Capital One Credit Cards

Comparing Credit Card Offers from Capital One

By: Laura Mohammad

Imagine credit cards that are easy to use, miles that are easy to redeem and rewards that are easy to love. Capital One has all this and more. With no foreign transaction fees and generous annual fee offers, the Capital One cards allow you to explore your world in a refreshing way. We look here at what is offered and how the cards work:

• What is Capital One?
• Best Capital One credit cards
• Details on the best Capital One cards
• Capital One rewards program and best redemption options
• Other benefits of having Capital One cards

What is Capital One?

As the 11th largest bank in America, it's little surprise the breadth of services Capital One offers.

From consumer to commercial, this bank offers a wide range of financial opportunities. Here are some of the services offered.

Consumer

• Credit cards – from credit building to rewards and cash back
• Banking – from checking and kids savings to CDs and IRAs
• Auto – for new or used car loan, or refinancing
• Invest – through Capital One Investing

Business

• Credit cards – Spark Cash and Spark Miles
• Banking – checking and savings
• Borrow – includes business loans
• Invest – includes creating 401(k) plans
• Manage – merchant services and cash management

Commercial

• Commercial lending – from term loans to lines of credit
• Depository services – commercial checking, savings or CDs
• Treasury management – digital tools and automated solutions
• Capital markets – from foreign exchange to public finance
• Private banking & wealth management – from asset management to trust services
• Corporate card – The One Card from Capital One simplifies expenses, accounts payable and billing processes

Best Capital One credit cards of 2019 - Editor's top picks

Details on the best cards

Capital One's exciting lineup of credit cards includes business, cash and travel rewards, as well as vehicles for credit building. They typically have no foreign transaction fee, and you can allow an authorized user to build credit while giving a loved one access to a quality credit card. Check out these excellent cards' features.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

If you are looking for tight rewards and don't want to be tied down by a specific travel brand, this card is perfect. As one of the best credit cards for travel rewards, it's worth your while if you do a fair amount of traveling, even with a $95 annual fee after the first year.

The sign-up bonus is 50,000 miles after a $3,000 spend within the first 3 months of card membership, and the ongoing rewards are a generous 2X miles for every dollar spent. After your first year, if you spend at least $400 a month on the card, you'll break even on the annual fee.

Highlights

• 10X miles on hotels when booked and paid through hotels.com/venture
• 50,000 miles sign-up, $3,000 spend in 3 months
• 2X miles on all purchases

Also, if you are looking to spend a fair amount on hotels in the next couple of years, this card and the VentureOne Rewards card are show-stoppers.

With these cards, you can earn 10X miles for every dollar you spend when booked and paid through hotels.com/venture with your Venture or VentureOne card. This offer is good through Jan. 31, 2020.

Capital One Venture-hotel offer...

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

This card's unbeatable upgrades reward with 4% back on dining and entertainment compared to the previous 3% on just dining, as well as the same great 2% back at grocery stores. The sign-up bonus also features a wow factor of $500 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 within the first 3 months of card membership. There's now an annual fee of $95, although it's waived the first year.

Highlights

• No foreign transaction fees
• Access to premium dining & entertainment experiences
• 4% back on dining and entertainment is unlimited

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is great for consumers who want the freedom of cash back and without having to worry about rotating categories. There is a sign-up bonus of $150 after a $500 spend within the first 3 months of card membership, and 1.5% back on all purchases. Unlike the QuicksilverOne, which accepts consumers with lower credit, the Quicksilver has no annual fee.

Highlights

• $150 sign-up bonus, $500 spend in first 3 months
• Unlimited 1.5% cash back
• 0% intro APR for 15 months, purchases & balance transfers (then 15.24% - 25.24% variable)

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

As you can see, the VentureOne's fun rewards make it worth a look. It has a sign-up bonus of 20,000 miles after a $1,000 spend in the first 3 months, and 1.25X miles on every purchase. This card also allows you to enjoy 10X miles on every dollar spent on hotels.com/venture.

Highlights

• 10X miles on hotels when booked and paid through hotels.com/venture
• 20,000 miles sign-up bonus, $1,000 spend in first 3 months
• 1.25X miles on all purchases

Capital One Platinum Credit Card

Need a leg up on your credit? Look no further. This card accepts consumers with average, fair or limited credit. While there are no rewards, there is no annual fee, unlike the QuicksilverOne, and like the QuicksilverOne, you can up your credit limit after the first 5 months of on-time payments.

Highlights

• No annual fee
• Higher credit limit after first 5 monthly on-time payments
• Access to online banking

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

The SavorOne is an improved product when compared to the old Savor, which we get into more detail later. Like the old Savor, there's still the same great $150 bonus after a $500 spend within the first 3 months; 3% back on dining and (now also) entertainment; and 2% back at grocery stores.

