Capital One is on a quest to make a more seamless travel experience, so it’s launching a new all-in-one travel app as part of its plan “to build a fully integrated travel franchise, bringing the technology, talent, and supplier relationships underpinning Capital One Travel in-house,” according to a statement.
The goal, says Capital One’s head of travel, Sarah Kaplan Moore, “is to build a fully integrated travel ecosystem that provides a seamless, end-to-end journey for our customers — from initial planning and rewards redemption to airport experiences and stays.”
How does the new Capital One Travel app work?
Now available for iOS and Android users, Capital One touts the following features in the new app:
- Seamless booking and rewards: Planning and booking flights, stays, cars and activities while earning and redeeming rewards and getting access to relevant offers.
- Live Lounge Locator: The first-of-its-kind Live Lounge Locator shows capacity and estimated wait times, as well as allows eligible travelers to join digital waitlists for Capital One’s award-winning Lounges and Landings.
- Personalized profiles: Set preferences for home airports, loyalty numbers and favorite hotel chains for a tailored, one-click experience.
- Real-time trip intelligence: Receive live updates like flight alerts, gate changes and nearby lounges.
- Easy trip management: Enjoy access to digital self-service tools and quick rebooking options that help manage trip details and adjust plans in one click and without repeated sign-ins.
TPG’s Capital One Lounge test run
Playing around with the new app, we have to give Capital One props for a beautifully designed app with some out-of-the-gate features that will be helpful for users.
On the home screen, users can easily see what rewards they have available to spend; toggle between booking hotels, flights, cars, vacations and full vacation packages; continue recent searches; and see limited-time travel offers, like $50 off your first hotel, vacation rental or car booking of $200 or more until April 15.
When searching for a flight or hotel, a handy color-coded calendar shows you fares or rates based on a system of dollar signs ($ to $$$) and matching colors for a visual representation of price.
Digging deeper into flight bookings, users can set up alerts to be notified as fares change, get a visual guide to what each fare type includes (for example, a green circle indicates one carry-on bag is included, but a money sign indicates a fee for checked bags) and view detailed information pages as they continue through the booking pages. The latter highlight the exact itinerary (including layover times) and offer one more look at what’s included and what’s extra in the booking.
Through multiple click-through pages, users are also offered add-ons, such as flight disruption assistance, before being guided through traveler information, seat selection and purchase, and the addition of rewards and credits to the final total.
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All-in-all, it provides a really pleasant flight booking experience.
What cards have Capital One lounge access?
One handy feature of the app is the opportunity to check wait times in Capital One lounges located at:
- Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C.
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York
- Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas
You can also check the wait times at Capital One’s two Landings, the issuer’s unique dining concept featuring tapas-style bites by acclaimed chef José Andrés. Current locations include the recently opened Landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and one at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA); a third outpost is also coming to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
Related: A complete guide to Capital One’s airport lounges: What to know
Folks carrying the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One Venture X Business have access to Capital One lounges. Guests can enter with cardholders for $45 (though cardholders who spend at least $75,000 with their Venture X or Venture X Business in a calendar year earn the ability to bring up to two complimentary guests to Capital One lounges and one guest to a Capital One Landing).
People without those specific cards can visit for $90.
Bottom line
Capital One’s new travel app is a handy well-designed tool for folks with or without premium Capital One credit cards. While its features are obvious tools, from tracking flight prices to checking lounge capacity and wait times, its smooth execution, at least in the early days, seems promising. Of course, we’ll continue playing with the app to see if it stands the test of time.
Related reading:
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
