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Best Capital One credit cards of 2020
Choose from over a dozen cards across multiple categories.
Capital One offers a range of credit cards designed for just about anyone — students, frequent travelers, business owners, those looking to build or rebuild credit and more. To help you narrow your options, we’ve compiled the top Capital One cards and who they can best benefit.
Best of Capital One credit cards
Capital One offers over a dozen cards, including cashback, travel, secured and student products. Here are the top cards you can choose from.
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is a great travel card. You’ll earn a strong 2x miles on every purchase, which means you won’t have to fuss with tiered rewards.
Reward miles. Earn unlimited 2x miles on all purchases.
Signup bonus. Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. These miles are worth up to $700 toward travel.
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry fee credit. Get up to $100 statement credit once every four years when you use your card to pay for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee.
Annual fee. Enjoy a $0 annual fee for the first year. But you'll pay a $95 annual fee for the second year onward.
No intro APR period. You don't get a 0% intro APR period on balance transfers or purchases with this card.
Annual fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter)
Purchase APR
17.24%, 21.99% or 24.49% variable
Foreign transaction fee
3% of the transaction value
Welcome offer
50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Rewards
2x miles on all purchases
Best for cash back
Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card
Capital One offers a great cashback card with Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card. You’ll earn a simple 1.5% cash back on all purchases. You’ll also get a strong intro APR and a shot at a healthy signup bonus.
Signup bonus. Earn $150 cash bonus after you spend $500 within the first 3 months after opening your account.
Cash back. Earn flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
Intro APR period on purchases. Get 0% on purchases for 15 months after account opening. After that, your purchase APR will be 15.49%, 21.49% or 25.49% variable.
No intro APR on balance transfers. Without a 0% intro APR period, this card may not be a good choice for balance transfers.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
0% intro for the first 15 months (then 15.49%, 21.49% or 25.49% variable)
Balance transfer APR
15.49%, 21.49% or 25.49% variable
Welcome offer
$150 cash back after spending $500 in the first 3 months
If you mostly spend on dining and entertainment and you're looking to get the highest signup bonus, Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card could be a solid choice.
Signup bonus. Earn $300 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 during your first 3 months of card membership.
Cash back. Earn 4% cash back on dining and entertainment purchases, 2% at grocery stores and 1% back on all other purchases.
No foreign transaction fees. Use this card freely abroad and you won't pay any foreign transaction fees.
Annual fee. Enjoy a $0 annual fee for the first year, but a $95 a year after that.
No intro APR period. You get cool perks with this card, but you don't get a 0% intro APR period on balance transfers or purchases.
Annual Fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter)
Purchase APR
15.99% or 24.99% variable
Balance transfer APR
15.99% or 24.99% variable
Welcome offer
$300 after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Rewards
4% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases
If you’re a student, it’s hard to go wrong with the Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One®. You’ll pay no annual fee, and you’ll earn cash back on all purchases. When you pay your card bill on time, you’ll earn cash back on the rewards you earned for that billing period.
No annual fee. Start your credit-building efforts without paying an annual fee
Cash back. Earn 1% cash back on all purchases. When you pay your card bill on time, you will earn an extra 0.25% on the cash back you have earned during that billing cycle.
Chance at a higher credit line. When you make your first five monthly payments on time, Capital One will give you a higher credit line.
No signup bonus. You won't earn any bonus when you sign up.
No intro APR period. There's no 0% intro APR period on balance transfers or purchases.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
22.99% variable
Balance transfer APR
22.99% variable
Welcome offer
N/A
Rewards
1% cash back on all purchases, 1.25% for months you pay on time
The Capital One® Secured Mastercard® doesn’t offer rewards, but it is a great Capital One card for building credit. You may get a $200 credit line without having to put down a security deposit of the same amount.
No annual fee. This is one of the rare secured cards that has no annual fee.
Low security deposit. Deposit either $49, $99 or $200 based on your creditworthiness and you may receive a $200 credit line without having to put down a security deposit of the same amount.
Chance at a higher credit line. When you make your first five monthly payments on time, Capital One will give you a higher credit line.
