With 22 personal and business cards to choose from, Capital One offers a choice of credit cards for many different spending types.
Capital One cards tend to be cheap, and there are many fair credit options for those recovering from bad credit or starting out with no credit history. You can also choose from rewards cards that allow you to earn points, miles or cash back in different categories – whether you eat out frequently, want to reward your business expenses or save for future travel.
Capital One is no slouch when it comes to customer service. Ranked third among U.S. national credit card issuers for customer satisfaction according to the J.D. Power Credit Card Satisfaction Study 2019. If you’re considering a new Capital One credit card, here are some of our favorites.
The best Capital One credit cards for May 2022
Capital One Startup Rewards Credit Card
Good for: Flexible travel miles
Earn 2 flat miles for every $1 you purchase on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel. You can use these miles directly on your next trip – or redeem them in many other ways.
Capital One Mercury Cash Rewards Credit Card
Good for: Fixed cash back
Simple card for cash back rewards. Earn 1.5% cash back on every swipe. Plus, spend $500 within the first three months of account opening with no annual fee and a $200 introductory bonus.
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Suitable for: stay at home or go out
Save money in town with the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards credit card. Get 4% cash back on food, entertainment and popular streaming services, 3% cash back at grocery stores, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Good for: Premium travel rewards
The Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card has one of the highest welcome bonuses available today. Like the Venture Card, you can earn Double Miles on everything, but you can increase your rewards by earning 10X Miles on hotels and car rentals booked with Capital One Travel and 5X Miles on flights booked with Capital One Travel.
Journey Student Awards
Suitable for: students
If you’re just starting your credit journey, the Journey Student Rewards Card can help. Build your bankroll and earn 1% cash back on every purchase.
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Good for: business owners
Business owners receive 2% cash back and up to $1,000 in cash bonuses on every purchase. You can earn $500 after spending $5,000 within the first three months of account opening, and an additional $500 after spending $50,000 within the first six months.
Capital One Walmart Rewards Mastercard
Suitable for: Walmart buyers
Get 5% cash back on Walmart.com purchases (including pickup and delivery), 2% cash back on Walmart and gas station purchases, 2% cash back on restaurant and travel purchases, and everything else Get 1% cash back on items.
Best Capital One Credit Cards Summary
| CARD | WHAT IT’S GOOD FOR | ANNUAL FEE | SIGN UP BONUS | REWARDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Flexible Travel Miles | $95 | 60,000 miles if you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months | 2x miles on every purchase
Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card | Flat Cash Back | $0 | $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening | 1.5% cash back on every purchase |
| Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card | Staying In or Going Out | $95 | $300 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening | 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services, 3% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Premium Travel Rewards | $395 | 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 within three months of account opening | 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles on all other purchases |
| Journey Student Rewards | Students | $0 | N/A | 1% cash back on all your purchases. Boost your cash back to a total of 1.25% each month you pay on time |
| Capital One Spark Cash Plus | Business Owners | $150 | $500 cash bonus once you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, and another $500 after you spend $50,000 within the first 6 months | 2% cash back on every purchase |
| Capital One Walmart Rewards Mastercard | Walmart Shoppers | $0 | 5% back on in-store purchases at Walmart using Walmart Pay for the first 12 months after approval | 5% back on purchases made at Walmart.com and the Walmart app, 2% back on purchases in Walmart stores and at Walmart and Murphy USA gas stations, 2% back on restaurant and travel purchases, 1% back on all other purchases |
Capital One Credit Card Benefits
Capital One offers cardholders a variety of perks, from automatic credit line renewals to $0 fraud liability protection to virtual card numbers to help you stay protected while shopping online. Also, any points or rewards you earn with your card will not expire as long as your account is open.
How to Redeem Capital One Rewards
The redemption methods available for rewards depend on your unique Capital One card. However, you can often redeem for cash, directly for items when you shop, or for travel purchases such as hotels and airfare. By logging into your online account or the Capital One mobile banking app, you can view all of the specific options eligible for rewards.
Capital One rewards never expire as long as your account is open and you can redeem any amount at any time. But remember: you’ll only get a net purchase bonus, which doesn’t include any items you return to the store for a refund, or points applied to your statement.
Capital One Miles
Business owners can earn miles with Spark Miles for Business. But personal credit cards that earn Capital One Miles are part of the Venture Rewards family of cards. There are four different risk options, each suitable for a different type of cardholder.
| VENTURE X REWARDS | VENTURE REWARDS | VENTUREONE REWARDS* | VENTUREONE REWARDS FOR GOOD CREDIT* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rewards | 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles on all other purchases | 2x miles per dollar on every purchase | 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase | 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| Introductory Offer | 75,000 miles if you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening | 60,000 miles if you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening | 20,000 bonus miles once you spend $500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening | N/A |
| Credit Requirement | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Variable APR | 17.24% – 24.24% | 16.24% – 24.24% | 15.24% – 25.24% | 27.24% |
| Annual Fee | $395 | $95 | $0 | $0 |
Even if you choose a mileage card, you don’t have to redeem your rewards for miles. Because Capital One miles are a flexible reward currency, you can also redeem them for non-travel options such as statements, cash and gift cards, although you may get less value than booked travel.
Capital One Travel Transit Partner
You can transfer miles earned with your Capital One Venture card to any of the following airline and hotel transfer partners:
- President of Aeromexico Club
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France KLM Flying Blue
- ALL Accor live limit
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad VIP
- Evergreen Unlimited Mileage Login
- Finnair Plus
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Wyndham Rewards Program
If you choose to redeem via bank transfer, your mileage redemption value may vary depending on partner and travel details.
How to Apply for a Capital One Credit Card
Once you decide to add your Capital One card to your wallet, the application process is simple:
- Check your credit. Check your credit report (you can do this for free at AnnualCreditReport.com) for errors and make sure your credit score matches your card’s referral rating to ensure the best chance of approval.
- Submit your application. You must provide general application information such as your name, address, income and Social Security number.
- Don’t apply for too many cards at once. Applying for a new card multiple times in a short period of time may temporarily negatively affect your creditworthiness. If your application is rejected, please do not rush to submit another application. Take the time to build healthy credit habits to improve your credit score before applying for another card with a better chance of getting approved later.
Restrictions
Capital One has two unconfirmed application rules that you should be aware of before applying for a new card. We reached out to Capital One for more information, but Capital One has not responded to our request for comment.
The first of these rules states that you can only be the primary cardholder of two personal Capital One credit cards at the same time (this does not apply to business or personal cards for which you are an authorized user).
Capital One is also very strict about your application time. You can only be approved for a maximum of one card (including business cards) every six months, so make sure you schedule your application accordingly.
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