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Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review: Flat-rate rewards for fair credit

Calling all consumers with fair credit: cash in on unlimited, low-maintenance rewards

 /  14 min
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Snapshot

4.0

Bankrate rating
Info
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Bottom line

Having a fair credit score doesn’t have to leave you out of the running for the chance to earn rewards. Though you’ll have to cover a small annual fee for the Capital One QuicksilverOne, your fair credit score can still get you a low-hassle flat rewards rate and a few key cardholder perks.

Best for flat-rate cash back
  • Cost of membership
    Rating: 4 stars out of 5
    4 / 5
    Ease of building credit
    Rating: 3 stars out of 5
    3 / 5
    APR
    Rating: 2 stars out of 5
    2 / 5
    Features
    Rating: 5 stars out of 5
    5 / 5
Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info
Recommended Credit

N/A

Intro offer

Info

1.5% - 5%

Rewards rate

Info

Annual fee

Regular APR

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card Overview

With responsible use, Capital One QuicksilverOne credit cardholders may improve their credit scores while earning rewards along the way. It’s one of the few cards available to people with fair credit that also earns cash back rewards on every purchase.

However, as a card for fair credit, the QuicksilverOne card’s utility as a credit building tool is more important than its rewards potential. Fortunately, the card is a solid option for credit-builders. Cardholders are automatically considered for a higher line of credit in as few as six months with on-time payments, which could make it easier to keep credit utilization in check. You also won’t have to worry about putting up a security deposit, making this a more accessible credit-building option than many secured cards.

Other Capital One features, like no foreign transaction fees, emergency card replacement and $0 fraud liability for unauthorized charges also add some peace of mind to new or wary cardholders. (See Rates & Fees)

  • Credit Card Cash Back

    Rewards

    • Unlimited 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases
    • Unlimited 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply)

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis

  • Credit Card Search

    Rates and fees

    • $39 annual fee
    • No foreign transaction fee
    • 30.74 percent ongoing variable APR
    • (See Rates & Fees)

    Expert Appraisal: Typical
    See our expert analysis

  • Credit Fair

    Credit-building features

    • No security deposit required
    • Access to your credit score, credit profile and credit-building tools via CreditWise
    • In six months, Capital One may automatically consider cardholders for a higher line of credit as long as they make on-time payments

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis

  • Congrats

    Other cardholder perks

    • Fraud coverage: You're covered by $0 fraud liability for unauthorized charges if your card is ever lost or stolen
    • Emergency card services: If your credit card is lost or stolen, you can get an emergency card replacement and a cash advance, subject to available credit
    • Mastercard ID Theft Protection™: Available to help should you become the victim of identity theft

    Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
    See our expert analysis

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card pros and cons

Pros

  • Checkmark

    Cardholders can potentially qualify for a higher line of credit within six months with on-time payments, a great incentive for keeping up with good credit habits.

  • Checkmark

    You can earn automatic cash back on all purchases without spending caps or rotating bonus categories.

  • Checkmark

    There are no foreign transaction fees, making the card a great companion when making international purchases.

Cons

  • You’ll have to spend at least $2,600 per year to offset the card’s annual fee via the card’s 1.5 percent cash back rate.

  • There’s no welcome offer or intro APR for purchases or balance transfers.

  • The perks don’t stand out compared to other cash reward cards.

Why you might want the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card

The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card offers the great benefit of allowing cardholders to earn rewards at an adequate rate, along with a few varied redemption options as well.

Rewards: Flat-rate cash back for fair credit cardholders

The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card earns cash back at a flat 1.5 percent rate. You’ll also earn 5 percent cash back on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

Unlike most other cards available with fair credit, the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards card offers cash back on every purchase you make. Although your focus should be on building credit, not earning rewards, the card’s flat rate should make it easy to earn cash back on everyday purchases you’d need to make regardless, like groceries and gas. These rewards can offset the card’s annual fee and help you save a bit of money while you build credit.

Compared to the rewards you’ll typically earn with a credit-building card, this flat-rate is fairly good, especially if you value simplicity. A 1.5 percent cash back rate also competes with the rates on some of the top flat-rate cash back cards for good credit. Although the standard flat rate on unsecured cards is 2 percent back, 1.5 percent back is the best flat rate you can get without a good credit score.

Redemption: Flexible choices

You can redeem cash back rewards in the form of a check or applied as a statement credit, though you can’t use statement credits to meet minimum payment obligations. However, you can apply your cash back rewards to cover a recent purchase.

While redemption values may vary, you can also redeem cash back for gift cards. These options are similar to those you’ll find on other cash back cards and are flexible enough that most people should be able to find a useful way to redeem their rewards.

Credit-building: Offers a credit limit increase within a short timeframe

Since the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card is for fair credit cardholders, it has a few key benefits that will help build credit. Capital One reports your credit card usage to all three major credit reporting bureaus, so with responsible use, cardholders will be able to improve their credit score. 

However, the QuicksilverOne’s biggest credit building feature is that in six months, Capital One may automatically consider cardholders for a higher line of credit with on-time payments.

There aren’t many cards, fair credit or not, that offer credit limit increases, especially one within six months, so this card definitely has an edge over most cards and their credit-building features. Along with CreditWise, which is a free Capital One tool that allows you access to your credit score and tools to help monitor your credit profile, you have the necessary perks to boost your standing.

