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Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card review: A passable flat-rate cash back card

For no annual fee, you get what you expect: a mid-level cash back card.

 /  14 min
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At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for and how we rate our cards. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

Snapshot

3.8

Bankrate rating
Info
Rating: 3.8 stars out of 5

Bottom line

This card earns unlimited flat-rate rewards and comes with a generous intro APR, making it a decent starter option. But its rewards rate pales in comparison to the rate you’ll find on the best flat-rate cash back cards.

Info
Best for simplicity
Apply now Lock
on Capital One's secure site
  • Rewards value
    Rating: 2.3 stars out of 5
    2.3 / 5
    APR
    Rating: 1 stars out of 5
    1 / 5
    Rewards flexibility
    Rating: 5 stars out of 5
    5 / 5
    Features
    Rating: 3 stars out of 5
    3 / 5
Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
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Recommended Credit
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Intro offer

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1.5% - 5%

Rewards rate

Info

Annual fee

Regular APR

Capital One Quicksilver Card overview

The Capital One Quicksilver card is a mainstay among flat-rate rewards cards. It earns cash back on all purchases, features a generous intro APR offer and charges no annual or foreign transaction fees, making it a decent option for any budget. This Capital One credit card or any other flat-rate cash back card could be an especially good fit if you want a supplemental rewards card or don’t spend heavily in common credit card bonus categories (See Rates & Fees).

That said, a flat 1.5 percent rewards rate falls short of the rate you can find on some of the best flat-rate rewards cards, which offer 2 percent back on all purchases. Unless you plan to pool rewards with other Capital One cards, the Quicksilver may not offer the best value.

  • Credit Card Cash Back

    Rewards

    • 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
    • 1.5 percent cash back on every purchase, every day

    Expert Appraisal: Typical
    See our expert analysis

  • Rewards

    Welcome offer

    • Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within three months from account opening

    Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
    See our expert analysis

  • Credit Card Apr

    0% APR offer

    • 0 percent intro APR on purchases for the first 15 months
    • 0 percent intro APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months
    • 19.99 percent to 29.99 percent variable ongoing APR
    • (See Rates & Fees)

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis

  • Credit Card Search

    Rates and fees

    • Annual fee: None
    • APR: 19.99 percent to 29.99 percent variable
    • Balance transfer fee: 3 percent for the first 15 months; 4 percent at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time.
    • Cash advance fee: 5 percent of the amount of the cash advance, but not less than $5
    • Late payment fee: Up to $40
    • Foreign transaction fee: None
    • (See Rates & Fees)

    Expert Appraisal: Typical
    See our expert analysis

  • Congrats

    Other cardholder perks

    • Master RoadAssist® Service*
    • Complimentary Concierge Services

    Expert Appraisal: Typical

Capital One Quicksilver Card pros and cons

Pros

  • Checkmark

    The card's low cost makes this an accessible card for any budget.

  • Checkmark

    It has a fairly long introductory APR offer on purchases and balance transfers.

  • Checkmark

    You can access solid travel and shopping protections through Mastercard.

Cons

  • Your ongoing APR could be higher than competing cards’ interest rates.

  • There are cards with cheaper balance transfer fees.

  • The card offers very few perks outside of basic issuer benefits.

Why you might want the Capital One Quicksilver card

The Quicksilver card is a solid flat-rate cash back card for cardholders who value simplicity, minimal fees and low-maintenance rewards. If you’re looking for an attainable sign-up bonus or an intro APR to chip away at debt or finance new purchases, take a look at what this card can offer.

Welcome offer: Generous, easy-to-earn bonus

That’s not only on par with the bonus value you’ll find on several other cash back cards, but it’s among the easiest welcome offers to earn. A $500 spending requirement within a three month window is one of the lowest you’ll find on a no-annual-fee rewards card. While you can find welcome offers valued higher than $200, these offers come on cards that typically have annual fees and higher spending requirements.

Several flat-rate cards have welcome offers valued at roughly the same amount, but they have higher spending requirements. These higher spending amounts might put the respective bonus out of reach for savvy spenders who are working within a budget. Meanwhile, the Quicksilver card’s combination of flat-rate rewards, no annual fee and an attainable welcome offer make the card a good choice for fast, simple rewards that won’t stretch your spending. (See Rates & Fees)

Fees: Skip costs that can add up

The Quicksilver card doesn’t charge an annual fee, making it a solid option if you want to keep things simple and would rather not focus on offsetting card costs via rewards and perks. 