Secured deposit required. You must make a secured deposit to use the card.
No rewards. You won't earn any rewards on your purchases with this card.
Annual fee
$0
Minimum deposit required
$49, $99 or $200
Purchase APR
26.99% variable
Balance transfer APR
26.99% variable
Recommended minimum credit score
580
How we selected our best cards
We analyzed Capital One’s entire collection of credit cards, adding to our “best of” list the products with standout features for major categories. We considered factors such as annual fee, signup bonus, rewards and intro APR.
What’s changed in 2020
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card lost its 10x miles on Hotels.com purchases, which is a big blow. Still, it remains one of the best travel cards on the market.
Navigate to the credit cards section and pick the card you want.
Click Apply now.
Complete the application with details such as your full name, contact information, employment status and total annual income.
Review your information and submit your application.
Eligibility criteria
You’re at least 18 years old.
You have a Social Security number or tax identification number.
You live in the United States or a US military location.
Your monthly income exceeds your monthly rent or mortgage payment by at least $425.
Information you’ll need
Your name and residential address
Your Social Security number
Your email address, phone number and date of birth
Financial information like your annual income and income source
Application restrictions
For applications, Capital One is more restrictive than other issuers. If you’re approved for a card —personal or business — you must wait six months before you can be approved for another. You can prequalify for a Capital One card to see the cards you’ll have the best chance of approval for.
You may also want to wait if you’ve recently applied for a card from a different provider. According to reports, Capital One has been known to deny applications if you’ve recently applied for credit.
How to choose the best Capital One cashback credit cards
One of the first things to do when looking for a cashback card is to evaluate your spending. This will help you find a product that offers ideal rewards.
Do you spend a lot on dining and entertainment? If so, you’ll earn great cash back with one of the Savor® cards. These products also offer solid rewards at grocery stores, but consider other grocery credit cards if this category consumes most of your spending.
Do you spend relatively evenly across many categories? If so, you might get more out of Capital One’s flat-rate cashback cards — that is, the cards that offer the same rewards rate on every purchase. Instead of having to modify your spending to earn bonus rewards in certain categories, you can spend normally and earn solid cash back.
The Savor® cards offer tiered rewards, which means you’ll earn different cashback rates in various categories.
Hands-down the best way to use the cards is for dining and entertainment. However, other cards offer better cash back at grocery stores. For example, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers 6% cash back at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%. You could use this card to complement your Capital One cash back.
The Savor® cards offer just 1% cash back on other spending, which is a standard but low rate. To boost your rewards, you could use a Savor® card for dining, entertainment and at grocery stores and a flat-rate cashback card for everything else.
Other factors to compare for Capital One cashback cards
While rewards might be your top priority for your Capital One card, these considerations might tip the scale:
Do you have fair credit? If you have fair credit, the Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card might be the right choice. If you’re a business owner with fair credit, consider the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business.
What annual fee do you want to pay? Capital One doesn’t have any premium cards that cost hundreds of dollars a year. Rather, your choice is whether you want to pay a $0 or $39 annual fee, or a $95 annual fee starting the second year.If you’ll pay an annual fee, consider whether you’ll get enough value from the card to justify the cost. For example, you might want the card for its rewards, or simply because it’s one of the few cards available to someone with your credit profile.
Do you want a signup bonus? Capital One’s personal cards have signup bonuses of $150 to $300, while its business cards have signup bonuses of $200 to $500. Keep in mind some cards have annual fees that will eat into these rewards.
How to choose Capital One travel credit cards
When choosing your Capital One travel credit card, look for one that offers benefits that best fit your travel style, spending habits and any other preferences you might have for travel. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
Do I often stay at hotels?In this case, the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card offers the best opportunity for miles on your travel expenses.
Am I looking for a card for business?If so, the Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business boasts similar base earning potential as the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card while offering additional cards for your employees at no charge.
Is cash back better for me?If you’re not too concerned about earning miles for rewards, the Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card is the choice to make, offering flat-rate cash back for your purchases.
