booked my first true international trip post-pandemic: Italy!

Why I Chose the Venture X (Over AMEX)

At first, I considered some American Express cards — they offer strong travel perks. And for some reason to fully understand all the AMEX card benefits it seemed a little chaotic. I felt like I couldn’t grasp all that the card could do even after talking to people who had the cards.

But one big problem stood out: AMEX isn’t accepted everywhere, especially in smaller towns and local shops.
Since I love exploring off-the-beaten-path places (not just big cities), I needed a card that would work almost everywhere.

Capital One Venture X, being a Visa, is widely accepted around the world, from tiny gelato shops in Italy to small-town gas stations during U.S. road trips.
That reliability gave me peace of mind — no worrying about whether I’d be stuck without a working card.

And honestly, Venture X didn’t just compete with AMEX’s perks — it offered even more practical value.

How Venture X Makes Travel More Affordable

Beyond being accepted pretty much everywhere, Venture X is packed with real money-saving benefits:

• $300 Annual Travel Credit
  You get $300 back every year when you book through Capital One Travel — a huge help when planning big international trips like Italy. This was so lovely to get! Keeping in mind the annual fee – this takes care of that.

• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Credit
  Why not take advantage? – I never wanted to get this until it was credited back to me on my card! It makes everything at the airport so easy!
• 75,000 Bonus Miles
  Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. And this is easy to do when you transfer all your monthly cost that you’ll pay off anyway.

• Priority Pass Lounge Access
  Airport lounges made my long travel days so much more comfortable — free food, Wi-Fi, and a quiet space to recharge.

• Primary Rental Car Insurance
  When I rented a car in Italy to explore the Amalfi Coast, I didn’t have to pay for expensive insurance at the counter — Venture X had me covered.

• Cell Phone Protection
  Traveling internationally without worrying about my phone? Priceless. Paying my phone bill with Venture X automatically gives me coverage for theft or damage.

• Trip Delay and Lost Luggage Coverage
  Built-in protections that save me from having to buy expensive extra insurance.

Booking Through the Capital One Travel Portal: Real Savings

I’ll admit, I was skeptical about using a credit card travel portal at first. 
But Capital One Travel seriously impressed me. They were the same, if not better than the flights I i found on the airlines website directly, or Skiplagged, or Hopper.

When I booked my flights and hotels for Italy, I compared prices across Expedia, Google Flights, and direct hotel sites — and more often than not, Capital One Travel had the better deal. I honestly didn’t believe it at first. Plus when you book with Capitol one Travel instead of 2x points you get 5x points. So, I was sold! The points were adding up quick!

Final Thoughts

After years of staying close to home, finally stepping onto international soil again — and doing it in a beautiful place like Italy — felt like a dream come true.
But having the right card made it all so much smoother, easier, and more affordable.

The Capital One Venture X isn’t just a flashy travel card — it’s a smart travel card.
It helped me finally reach my goal of international travel again, without breaking the bank.

If you’re serious about seeing more of the world — or even just traveling better — this card is absolutely worth considering.
Sometimes the right tools aren’t just nice to have — they’re what make the journey possible in the first place.