Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card review: Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase made

You can relax and avoid the complication of rotating cash-back rewards with this card. Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase and enjoy a one-time $200 intro bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months.
author Jennifer Doss

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
Our Rating:   
Excellent, Good

CardRatings Editor's Analysis: Pros & Cons

  • Intro perks are good: one-time $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first three months and a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (then, RegAPR; balance transfer fee applies.
  • If you're a relatively light credit card user, this is a great card since you won't have to worry about rotating categories – and the 1.5% cash back on every purchase can really add up.
  • Enjoy a full slate of cardholder privileges to make your life easier and maybe even save you some money.
  • This card is best for people who value simple rewards earning over maximum rewards earning. If you're willing to keep up with some categories or spending caps, you can earn much more with a card that offers bonus rewards for certain purchases.
Terms and Limitations Apply.

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CAPITAL ONE QUICKSILVER BENEFITS

Rotating categories in some cash-back credit cards can seem like you're playing a game of roulette. One month you could be at the movies flicking kernels of popcorn into your mouth with a smile on your face knowing you’re getting 5% back on purchases at the theater, but next month it's only at home improvement stores you can earn those cash-back incentives. What are you going to do at a home improvement store? You can barely handle changing a light bulb.

With the CardName it doesn't matter where your purchases take you. You automatically earn 1.5% cash back on all your purchases, anywhere. And that cash back won't expire for the life of the account. That means you're good for milking some cash back from the movie theaters and, if you’re feeling brave enough, the home improvement store as well.

The CardName best features include:

  • A consistent 1.5% cash back on all your purchases, plus, cardholders can earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options (terms apply).
  • A one-time $200 bonus after spending $500 within your first three months.
  • Enjoy up to six months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024.
  • Intro 0% APR for 15 months – you won't pay interest on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. Then, RegAPR after that; balance transfer fee applies. See Rates and Fees
  • No foreign transaction fees. (More on this below.)
  • Complimentary concierge service, ready to help you around the clock.

Top Features

 Cash Back on Gas
1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day
 Cash Back on Groceries
1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day
 Cash Back on Other
1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day

WHAT OUR EDITORS LIKE MOST ABOUT THE CardName

The CardName is good for earning consistent 1.5% cash back without registering for quarterly promotions, which means it’s also your best bet if your purchasing habits don't fall into predictable patterns.

Because Capital One has reserved this version of its credit card for those with CreditScoreNeeded credit, the bank can afford to load this account up with special benefits that stack up nicely against cards with annual fees and higher APRs. The CardName gives you a full slate of cardholder privileges.

CAPITAL ONE QUICKSILVER FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE

We have a hunger for "free" and the CardName has plenty to feed that hunger. Not only does the card feature a $0 annual fee, there is no fee on all foreign transactions. This benefit should not be overlooked, as it is rare for a cash rewards card not to charge a foreign transaction fee. Many cash back cards charge an average of 3% on each foreign transaction made. With a modest 1.5% cash back reward rate, the $0 annual fee and 0% fee for foreign transactions helps to boost the benefits of this card.

What does this perk mean in terms of real savings? Think of it this way: For a family on a two-week vacation abroad, spending $300 per day on food, entertainment, souvenirs, transportation, etc., no foreign transaction would mean a savings of $126 on just that one vacation alone. See Rates and Fees

POTENTIAL DOWNSIDES OF THE CardName

While the CardName is a no-gimmick card with a straight-and-to-the-point cash-back rewards structure, you could earn quite a bit more cash back with a card that offer rewards in rotating categories of up to 5%. You might be someone who does shop a lot at home improvement stores, does a lot of grocery shopping or fills up on gas frequently, so a card that rewards those purchases at a higher rate could certainly benefit you.

Savvy spenders might want to consider carrying the CardName alongside a card with rotating categories to make the most of rewards. Take the CardName, for example. It earns users 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target); unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply); 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; and 1% cash back on all other purchases. A strategic plan would be to use this no annual fee card for dining, entertainment, and grocery purchases (See Rates and Fees), and then to use the CardName for everything else to earn 1.5% cash back instead of just 1%.

If you'd prefer not to juggle multiple cards though, 1.5% back on all purchases is still a good offer, especially because this card doesn't have an annual fee.