Am I a student?The Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One® can help the student-traveler who’s still building their credit score get up and rolling with perks to make trips go smoother.
How does Capital One keep my credit card information secure?
Capital One encrypts your data with 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which hides your information from unauthorized third parties. When you’re on the Capital One website, you’ll see a lock symbol next to your browser’s address bar. This indicates you have a secure connection with the provider’s website.
If you like viewing your credit card account on your mobile phone, you can use Capital One’s mobile app. Use it to pay your bills, monitor your account activity, redeem rewards, or send money to friends and family.
Capital One will send you email or text alerts if it detects unusual transactions. And through the Capital One Wallet app, you can opt to receive real-time notifications when your card is used.
Types of Capital One cards
Capital One is best known for its cashback and travel cards. It also offers good choices if your credit is less than perfect.
Travel
Capital One’s travel cards are ideal if you want simple rewards. That’s because you’ll earn the flat-rate rewards on every purchase.
You’ll also get added flexibility with your miles since you can transfer them to select airline and hotel partners. These include Air Canada, JetBlue, Singapore Airlines and more.
The annual-fee travel cards come with extra features that can help you get more value. They both offer a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, for example. And the Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business offers an excellent 5x miles on hotels and car rentals you book through Capital One Travel.
Typical benefits
Flat-rate rewards. Capital One’s travel cards offer the same rewards rate on all purchases. This can be helpful if you want simple rewards.
Mile transfers. If you don’t want to use your miles through Capital One, you can transfer them to the issuer’s airline and hotel partners.
Signup bonuses. Capital One offers healthy bonuses with its travel cards, especially as you’re able to transfer miles to travel partners.
Breaks on annual fees. For Capital One’s $95-annual-fee travel cards, your annual fee will be waived for the first year.
No foreign transaction fees. As you might expect, you won’t pay fees for using your card on foreign transactions. Your card may also offer travel protections such as car rental insurance and travel accident insurance.
50,000 miles after you make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card
No annual fee
1.25x miles on all purchases
20,000 miles after you make $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Card
Key benefits
Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business
2x miles on all purchases; 5x miles on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel
50,000 miles after you make $4,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
Capital One® Spark® Miles Select for Business
No annual fee
1.5x miles on all purchases
20,000 miles after you make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Cash back
Most of Capital One’s cashback cards take the “steady is better” tack. That is, they don’t try to offer the best rewards on the market — rather, they pay solid, consistent cash back.
There are exceptions, of course, including the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card and Capital One® Walmart Rewardsâ„¢ Mastercard®. These are among the top products in their spaces.
Typical benefits
Flat-rate and tiered cash back. Some cards offer the same cashback rate on every purchase. Other cards offer different rates depending on the category.
Easy on the annual fees. All of the cards have annual fees of $95 or less. Most cards that cost you will waive their annual fees for the first year. The exception is the Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card.
Signup bonuses. The majority of the Capital One cashback cards have signup bonuses. However, you won’t find bonuses for the cards geared toward consumers with weaker credit.
Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card
No annual fee
1.5% cash back on all purchases
$150 cash bonus after you make $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card
1.5% cash back on all purchases
Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card
No annual fee for the first year, then $95
4% cash back on dining and entertainment, cash back at grocery stores and 1% cash back on all other purchases
$300 cash bonus after you make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card
No annual fee
3% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases
$150 cash bonus after you make $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One®
No annual fee
1% cash back on all purchases that grows to 1.25% each month you pay on time
Access a higher credit line after you make five monthly payments on time
Capital One® Walmart Rewardsâ„¢ Mastercard®
No annual fee
5% back at Walmart.com, 2% back at restaurants and on travel and 1% back on all other purchases
5% back in Walmart stores for the first 12 months after approval, then 1%
Card
Key benefits
Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business
No annual fee for the first year, then $95
2% cash back on all purchases
$500 cash bonus after you make $4,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Capital One® Spark® Cash Select for Business
No annual fee
1.5% cash back on all purchases
$200 cash bonus after you make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business
No annual fee
1% cash back on all purchases
Designed for business owners with average credit
Student
Capital One offers a respectable student product that’s a good choice for a first card. With no annual fee and decent cash back, the card is a simple but effective option to help you learn the ropes of credit.
