With restaurant-quality meals, craft cocktails curated by celebrated bars, and wellness facilities like zero-gravity nap pods, Capital One makes a compelling case for sure cardholders to reach early on the airport. For years, the corporate boasted one of many business’s hottest lounge entry insurance policies—for a $395 annual charge, main cardholders of Enterprise X and Enterprise Enterprise playing cards have acquired complimentary entry to all Capital One Lounges and Landings, in addition to Precedence Go lounges (a separate community of extra 1,700 lounges worldwide that Capital One participates in), plus as much as two visitors.
However as extra folks have signed up for these playing cards and wait instances to entry lounges have ballooned (for this author, that’s between 45 and 60 minutes to get into the Capital One Lounge at her dwelling airport of Denver), the corporate has continued to regulate its insurance policies to deal with the challenges of overcrowding. Its newest transfer: not too long ago asserting tighter entry restrictions, which is able to remove free visitor entry as of February 1, 2026.
Main cardholders can nonetheless take pleasure in free entry to the model’s 4 Lounges (in Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, New York JFK, and Washington Dulles) and two Landings (a restaurant-style house, at present solely obtainable at Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Nationwide Airport, with plans to open a second at LaGuardia later this 12 months). Nevertheless, if they need pals or household to hitch them as visitors, a charge is required, starting from $25 to $45 per visitor (until they’re high-spending Enterprise X Enterprise cardholders; extra on that under).
Capital One introduced the transfer by way of e-mail to cardholders. “As airport lounges proceed to develop in recognition throughout the business, we’ve seen our clients more and more encounter wait instances to enter them,” the e-mail said. “It is very important us that we preserve an excellent airport lounge expertise for our Enterprise X and Enterprise X Enterprise clients whereas persevering with to ship best-in-class premium journey playing cards at an accessible value level.” Signage with the identical verbiage has additionally since appeared in lounges throughout Capital One’s community.
When the brand new coverage goes into impact, Enterprise X cardholders who want to convey visitors into Capital One Lounges and Landings should pay $45 per grownup and $25 for every visitor 17 years outdated and below (children below 2 will stay free). At Precedence Go lounges, the visitor charge shall be $35.
Exceptions to the brand new coverage adjustments
Enterprise X Enterprise cardholders can make the most of two exceptions to the coverage adjustments. The primary: They’re nonetheless allowed two complimentary visitors to Precedence Go lounges (however not Capital One Lounges and Landings; the brand new visitor charges nonetheless apply). Huge spenders profit, too: Anybody who expenses $75,000 or extra on their card in a calendar 12 months shall be permitted to herald two visitors to Capital One Lounges or one visitor to Landings at no cost for the rest of that 12 months and all the following 12 months.
Equally, licensed customers (those that aren’t the first cardholder however are nonetheless allowed to make expenses on the cardboard) will lose complimentary lounge entry. Nevertheless, main cardholders can add lounge entry to different cardholder accounts by paying $125 per card.
Whereas the brand new charges are nonetheless lower than shopping for a single go to lounge move ($90 for guests with out a Enterprise X or Enterprise X Enterprise Card), the brand new coverage may lead card holders to revisit their bank card technique.
Capital One’s newly introduced adjustments mark the most recent instance of airways and bank card corporations making vital adjustments to their lounge entry insurance policies. In February 2025, Delta Air Traces launched restrictions to its in style Sky Membership lounges, limiting the variety of visits per 12 months based mostly on which bank card vacationers maintain. And United reorganized its lounge membership program to introduce a cost for visitors and an elevated annual charge. In the meantime, some issuers have additionally scaled again their lounge advantages, together with American Categorical, which beforehand allowed two free visitors per cardholder however in 2023 started charging $50 per visitor.