Capital One offers some of the best cash back and rewards credit cards: The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is on CNBC Select's list of best cards for dining and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ranks as one of our top travel cards.
We reviewed Capital One credit cards in seven categories, picking the best for travel, cash back, business, no fees and other categories. For more on how we made our selections, read our methodology.
Best Capital One credit cards of May 2026
- Best Capital One card for bad credit: Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
- Best no-annual-fee Capital One card: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best luxury Capital One card: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Best travel Capital One card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Best student Capital One card: Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best cash back Capital One card: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Best business Capital One card: Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Best Capital One card for bad credit
Who's this for? The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card can help build your credit if you're struggling with bad credit.
Standout benefits: Depending on your creditworthiness, your security deposit can be as low as $49 to enjoy the $200 credit limit.
The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card can help you build, or rebuild, your credit because you can be approved with no credit or bad credit.
- No annual fee
- Low minimum refundable security deposit starting at $49 to get a $200 initial credit line
- No rewards on purchases
- No welcome offer
- High APR
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- No annual or hidden fees. See if you're approved in seconds
- Building your credit? Using the Capital One Platinum Secured card responsibly could help
- Put down a refundable security deposit starting at $49 to get at least a $200 initial credit line
- You could earn back your security deposit as a statement credit when you use your card responsibly, like making payments on time
- Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months with no additional deposit needed
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
- Get access to your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with online banking to access your account from your desktop or smartphone, with Capital One's mobile app
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
- $0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Best no-annual-fee Capital One card
Who's this for? The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is an easy-to-use, no-annual-fee card with a straightforward and valuable cash-back structure.
Standout benefits: Beyond rewards, you can benefit from a generous intro APR on purchases and balance transfers. This allows you to cheaply finance new purchases or reduce the interest you're paying on credit card debt.
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee, cash-back rewards and a generous intro-APR offer, which make it a great option for saving on interest while earning rewards.
- No annual fee
- Low spending requirement for the welcome bonus
- Redeem cash back for any amount at any time
- No foreign transaction fee
- 3% balance transfer fee during the first 15 months your account is open
- No bonus rewards categories
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus, cash back won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how much you can earn
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 18.49% - 28.49% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
- 3% for the first 15 months; 4% at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time
Best luxury Capital One card
Who's this for? The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is an excellent choice for someone who travels often and can take advantage of this card's wide range of perks, including airport lounge access and a long list of travel and shopping protections.
Standout benefits: The card is loaded with benefits, including a $300 Capital One Travel credit for Capital One Travel bookings and a 10,000-mile bonus on each account anniversary. These benefits easily make the card worth keeping, even with its $395 annual fee.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium credit card with a myriad of benefits and a lower annual fee than other high-end cards with similar features.
- Annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Travel
- 10,000 bonus miles after every card anniversary
- Unlimited complimentary access to 1,300+ airport lounges, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations
- Long list of valuable travel and shopping protections, including return protection, rental car coverage and trip delay reimbursement (Benefit(s) only available to accounts approved for the Visa Infinite card. Terms apply.)
- Limited bonus spending categories compared to other premium credit cards
- High annual fee
- High credit score requirement (excellent credit)
Highlights
- 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
- Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and participating Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fees
$0
Best travel Capital One card
Who's this for? The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is great for travelers who value flexible rewards. You'll earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, plus 5X miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Standout benefits: You can transfer miles to any of Capital One's airline and hotel partners (like Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Air Canada Aeroplan), which unlocks the ability to book expensive hotels and luxury flights with your miles.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a reasonable annual fee and earns flexible travel rewards, which makes it a great travel card for beginners or heavy travelers.
- Valuable welcome offer worth at least $750 in travel
- You can transfer miles to over 15 Capital One partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- No foreign transaction fees
- Lacks ongoing travel benefits such as statement credits or lounge access
- Limited bonus spending category that only applies to certain Capital One Travel bookings
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- 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
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fee
None
Best student Capital One card
Who's this for? The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card offers bonus cash back on common student purchases. It earns 3% on dining, entertainment, groceries and eligible streaming services and 1% back on all other purchases. Cardholders also receive 8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases.