Typical benefits
Flat-rate rewards. Earn 1% cash back on all purchases. This increases to 1.25% each month you pay your card bill on time.
No annual fee. This is great news for students, who are often working with scarce dollars.
Chance for a higher credit line. Make your first five monthly payments on time, and Capital One will increase your credit line.
No foreign transaction fees. This makes your student card a solid choice if you’ll be studying abroad.
Capital One student cards
Card
Key benefits
Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One®
No annual fee
1% cash back on all purchases that grows to 1.25% each month you pay on time
Access a higher credit line after you make your first five monthly payments on time
Fair credit
With many issuers, you may be limited to secured cards if you don’t have at least a good credit score. Meanwhile, Capital One offers attractive options for someone with fair credit.
Three of these cards even offer rewards, which is quite a good deal for fair-credit products. And the Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One® is open to everyone — not just students.
Typical benefits
Apply with average credit. Capital One offers solid cards for customers with less-than-perfect credit.
Rewards. Only the Platinum Card doesn’t offer rewards. For Capital One’s other fair-credit products, you’ll earn 1% to 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
Low annual fees. Most of the cards have no annual fees. The Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card has a $39 annual fee.
Capital One fair-credit cards
Card
Key benefits
Capital One® Platinum Credit Card
No annual fee
Access a higher credit line after you make five monthly payments on time
Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card
1.5% cash back on all purchases
Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One®
No annual fee
1% cash back on all purchases that grows to 1.25% each month you pay on time
Access a higher credit line after you make your first five monthly payments on time
Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business
No annual fee
1% cash back on all purchases
Designed for business owners with average credit
Rebuilding credit
The Secured Mastercard made our list of 2020’s best credit cards in large part because of its unique security-deposit rules. To get a $200 credit line, you may be required to deposit just $49 or $99 depending on your creditworthiness. If you don’t qualify for these amounts, you can simply deposit $200 as you would with many other cards.
Typical benefits
No annual fee. Other secured cards might charge annual fees.
Apply with damaged credit. A secured card may offer your best approval odds, as you’ll need to put down a security deposit to become a cardholder.
Potentially low deposit. You could get a $200 credit line with a $49, $99 or $200 refundable deposit depending on your creditworthiness.
Path to a higher credit line. Make your first five monthly payments on time, and Capital One will increase your credit line.
Capital One rebuilding-credit cards
Card
Key benefits
Capital One® Secured Mastercard®
No annual fee
Security deposit of $49, $99 or $200 depending on creditworthiness
Access a higher credit line after you make your first five monthly payments on time
Business
The provider’s business cards continue the trend of solid but consistent rewards. Most of these products offer the same rewards rate on all purchases. The exception is the GM BuyPower Business Card from Capital One®, which offers different earnings depending on the category.
Typical benefits
Signup bonuses. The majority of Capital One’s business cards offer healthy signup bonuses. You won’t find a bonus with the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business or GM BuyPower Business Card from Capital One®.
Flat-rate rewards. Most products offer the same rewards rate on every purchase. The exception is the GM BuyPower Business Card from Capital One®, which offers different earnings depending on the category.
Light on annual fees. Cards that have annual fees waive these costs for the first year.
Capital One business credit cards
Card
Key benefits
Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business
2x miles on all purchases; 5x miles on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel
50,000 miles after you make $4,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
Capital One® Spark® Miles Select for Business
No annual fee
1.5x miles on all purchases
20,000 miles after you make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business
No annual fee for the first year, then $95
2% cash back on all purchases
$500 cash bonus after you make $4,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Capital One® Spark® Cash Select for Business
No annual fee
1.5% cash back on all purchases
$200 cash bonus after you make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business
No annual fee
1% cash back on all purchases
Designed for business owners with average credit
GM BuyPower Business Card from Capital One®
No annual fee
5% earnings on eligible GM purchases, 3% earnings at restaurants, gas stations and office supply stores and 1% on all other purchases
0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months, then 16.99% variable
Store
You’ll find a small assortment of cards for various companies, including Walmart, GM, Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops. For no annual fee, you can earn rewards for various categories of spending.
