The best Capital One credit cards for travel rewards, cash back, intro APR offers, and more
The best Capital One credit cards of 2020:
- Best for flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture® Rewards Credit Card
- Best for cash back: Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best for dining and entertainment: Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best for intro APR: Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best for Students: Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One®
The Capital One Venture Rewards card is especially popular thanks to its robust marketing budget and commercials featuring Jennifer Garner, but it's not necessarily the best Capital One card for you. At the end of the day, the best option is the one that fits with your spending style and rewards goals.
If you're in the market for a new credit card and haven't tried out a card from Capital One just yet, the issuer's offerings may be worth considering in 2020 and beyond.
Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It's important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back.
Best for flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture card
Annual fee: $95 (waived the first year)
Why you'll love it: This card lets you earn rewards you can redeem for any type of travel at a rate of 1 cent per mile.
Sign-up bonus: 50,000 miles (worth $500 in travel) after you spend $3,000 within three months of account opening
Earning structure: 2 miles for each dollar you spend, making it easy to rack up points without worrying about earning caps or rotating categories.
The Capital One Venture Rewards card is very easy for consumers to use and understand. The fact you earn 2 miles for each dollar you spend is a huge plus, and you can redeem these miles for any travel purchase at a rate of 1 cent per mile. That makes the bonus alone worth $500 in travel, which you can redeem for hotels, airfare, train fare, campgrounds, and more.
The Capital One Venture Rewards card also lets you transfer points to more than a dozen airline partners and two hotel partners (Wyndham and Accor). The transfer ratio for airlines is less than optimal, however, so this is only a good option if you have your heart set on a specific redemption with one of their partners. Capital One transfer partners include Etihad, Emirates, Air France/Flying Blue, Avianca, and more.
This card does charge a $95 annual fee, but the fee is waived the first year. As a cardholder, you'll also receive free travel accident insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and a credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership.
Pros: Generous flat-rate rewards, up to $100 statement credit to cover the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
Cons: Transfer partners aren't that great
Click here to learn more about the Capital One Venture Rewards card »
Best for cash back: Capital One Quicksilver Rewards card
Annual fee: $0
Why you'll love it: The Capital One Quicksilver Rewards offers a generous sign-up bonus that's easy to earn along with flat-rate rewards that are easy to keep track of.
Sign-up bonus: $150 after you spend $500 within three months of account opening
Earning structure: 1.5% cash back on every purchase
The Capital One Quicksilver Rewards card is for you if you want to earn cash back without paying an annual fee. This card lets you earn a flat rate of unlimited rewards, 1.5% back, so you'll never have to wonder about bonus categories or whether you've hit your rewards cap. On the redemption side of the equation, you can redeem your rewards for cash back at any time and in any amount. You can also cash in your points for gift cards.
The Quicksilver Rewards card also comes with no foreign transaction fees on purchases made abroad.
Pros: Generous flat-rate rewards with no annual fee, long intro APR period
Cons: Rewards can only be redeemed for cash back or gift cards
Click here to learn more about the Capital One Quicksilver Rewards card »
Best for dining and entertainment: Capital One Savor card
Annual fee: $95 (waived the first year)
Why you'll love it: The Capital One Savor Rewards offers a huge initial bonus and lucrative rewards in popular spending categories.
Sign-up bonus: $300 back after you spend $3,000 on your card within the first three months from account opening
Earning structure: 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% back at grocery stores, and 1% back on everything else you buy
The Capital One Savor card is an enticing option thanks to its initial bonus and ongoing rewards, and that's especially true if you spend a lot on dining and entertainment each year. Even if you just spend a lot at the grocery store, earning 2% back is excellent as well.
You can redeem your rewards for cash back in any amount, and this card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside the US.
Pros: Generous signup bonus, exceptional earning categories with no caps or limits
Cons: Redemption options are limited with this card
Click here to learn more about the Capital One Savor card »
Best for 0% APR: Capital One SavorOne card
Annual fee: $0
Why you'll love it: This card offers generous rewards and a lucrative intro 0% APR offer without an annual fee.
Sign-up bonus: $150 after you spend $500 on your card within the first three months from account opening
Earning structure: Earn 3% back on dining and entertainment, 2% back at grocery stores, and 1% back on everything else you buy
The Capital One SavorOne Rewards card lets you rack up exceptional rewards on dining and entertainment as well as grocery purchases. This card also comes without an annual fee, which is a net positive if you want to keep your costs down.
If you have a large purchase you want to pay off over time, you'll be happy to know this card extends 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, followed by a variable APR of 15.49% to 25.49%. This card also comes with no foreign transaction fees.
Pros: Generous 0% APR offer and ongoing rewards
Cons: Lower initial bonus and ongoing rewards when compared to the more premium Capital One Savor card
Click here to learn more about the Capital One SavorOne card »
Best for Students: Journey Student Rewards
Annual fee:
Why you'll love it: The Journey Student Rewards is available for consumers with "average" credit, making it a smart card for students who need to build their credit scores.
Sign-up bonus: None
Earning structure: Earn 1% back on everything you buy, and boost your rewards to 1.25% back when you pay your bill on time
The Journey Student Rewards is geared to students who want to earn rewards while they build up their credit over time. This card gives you a flat 1.25% back when you pay your bill on time for the month, which isn't the best available today. But since this card is available to consumers with average credit, it's available to a broader selection of consumers who need help getting started.
The Journey Student Rewards doesn't charge an annual fee, and there are no foreign transaction fees, either.
Pros: Earn rewards without an annual fee, get approved with average credit
Cons: Redemption options for rewards are limited
Click here to learn more about the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One »
Read more: The best credit cards for students
- More credit card coverage
- What's the best airline credit card?
- The best cash-back credit cards
- Southwest credit card review
- Best rewards credit cards
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Personal Finance Insider team. We occasionally highlight financial products and services that can help you make smarter decisions with your money. We do not give investment advice or encourage you to adopt a certain investment strategy. If you take action based on one of our recommendations, we get a small share of the revenue from our commerce partners. This does not influence whether we feature a financial product or service. We operate independently from our advertising sales team.
Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.