Capital One Venture, Spark, and Quicksilver Cards

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Revision as of 16:55, 1 May 2021 by Editor (talk | contribs) (Notable Benefits)
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  Capital One Credit Cards

Venture.png

Capital One Webpage
Annual Fee

$95

Typical Signup Offer

$300

Signup Bonus Chart
Bonus Categories

4% Restaurants (4 - ≈6%)

4% Entertainment (4 - ≈6%)

2% Grocery (2 - ≈3%)

1x Everywhere Else (1 - ≈1.5%)


No Foreign Transaction Fee


Capital One Miles Guide


Venture.png

If you are collecting Capital One "Miles", the Savor cards can help you boost your balance with their signup bonuses and bonus category rewards on restaurant and entertainment. The points you earn from these cards can be transferred to your Venture or Spark Card and then onto one of Capital One's frequent flyer or hotel loyalty partners.


Card Options

Capital One offers a variety of general-purpose cards. These cards don't have bonus categories or much in the way of special benefits. They just offer a certain rate of Capital One "miles" or cashback on all your purchases. The annual-fee versions of the cards offer better rates and bonuses than their no-annual-fee siblings.

Card Rate Fee Typ. Bonus
Personal cards
Venture 2x miles $95
Quicksilver 1.5% cash $0
VentureOne 1.25x miles $0
Business Cards
Spark Miles 2x miles $95
Spark Cash 2% cash $95
Spark Miles Select 1.5x miles $0
Spark Cash Select 1.5% cash $0

Introduction to Capital One Points

Some Capital One cards, like the Venture Card, earn "miles". Other cards, like the Savor cards, earn "cash back". Capital One "miles" can be used at 1 cent each to erase travel purchases you make one of the miles-earning cards, but they can also be transferred to a over a dozen frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs. You can then use the miles to book award tickets, hotel nights, or vacation rentals. The value of these awards varies, but in many cases, you can receive considerably more than 1 cent per point in value. Capital One Miles Guide.

The points you earn from the Savor cards can be transferred to your other Capital One cards. So if you have one of the mile-earning cards, you can choose to earn 3-4 miles per dollar with the Savor cards, rather than 3-4 cents per mile. If you don't find good opportunities to use your points.

Collecting the Signup Bonus

  • Unless you are collecting Capital One "miles", it is usually a borderline decision whether to apply for the Savor Card just for the signup bonus. The typical bonuses is $300. That's not bad, but there are lots of cards with better bonuses. However, higher-than-normal offers are sometimes available and can be more attractive. Due to the limits on getting Capital One cards and the fact that the first-year annual fee is waived, you should always sign up for the Savor version and then potentially downgrade to the SavorOne version at the end of the first year.
  • Capital One limits you to only two personal cards at a time (co-branded cards don't count against these limits). This limits the speed at which you can earn signup bonuses.
  • It can be hard to get approved for Capital One cards. So think twice before cancelling a card that you really want to keep, in order to earn reapply (or apply for a different Capital One Card) just to earn a new signup bonus.

Notable Benefits

  • Access to special Capital One events (personal cards). These are available to all cardholders. Current list of events.
  • Template:Benefit

  • Elite car rental status. As with all World Elite MasterCards, you get free National Emerald Club Executive and Sixt Platinum status. Instant Car Rental Elite Status.
  • Access to Mastercard's luxury hotel program. Another benefit of high-end MasterCards is access to MasterCard's luxury hotel program. When you use the program to book one of the participating hotels, you'll get a number of valuable benefits, like free breakfast, a $100 hotel credit, a room upgrade, and late checkout.Take Advantage of Luxury Hotel Programs for Valuable Extra Perks.
  • Free ShopRunner membership. Like all World Elite MasterCards, your card entitles you to a complimentary ShopRunner membership, which provides free two-day and return shipping from around 150 of the largest online retailers. ShopRunner.
  • DoorDash and Hello Fresh discounts. Cardmembers who have a DoorDash membership get $5 off their first two orders each month when paid for by their Mastercard. If you don't have a free membership from Chase, you can get your first three months membership for free through Mastercard. You also get a 5% credit back on each HelloFresh purchase.
  • Some additional discounts. If you pay for at least 3 Lyft rides each calendar month with your Mastercard, you'll receive a $5 Lyft credit good for the following month (once you enroll in the Lyft app). You also receive double Fandango points, a 5% reward rebate at Boxed, and $5 off every Postmates order of $25 or more.

Bonus Categories

None of these cards have bonus categories. You can earn 3-4x points on dining and entertainment with the Capital One Savor Cards.

It only makes sense to spend with the cards that offer at least 2% (Venture, Spark Miles, Spark Cash).




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