:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ben_woolsey-a17d6ba8454045d9807bf04350bb5978.png)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/MichaelRosenston-dc9ea36078684eb9a17e5bbbed31dbad.jpg)
We recommend the best products through an independent review process, and advertisers do not influence our picks. We may receive compensation if you visit partners we recommend. Read our advertiser disclosure for more info.
The best Capital One credit cards provide compelling cashback, points, or miles, with attractive features like no annual fees (or annual fees that are easily justified based on rewards), introductory interest rates, and one-time bonuses. Capital One offers cards for a variety of consumers and small business owners who are interested in travel, cashback rewards, and protections on their purchases. We have reviewed Capital One’s most popular consumer and business credit cards and chose the ones below as the best for various categories.
Best Capital One Credit Cards for March 2023
- Best Overall, Best for Cash Back: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards
- Best for Dining: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards
- Best for Travel: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Best for Fair Credit: Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best for Students: Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
- Best for Bad Credit or No Credit: Capital One Platinum Secured
Best Overall, Best for Cash Back : Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/capital_one_quicksilver_FINAL-f9e7d315b0f945098842cf4c7e282638.png)
Earn $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
| Regular APR (%) | 19.24% - 29.24% variable |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. |
| INTRO PURCHASE APR | 0% for 15 Months |
| Balance Transfer Fee | 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that we may offer you. None for balances transferred at the Transfer APR. |
| Foreign transaction fee (%) | 0% |
- Why We Chose This Card
- Pros and Cons
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is our choice for the best overall Capital One card, as well as the best card for cash back rewards because it scored highest across multiple attributes in our methodology that considers rewards, fees, interest, benefits, customer service, and security. Its simple but robust 1.5% cashback structure is among the best in the industry. Plus, there is no annual fee, so all of the cash back you earn is yours to keep. Plus, earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options (terms apply).
Simple rewards program with a solid return
Solid introductory APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
No annual or foreign transaction fees
No penalty APR
Extremely limited bonus categories
One-time bonus is relatively modest
APR can be comparatively high
Read the full Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards credit card review.
Best for Dining : Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/capital-one-savorone-cash-rewards-credit-card-ec145eeabcd74fceb2bf6a64b2d83512.png)
Earn $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
| Regular APR (%) | 19.24% - 29.24% variable |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | Earn 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores, plus 1% on all other purchases. |
| INTRO PURCHASE APR | 0% for 15 Months |
| Balance Transfer Fee | 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that we may offer you. None for balances transferred at the Transfer APR. |
| Foreign transaction fee (%) | 0% |
- Why We Chose This Card
- Pros and Cons
We chose the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card as the best dining card from Capital One because of its 3% cashback earnings at restaurants as well as entertainment, streaming, and grocery stores coupled with its no annual fee. While the Capital One Savor has a slightly higher earning rate on dining, we like the fact this card has most of the benefits without the yearly cover charge. Like all Capital One cards, SavorOne charges no foreign transaction fees, which can make it an ideal card for dining on vacations as well.
Generous cash rewards on dining, entertainment, streaming, and groceries
Doesn’t impose some frequent fees
Access to premium experiences
Small introductory cash bonus
Excellent credit recommended
Read the full Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards credit card review.
Best for Travel : Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/capital-one-venture-rewards-credit-card-b65ffad24d594ca5b83d81f74a049300.png)
Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.
| Regular APR (%) | 18.99% - 26.99% variable |
| Annual Fee | $95 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | Earn 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. 5 miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. |
| Balance Transfer Fee | 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that we may offer you. None for balances transferred at the Transfer APR. |
| Foreign transaction fee (%) | 0% |
- Why We Chose This Card
- Pros and Cons
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is our choice as the best travel credit card because you earn 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. Plus, 5 miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get our best prices on thousands of trip options.
Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel. These miles can be used to book flights, hotel rooms, and other travel without blackout dates or transferred to airline and hotel partners for potentially more value. Plus, your travel plans will go smoother with reimbursement of up to $100 of your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees every four years.
High rewards rate with no cap on earnings
Sizable one-time bonus
Flexible redemption options
Credit for Global Entry TSA Precheck every 4 years
Cash-back redemption rate may be reduced
No U.S. based airline included as a transfer partner
Read the Full Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Review.
