Capital One has been absolutely crushing it over the last year and a half. In 2018 alone, it added a high-powered 10x bonus category to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card for Hotels.com purchases (when booked via this dedicated link through January 2020), and followed that up with the announcement that miles earned on the Spark and Venture card families can be transferred to airline partners.
Today we’ll take a look at some of the best Capital One credit cards, including those that don’t always get the attention they deserve. Note that all of the cards on this list also have watered-down, no-annual fee versions — such as the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card — with fewer perks and lower earning rates. But Capital One’s top cards offer significant value and have modest annual fees, so we’ll focus on the big leagues here.
The Best Capital One Credit Cards of 2019:
- Venture from Capital One: Best for personal travel
- Spark Miles from Capital One: Best for business travel
- Savor Rewards from Capital One: Best for dining and entertainment
- Spark Cash from Capital One: Best for flat-rate business spending
- Quicksilver from Capital One: Best no-fee flat-rate card
Research Criteria
We reviewed the entire Capital One credit card line-up for the best offers and studied their pros and cons. Our method for assigning value to these cards relied upon assessing the real value of the sign-up bonus, rewards, perks and annual fees. Each points program has its own point valuation determined by TPG, which you can find here.
Things to consider before applying:
- 5 Things To Understand About Credit Before Applying For Cards
- 3 Key Considerations for Improving Your Credit Score
- Debunking Credit Card Myths: Does Applying For A Card Permanently Impact My Credit Score
- Avoiding Late Payments and Other Silly Credit Card Mistakes
- 9 Reasons to Get a Business Credit Card
- Do I Need a Business to Get a Business Credit Card?
- How to Choose the Right Credit Card for Your Business Expenses
As always, head to our Cards Hub to see the best credit cards currently available across all banks and issuers.
Comparing the Best Capital One Credit Cards
With that out of the way, here are more details about the best Capital One credit card offers available right now.
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Venture from Capital One |
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| Bonus Offer | Bonus Value* | Perks Value | Annual Fee | Total Value** |
| 50,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. | $700 | Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit (up to $100) | $0 intro for the first year, $95 after | $800 |
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Spark Miles from Capital One |
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| Bonus Offer | Bonus Value* | Perks Value | Annual Fee | Total Value** |
| 50,000 miles after you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months. | $700 | Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit (up to $100) | $0 intro for the first year, $95 after | $800 |
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Spark Cash from Capital One |
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| Bonus Offer | Bonus Value* | Perks Value | Annual Fee | Total Value** |
| $500 cash bonus after you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months. | $500 | None | $0 intro for the first year, $95 after | $500 |
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Savor Rewards from Capital One |
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| Bonus Offer | Bonus Value* | Perks Value | Annual Fee | Total Value** |
| $300 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. | $300 | None | $0 intro for the first year, $95 after | $300 |
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Quicksilver from Capital One |
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| Bonus Offer | Bonus Value* | Perks Value | Annual Fee | Total Value** |
| $150 cash bonus after you spend $500 in the first 3 months. | $150 | None | $0 | $150 |
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer.
**Total value is calculated for the first year.
Venture from Capital One
Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months.
Rewards: 2x miles per dollar spent on all purchases.
Benefits: While the Venture from Capital One first earned its place by offering a consistent 2x miles on all purchases and a simple fixed-value “purchase eraser” redemption structure, the addition of airline transfer partners really put it in a league of its own. Miles transfer at a 2:1.5 ratio to the following 12 airlines, effectively giving the card an earning rate of 1.5x partner airline miles per dollar spent:
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Infinity MileageLands
- Finnair Plus
- Hainan Fortune Wings Club
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Miles also transfer to these three additional partners at a 2:1 ratio:
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Emirates Skywards
- Singapore KrisFlyer
While you can still use your miles to erase travel purchases from your statement at a fixed rate of 1 cent each, these transfer partners led TPG to value Capital One miles at 1.4 cents each, giving the Venture card an astounding earning rate of 2.8% on all purchases.