The card also carries no foreign transaction fees, so it could come in handy as a travel companion. This detail is especially noteworthy considering plenty of no-annual-fee rewards cards charge at least 3 percent in fees for every international purchase. 

If you’ve recently boosted your credit score up from the “fair” range and want a card for good credit, the Quicksilver card’s low fees should be a welcome sight and make it a good option if you need an easy-to-manage starter rewards card (See Rates & Fees)

Intro APR: Solid offer on both purchases and balance transfers

Along with a generous welcome bonus, the Quicksilver comes with a solid introductory APR on both new purchases and balance transfers. And these offers are on par with the intro offers on the best intro APR cards.

An intro APR period of 15 months is about average for a no-annual-fee rewards card, but some competitors only offer an intro APR on either new purchases or balance transfers — not both. The Citi Double Cash® Card, for example, only offers an intro APR on balance transfers, not on new purchases. Excluding balance transfer intro APRs can make it hard to take advantage of a card’s rewards rate if you’re paying off debt.

Although the Quicksilver card’s intro APR period is shorter than the intro APR periods you’ll find on many dedicated balance transfer cards, the Quicksilver only charges a 3 percent balance transfer fee (for balances transferred during the first 15 months). Many of the best balance transfer cards charge a 5 percent balance transfer fee, which could end up costing you more than you’d save with a few extra months of 0 percent APR (See Rates & Fees).

Redemption: Ultra-simple rewards program

The Quicksilver is one of the most straightforward types of rewards cards available. 

You’ll earn cash back at the same flat rate on all purchases and you can redeem rewards as a check, a statement credit or to cover recent transactions. You can also use cash back for gift cards and online purchases at checkout on Amazon.com and PayPal. Or, if you have a Capital One travel card like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you can even turn your cash back into points at a 1:1 ratio and redeem for travel bookings.

Your Quicksilver rewards also hold a reliable value of 1 cent each, regardless of how you redeem them. Several competing  rewards cards earn points that offer a higher or lower redemption value depending on how you redeem them (for example, many cards offer lower redemption value when you opt for gift cards or merchandise). With the Quicksilver, you won’t have to worry about maximizing redemptions.

You also won’t need to track your rewards balance because you can set up automatic cash back redemptions at the same time each year or at a specific cash value.

Why you might want a different cash back card

The Quicksilver card may be a solid choice if you want a simple, no-annual-fee rewards card or recently moved your credit score into the “good” range. However, it doesn’t have the best flat cash back rate available at this credit level and fails to deliver on tertiary perks that bring additional value (See Rates & Fees).

Rewards: Relatively low rate for a card in this class

The Quicksilver card’s flat cash back rate beats out the flat rates issuers offer on most tiered rewards cards. 

While a 0.5-percent higher rate may not seem like much, it can make a big difference in the long run. For example, if you spend $15,000 on general purchases per year for three years with a card that earns a flat 2 percent cash back, you’ll get $900 in rewards; setting aside the sign-up bonus, the Quicksilver would only earn $675 on that spend.

You may also earn more overall if you opt for a card that carries a higher rewards rate in the spending categories you spend the most in.

For example, if you spent $300 per month on groceries and $500 per month on general purchases, a card with a 3-percent grocery rewards rate and a 1-percent base rate would net you more cash back per year than the Quicksilver would via a flat 1.5 percent rewards rate ($168 versus $144).

Perks: Only a few noteworthy benefits

This card’s most noteworthy perks are related to Uber rideshare and food delivery. You can get up to six months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through Nov. 14, 2024 with your Quicksilver card. 

Uber One comes with unlimited $0 delivery fees on eligible food, groceries and more on Uber Eats, up to 10 percent off eligible Uber Eats orders and other Uber perks like member pricing and top-rated drivers.

If you order food for delivery or take rideshares often, this perk could be a valuable addition that will help you save not only the $9.99-per-month Uber One membership cost for six months, but potentially hundreds in other delivery and service fees.