Best for Fair Credit : Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/capital_one_quicksilverone_FINAL-dfd5ad18e3b144c6bdb39e93293678f6.png)
| Regular APR (%) | 29.74% variable |
| Annual Fee | $39 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. |
| Balance Transfer Fee | 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that we may offer you. |
| Foreign transaction fee (%) | 0% |
- Why We Chose This Card
- Pros and Cons
The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is our pick for the best Capital One card option for those with fair credit. It offers the same 1.5% flat rate cashback as the Quicksilver, but is designed for those with less than good credit. It does, however, lack the 5% on Capital One travel. QuicksilverOne comes with a $39 annual fee, which can be easily justified with consistent use. Cashback rewards are a relatively unusual feature for a card in the fair credit segment and combined with low fees, it makes this card a solid choice for those in the middle of the credit band.
Higher rewards rate than similar cards
Fair credit accepted
Good credit behavior recognized
Annual fee
High APR
No introductory incentive
Read the full Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards credit card review.
Best for Students : Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/capital-one-journey-student-card-ad4f34328cb24293976f28503617c6d1.png)
| Regular APR (%) | 29.74% variable |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | Earn 1% cash back on all your purchases. Pay on time to boost your cash back to a total of 1.25% for that month. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply. |
| Balance Transfer Fee | There is no standard balance transfer fee for this card. |
| Foreign transaction fee (%) | 0% |
- Why We Chose This Card
- Pros and Cons
The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is our pick for the best student card as it provides students with cash back on every purchase dollar. Plus, it includes an incentive to build solid money habits by offering a 25% boost in earnings each month for on-time payments. Journey Student Rewards also offers solid credit education, account management, and security tools for college students starting out with credit. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options (terms apply).
Offers cash back
Credit limit may rise rapidly
Low 1% to 1.25% cashback rate
Read the full Journey Student Rewards from Capital One credit card review.
Best for Bad Credit or No Credit : Capital One Platinum Secured
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/capital-one-platinum-secured-fb1ca11e1f9345aab3480d76e456e9ea.png)
| Regular APR (%) | 29.74% variable |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
| Minimum Deposit to Activate | $49 |
| Pay deposit in installments | Yes |
| Allows upgrade to unsecured card | Yes |
| Rewards Earning Rate | This card does not offer a rewards program. |
- Why We Chose This Card
- Pros and Cons
We chose the Capital One Platinum Secured as the best Capital One option for those with bad or no credit. Customers receive an instant credit line of at least $200, with the option for a higher line of credit when they deposit more. The required security deposit for the $200 credit line can be as low as $49, which is helpful for people on a tight budget. In as few as six months, accounts are automatically reviewed for a credit line increase. Although it does not earn rewards, there is no annual fee or foreign transaction fees, which makes it an easy card to keep and build credit over time with responsible use.
Credit limits can be larger than the required security deposit
Can raise credit limit by putting more into security deposit
No annual or foreign transaction fees
Requires a bank account
Relatively low initial credit limits
No bonus offers or rewards program
Read the full Capital One Platinum Secured credit card review.
Final Verdict
Capital One offers numerous credit cards that fit the needs of different types of consumers and small business owners. With a variety of card benefits, such as rewards, intro APR offers, and no foreign transaction fees, Capital One has many cards that are attractive.
Our choice of the best Capital One credit card is the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card because of its unlimited 1.5% cashback on every purchase. This simple rewards structure makes it easy to earn cash back without having to activate a promotion or remembering bonus categories. Plus, there's no annual fee and new cardholders can earn a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 within three months.
Compare the Best Capital One Credit Cards
| Credit Card | Annual Fee | Top Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card Best Overall, Best for Cash Back | $0 | Unlimited 1.5% cash back |
| Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card Best for Dining | $0 | Unlimited 3% cash back on dining, streaming, entertainment, and groceries |
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Best for Travel | $95 | Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get our best prices on thousands of trip options. Earn 2X miles on all other purchases. |
| Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card Best for Fair Credit | $39 | Automatic credit line reviews |
| Journey Student Rewards from Capital One Best for Students | $0 | 1.25% cash back when paying on time |
| Capital One Platinum Secured Best for Bad Credit or No Credit | $0 | Refundable security deposit as low as $49 |
Editorial Picks for Best Capital One Credit Cards
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
Best Overall, Best for Cash Back
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is our choice for the best overall and best for cashback with its unlimited 1.5% cashback earnings with no annual fee. New customers can earn a welcome bonus of $200 after spending only $500 within three months.