All the other features that made this card so great are sticking around, including the 10x bonus category at Hotels.com when booked and paid via Hotels.com/venture, (which you can stack with Hotels.com own loyalty program to earn another 10% back), the waived first-year annual fee and the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit (up to $100).
Flexibility is one of the most valuable elements of a good points strategy, and the Venture card delivers loads of it by allowing you to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to use it as a fixed-value or transferable points card.
Annual fee: $95 (waived the first year)
Further Reading
- Capital One Venture Rewards Review
- Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture
- Why the Capital One Venture Has a Front Spot in Our Wallets
APPLY HERE: Venture from Capital One
Spark Miles from Capital One
Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 miles after you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months.
Rewards: Earn 2x miles on all purchases.
Benefits: The Spark Miles from Capital One is a business credit card that gives you access to the same great transfer partners as the Venture family of cards. Businesses enjoy the free employee cards, lack of foreign transaction fees and Visa SavingsEdge benefits. You also get up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck enrollment fees, rental collision coverage, emergency travel assistance and roadside assistance.
Annual fee: $95 (waived first year)
Further Reading
- Credit Card Review: The Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- 5 Lesser-Known Perks of the Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Redeeming Capital One Miles for Maximum Value
APPLY HERE: Spark Miles from Capital One
Spark Cash from Capital One
Sign-up bonus: Earn $500 cash bonus after you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months
Rewards: Earn cash back at a fixed 2% rate
Benefits: Even if your business prefers cash back over travel rewards, you can still get great value out of your credit card usage. The Spark Cash from Capital One is identical to the Spark Miles card in all ways but one: It earns cash back instead of transferable miles. That saves you the trouble of having to identify travel purchases made in the last 90 days to redeem your miles for a statement credit — instead, you’ll easily get cash in your pocket. Just remember you’re unable to transfer rewards to Capital One’s airline partners with this card.
Annual fee: $95 (waived first year)
Further Reading
- Credit Card Review: Spark Cash from Capital One
- Capital One Spark Cash for Business vs. Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- The Top 5 Business Cash-Back Credit Cards
APPLY HERE: Spark Cash from Capital One
Savor Rewards from Capital One
Sign-up bonus: $300 after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months
Rewards: The card earns 4% back on dining and entertainment, 2% back at grocery stores and 1% on everything else
Benefits: The Savor Rewards from Capital One is a pure cash-back card that aims to compete on its earning rates, not on perks and benefits. There are credit cards out there with more valuable individual bonus categories, but if you’re looking for a no-frills, no nonsense card with multiple solid bonus categories all in one package, the Savor is a great choice to consider. Just make sure you’re getting more than $95 worth of cash back from it after the first year — otherwise you might want to consider the no-annual fee SavorOne Rewards From Capital One instead.
Annual fee: $95 (waived first year)
Further Reading
- Credit Card Review: Savor Rewards from Capital One
- Get Waived Postmates Delivery Fees With the Capital One Savor Card
APPLY HERE: Savor Rewards from Capital One
Quicksilver from Capital One
Sign-up bonus: $150 after you spend $500 in the first 3 months
Rewards: Earn a fixed and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
Benefits: The Quicksilver from Capital One is about as simplified as you can get, so for people who don’t want to spend time learning award charts and maxing out transfer bonuses, it can be a decent option. Its rewards are not the best rate on the market, but are passable — especially for a no-annual-fee card. While the sign-up bonus isn’t massive, the spending requirement is low. That said, if you’re in the market for a no-annual-fee cash back card like this, you’d likely be better off picking the Citi Double Cash Card instead.
Annual fee: $0
APPLY HERE: Quicksilver from Capital One
Bottom Line
While premium credit cards are all the rage these days, Capital One has taken a different approach. None of these cards offer lengthy, exhausting lists of perks that you may or may not remember to use, but none of them cost more than $100, and they’re all free for the first year.
Capital One has focused on providing a good value proposition in terms of earning and redeeming, instead of complicating things with flashy and expensive perks. Whether you’re an individual or a business, looking for miles or cash back, Capital One has a card that can help you achieve your travel goals.
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