Otherwise, the Quicksilver card features mostly minor perks you can find on other cards. Although you won’t have to worry about offsetting an annual fee via perks and rewards with this card, extra benefits could help make it more competitive with no-annual-fee cards that carry a higher flat rewards rate. For instance, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card comes with up to $1,200 per year in cellphone protection against damage or theft (across two potential claims, minus a $25 deductible) when you pay your cellphone bill with the card. While cellphone protection isn’t necessarily a considerable benefit that brings outstanding value to your card, it adds an extra layer of protection that could help you save money in an uncontrollable circumstance, like damage or theft.

First-year card value vs. ongoing value

Since the Quicksilver offers few perks, you’ll get the most long-term value out of the card’s ongoing rewards. However, since there’s no annual fee, you won’t have to worry about meeting a certain threshold in reward earnings to justify carrying the card (See Rates & Fees).

Here’s a look at the sort of value you can expect to get in your first year and beyond with the Quicksilver card, based on our card value rating methodology, which assumes an annual spend of $20,500:

Benefits and costs First-year value Ongoing value (no welcome offers)
Yearly rewards +$307.50 +$307.50
Welcome offers +$200 (after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months)
Perks (of monetary value) ~$60 (six months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through Nov. 14, 2024  N/A
Annual fee $0 (See Rates & Fees) $0
Total value $567.50 $307.50

We tried it: Here’s what our experts say

Bankrate credit cards editor Re’Dreyona Walker uses the Quicksilver Cash Rewards card for its flat-rate rewards and convenient virtual card numbers:

“My favorite features of this card are the flat-rate rewards on every purchase and the virtual card number, which is great for making quick and safe online purchases. I like that I don’t have to track tiered rewards like I do with my other rewards cards. The welcome bonus was also easy to earn, and the application was also short and painless.”

— Re’Dreyona Walker, Editor at Bankrate

How the Capital One Quicksilver card compares to other cash back cards

The Quicksilver card’s 1.5-percent flat cash back rate is decent compared to the average rate on general purchases across all credit cards, but it falls short of the rate you’ll find on the most competitive options. The card’s APR may also be too high for some cardholders. 

If you want a card with lower interest, higher rewards rates or more perks, consider these alternatives:

Image of Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
Bankrate Score
See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply
Apply now Lock
on Capital One's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

$200
Info

Rewards rate

1.5% - 5%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Image of Citi Double Cash® Card
Bankrate Score
See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply
Apply now Lock
on Citi's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

$200 cash back
Info

Rewards rate

1% - 5%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info
Image of Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Bankrate Score
Apply now Lock
on Chase's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

Up to $300 cash back
Info

Rewards rate

1.5% - 5%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info

Best cards to pair with the Capital One Quicksilver

Flat-rate cards make it easy to earn rewards on all of your everyday spending, but you can enjoy higher rewards rates in specific spending categories with other cards. Overall, you could get more value from a card strategy where you pair your Quicksilver card with a card tailored to your spending habits. 

Consider these popular options:

Who is the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards card right for?

You might find the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card a solid addition to your wallet if the following persona sounds like you. 

Bankrate’s Take — Is the Capital One Quicksilver worth it?

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is a popular choice among cardholders who want a straightforward cash back card that earns rewards on all purchases. Other than the possible interest charges you’ll accrue from carrying a balance, there are no annual fee or bonus categories to worry about. Capital One can even automate the redemption process (See Rates & Fees).

But if you don’t mind tracking a bonus category or two, you might be able to rack up more cash back and receive specialized benefits on a different cash back card.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply

How we rated this card

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We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.

Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest).

We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:

Frequently asked questions

Written by
Garrett Yarbrough
Writer, Credit Cards

Bankrate expert Garrett Yarbrough strives to make navigating credit cards and credit building smooth sailing for his readers. After regularly featuring his credit card, credit monitoring and identity theft analysis on NextAdvisor.com, he joined the CreditCards.com and Bankrate teams as a staff writer to develop product reviews and comprehensive credit card guides focused on cash back, credit scores and card offers.

Edited by Senior Editor, Credit Cards
Reviewed by Former Reporter, Credit Cards

* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.