Best Capital One credit cards for January 2023

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards: Best for simple cash back

• What we love about the Capital One Quicksilver: It’s a simple cash back card with no annual fee that earns at least an unlimited 1.5 percent back on all purchases.
• Who this card is good for: Cash back beginners. If you’re considering getting a rewards card, this is a great entry point to test the waters of cash back credit cards.
• Alternatives: The Citi® Double Cash card earns a little bit more cash back (1 percent when you use the card and 1 percent as you pay your bill) without an annual fee as well. If you’re a disciplined credit user who always pays their bill, this card could prove more rewarding. 

Read our Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card review.
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Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for dining and entertainment with no annual fee

• What we love about the SavorOne card: It has alluring rewards rates on dining and grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target), along with select streaming services, making it an easy way to earn on food and your favorite TV shows.
• Who this card is good for: Homebody foodies and social butterflies. The 3 percent back on its food-related categories make it a lucrative card for both outgoing people and couch potatoes.
• Alternatives: If you’re a foodie who also loves traveling, then the American Express® Gold Card offers rewards on categories that you probably spend the most in. Just watch out for its annual fee.

Read our Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review.
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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Best for travel rewards

• What we love about the Venture Rewards card: Capital One’s transfer partners and this comparatively low annual fee make it a solid first choice for earning miles on everyday purchases. Plus, you can get statement credits for travel-related purchases made in the previous 90 days.
• Who this card is good for: Casual travelers — its 2X miles on everyday purchases in addition to its 5X miles on hotels and cars booked through Capital One Travel is just enough to fund the occasional trip.
• Alternatives: The Venture Rewards' direct competitor, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, offers similar rewards rates, annual fee and sign-up bonus, but higher points value when booking through the issuer’s travel portal. Choosing between the two will come down to comparing the issuers’ travel partners.

Read our Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review.
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Capital One Platinum Credit Card: Best for limited credit history

• What we love about the Capital One Platinum: It has a relatively low recommended credit score requirement of 580 to 740 and you'll get an automatic credit line increase review after six months.
• Who this card is good for: The serious credit-builder who wants to improve their score with responsible use and healthy financial habits.
• Alternatives: If you want to earn modest rewards while you build credit, the Discover it® Secured Credit Card offers modest cash back and a path to upgrade to an unsecured card after demonstrating responsible credit use.

Read our Capital One Platinum Credit Card review.
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Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: Best for no annual fee travel rewards

• What we love about the VentureOne Rewards card: This card comes with an attainable sign-up bonus (20,000 bonus miles if you spend $500 within the first three months) plus a simple, low-cost way to earn miles on everyday purchases for no annual fee.
• Who this card is good for: The budget traveler who wants a no annual fee travel rewards card to start earning miles.
• Alternatives: Any of Capital One’s other travel rewards cards earn higher rewards rates, at the cost of an annual fee. If you don’t mind the cost of carrying one of the issuer’s other travel cards, you will definitely find more value in them.

Read our Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card review.
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Capital One Spark Cash Plus: Best for small businesses

• What we love about the Spark Cash Plus: Earning a flat 2 percent back on all purchases makes for consistent rewards on business expenses, so we love that it’s a no-hassle business card.
• Who this card is good for: Small-business owners looking to earn high cash back rewards without keeping track of bonus or rotating categories.
• Alternatives: The Spark Cash Plus is a solid choice, but there are business cards available that tout no annual fees with similar rewards rates like the Bank of America® Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card.

Read our Capital One Spark Cash Plus Review..
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Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for fair credit

• What we love about the QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards card: It’s an entry for people with fair credit to earn rewards without shelling out a super-high annual fee or turning to a secured credit card. Plus, cardholders are automatically considered for a higher line of credit in as few as six months with on-time payments.
• Who this card is good for: People with fair credit who want to improve their score while earning modest rewards.
• Alternatives: While the QuicksilverOne is worth it if you have fair credit, you might be able to qualify for rewards with no annual fee if your score is on the cusp of good credit. We recommend its upgrade to the Quicksilver, which has the same rewards rate but with no annual fee.

