Bankrate expert Garrett Yarbrough strives to make navigating credit cards and credit building smooth sailing for his readers. After regularly featuring his credit card,…
Barri has written in the personal finance vertical—including credit cards—for more than 20 years. She currently identifies and reports on news and top trends in the credit…
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Bottom line
Deciding on a cash back card can feel overwhelming at first. With so many spending categories available, it can be hard to say which fits you best long-term. With the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards credit card, you get a well-rounded card that can be a steady source of rewards no matter what you purchase. Check out the card details below.
Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
Annual fee
$0
Intro offer
$200
One-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Regular APR
15.24% - 25.24% (Variable)
Recommended Credit Score
Good to Excellent
(670 - 850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a
person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for.
However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any
financial product.
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card Overview
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is a mainstay in the world of flat-rate rewards cards. It earns cash back on all purchases with no annual fee or foreign transaction fees, which makes it a great all-rounder for any budget.
Continue reading our Capital One Quicksilver review to see whether this flat-rate card deserves a spot in your wallet.
What are the pros and cons?
Pros
No annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
15-month, 0 percent introductory purchase and balance transfers APR
Solid travel and shopping protections through Capital One
Cons
Ongoing 15.24 percent to 25.24 percent variable APR could be higher than competing cards’ interest rates
A deeper look into the current card offer
Quick highlights
Rewards rate: Unlimited 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases
Welcome offer: $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months
Annual fee: $0
Purchase intro APR: 0 percent for the first 15 months
Balance transfer intro APR: 0 percent for the first 15 months
Regular APR: 15.24 percent to 25.24 percent (variable)
Current welcome offer
As a new cardholder, you can earn $200 in cash rewards after spending only $500 on purchases within your first three months.
A $200 value is on par with other average no annual fee cash back cards’ sign-up bonuses. Granted, this isn’t a cash back jackpot, but it’s an easy-to-reach payday considering a $500 spending requirement is typically one of the lowest you’ll find.
Rewards rate
The Capital One Quicksilver is a prime example of a flat-rate cash back card, which—compared to bonus category cards—is the most simple and accessible type of rewards credit card.
A card like Quicksilver could be a perfect fit if you prefer a streamlined rewards experience over higher maintenance credit cards.
But be careful—although it looks like a starter credit card, you actually need good to excellent credit to qualify. Capital One has plenty of other solid options if you’re building credit or have at least fair credit, including the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card, which offers the same rewards rate as the Quicksilver, but for a $39 annual fee.
How to earn
The Quicksilver is a great rewards card if many of your expenses fall outside the usual bonus categories, such as superstore purchases, a variety of online shopping retailers and bill payments.
Its unlimited 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases can make this card a valuable partner—especially if you regularly spend beyond bonus categories’ reward spending caps.
How to redeem
You can redeem your cash back rewards for hard cash in the form of a check, or you can receive it as a statement credit. Cash back can also be used to cover recent card purchases, online purchases at checkout on Amazon.com and PayPal or equivalent gift cards.
In the spirit of making things a little easier, you can also choose to receive your cash back automatically at a set time each year or at a certain cash value. That way, you don’t have to track your rewards balance.
Other cardholder perks
Despite appearing as a no-frills, no annual fee card, the Quicksilver carries a host of standard Capital One travel and shopping perks.
Virtual credit card numbers through the Eno assistant app can guard your real card data while you shop online, extended warranty protection and travel accident insurance can keep you covered when you pay with your card.
Travel services
You’ll be able to snag exclusive travel and entertainment opportunities like pre-sale tickets through Capital One Access. Plus, you can access various 24/7 services like travel and roadside assistance as well as complimentary concierge assistance.
How much are the rewards worth?
The 1.5 percent cash back rate means that every dollar you spend will net you 1.5 cents.
Capital One cash back is also one of the few reward currencies to maintain a consistent value across all redemption options. Even when used to “shop with points” on Amazon or PayPal, your cash back keeps its full value.
If you want a low-maintenance credit card, the Capital One Quicksilver doesn’t have many ongoing fees to keep track of. There is no annual fee and there are no foreign transaction fees in case you plan to travel.
The 15-month zero-interest intro APR on purchases and balance transfers can make it even easier to curb extra costs (15.24 percent to 25.24 percent variable APR ongoing for purchases). The balance transfer fee: 3 percent of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account during the first 15 months that your account is open or at a promotional APR that we may offer you at any other time.
First-year card value vs. ongoing value
Besides the benefits previously mentioned, any ongoing value after your first year will be solely rooted in your rewards and any personal value from the simplified spending and rewards style.
There are no card costs to recoup since there’s no annual fee. This is helpful considering that flat-rate cards with lower cash back rates typically require you to spend more than cards with boosted category rewards in order to pocket rewards beyond the yearly price tag.
Unless your spending regularly exceeds typical bonus categories’ spending limits, your favorite merchants and biggest expenses aren’t covered by standard bonus categories or you only plan to use one rewards card for everything, you might want to consider a card with more valuable reward rates and perks.