Typical benefits
No annual fee. None of Capital One’s store cards have annual fees.
Earnings on specified purchases. You’ll find a variety of rewards rates depending on the category. With some cards, rewards stretch as high as 5%.
No annual fee or first-year fee waived. Capital One’s cards are split between no-annual-fee products and cards that have a $95 annual fee that’s waived for the first year.
Rewards. Choose between cards that offer either cash back or miles. The only exception is the secured card, which doesn’t offer any rewards.
No foreign transaction fees.Capital One doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, even for non-travel cards. You might be surprised to find no foreign transaction fees for certain cards. For example, the Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card charges no foreign transaction fees, while similar cards usually do.
Signup bonus. Capital One signup bonuses generally have relatively low spending requirements.
Wide range of ongoing variable APRs. Before applying for a Capital One card, look closely at its purchase and balance transfer APRs. Interest rates vary widely between this provider’s products.
Excellent credit required for some cards. Many providers accept cardholders with good credit. For several of its cards, Capital One recommends applying with excellent credit.
Capital One used to allow you to combine two of their cards into one account. This was helpful, as Capital One only allows you to have two credit cards maximum. This feature has been discontinued, though Capital One claims this is only temporary, so keep an eye out the potential return of this feature.
If you earn cash back, you can redeem it for rewards that include:
Statement credit.
Cash rewards in the form of a check.
Gift cards.
If you earn miles, you can redeem them for rewards that include:
Statement credit for travel purchases.
Cash rewards in the form of a check.
Account credit.
Gift cards.
How can you redeem rewards?
To redeem rewards, log in to your credit card account on the Capital One website. Then navigate to the Redeem rewards page.
How much are rewards worth?
Capital One miles are worth 1 cent apiece, which is standard across the industry.
Alternatives to Capital One credit cards
You can get solid credit card options with other card providers. For example, you can choose a card from:
American Express. This provider has a wide selection of travel cards and cashback cards. It also offers a card with the highest cashback rate on groceries — Cash Blue Preferred.
Chase. Chase offers some of the best travel credit cards, which are part of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. You can also find cobranded hotel and airline cards, and decent cashback cards with no annual fee and a long 0% intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers.
Citi. Citi offers several travel credit cards with the ThankYou rewards program and several American Airlines cobranded cards. You’ll also find two cards with one of the longest intro APR periods on balance transfers — Citi Simplicity and Citi Diamond.
Bank of America. Bank of America’s selection has a variety of cards, including a solid cashback card with its student version, and travel cards in the form of general travel cards, cobranded airline and cruise line cards.
Barclaycard. Barclaycard’s most famous cards are cobranded cruise line cards, airline cards and homestay cards.
Capital One has an impressive stable of cards, including annual-fee and no-annual-fee options. Whether you’re looking to rebuild your credit, earn flat cash back or rack up travel rewards, it likely has a card to fit your unique situation.
If the card is Mastercard or Visa, yes — you can use your card wherever plastic is an accepted payment method.
Capital One’s store cards are typically Mastercard, but make sure you check before you apply if you want to use your card for purchases outside the store.
You might apply for a secured card if you’re having trouble getting approved for traditional credit cards due to a low credit score. Because you need to put down a security deposit to get a secured card, more providers will be willing to take you on as a customer. By consistently paying your card bill on time, you’ll slowly improve your credit.
If you’re in college, you might not have any credit. This makes it difficult to get a traditional credit card. Student cards are good options, as providers offer these specifically to customers new to credit. Though your credit limit will likely be low and your interest rate high, you’ll get the chance to build your credit history.
Kevin Joey Chen is a credit cards writer whose work and analysis have appeared on CNN, U.S. News & World Report, The Dallas Morning News, Lifehacker and CreditCards.com. He's passionate about helping you get your finances in order and expertly navigate the cutting-edge financial tools available -- including credit cards, apps and budgeting software.
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