Read our Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review.
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Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best overall card for students

• What we love about the Quicksilver Student: Its 1.5 percent flat-rate cash back on all purchases and 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply) is a rarity for student cards. You can also earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months.
• Who this card is good for: Students who want to earn substantial cash back rewards right away without too much hassle.
• Alternatives: There aren’t many comparable student cards, but if you’re a student that can handle rotating and bonus categories, the Discover it® Student Cash Back and SavorOne Student Cash Rewards cards will serve you well.

Read our Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card review.
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Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Best for premium travel benefits

• What we love about the Venture X card: Compared to other luxury travel cards, its lower annual fee makes it an affordable way to earn premium benefits and rewards on par with industry leaders.
• Who this card is good for: Luxury travelers who want to ball on a budget.
• Alternatives: It’s hard to find a true alternative to the Venture X, but if you really don’t want to cough up hundreds of dollars for the annual fee, then consider cards with low or no annual fees like Capital One’s other Venture travel rewards credit cards.

Read our Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card review.
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Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card: Best for bad credit

• What we love about the Capital One Platinum Secured: It has a pretty low security deposit, even among secured credit cards, starting as low as $49. This factor makes it easier for people with little funds to start building credit.
• Who this card is good for: Anyone who wants to start their credit-building journey and needs a low barrier of entry to do so.
• Alternatives: If you can put down at least a $200 security deposit, the Citi® Secured Mastercard® might be a better choice because of its lower ongoing APR (26.74 percent variable). On the other hand, the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card has an even lower APR (14.24 percent variable) with the same security deposit requirements.

Read our Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card review.
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Capital One Spark Miles for Business: Best for business travel rewards

• What we love about the Spark Miles for Business: The unlimited 2X miles earning rate on all purchases can help businesses reap rewards on their spending and employee spending. In addition this card earns 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Plus, Capital One’s list of travel partners boost the value of miles.
• Who this card is good for: Business owners and their employees who travel occasionally for work.
• Alternatives: For no annual fee, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express offers a similar rewards rate, but a $50,000 cap on 2X points, then 1X points. If your business spends less than that, then it’s a worthy and cheaper alternative.

Read our Capital One Spark Miles for Business review.
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Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for on-the-go-students

• What we love about the SavorOne Student: This student card offers exciting rewards rates on categories that students typically spend in — dining, streaming, grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target) and entertainment. You can also earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months.
• Who this card is good for: Independent students with the income to spend meaningfully in the boosted categories to take full advantage of the cash back rate.
• Alternatives: Targeted spending can be difficult in the schedule of a busy student. A card like the Chase Freedom® Student credit card, that rewards all purchases with 1 percent cash back and $20 Good Standing award every account anniversary for five years is a solid alternative.

Read our Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card Review.
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Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best secured card for flat-rate rewards

• What we love about the Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards: The fact that you can build credit and earn some rewards for no annual fee makes this card loveable.
• Who this card is good for: People with bad, thin or no credit who can’t qualify for non-secured rewards credit cards.
• Alternatives: The flat 1.5 percent cash rewards on a secured card is hard to beat, but the Discover it® Secured Credit Card may prove a worthy competitor. Its 2 percent back at gas stations and restaurants (on up to $1,000 per quarter, then 1 percent) are key earning categories that edge out the Quicksilver Secured.

Read our Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card review.
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Journey Student Rewards from Capital One: Best for responsible students

• What we love about the Journey Student Rewards: This card instills responsible credit usage in students by rewarding a 0.25 percent cash back increase for every month they pay their bill on time — that’s an unlimited 1.25 percent in potential cash back.
• Who this card is good for: Responsible students who always pay their bill on time.
• Alternatives: There are other student cash rewards cards on the market that earn higher rates, like the SavorOne Student. However, the Journey Student card is fantastic for establishing and rewarding responsible credit card use.

Read our Journey Student Rewards from Capital One review.
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All information about the citi® secured mastercard® has been collected independently by Bankrate.com and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.

Capital One is a full-service bank that offers personal loans, checking and savings accounts, mortgages and credit cards. Established in 1994, it’s one of the relatively younger financial companies, but offers industry-leading products and credit cards.

Source: Capital One Corporate Information

Capital One offers a variety of credit cards spanning multiple categories. Here are just a few types of credit cards that Capital One offers.

