Credit One Bank® Platinum Rewards Visa® with No Annual Fee review: Starter cash back card for people with good credit

As with the Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit card review, you don't apply for a specific card through Credit One. Instead, it allows you to prequalify for card offers through a soft credit inquiry, which won't negatively impact your credit score.

Credit One will inform you of card offers and rates if qualified. If preapproved for a card, you can apply for the card. However, if you don't qualify for the Credit One Platinum No Annual Fee card, Credit One may send offers for one of its other credit cards. Like other card issuers, Credit One performs a hard credit inquiry to determine your eligibility and interest rates. Approval for a card isn't guaranteed even if you were preapproved.

These are decent reward offerings while you build credit, but you’ll probably find a more valuable card for average credit from another issuer.

Quick highlights

• Rewards rate: 2 percent cash back on eligible gas, grocery, cellphone, internet and cable/satellite TV purchases
• Welcome offer: N/A
• Annual fee: $0
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
• Regular APR: 28.99 percent variable

Current welcome bonus

Like the other Credit One Bank credit cards, this no-annual-fee card variant of the Credit One Platinum Visa does not offer a sign-up bonus.

Rewards rate

The Credit One Platinum No Annual Fee card stands out from its siblings by offering unlimited 2 percent cash back (instead of 1 percent) on the same bonus categories for day-to-day purchases.

But the catch is that you won’t know which of the Credit One Platinum cards and reward structures you’re eligible for until Credit One Bank reviews your application and picks one according to your creditworthiness.

According to the purely “informational” card terms from Credit One, you could receive either 1 percent cash back, 2 percent cash back or 5 percent cash back (up to $5,000 per year, then 1 percent) on the eligible bonus category purchases.

How you earn

If you do qualify for the Platinum Card with No Annual Fee, you’ll earn unlimited 2 percent cash back on eligible purchases in key everyday categories: gas, groceries, cellphone, internet, cable TV and satellite TV services.

The bright side is that unlimited 2 percent cash back is hard to come by with fair credit, let alone on cellphone payments and other digital services.

However, defining “eligible” takes a lot of effort because Credit One Visa cards earn cash back based on the merchant’s “Standard Industrial Classification Code” instead of Visa’s normal merchant category codes (MCCs). This could mean your Credit One card might not earn cash back at the same locations other Visa credit cards normally would. According to Credit One, you get 10 percent cash back at some of the “nation’s top retailers,” so you can earn boosted rewards with bigger brands, but it’s not specified which ones.

How to redeem

Unfortunately, you don’t have any redemption choices — as the only way you can receive cash back is through automatic statement credits.

How much are points worth?

Cash back is calculated as a percentage of each dollar, so your eligible purchases will earn 2 cents per dollar or 10 cents per dollar on boosted rewards.

Despite the higher-quality rewards rate, you still receive the same bare-bones Credit One Bank Platinum Visa benefits. You can collect more cash back on eligible online purchases and save money with two card-linked programs, but your mileage will vary with the sparse Visa card benefits.

Credit One More Rewards and Visa Offers + Perks

By linking your card to Credit One’s More Rewards program and the Visa Offers + Perks program, you can earn additional cash back and discounts while online shopping with select retailers.

It operates similarly to Amex Offers. You can activate limited-time deals with More Rewards and earn up to an extra 10 percent cash back with various merchants, while Visa + Perks extends percentage-off discounts instead.

Traditional Visa perks

As a Visa card, you can also access “Visa Traditional credit card” benefits. There aren’t any standout perks other than 24/7 pay-per-use Roadside Dispatch and auto rental collision damage insurance, which could help out in a pinch on the road.

Credit Protection Program

All Credit One Platinum cards offer optional insurance that covers you in case you become involuntarily unemployed or disabled if you’re eligible. For 96 cents per $100 of your balance each month, your minimum payment will be waived for up to six months. This coverage also provides up to a $10,000 balance payoff in the event of death as well.

However, you’ll have to wait 30 days for this coverage to go into effect, and your account will be frozen (except to accrue interest) once the policy is activated. Because of these stipulations and the slippery slope into extra costs like compound interest, you might want to opt out of this protection in favor of another debt management plan.

Rates and fees

Since this card doesn’t carry an annual fee, the well-above-average 28.99 percent variable APR — with no zero-interest APR offer — and the confusing card terms are a bit easier to swallow. Before you apply, make sure you thoroughly read the card agreement Credit One proposes. Otherwise, you might miss the $300 minimum credit limit, $49 credit limit request fee, 3 percent foreign transaction fee (or $1, whichever is greater) and the $19 annual authorized user fee.

You should also double-check to make sure you’re specifically qualified for the Credit One Bank Platinum Rewards Visa with No Annual Fee. Other Credit One cards may come with additional exorbitant terms, such as no grace period and a $9.95 “optional express payment service fee” since your payment might not be posted the same day — which could lead to an up to $39 late payment fee if you’re not careful.

The Credit One Platinum Rewards with No Annual Fee is a better value than the Platinum Visa credit cards, but it’s missing the decent features of the Credit One American Express® Card. If you want to upgrade credit cards or you’re eligible for a student card, you’ll probably be able to find better benefits and credit-building features elsewhere.

Credit One Platinum Visa with No Annual Fee vs. Discover it® Student Chrome

If you’re a student, the Discover it® Student Chrome easily beats the Credit One Platinum with No Annual Fee. For one, you can apply without a credit history, making it easily accessible to beginners. On top of offering 2 percent cash back on gas stations and restaurants (on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter) with no annual fee, it also has an intro APR offer on purchases at a lower interest rate. Adding in the welcome offer, where all your cash back earned in the first year is matched by Discover at the end of the first year, you get far more on this card.

In comparison to the Platinum with No Annual Fee, Discover it® Student Chrome has only one drawback: it has limited spending categories where you can earn cash back.

Credit One Platinum Visa with No Annual Fee vs. Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Instead of earning bonus cash back in specific categories, the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card earns unlimited 1.5 percent cash back on all card purchases. There's no need to keep track of card spending over multiple categories — all spending earns the same cash back rate. Like Credit One, Capital One allows you to prequalify for the QuicksilverOne, but you may only need fair credit for approval.

The QuicksilverOne card carries a $39 annual fee and an even higher interest rate than the Credit One card. Like the Credit One Platinum with No Annual Fee, this card has no welcome offer or intro APR.  The card has its high points, though, with several other benefits that may outweigh its annual fee. Benefits and protections include free credit score monitoring through Creditwise, virtual card numbers, no foreign transaction fees and partner benefits with Uber.

Best cards to pair with this card

The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card can cover the remaining ground that your Credit One card’s bonus categories don’t. Plus, its monthly credit-building review feature can get you automatically considered for a higher credit line starting at only six months if you practice healthy credit habits.

Before applying for a new card, remember to focus on improving your credit score since you’ll enjoy much better rewards and rates from a credit card for good credit.

The Credit One Bank Platinum Rewards Visa with No Annual Fee carries more favorable terms compared to the rest of the Credit One Platinum family, including double the unlimited cash back. Considering there’s no annual fee, this might be one of the best Credit One cards overall. However, you won’t know which Credit One credit card you can apply for until after you submit a preapproval application and undergo a soft credit check for all of its credit cards.

It’s a solid option if you’re already a Credit One customer, but a high ongoing APR, baffling card agreement and lackluster benefits mean you might want to ditch this card for a more valuable credit card for good credit scores.

*The information about Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.