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Best for Dining
Foodies will love our choice for the best dining credit card from Capital One. The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card earns an unlimited 3% on dining entertainment, streaming, and groceries for meals at home.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Best for Travel
The Capital One Venture Rewards Card lets you earn 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. Plus, 5 miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. The miles can be used to book travel, "erase" previous travel purchases, or transfer to airline and hotel partners.
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Best for Fair Credit
Our choice for the best credit card for fair credit is the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card because it earns an unlimited 1.5% cashback with a reasonable annual fee. It includes complimentary tools to monitor your credit and Capital One will automatically review your account (in as little as six months) for a higher limit.
Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
Best for Students
The best Capital One credit card for students is the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One. Earn 1% cash back on all your purchases. Pay on time to boost your cash back to a total of 1.25% for that month. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options (terms apply).
Capital One Platinum Secured
Best for Bad Credit or No Credit
For people with bad credit or no credit, the Capital One Platinum Secured is the best card from Capital One. It offers a minimum credit limit of $200, a refundable security deposit as low as $49, and the account is reviewed automatically for credit line increases.
How the Capital One Rewards Program Works
Capital One credit card rewards are based on generic travel miles that can be used to book travel on any airline or with any hotel or a percentage of cash back that you can earn on every purchase dollar. The amount or percentage of the rewards earned per dollar varies depending on the card.
Finding the right card can come down to how you wish to receive your rewards—either in the form of immediate cash back or in mileage currency that can be used to pay for future travel. It’s also important to gauge how much you spend on credit cards, where you spend, and whether you’re willing to pay an annual fee in return for enhanced earnings opportunities.
Capital One Cash-Back Cards
These cards allow you to earn cash-back with your everyday purchases and, in some cases, with bonus category spending, that can be redeemed for checks or statement credits for any amount that has been earned (there are no minimum redemption thresholds):
- Capital One QuicksilverOne Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Quicksilver Rewards for Good Credit Credit Card
- Capital One Quicksilver Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Quicksilver Rewards for Students
- Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card Credit Card
- Capital One SavorOne Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One SavorOne Rewards for Good Credit Credit Card
- Capital One SavorOne Rewards for Students
- Capital One Walmart Rewards MasterCard
- Capital One Quicksilver Secured Rewards
- Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
- Capital One Spark 2% Cash for Business Credit Card
- Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select for Business Credit Card
- Capital One Spark 1% Classic for Business Credit Card
Capital One Travel Rewards Cards
These Capital One cards provide various flat-rate and bonus earnings opportunities:
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Spark 2X Miles for Business Credit Card
- Capital One Spark 1.5X Miles Select for Business Credit Card
The travel rewards Capital One cards earn “miles,” which are not tied to any particular airline. Each mile has a worth of one cent when redeemed toward travel expenses.
Redemption can take the form of booking any travel through Capital One’s Rewards Center or can be used retroactively to offset a previously incurred travel expense through Capital One’s Purchase Eraser feature. The only caveat to using Purchase Eraser to offset travel expenses is that it must be done within 90 days of the original purchase.
Other redemption options include statement credits or Amazon shopping, though the redemption value of each mile is considerably less versus redeeming toward travel.
What Is the History of Capital One?
Capital One started as the credit card division of Signet, a regional bank in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. that was spun off as an independent organization in 1994. It was one of the original “monoline” banks, as they were known because they only had one product line: credit cards. Other monoline banks of the time included MBNA and First USA, now owned by Bank of America and Chase, respectively.
Capital One is the last of these types of independent card issuers, though they have since grown to offer other banking products including consumer loans and deposit accounts delivered online and through a nationwide network of banking locations, including Capital One Cafes. Capital One is the nation’s tenth-largest bank by assets.
