Update: Some of the offers mentioned below are no longer available. View current offers here.
Over the past few years, Capital One has upped its rewards game by expanding and improving credit. Is it easy to use cashback card who can redeem points at a fixed value towards buy travel and other claimed credits. These give cardholders a reliable rate of return their daily spending.
The issuer has also extended the Capital One mile program so that some cardholders can change miles to 17 airline and hotel partnersincluding Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club and ALL Accor Live Limitless.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
Dependent Where do you spend the most money? and how you want to redeem your rewards, decide Capital One Credit Card Signing up can be a tough choice.
Among the products you may be deciding on, there are popular ones Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card. Let’s take a closer look to see which one might be a better fit.
Related: Best Capital One Card
Overview of the cards
Below is a snapshot of the two cards and their respective benefits.
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | 95 dollars. | $0. |
| Signup Bonus | Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | $200 after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. |
| Income | 5 miles for every dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
5 miles per dollar spent on Turo car rentals (ends May 15, 2023). 2 miles for every dollar spent on everything else. |
1.5% cashback on everything. |
| Other benefits | 2 free airport lounge visits per year.
Free Global Pre-Test/TSA (up to $100). There are no foreign transaction fees. Travel accident insurance. Purchase protection. Warranty extension. |
0% referral APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months of your account opening (17.99%-27.99% variable APR thereafter; 3% fee on funds transferred in the first 15 months first).
There are no foreign transaction fees. Travel accident insurance. Purchase protection. Warranty extension. |
Now let’s go into detail about both products and which one you can maximize if you are thinking of applying for a new credit card.
Annual fee
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has $95 annual fee. Opposite, Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card yes no annual fee. So aside from having to consider whether this is one of two personal Capital One credit cards that you can open at any given time, carrying it year after year comes with no cost. Plus, you can keep this account works like a way build your credit history and increase your credit score overtime.
Winner: It’s hard to beat a card with no annual fee, so Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card win this round.
Related: Best annual fee-free credit card
Signup Bonus
The Capital One Venture Rewards credit card is currently offering new cardholders 75,000 bonus miles when they spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. This mileage is worth 1 cent each time be exchanged at a fixed rate for travel purchases or new bookings through Capital One Travel and gift cards. That means bonuses can be worth $1,000 while traveling.
Related: 5 reasons to get the Capital One Venture Rewards Card
However, the miles you earn with Capital One Venture are now transferable to 15 airline and hotel partner loyalty programs. With greater flexibility, TPG worth these miles at 1.4 cents per person, bringing the value of the sign-up bonus up to $1,400.
The bonus for signing up for the Capital One Quicksilver Credit Card is significantly more modest – just $200 cash back. But you only have to spend $500 in the first three months to qualify. The card is also currently on offer 0% Referral APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months (17.99%-27.99% APR change thereafter; 3% fee on the first 15 months).
Winner: Although you have to spend more to earn it, the value of Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardThe sign-up bonus will blow Quicksilver out of the water.
Miles earned
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards credit card offers a flat 1.5% cashback on all purchases. That makes your return on spending easy to calculate and rely on. It is also on par with competing cards from other issuers, such as Unlimited pursuit of freedom.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earn 2 miles per dollar on most purchases, with an additional 5 miles per dollar on spending on Turo rentals (ending May 15, 2023) and hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Winner: The Capital One Venture Rewards credit card boasts a better rate of return on every purchase.
Related: When should you consider the Capital One Venture card for hotels and car rentals
Redeem flight miles
This is where the two cards differ most significantly.
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards credit card is a cashback card, simple and easy to use. With a 1.5% return on every dollar you spend, you can redeem your cash in a number of different ways.
Related: Best cashback credit card
Among them are statement credits, gift cards, Buy on Amazon.com, check, or to “delete” a recent purchase within 90 days of it being made. There is no minimum redemption value, so you can redeem your cash for as little as 1 cent.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, on the other hand, earns miles that can be redeemed for cash back or transferred to Capital One’s travel partners. In terms of refunds, you can redeem your miles at the rate of 1 cent for buy travel and gift cards. If you choose statement credits for other types of purchases or checks, you only get a rate of 0.5 cents per mile, essentially cutting your value in half, so you’ll want to avoid this option.
However, in addition to cashback, Capital One Venture mileage also can switch to partner programs.
Related: The best ways to maximize one-mile capital
While not always as valuable as some other transferable points programs, such as Rewards for American Express members and Chase the ultimate rewardthere are still ways to maximize these partners, including business class Lufthansa and ANA first class use Avianca LifeMiles, or book American Airlines premium tickets to Europe with Etihad Guest miles.
Winner: If you are just looking for a simple rate of return, then Quicksilver might be a better choice. However, if you want to redeem your cash especially for travel purchases or are willing to get creative with wire transfers (and often have transfer bonus for different partners), Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card takes the lead.
Other benefits
Both cards Free foreign transactionsprovided Concierge service and grant cardholders access to exclusive events. They also include purchase protection and Warranty extension as well as secondary car rental insurance and Travel accident insurance.
The Capital One Venture Rewards credit card, on the other hand, offers an added perk. Like some credit cards with much higher annual feeit will refund cardholders every four years for either Global Entry or Pre-check TSA application, a benefit worth up to $100.
Winner: The Global Entry/TSA PreCheck benefit alone is worth the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Related: Best Credit Cards for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck
Key point
Both Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card are great rewards card options. Quicksilver is an unquestionably useful tool for those who just want a simple cashback formula to earn and exchange money with little to no effort.
However, if you want specific miles for travel purchases and can maximize Capital One’s travel remittance partners as well as benefits like Global Entry / TSA PreCheck registration fee refunds, then The Capital One Venture Rewards credit card is a much better choice. Which card is right for you will depend solely on your spending habits and travel needs.
For more information, read Capital One Venture Review and ours Review Capital One Quicksilver.
Additional reporting by Emily Thompson, Chris Dong and Benét J. Wilson
