Erika's Picks for Best Capital One Credit Cards
- Best for budget travelers:
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card - Best for frequent fliers:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card - Best for dining and entertainment:
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card - Best for flat-rate cashback:
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card - Best for business owners:
Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Capital One offers one of the best credit card rewards programs on the market, with many ways to earn cashback, book travel, and access exclusive live events.
Capital One also offers a variety of credit cards for different lifestyles and spending profiles. Depending on your budget, one card might be a better fit for you than another.
Here are the top picks for Capital One cards that appeal to almost every type of consumer.
Best for Budget Travelers
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- Earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 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.
Annual Fee
$95
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the best cards if you love to travel, with a rewards structure that’s easy to keep track of. You’ll earn boosted miles for every dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, plus a base rate of 2x miles on every other dollar spent.
Miles can be redeemed for travel purchases on Capital One Travel, transferred to one of Capital One’s airline and hotel partners, or used as a statement credit to offset travel purchases.
Some other benefits include:
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck® credit
- No blackout dates
- No foreign transaction fees
- Car rental collision damage waiver
- Accident insurance
- 24-hour travel assistance
- $50 credit to Lifestyle Collection stays
- Access to exclusive events
The card is great for earning rewards, but it’s more limited than other travel rewards cards. Capital One only has three lounges, which is far fewer than Chase and American Express. While you don’t have access to Capital One’s Priority Pass partner network, you can access a Capital One lounge — but it will come with an extra fee. This is a change from the past when cardholders were granted two complimentary lounge visits per year.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a good choice if you want a simple way to earn travel rewards but don’t travel enough to benefit from all of the perks that come with the premium Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
A great thing about this card is that you earn rewards on all your purchases (not just travel) and still get some travel perks, like accident insurance, 24/7 travel assistance, and no foreign transaction fees. You also get a credit for your Global Entry/TSA PreCheck® fee — something that's typically only offered by premium travel rewards cards.
Best for Frequent Fliers
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Annual Fee
$395
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is ideal for frequent fliers who want a high-end experience. You get a massive earnings boost on hotels, rental cars, and flights booked through Capital One Travel, plus earn 2x miles on all other purchases.
The rewards structure is straightforward, and there’s no limit on how many base-rate miles you can earn.
There is a fairly high annual fee, but it can be offset by some of the card's travel perks, such as:
- $300 annual travel credit
- 10,000 point anniversary bonus
- Points transfer to airline and hotel partners
- Unlimited lounge access to Capital One Lounges and 1,300+ Priority Pass locations
- 2 complimentary guest lounge passes
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit
- $100 Premier Collection experience credit
- $50 Lifestyle Collection experience credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- Hertz President’s Circle status for rental car upgrades
- Auto rental collision coverage
- 24/7 travel assistance and concierge service
- No blackout dates
- Add additional cardholders for free
- Cellphone protection (up to $800)
The Venture X is Capital One’s premium travel card, but it does have some disadvantages. Compared to other premium travel cards, Capital One’s lounge network is much smaller. Also, the card also doesn’t come with travel insurance or trip interruption coverage, nor as many non-travel perks like dining credits or bonus point categories.
Of all Capital One’s travel cards, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is by far the most premium option with the most perks.
Its earning potential on purchases through Capital One Travel is much higher than the other cards, and it offers more travel perks, like lounge access, complimentary Priority Pass™ membership, and a $100 Premier Collection experience credit.
The card gives you access to premium travel perks for a much lower annual fee than competitor cards — which can also be offset by the $300 travel credit and lounge access.
Best for Dining and Entertainment
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- 8% cashback on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- 5% on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 3% on dining, entertainment, select streaming subscriptions, and grocery store purchases (excluding superstores)
- 1% on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Annual Fee
$0
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers some of the best cashback rewards for food and entertainment, including on restaurants, groceries, select streaming services, and live events through Capital One Entertainment.
And if you like to travel, you’ll earn boosted cashback on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
The card doesn’t come with an annual fee, but still offers several perks, including:
- No foreign transaction fees
- Concierge for dining, travel, or event bookings
- Travel accident insurance
- Access to discounts through Capital One Shopping
- Extended warranty on covered purchases
- 24/7 travel assistance
- $0 fraud liability
- Credit alerts through CreditWise
- Exclusive access through Capital One Dining and Capital One Entertainment
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is a good option if you enjoy regularly going out. Plus, the rewards on groceries allow you to earn cashback even when you’re staying in.