Highlights

• No annual fee
• 15-month 0% intro APR on purchases, balance transfers (then 15.24% - 25.24% variable)
• No foreign transaction fees

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

This card doesn't have the sign-up bonus of the Quicksilver, but it has the same ongoing rewards, making it a compelling choice for your wallet. It also gives you access to a higher credit limit after you make your first 5 payments on time.

Highlights

• 1.5% cash back on all purchases
• No rotating categories
• Good for average, fair, limited credit

Here is a comparison of the Quicksilver cards:

Compare Quicksilver cards...

Capital One Secured Mastercard

Some of us are struggling to get ahead financially, and this card can get you on your way.

The Capital One Secured Mastercard accepts consumers with bad or limited credit and is ideal for someone looking to build credit. That's because the easiest and fastest way to build credit is with a credit card. Why? Because the dominant scoring models favor responsible credit card use.

With a secured card like this one, though, you will be required to put down a refundable deposit that you will be borrowing off of for your credit limit. With this card, you get an initial credit limit of $200 after you put down a deposit of $49, $99 or $200, depending on your creditworthiness. You can build credit as you pay on time and in full each month.

Highlights

• No annual fee
• For limited, bad credit
• Initial $200 credit limit (with $49, $99, or $200 security deposit, based on creditworthiness)

Capital One Spark Cash for Business

The spark that this card's 2% back offers makes it a challenge to ignore. And if you are looking for a cashback card, but want the convenience of a card that grants you employee cards at no charge, this card delivers.

There's an incredible $500 sign-up bonus after a $5,000 spend within the first 3 months of card membership—plus an additional $1,500 bonus for $50,000 spend within the first 6 months—and 2% back on all purchases. One plus: Your employees' spending gets you cash back on your account. There's a $95 annual fee, but it's waived the first year.

Highlights

• Up to $2,000 cash bonus: $500 with a $5,000 spend in 3 months, and an additional $1,500 with a $50,000 spend in 6 months
• 2% cash back is unlimited
• $95 annual fee waived first year

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

The Spark Miles for Business is similar to the Spark Cash, except you get miles instead of cash back. The Spark Miles earns you 50,000 miles after a $5,000 spend within the first 3 months of card membership and 2X miles on all spending. For businesses planning more extensive purchases, the Spark Miles sweetens the signup bonus with an additional 150,000 miles for $50,000 spend in the first 6 months. 

The $95 annual fee is waived the first year, which means that if you spend $1,000 a month, that comes to 24,000 miles or $240 in travel, plus the $500 sign-up, bringing you to $740 your first year. Even after the first year, with that level of spending, you will be earning back more than the annual fee.

Highlights

• One-time 50,000 miles bonus for $5,000 spend in the first 3 months
• Additional 150,000 miles for $50,000 spend in the first 6 months
• 2X miles on all spending

Capital One rewards program and best redemption options

It's relatively easy to earn and redeem with the Capital One rewards program.

With the cashback program, you simply log in and follow the prompts to redeem. You can even set it up to automatically get your cash back. You can use your cash back for statement credits, a check, gift cards or donate to charity.

With the Capital One travel rewards program, you earn miles for all purchases and you get a sign-up bonus as well. A big advantage to the Capital One travel rewards program is that you aren't tied down by loyalty to brands, and you aren't limited to rewards for specific types of purchases. And you can also also transfer your points to a number of airline partners and travel loyalty programs.

You can use your miles for travel in the past 90 days, book new travel through Capital One, gift cards, a check or you can transfer them to another account. One plus about Capital One Venture cards: You always get 1:1 for travel redemption of miles. Redemption even includes spending on Airbnb and Uber.

Other benefits of having Capital One cards

From no foreign transaction fee to travel accident insurance, Capital One cards offer a plethora of benefits, including travel and retail; apps and digital services; and security. Here's what this bank issuer offers:

Travel and retail

• No foreign transaction fees – no Capital One card has a foreign transaction fee, a savings of 3%-5% per foreign transaction
• 24-hour travel assistance – get an emergency replacement card and a cash advance
• Auto rental collision damage waiver – an eligible vehicle is covered for damage due to theft or collision
• Travel accident insurance – covered losses at no extra charge
• Extended warranty – additional warranty at no extra charge

Apps and digital services

• Mobile app – allows you to manage your account on the go
• CreditWise – monitor your credit, even if you aren't a Capital One customer
• Eno – allows you to keep tabs on your account with texting, checking your balance, reviewing transactions and paying your bill

Security

• Security and account alerts – get alerts by phone, email or text
• Fraud coverage – $0 fraud liability

Laura is an editor and writer at CreditCards.com. She has written extensively on all things credit cards and works to bring you the most up-to-date analysis and advice. Laura's work has been cited in such publications as the New York Times and Associated Press. You can reach her by e-mail at laura.mohammad@creditcards.com and on Twitter @creditcards_lm.