Standout benefits: This card has no annual fee and only requires a fair credit score, which makes it a great starter card for college students.
The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is a card designed for students with rewards rates that match many of the top cash-back credit cards.
- High cash-back rates for common student expenses, such as groceries, dining and entertainment
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- High APR
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, plus 1% on all other purchases
- Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Enjoy no annual fee, foreign transaction fees, or hidden fees
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn up to $500 a year by referring friends and family when they're approved for a Capital One credit card
- Earn 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal
- Build your credit with responsible card use
- Whether you're at a 4-year university, community college or other higher education institution, this card might be an option for you
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Best cash back Capital One card
Who's this for? If your ideal night is ordering takeout and streaming a movie, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card earns generous rewards on both.
Standout benefits: You'll earn 3% on dining and entertainment, 3% at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Target and Walmart), and 1% on all other purchases. Plus, you get 3% cash back on eligible streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu and Disney+.
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of the most rewarding options for earning cash back in categories such as entertainment and dining without paying an annual fee.
- One of the most rewarding cash back cards for entertainment and streaming services
- No annual fee
- Easy-to-earn welcome bonus
- High APR
- Requires a good to excellent credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
- Earn unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, plus 1% on all other purchases
- Earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus cash back won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how much you can earn
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months; 18.74% - 28.74% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
Introductory fee of 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account during the first 12 months that your account is open. After that, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that we may offer you at any other time.
Best business Capital One card
Who's this for? Small business owners who want to earn simple cash back will appreciate what the Capital One Spark Cash Plus offers — 2% cash back on every purchase.
Standout benefits: The Spark Cash Plus also comes with helpful business benefits, including account management tools (such as the ability to view recurring transactions and download purchase records to Quicken®, QuickBooks® and Excel®), extended warranty protection and no foreign transaction fees.
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus is especially rewarding for businesses with a lot of credit card spending. It offers an additional bonus the first year and an ongoing annual fee refund, but both benefits have six-figure spending requirements.
- High flat-rate rewards
- Valuable welcome offer
- Has an annual fee
- High spending requirement to earn the welcome offer and qualify for the annual fee refund
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months
- Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. You can earn this bonus multiple times over the course of year 1!
- Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Enjoy big purchasing power so you can spend more and earn more rewards. The Spark Cash Plus card has no preset spending limit, so it can adapt to your needs based on your spending behavior, payment history, credit profile and other factors
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
- Streamline your accounts payable process, employee spending, and more from your online account with free business management tools
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while you earn rewards from their transactions with free employee and virtual cards
- $150 annual fee - Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year
- Your card is designed to be paid in full. However you have the option to carry over a portion of your balance with interest if needed. Pay at least the minimum payment amount by your payment due date, otherwise you'll be charged a 2.99% late fee
- For businesses that need large spending capacity and want to maximize cash back
- Top rated mobile app
Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in our credit card marketplace or get personalized offers via CardMatch™.
Best Capital One cards comparison
| Credit score requirement | Type of bonus | Annual fee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card | Limited to bad | None | $0 |
| Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card | Good to excellent | Cash back | $0 |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Excellent | Flexible travel rewards | $395 |
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Good to excellent | Flexible travel rewards | $95 |
| Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card | Limited to fair | Cash back | $0 |
| Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card | Good to excellent | Cash back | $0 |
| Capital One Spark Cash Plus | Excellent | Cash back | $150 |
How to apply for a Capital One card
Here's how to get a Capital One credit card.
1. Choose the card you want. Visit capitalone.com and pick the rewards category that fits your style: Credit building, cash back, student, travel or business.
2. See which cards you're preapproved for. On the pre-approval page, you just need to enter your name, address, income and the last four digits of your Social Security number to see what cards you qualify for, without dinging your credit score.