Is a Capital One Credit Card Right for Me?
Capital One has a variety of credit cards with attractive rewards and benefits, valuable introductory APR offers, and no or low annual fees. Every type of customer should be able to find a card that fits their needs. With a portfolio of over 20 credit cards, Capital One has many cards to choose from as your needs change, so you don't have to switch banks.
What Are Capital One Credit Card Credit Score Requirements?
Capital One offers a variety of credit cards that are right for the credit of every type of customer. Whether you're just starting, rebuilding your credit, or have an excellent score, Capital One has at least one credit card to meet your needs.
Which Benefits Do Capital One Credit Cards Provide?
Each Capital One credit card offers unique benefits based on the type of card it is and the annual fee that it charges. However, each credit card from Capital One also provides basic benefits for all of its customers. Here are a few of the benefits you can enjoy, no matter which card you choose:
- No foreign transaction fees
- Instantly lock your card through the Capital One mobile app
- $0 liability for unauthorized purchases
- Virtual card numbers from Eno
- Unlimited access to your credit score through CreditWise from Capital One
What Are the Capital One Credit Card Interest Rates?
Capital One credit cards have different interest rates based on the card you choose. While some have one interest rate for all customers, others have a range of interest rates depending on your creditworthiness. In all cases, the interest rates are variable and may change based on the Prime Rate.
How Many Capital One Credit Cards Can You Get?
Customers are allowed to have two open Capital One consumer credit cards at the same time. However, there are exceptions to this rule:
- Customers with multiple accounts before this rule went into effect
- Cards from acquired banks
- Cobranded and retailer credit cards issued by Capital One, such as the Walmart Rewards card
- Secured credit cards
- Business credit cards
What Transfer Partners Does Capital One Offer?
A valuable feature of Capital One’s travel rewards cards is that they allow transfer to 17 airline and hotel frequent flyer programs. Depending upon how you redeem rewards with these partners, it is possible to receive a much higher value from your Capital One Miles.
The transfer partners are listed below:
- Accor
- Aeromexico
- Air France/KLM
- Air Canada
- Asia Miles
- Avianca
- British Airways
- Choice Hotels
- Emirates
- Etihad Airways
- EVA Air
- Finnair
- Qantas
- Singapore Airlines
- TAP Air Portugal
- Turkish Airlines
- Virgin Red
The transfer rates vary with Capital One travel partners. You may not receive one partner mile per capital one mile you transfer in all cases.
What Are Capital One's Fees Like?
Capital One offers a number of cards without annual fees. The card interest rates, while based on creditworthiness, are generally considered reasonable relative to other issuers’ products in the market. One notable feature is that Capital One waives foreign transaction fees on all of their cards, which is a very consumer-friendly policy.
How Does Capital One Customer Service Rate?
Capital One ranked third out of 11 national card issuers and scored above-average in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. Service may be reflective of calling to deal with statement issues, notifying Capital One of major purchases or travel, or dealing with points redemptions.
Can You Get a Capital One Card with Bad Credit?
Capital One offers a secured credit card option for those with bad credit or no credit history. Secured cards require a security deposit to be placed with the issuer in exchange for a credit limit of the same or sometimes greater amount.
Methodology
When selecting the best credit cards from Capital One, we analyzed the features, benefits, rewards, fees, and interest rates of every one of its cards. Each data point was assigned a star rating and the ratings of each card were compared against competing cards to determine which was the best for each type of customer. This list represents the highest-rated cards based on the goals for those customer profiles. We constantly monitor Capital One's credit cards so that we can update our ratings and rankings as card data changes.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Capital_One_credit-card-roundup_primary_INV_edit-ccf7e41083524f49b4cb050d26380657.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-200160155-001-ac702ff6ce644b8b9c8fa9434a9ae129.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-901957196-2f529b1d2400402c8eea74d22b731bee.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1336158138-3f5b417eb3e34d2e809a5928854cc694.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/HandHoldingCreditCards_BrandNewImages_Getty-56a1de845f9b58b7d0c3fdff.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/quicksilver-5bfc36bd46e0fb00260dabec.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/capital-one-spark-cash-ff6a737a3e06446aa4e296a65bd3266a.jpg)