Why you might want a different cash back card for fair credit

Despite the fact that you can earn flat-rate rewards on every purchase, there could be a few features about this card that may dissuade you, such as the lack of a sign-up offer and perks, as well as the various fees.

Welcome offer: Doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus

Unfortunately, there’s no welcome offer or sign-up bonus with this card. This isn’t unusual for cards available at this credit level, but there are some exceptions. If earning a welcome bonus is an important feature for choosing a rewards card, then this card may not be the best choice.

Perks: Few benefits for a cash back card

In addition to the straightforward cash back rewards and basic security features with this card, Capital One only provides cardholders with a disappointingly narrow list of benefits that are supposed to help you build your credit and make the card feel a bit more like a premium rewards card.

  • Travel benefits: This card has no foreign transaction fees, so you won’t pay a fee when making purchases outside of the United States. This is a nice addition on a card for fair credit, especially one that isn’t designated as a travel card. You also have access to Capital One Travel, where you can book travel at a lower or discounted rate. (See Rates & Fees)
  • Food membership benefits: Cardholders can receive up to six months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits (until Nov. 14, 2024). Uber One offers unlimited a $0 delivery fee on orders, discounts with eligible merchants and exclusive member pricing.

Although the Uber One membership benefit is a nice perk, it is only available for a limited time, so unless Capital One introduces something similar to replace it, its normal lineup of perks will fall short of competing with other cash reward cards. But this is the cost of having a cash rewards card for fair credit. Since it’s primarily for fair credit cardholders, the travel and reward features will be inferior to those of most top-tier rewards cards.

Fees: Charges an annual fee, and a plethora of others

The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card charges a $39 annual fee. This may be a big downside, as there are other fair credit cards that don’t have an annual fee. But if you’re in the fair credit range and want to earn rewards while you build your credit score, you may be able to justify this fee since you can offset it with rewards.

Based on the card’s 1.5 percent cash back rate, you’ll only need to spend $2,600 per year to earn enough cash back to offset its annual fee, but if you don’t plan on spending this much when using the card, then it may be better to consider another card.

Besides the annual fee, the APR for purchases, transfers and cash advances is 30.74 percent (variable). This APR is high compared to the current average credit card interest rate, even for cards geared toward people with fair credit. Plus, for a cash advance with Capital One, the fee is either 5 percent of the amount of the cash advance but not less than $5 (whatever’s greater) and late payment fees are up to $40. The cash advance cost is quite common, but with some fair credit cards, you may avoid the first late payment fee.

(See Rates & Fees)

How the QuickSilverOne compares to other cards for fair credit

Most of the best cash back credit cards require a good to excellent credit score, which makes the barrier to entry on credit card rewards pretty steep for some cardholders. The Capital One QuicksilverOne is a solid option for folks with fair credit that makes earning cash back a reality. However, a couple other comparable cards are worth calling out.

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

Annual fee

$39

Intro offer

N/A

Rewards rate

1.5% - 5%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info
Image of Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®
Bankrate Score
See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply
Apply now Lock
on Upgrade's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

$200
Info

Rewards rate

1.5%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info
Image of Mission Lane Cash Back Visa® Credit Card

Mission Lane Cash Back Visa® Credit Card

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

N/A

Rewards rate

1-1.5% Cash Back
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info

Best cards to pair with Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card

Instead of applying for multiple cards to maximize rewards, it may be worth focusing on building credit with the QuicksilverOne so you can qualify for more valuable cash back cards later on. While a chance to earn rewards is tempting, you should always prioritize building credit.

That said, the QuicksilverOne may leave a few gaps in your card strategy, so pairing it with a card that can fill those gaps could be worthwhile.

Who is the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Card right for?

The Capital One QuickSilverOne Card may be a good choice for some, but it won’t be the best choice for everyone, specifically those who aren’t looking to boost their credit standing.

Bankrate’s Take — Is Capital One QuicksilverOne worth it?

The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is a fantastic choice if you have fair or limited credit. There aren’t many rewards credit cards available in this credit score range, so you can use this card to both build your credit and get cash back on all your purchases. But if you qualify for a no-annual-fee credit card or are willing to trade in rewards to focus on building your credit and getting access to better cards down the road, you may be better off exploring other, more affordable options.

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

*Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®: Earn a $200 bonus after you open & fund a Rewards Checking Plus account & make 3 debit card transactions within 60 days. If you previously opened a checking account through Upgrade or do not do so as part of this process, you are not eligible. Payout made within 60 days of meeting the conditions.

How we rated this card

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Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring credit cards for people building credit, including each card’s cost, APR, credit-building tools and more.

We analyzed over 50 of the most popular cards designed for people with no credit history, bad credit or a fair credit score and scored each based on where its key features stood in relation to others in its category. 

Here are some of the key factors that gave this card its score: 

Frequently asked questions

Written by
Re'Dreyona Walker
Associate Editor, Credit Cards

Re’Dreyona Walker is an editor for Bankrate and CreditCards.com, focusing on product guides and reviews. As a personal finance expert, she is dedicated to providing honest product reviews as well as in-depth, comprehensive guides to assist readers in building credit and finding the best credit cards for their needs.

Edited by Senior Editor, Credit Cards

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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.