Benefits and costs
First-year value
Ongoing value (no welcome offers)
Yearly rewards*
+$441
+$441
Welcome offers
+$200 (after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months)
—
Perks (of monetary value)
N/A
N/A
Annual fee
$0
$0
Total value
$641
$441
Total value of intro purchase APR**
Intro APR: 0% for 15 months on purchases
Interest savings: $125
Months of payment saved: 2 months
Ongoing APR: 15.24% to 25.24% (variable)
Minimum rate approximately 7% below average APR
Maximum rate approximately 42% higher than average APR
*Based on the following estimates for annual expenditures by category: groceries ($4,600); dining ($3,500); household utilities, fuels and public services ($4,000); household supplies, furnishings and home improvement ($2,800); apparel and services and department stores ($1,800); gas and gas stations ($2,000); transit and rideshares ($800); entertainment ($3,000); personal care products and services, household operations and other miscellaneous spending ($3,300); travel ($2,000); pharmacies and drugstores ($1,300); online shopping ($1,800).
**Intro APR card data based on a $1,000 unexpected expense, average credit card interest rate (at time of writing), minimum ongoing variable APR and the minimum monthly payment to pay off the balance within the card’s intro APR period factored into Bankrate’s credit card payoff calculator for comparison.
How the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards card compares to other cash back cards
Quicksilver’s 1.5 percent flat-rate cash back rate is standard, but the interest rate of 15.24 percent to 25.24 percent variable is close to the current average credit card APR.
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
3.8
Our writers, editors and industry experts score
credit cards based on a variety of factors
including card features, bonus offers
and independent research. Credit card issuers have
no say or influence on how we rate cards.
One-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Rewards rate
1.5%–5%
Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
Recommended credit
Good to Excellent(670 - 850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a
person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for.
However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any
financial product.
Intro offer is not available to this Citi credit card
Rewards rate
2%
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
Recommended credit
Good to Excellent(670 - 850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a
person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for.
However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any
financial product.
Intro Offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
Rewards rate
1.5%–5%
Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service 1.5% on all other purchases
Recommended credit
Good to Excellent(670 - 850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a
person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for.
However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any
financial product.
Capital One Quicksilver Cash vs. Citi Double Cash
If you need to transfer your balance and you always pay your card off on time, the Citi® Double Cash Card may be a better choice. It provides a stellar 18-month, zero-interest intro balance transfer APR (15.49 percent to 25.49 percent, variable, ongoing). Plus, it’s one of the few flat-rate cash back cards that tops the average 1.5 percent rate. You can earn up to 2 percent cash back on all purchases—1 percent back at purchase and 1 percent upon payment. (Note the intro APR on the Double Cash does not apply to new purchases.)
Capital One Quicksilver Cash vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is also a stiff Quicksilver competitor with its additional bonus cash back categories. You earn 5 percent cash back on travel purchases through Chase Unlimited Rewards, 3 percent cash back on dining and drugstores purchases as well as 1.5 percent cash back on all other purchases. Since the Freedom Unlimited’s cash back rate alone matches the Quicksilver card, if a good chunk of your spending goes to dining and drugstores, it might be a better choice for you.
Best cards to pair with the Capital One Quicksilver
Since flat-rate cards reward purchases that don’t usually fall within standard bonus categories, you could benefit by pairing your Quicksilver with a bonus category card for your specialized spending.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express would make an excellent partner for 6 percent cash back on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $6,000 per year, then 1 percent); 6 percent back on select U.S. streaming services; 3 percent cash back on transit; 3 percent back on U.S. gas station purchases; and 1 percent back on all other purchases—if you don’t mind a $95 annual fee.
If you prefer dining or delivery to cooking, the no annual fee Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card earns unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target), plus 1% on all other purchases.
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, there are no ongoing fees or bonus categories to worry about. Capital One can even automate the redemption process.
But if you don’t mind a bonus category or two, you might be able to rack up more cash back and receive specialized benefits on a different card. “I think everyone should have a card like the Capital One Quicksilver,” says finance expert Ana Staples, “I have a travel rewards card and a cash back card with rotating categories but it’s the Quicksilver that helps me make sure I get more than 1 percent back on all of my purchases. This card really completes my credit card strategy.”
Unlike the Venture cards that mainly differ because of their annual fee, the Capital One Quicksilver does not carry an annual fee. In fact, both cards have the same 1.5 percent flat-rate cash back and may share most of the same benefits (if you qualify for the same benefits with both cards).
The main differences are that you can qualify for the QuicksilverOne with fair credit (580-740 FICO score) instead of the good-to-excellent credit (670-850 FICO score) needed for the Quicksilver Cash, and the QuicksilverOne has a higher ongoing APR rate (27.24 percent, variable).
The Quicksilver Cash also offers a $200 sign-up bonus (must spend $500 in purchases within the first three months to qualify) and a 15-month 0 percent APR introductory period on purchases (15.24 percent to 25.24 percent (variable) APR thereafter, but the QuicksilverOne has neither a 0 percent intro APR period nor a rewards bonus offer.
The Capital One Quicksilver card requires good to excellent credit (a 670-850 FICO score, or a 661-850 VantageScore).
The Capital One Quicksilver is a Mastercard. However, there is a chance it can be issued on either network as Capital One has changed issuers in the past.
If you have achieved a good to excellent credit score and want a no-fuss way to earn rewards, upgrading to the Capital One Quicksilver can be a good move. However, it’s recommended that you keep your previous card open as it adds to your credit history.
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.com teams as a staff writer to develop product reviews and comprehensive credit card guides focused on cash back, credit scores and card offers.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. The offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Bankrate.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and the likelihood of applicants' credit approval also impact how and where products appear on this site. Bankrate.com does not include the entire universe of available financial or credit offers. Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover.
* 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.
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