Capital One credit cards

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Hear from our editors: The 7 best Capital One credit cards of September 2022

Updated August 31, 2022

This date may not reflect recent changes in individual terms.

Editorial note: Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.

Written by: Heather Swick

We’ve rounded up the best credit cards that Capital One has to offer and uncovered what makes each one wallet-worthy.

One big plus of all Capital One cards is that there are no foreign transaction fees, making them all decent choices for using abroad. But from there, Capital One cards come with a wide variety of rewards programs, features and perks. Here are our picks for the best Capital One credit cards of 2022.

• Best for rewards: Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Best for cash back: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Best for no annual fee: Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Best card for travel: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Best card for building credit: Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
• Best card for average credit: Capital One Platinum Credit Card
• Best for business: Capital One® Spark® Cash Select for Business
  

Best for rewards: Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card

Here’s why: Our top rewards pick is the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card for its serious cash back potential — as long as you’re willing to pay attention to spending categories.

If dinner and a movie is your ideal weekend night, you stand to earn quite a bit with this card. Or maybe you’re more of a café-and-a-play type of person. Either way, you’ll get …

• Unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services
• 3% cash back at grocery stores
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

There’s also a cash bonus of $300 if you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of your account opening.

But be aware that there’s an annual fee of $95.

Read our review of the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card for more details.

Best for cash back: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

Here’s why: The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card earns you 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, plus 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. This card is a standout because it’s so easy to use, making it a good fit if you want rewards without extra work.

In addition to the cash back, you’ll also score $200 as a sign-up bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from opening your account.

Learn more with our review of the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card.

Best for no annual fee: Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card

Here’s why: If you want bonus categories for no annual fee, this card has you covered.

You’ll earn 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery store purchases (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target), plus 1% on all other eligible purchases. That’s not quite as much as you can earn with the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card, but there isn’t an annual fee to earn back right away.

Plus, new cardmembers can earn a $200 bonus when they spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months after their account opens.

For more details, read our review of the Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card.

Best for travel: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Here’s why: Frequent travelers who aren’t interested in juggling complicated travel rewards will appreciate the flexible, easily redeemable rewards.

With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you’ll earn two miles for every $1 you spend on purchases, along with five miles per $1 spent on hotel and rental car purchases made through Capital One Travel, and five miles per $1 spent on bookings made through Turo. You can easily redeem your miles online for an account credit in the amount of your travel purchases.

Those no-fuss rewards can add up. And the sign-up bonus stacks up pretty well: 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account.

One potential drawback is the annual fee of $95. Weigh that against your travel spending and potential rewards to see if it’s worth the extra cost.

Keep reading to learn how to maximize the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

Best card for building credit: Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

Here’s why: Building credit can sometimes feel like a Catch-22: Credit history is a key factor in your credit scores, but you have to be able to access credit to build a credit history. At the same time, card issuers may be reluctant to approve you with limited or no existing credit history. That’s where a secured credit card like the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card can help.

Once you put down a required deposit of either $49, $99 or $200 (depending on your credit history) to secure the account, you’ll receive an initial credit line of $200.

This credit-building card doesn’t offer cash back rewards or other perks — but its annual fee is $0. And Capital One says you may have a chance to get a higher credit line or to graduate to an unsecured credit card by proving you can make on-time payments.

This card has a relatively high purchase APR of 26.99% (Variable), so make it a point to pay off your statement balance in full each month to avoid interest charges.

Learn more with our review of the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card.

Best card for average credit: Capital One Platinum Credit Card

Here’s why: It can be daunting to find a decent credit card that will accept a limited or bumpy credit history. The Capital One Platinum Credit Card is meant for people with average credit — in fact, it’s one of our top recommendations for the best unsecured credit cards for building credit.

The features of this card are aimed at helping you access credit, so you won’t find much by way of rewards. But you will get a $0 annual fee, which isn’t always the case for unsecured cards that accept average credit. And if you make your first six monthly payments on time, you can be rewarded with a higher line of credit.

Treat this card as a stepping-stone and a chance to build your credit, which could lead you to cards with better rewards in the future.

Learn more with our in-depth review of the Capital One Platinum Credit Card.

Best for business: Capital One® Spark® Cash Select for Business

Here’s why: You get unlimited 1.5% cash back on all your purchases everywhere. The card also has a $0 annual fee, which means all that cash back you earn with this card goes straight into your pocket. And the flat-rate cash back means you won’t have to mentally juggle which purchases are best for this card. You know you can earn no matter what you buy. It’s a pretty sweet deal, especially when you consider that employee cards also earn cash back.

The card also offers a one-time sign-up cash bonus of $500 once you spend $4,500 on purchases within three months from account opening.

If this doesn’t sound like a good fit to you, check out our favorite Capital One business cards.

How we picked these cards

The different Capital One cards come with different consumers in mind. We looked at every card and considered which features set each card apart from the rest. The features we pay closest attention to reflect the categories we feel are of top interest to potential cardholders.

And then we read the fine print. The fees and limitations are important to know upfront, long before a credit card makes it to your wallet. We weighed those against the benefits to select our top picks. Our full reviews dig into the pros and cons, and you should always dig into a card’s fees and terms before deciding it’s a good fit for you.

How to make the most of Capital One credit cards

Capital One covers a lot of ground with its credit cards, which cater to a wide range of customers. But above all, Capital One credit cards travel well. You won’t find a foreign transaction fee in the bunch. This is something that Capital One is known for, and it means that if you use one while you’re abroad, you can avoid that extra ding when you make a purchase.

But each card has other benefits that might make it the best choice for you. If you know your spending habits and where you stand on fees, you’re likely to find a Capital One card that suits your needs.