CAPITAL ONE QUICKSILVER CARDHOLDER SCORES

CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results:

Current Scores Past Scores
Overall Score 77.7 82.4
Features Satisfaction 7.7 8.1
Customer Service 7.5 8.3
Website/App Usability 8.2 8.6
Likelihood of Continuing to Use 8.5 8.8
Recommend to a Friend/Colleague 7.6 8

*Scores above reflect the results of surveys with actual cardholders. Full methodology below.

HOW THE CardName COMPARES TO OTHER CREDIT CARDS

CardName vs. CardName

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The CardName and the CardName are both great options for those who want straightforward cash back earning and no annual fee. Citi is a CardRatings advertiser.

The big difference between the two cards is in the introductory bonus offers. The CardName welcome bonus allows cardholders to earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. Additionally, it offer an 18 month 0% APR offer on balance transfers (then, RegAPR. The Quicksilver card, on the other hand, offers a one-time $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases during the first three months of card membership offer. For those looking for a bonus cash back boost with minimal spend, the Quicksilver card is a great option, but if a lengthy intro 0% APR period on balance transfers is on your list, as well as a longer time period to meet the minimum spend, the CardName offer may be worth more to you.

The cash back earnings rate of the CardName is a little higher with unlimited 1% cash back earned when you buy plus 1% cash back as you pay for those purchases for a possible total of 2% cash back on all your purchases (to earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time), while the CardName earns a flat rate 1.5% cash back on all purchases.

CardName vs. CardName

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The CardName is somewhat of a sibling to the CardName in terms of the rewards they both offer. Both allow cardholders to earn a flat rate of 1.5% cash back on all purchases. But Freedom Unlimited® also offers 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on Chase travel; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining; and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

CardName rewards are combinable with other Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, so this could be the better card for you if you’re already collecting points with another Ultimate Rewards® product.

The Capital One card, however, beats out CardName for those who travel abroad often by not charging foreign transaction fees. See Rates and Fees

To learn more about how these cards line up, check out our in depth Capital One Quicksilver vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited® comparison.

CardName vs. CardName

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For those who want to earn a possible effective cash back rate of 10% in the first year of card ownership, the CardName deserves your attention. Like the CardName, the CardName has no annual fee, the ability to redeem cash back at any time with no minimum, and rewards that never expire as long as the account is open. The bonus for the CardName is where it really sets itself apart. Cardholders can earn 5% cash back in rotating categories each quarter (up to $1,500 spent quarterly; activation required), and 1% on everything else. At the end of your first year, Discover matches all the cash that you’ve earned – effectively meaning you earn 10% cash back in those categories during your first year as a cardholder.

The quarterly bonus cash back earning does require activation though, and because the categories rotate, you have to pay attention to which category earns bonus cash back. For straightforward cash back earning without these extra steps, the uncapped 1.5% cash back earned by the CardName is hard to beat.

IS CAPITAL ONE QUICKSILVER A GOOD CARD?

It's hard to find a consistently stronger flat-rate cash-back credit card with no annual fee than the CardName. This is a decent choice for the credit card user who wants an everyday card and doesn't want to have to keep up with rotating categories or even tiered reward levels. Plus, the CardName travels well with its lack of foreign transaction fees, which again, is a rare perk for cash back credit cards. See Rates and Fees


Survey Methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents' scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. “Current Scores” reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); "Past Scores" reflect scores from the 2022 survey.

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.

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card Compared to Other Cash back Cards

Apply online for Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Apply online for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Apply online for Citi Double Cash<sup>®</sup> Card
Citi Double Cash® Card
Cash Back on Gas
1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day 
Cash Back on Gas
3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more). 
Cash Back on Gas
1.5% cash back on all other purchases. 
Cash Back on Gas
1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay 
Cash Back on Groceries
1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day 
Cash Back on Groceries
6% at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%) 
Cash Back on Groceries
1.5% cash back on all other purchases. 
Cash Back on Groceries
1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay 
Cash Back on other
1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day 
Cash Back on other
1% Cash Back on other purchases. 
Cash Back on other
1.5% cash back on all other purchases. 
Cash Back on other
1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay 

Disclaimer: The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.

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