Cash back credit cards

Capital One’s cash back credit cards carry lucrative earning rates in an array of categories, including dining, hotels, travel and everyday purchases. There’s a Capital One cash back card for everyone, including foodies, jetsetters and no-frills cash back enthusiasts.

Editor’s choice: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Travel credit cards

With its family of Venture cards, Capital One gives travelers ways to earn and fund their next trip. Most notably, the relatively new Venture X card has many travel perks and benefits that luxury travel cards carry, but with a much lower annual fee. Plus, Capital One’s list of travel partners can provide more value to your points when you transfer them.

Editor’s choice: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Credit-building credit cards

Capital One’s best credit cards include a lineup of cards built specifically for people with little to no credit. Its Platinum and secured cards offer multiple ways to establish and build credit, some even carrying a rewards-earning structure.

Editor’s choice: Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

Capital One offers two types of credit card rewards: cash back and miles. All of Capital One’s cash back credit cards earn a percentage of cash back on purchases, based on the category and card. For example, the SavorOne Cash Rewards card earns 8 percent Capital One Entertainment purchases as cash back. So $100 in purchases in this category would net $8 back that you can redeem at any time.

On the other hand, Capital One’s suite of Venture cards earn miles that you can use toward a future trip. The consumer-class Capital One cards that earn miles include:

• Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Venture Rewards Credit Card
• VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Once you have a stockpile of Capital One miles saved up, you can redeem them through your Capital One account in a few ways:

• Book travel through the Capital One Travel portal
• Transfer miles to a travel partner
• Get cash back as a statement credit or a check
• Get gift cards for a variety of brands
• Buy event tickets through the Capital One Entertainment portal
• Pay for purchases through PayPal or on Amazon

While you have several options for redeeming Capital One miles, you’ll generally get the most value by transferring them to a travel partner, with most miles transferring at a 1:1 rate.

According to our latest points and miles valuation, Capital One miles are worth an average of 2 cents per mile if you transfer your miles to high-value transfer partners. This means that 100,000 Capital One miles could be worth $2,000.

Let’s break down Capital One’s travel cards, the Venture, VentureOne and Venture X, using a few examples:

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

If you’re looking to earn travel rewards on your everyday expenses, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a good match. You’ll earn a flat 2X miles on every purchase. This card comes with 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. There is a $95 annual fee.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is the younger sibling to the Venture card. It offers no annual fee and a lesser rewards rate of 1.25X miles per purchase.

If you’re just getting into the travel rewards game, this is a great starter card. There’s also a small bonus of 20,000 miles when you spend $500 within your first 3 months of account opening, which is worth at least $200 in travel if you book through Capital One Travel.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Venture X Rewards card is a relatively new mid-tier luxury travel card that earns unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel and unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases. These higher earning rates do come with an annual fee of $395, but that’s actually less than other luxury travel cards’ fees.

Capital One cards are certainly worth it. If you value cash back or high-earning travel cards, then there’s something from Capital One for you. Its lineup of travel credit cards rival those from American Express and Chase while costing less in annual fees. Furthermore, its cash back dining card, the SavorOne Cash Rewards card, offers lucrative cash back at grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target) as well as at restaurants and on take out. If your spending fits into any of Capital One’s bonus categories in cash back or on travel, then it's certainly worth your time.

So, you’ve decided you want a Capital One credit card. Here’s the process of applying for and getting a Capital One card:

1. Check your credit score. As with any card issuer, there are credit score requirements for each product. If you have at least a fair credit score (580 and above), there are several cards to choose from. However, having excellent credit over 800 will give you the pick of the lot.
2. Look at prequalification. Capital One has a prequalification tool that lets you see which of its cards you might best qualify for. You can also use Bankrate’s CardMatch™ to get personalized offers.
3. Fill out the application. Once you’ve chosen the best Capital One card for you, head to the issuer’s site and start the application process. You need to provide your name, date of birth, address, Social Security number, estimated income and your checking or savings account information.
4. Get your decision. You’ll know quickly whether you’ve been approved or denied for the credit card. If you’re denied, Capital One is required by law to send you a letter explaining why.

Have more questions for our credit cards editors? Feel free to send us an email, find us on Facebook, or Tweet us @Bankrate.