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Amex Platinum vs Capital One Venture X

Quick answer

Amex Platinum is the luxury lounge-crawling status card; Venture X is the lean, mean travel rewards machine. Most people will get more value from Venture X's lower fee and simpler rewards.

Amex Platinum
The OG flex card for lounge lovers and points nerds
3.6★
VS
Our pick
Capital One Venture X
Premium travel perks without the PhD in credit card optimization
4★
Annual Fee
$695
$395
Welcome Bonus
80,000 pts (typical offer)
75,000 miles (typical offer)
Base Rewards Rate
1x on most purchases
2x on all purchases
Travel Rewards Rate
5x flights (Amex Travel), 5x hotels (Amex Travel)
10x hotels & rental cars (Capital One Travel), 5x flights
Annual Travel Credit
$200 airline fee credit (restrictive)
$300 Capital One Travel credit (easy to use)
Lounge Network
Centurion, Priority Pass, Delta SkyClub, Plaza Premium + more
Capital One Lounges + Priority Pass (no restaurants)
Authorized User Fee
$195/user (ouch)
$0 for first 4 users
Anniversary Bonus
None
10,000 miles every year (~$100 value)
Hotel Status
Hilton Gold + Marriott Gold automatically
None
Airline Transfer Partners
~20 partners (incl. ANA, Air France, Singapore)
~15 partners (incl. Air Canada, Turkish, Avianca)
Global Entry / TSA Pre Credit
$100 every 4.5 years
$100 every 4 years
Effective Annual Fee (after easy credits)
~$250-400 (credits are tricky to maximize)
~$95 (after $300 travel + $100 anniversary miles)

Amex Platinum

Ease of Use★★½☆☆
Rewards Rate★★★½☆
Lounge Access★★★★★
Partner Perks★★★★★
Travel Credits★★★★½
Annual Fee Value★★★☆☆
Everyday Spending★★☆☆☆

Capital One Venture X

Ease of Use★★★★★
Rewards Rate★★★★☆
Lounge Access★★★½☆
Partner Perks★★★☆☆
Travel Credits★★★★☆
Annual Fee Value★★★★½
Everyday Spending★★★★☆

Worth knowing

The Amex Platinum was introduced in 1984 and was literally made of metal before metal cards were cool — it was basically the iPhone of credit cards, until everyone got one.

If you want

You fly constantly and live for lounge access and hotel status

Amex Platinum's lounge network and automatic Hilton/Marriott Gold status are unmatched for road warriors who can actually use all the credits.

→ Pick Amex Platinum
If you want

You want premium perks without a spreadsheet to justify the fee

Venture X's credits are easy to use, the 2x on everything is refreshingly simple, and the effective annual cost is under $100.

→ Pick Capital One Venture X
If you want

You want to add a partner or spouse to your card

Four free authorized users with full lounge access vs. $195/user on Amex is a no-brainer for couples or families.

→ Pick Capital One Venture X
If you want

You're a points transfer partner power user chasing aspirational redemptions

Amex Membership Rewards has deeper airline transfer partnerships and better sweet spots for business and first class awards.

→ Pick Amex Platinum
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