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Best Capital One credit cards for June 2023

Updated May 30, 2023

Capital One offers an impressive lineup of credit cards for a variety of financial needs, including cash back, travel, business and credit-building. If you do most of your banking online, then you’ll enjoy the digital account management that Capital One credit cards offer. Here’s a look at the best cards available from our credit card partner Capital One.

Image of Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
Apply now Lock
on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 3.8 stars out of 5
3.8 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

Info

Annual fee

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Info
Image of Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Best for dining and entertainment with no annual fee

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

chance of approval
Info
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on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5
4.9 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

Info

Annual fee

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
chance of approval
Info
Info
Image of Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
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on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5
4.9 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

Info

Annual fee

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Image of Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Best for no annual fee travel rewards

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

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on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 4.1 stars out of 5
4.1 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

Info

Annual fee

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Image of Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

BEST FOR PREMIUM TRAVEL BENEFITS

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

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on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5.0 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

Info

Annual fee

Recommended credit

Excellent (740 – 850)
Info
Image of Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Best for business travel rewards

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

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on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5
4.3 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

Info

Annual fee

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Image of Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Best for small businesses

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

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on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
4.7 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

Info

Annual fee

Recommended credit

Excellent (740 – 850)
Info
Info
Image of Capital One Platinum Credit Card

Best for people with limited credit history

Capital One Platinum Credit Card

chance of approval
Info
Apply now Lock
on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 4.2 stars out of 5
4.2 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

N/A

Annual fee

Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info
chance of approval
Info
Info
Image of Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

Best for consumers with bad credit

Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

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on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 4.1 stars out of 5
4.1 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

N/A

Annual fee

Recommended credit

No Credit History
Info
Image of Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
Apply now Lock
on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5
4.6 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

Info

Annual fee

Recommended credit

Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info
Image of Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
Apply now Lock
on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5
4.6
Info

Intro offer

Info

Annual fee

Recommended credit

Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info
Image of Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Apply now Lock
on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 4.1 stars out of 5
4.1 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

N/A

Annual fee

Recommended credit

Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info
Image of Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card

BEST SECURED CARD FOR FLAT-RATE REWARDS

Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card

Apply now Lock
on Capital One's secure site
Rating: 3.9 stars out of 5
3.9 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

N/A

Annual fee

Recommended credit

No Credit History
Info
On This Page

Compare our top picks for Capital One credit cards

Card Name Best for Bankrate Review Score
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card Simple cash back 3.8 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card Dining and entertainment with no annual fee 4.9 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Travel rewards 4.9 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card No annual fee travel rewards 4.7 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Premium travel rewards 5.0 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One Spark Miles for Business Travel business card 4.3 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One Spark Cash Plus Small businesses 4.7 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One Platinum Credit Card Limited credit history 4.3 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card Consumers with bad credit 4.2 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card Best flat-rate cash back for students 4.6 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card Best overall for students 4.6 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card Fair credit 4.1 / 5
(Read full card review)
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card Secured card for flat-rate rewards 3.9 / 5
(Read full card review)
Journey Student Rewards from Capital One Responsible students 3.0 / 5
(Read full card review)

A closer look at our best Capital One credit cards

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 one 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) while still skipping the annual fee. 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.
Jump back to offer details.

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, 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: Homebodies, foodies and social butterflies. Its elevated cash back on its food-related categories make it a lucrative card, regardless of if you prefer a night out or in.
  • 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.
Jump back to offer details.

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. 
  • 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, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, offers similar rewards rates, the same annual fee and an attractive sign-up bonus. However, the higher points value when booking through the issuer’s travel portal may help the Sapphire Preferred win out in this head to head comparison. Choosing between the two will come down to comparing the issuers’ travel partners.

Read our Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review.
Jump back to offer details.

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 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.
Jump back to offer details.

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 out 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.
Jump back to offer details.

Capital One Spark Miles for Business: Best for business travel rewards

  • What we love about the Spark Miles for Business: The unlimited 2X miles you earn on all purchases can help businesses reap rewards on their spending and employee spending. 
  • 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 has a $50,000 cap on your highest reward tier. If your business spends less, then it’s a worthy and cheaper alternative.

Read our Capital One Spark Miles for Business review.
Jump back to offer details.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus: Best for small businesses

  • What we love about the Spark Cash Plus: The fact that it’s a low-hassle business credit card. Earning a flat 2 percent back on all purchases makes for easy and consistent rewards on business expenses. 
  • Who this card is good for: Small-business owners who want to earn high cash back rewards and take advantage of competitive benefits without tracking 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..
Jump back to offer details.

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 on the FICO scale 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.
Jump back to offer details.