While Capital One offers other cashback cards, none of them are tailored to food and entertainment to the degree that the Savor Cash Rewards is — so if those are your top spending categories, this card can earn you a lot back.
Best for Flat-Rate Cashback
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- 5% cashback on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 1.5% on everything else
Welcome Offer
Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after spending $500 in the first three months
Annual Fee
$0
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card has a simple rewards structure of flat-rate cashback on all purchases and boosted cashback on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
There’s also no annual fee, making it an affordable option for earning rewards.
You can get your cashback as a statement credit, redeem it through PayPal, or put it toward your next Amazon purchase.
Some other benefits include:
- Access to CreditWise credit score reporting
- No foreign transaction fees
- Automatic credit line reviews
- Virtual credit card numbers for online shopping
- 24/7 travel assistance and concierge service
- Extended warranty on eligible items
- Travel accident insurance
Unfortunately, the card doesn’t come with lounge access or the ability to transfer points to airline or hotel partners like some of Capital One’s other cards. And while the cashback rate is higher than other entry-level cards, it isn’t as high as what you could get back with a card that has rotating cashback categories.
While the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card won’t get you the most rewards, it has a simple rewards structure that makes it appealing if you don’t want to deal with different or rotating bonus categories. And it’s base rate of 1.5% is higher than the 1% base rate on the Savor Cash Rewards.
Plus, you’ve got access to perks like 24-hour travel assistance services and complimentary concierge services for booking dining, entertainment, and travel.
Best for Business Owners
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Rewards Rate
- 5% cashback on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site
- 2% on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn a $2,000 cash bonus when you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months
Annual Fee
$150 (waived if you spend $150,000 that year)
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus earns you cashback on business travel as well as everyday expenses, with no spending limit and no rotating categories to keep track of.
There is an annual fee, but the card comes with a generous welcome offer and a spending bonus of $2,000 for every $500,000 spent in the first year. Plus, if you spend at least $150,000 annually, you can qualify for your annual fee to be refunded.
Your cashback can be redeemed as a statement credit, a cash withdrawal through PayPal, or applied directly to bookings made through Capital One Travel.
Some of the card’s other benefits include:
- $0 fraud liability
- Virtual card numbers for online purchases
- Free employee cards that earn rewards
- Choose your due date
- Transaction reports
- Roadside assistance
- Extended warranty protection
It’s important to note that the card isn’t a traditional credit card. Your balance has to be paid in full each month, otherwise you’ll be charged a late fee until your account is made current.
Capital One offers several business credit cards, but the Capital One Spark Cash Plus is by far the most lucrative for cashback. It has the highest earning potential and the highest cash bonus for annual spending. It has a simple rewards structure with no limits, ideal for businesses that spend a lot and want big cash rewards.
Just keep in mind that if you’re financing a big purchase, you have to pay off the balance in full.
If you’d prefer travel rewards for your business spending, you may want to consider the Capital One Venture X Business instead. It comes with a higher annual fee, but benefits that are more tailored to frequent fliers.
How To Choose a Capital One Credit Card
The right Capital One credit card for you depends on your goals and how you want to use the card.
If you have stellar credit and want to max out the rewards you can earn, opting for a higher-end card like the Venture X Rewards card could be a good choice.
On the other hand, if you enjoy dining out and finding entertainment in your backyard, you might get the best return from a card like the SavorOne Cash Rewards.
READ MORE: Types of Credit Cards and Who They're For
Bottom Line: Should You Get a Capital One Card?
There are several benefits of Capital One cards. The most popular benefit is Capital One’s travel and entertainment access. You can book travel using reward points through Capital One Travel, and Capital One Entertainment gives you exclusive access to live events and presale ticket specials.
Most Capital One cards come with no foreign transaction fees, $0 fraud liability, and travel assistance. Miles earned with a Capital One card don’t expire and Capital One is well-known for not having travel blackout dates.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you need to rebuild your credit, consider the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card or the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card. With both cards, when you make consistent payments and demonstrate you’re a responsible borrower, Capital One will review your account and eventually graduate you to a regular unsecured credit card.
Capital One limits you to two personal credit cards at a given time. The caveat: This limitation doesn’t apply to business cards. It’s possible to have multiple Capital One cards if you include a business card in the mix.
Capital One also enforces the “six-month rule,” which means you can receive approval for only one card every six months.