3. Apply. This will require more detailed personal info, including your birthday, full SNN, income and employment information. It'll also mean a hard credit inquiry, which will temporarily lower your FICO score. Double-check everything you've provided and read the terms carefully before hitting "submit."
4. Get your approval decision. Most decisions are instant, but it could take a few days, especially if you have a complicated financial situation.
5. Start shopping. If you're approved, your physical card should arrive in 7–10 business days. You can often use a virtual card number before it arrives, however. Make sure you check "Get Your Virtual Card" after approval.
Is Capital One a good credit card issuer?
There's no single credit card that's good for everyone, but Capital One offers a range of options that could be a good fit for many consumers, from those looking to build credit to those seeking luxury perks.
Order Uber Eats daily? The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card comes with a complimentary Uber One membership, which eliminates delivery fees and takes 5% off eligible orders.
Taking a family trip to the Grand Canyon? The Capital One Venture X Rewards offers trip cancellation, delay and interruption protection, plus lost luggage coverage and primary auto rental collision damage waiver.
What is the best Capital One card?
The best Capital One card for you depends on your spending habits, credit score, budget and other factors. There are many good options, especially if you like travel or cash back rewards.
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards is great for purchases in everyday categories, while the Capital One Venture X Rewards is the bank's premium travel rewards card. Users get benefits like a $300 annual travel credit for portal bookings, unlimited access to Capital One and Priority Pass lounges and 10,000 bonus miles every anniversary.
Other Capital One cards earn at least 2X miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, a great option if you hate thinking about bonus categories or spend heavily outside them.
Types of Capital One credit cards
Capital One issues cards to suit varying needs.
Rewards credit cards
Capital One has rewards credit cards that earn cash back and Capital One miles. Capital One miles can be redeemed to offset travel purchases at a rate of 1 cent per point. You can also transfer them to a long list of airline and hotel loyalty programs, such as Flying Blue (Air France and KLM), Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca Lifemiles and more.
Business credit cards
Having a business credit card is essential for simplifying paperwork and keeping personal and business expenses separate. Capital One offers business cards that earn travel rewards and cash back with annual fees ranging from $0 up to $395.
Student credit cards and credit builder cards
If you're rebuilding your credit or just starting to establish your credit history, Capital One has credit cards tailored to your situation. Student credit cards are a good option for college students and secured credit cards are available even if you have weak credit.
FAQs
What Capital One credit card is easiest to get?
The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card is easier to qualify for, but you'll need a security deposit to open it and it doesn't come with any rewards.
What is the best Capital One credit card?
The Capital One Venture X is Capital One's premium travel rewards card. It offers perks like airport lounge access, travel insurance, travel credits, and earns transferable Capital One miles.
How many Capital One credit cards can you have?
Capital One doesn't have an official limit to how many cards you can have, though it typically limits members to holding two personal credit cards at a time. Co-branded Capital One cards may not count toward this two-card limit.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card story is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best Capital One credit cards.
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Our methodology
To determine which Capital One cards offer the best value, CNBC Select analyzed Capital One credit cards available in the U.S. We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards, annual fees, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APR and balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks (e.g., ongoing travel or merchant statement credits), cardholder protections (e.g., purchase protection, $0 liability protection and travel insurance), the application process when available (e.g., is there a credit pull or required credit score) and how easy it is to redeem points (e.g., are rewards are tied to a specific brand; if transferable, to how many/which partners, can you redeem for straight cash back).
We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.
For the cards that offered a rewards program, we considered consumer spending forecasts from location intelligence firm Esri to determine where U.S. consumers are spending the most, such as on dining and travel. We used this to help determine what bonus categories are most useful for consumers.
Since the value of a point or mile varies based on how they can be redeemed, we also considered factors like transferability and the ability to redeem them for cash back.
Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X to stay up to date.
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For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