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 limited 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 afford at least a $200 security deposit, the Citi® Secured Mastercard®* might be a better choice because of its lower ongoing APR. On the other hand, the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card has an even lower APR with the same security deposit requirements.

Read our Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card review.
Jump back to offer details.

Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best flat-rate cash back for students

What we love about the Quicksilver Student: Its 1.5 percent flat rate for all purchases and elevated cash back on Capital One Travel 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: 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.
Jump back to offer details.

Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best overall student card

  • What we love about the SavorOne Student: This student card offers exciting rewards rates on popular student spending categories — dining, streaming, grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target) and entertainment. 
  • Who this card is good for: Independent students with the income to spend meaningfully in the boosted categories and 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, which 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.
Jump back to offer details.

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for fair credit

  • What we love about the QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards card: Its low entry barrier provides people with fair credit an opportunity to earn rewards without shelling out a super-high annual fee or turning to a secured credit card.
  • 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. We recommend its upgrade to the Quicksilver card, which has the same rewards rate but with no annual fee.

Read our Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review.
Jump back to offer details.

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.
  • 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 in combined purchases 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.
Jump back to offer details.

The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is no longer available.

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.
Jump back to offer details.

All information about the Citi® Secured Mastercard® has been collected independently by Bankrate.com and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.


What is Capital One?

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

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Bankrate Insight

Capital One was rated the fifth-best credit card issuer for customer satisfaction in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction study with a satisfaction score of 812 on a 1,000 point scale.

Types of Capital One credit cards

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 towards 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 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

Pros and cons of Capital One credit cards

Pros

  • Checkmark

    Credit card variety: Capital One has a long lineup of cards designed for a variety of spending habits.

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    Credit range: Whether you have bad credit or excellent credit, Capital One has a card designed to help you achieve your financial goals.

  • Checkmark

    Travel benefits: No Capital One cards charge foreign transaction fees, saving you 3 percent to 5 percent per transaction.

Cons

  • Annual fees: Many Capital One cards have an annual fee; however, some cards waive the fee in the first year.

  • Higher-than-average APR: Many of the cards Capital One offers have a relatively high ongoing APR, so cardholders will want to avoid carrying a large balance.

  • Competition: Capital One only offers one high-end credit card, meaning its competitors may offer more in terms of rewards and overall value.

How the Capital One rewards program works

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, 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 — which means 100,000 Capital One miles could be worth up to $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 dollar spent.

If you’re just getting into the travel rewards game, this card is a great starter option. There’s also a 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 Venture Capital One VentureOne Capital One Venture X
Bankrate's valuation 2 cents 2 cents 2 cents
Rewards structure Unlimited 2X miles on every purchase Unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase Unlimited 2X miles on every purchase
Spending example $500 x 12 months x 2X miles* $0.02 = $240 $500 x 12 months x 1.25X miles x $0.02 = $150 $500 x 12 months x 1.25X miles x $0.02 = $240
Annual fee $95 $0 $395
Welcome Bonus 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel * $0.02 20,000 bonus miles when you spend $500 in the first 3 months from account opening (worth $200 toward travel) * $0.02 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel * $0.02
First-year valuation (including welcome offers) $1,645 $950  $1,345 

Are Capital One credit cards worth it?

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 selection 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), 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.

How we chose our top Capital One credit cards

Bankrate’s personal finance experts have evaluated the top Capital One cards according to our 5-star rating system. The list of criteria for rating credit cards includes:
  • Checkmark
    Rewards
    We took note of if the card offers cash back, travel points/miles or multi-purpose rewards for eligible purchases and the potential returns based on rewards rate (1 percent cash back per $1 spent, 1 mile per $1 spent, and so on).
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    Perks and benefits
    The best Capital One cards offer extras such as retail discounts, extended warranties* on purchases, travel insurance and financial management tools.
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    Annual fee
    Our editors made sure to note if the cards they chose charged an annual fee and if so, how much the card’s overall value and benefits might offset the fee.
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    Introductory offers
    We took a look at if the card has a sign-up bonus, welcome offer or similar sign-up incentive and how much it adds to the card’s overall value.
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    Variable APR
    How the card’s annual percentage rate (APR) compares with current averages gives an indicator of cost and value.
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    Foreign transaction fee
    In an effort to pick cards that had minimal fees outside of any warranted costs for card value like an annual fee, we noted if the card charges a foreign transaction fee for international purchases and how the fee affects the card’s overall value.

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

*Automatically extends the original manufacturer's warranty on eligible purchases made with this 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.

Frequently asked questions about Capital One credit cards