Capital One Quicksilver Review: A No-Fuss, No-Gimmicks Cash Card
A pioneer in offering unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, this card also gets credit for letting you redeem your cash in any amount — no minimum.
Our Take
4.9
The bottom line: This card's 1.5% cash-back rate set a new standard. Easy earning and easy redemption make it a winner.
Full Review
on Capital One's website
on Capital One's website
Annual Fee
$0
Regular APR
15.49% - 25.49% Variable APR
Intro APR
0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 months
Recommended Credit Score
Quick Facts
Pros & Cons
Pros
High rewards rate and no minimum redemption
No annual fee or foreign transaction fee
Intro APR period on Purchases
Sign-up bonus
Cons
Other cards have longer 0% periods
No bonus rewards categories
Requires good/excellent credit
Alternate Pick: Higher rewards rate
Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer
1% + 1% cash back on all purchases
This no-fee card gives you 2% back on everything: 1% when you buy it and 1% when you pay it off. But this offer includes no sign-up bonus or 0% period on purchases, and you can't redeem less than $25 in cash back.
Compare to Other Cards
Annual Fee$0 | Annual Fee$0 | Annual Fee$0 |
Regular APR15.49% - 25.49% Variable APR | Regular APR13.99% - 23.99% Variable APR | |
Intro APR0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 months | Intro APR0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months | Intro APR0% intro APR for 14 months on purchases and balance transfers |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
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Full Review
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card set the standard for an entire generation of cash-back credit cards with an extremely simple value proposition: 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day.
By itself, the sheer simplicity of the rewards is enough to recommend the card. You get an excellent cash-back rate with no bonus categories to remember or spending limits to keep track of. But the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card goes even further by offering low fees, a solid sign-up bonus, easy rewards redemption and a lengthy introductory 0% APR period.
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card: Basics
Card type: Cash back.
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: One-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
Rewards: Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
Interest rate: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 15.49% - 25.49% Variable APR.
Balance transfer fee: 3%.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Where the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card shines
Simple rewards earning and redemption
People who value simplicity will appreciate the straightforward rewards on the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card. And the ease of use doesn't apply only on the rewards-earning side. The card doesn't have a minimum redemption amount. While many competitors require you to amass as much as $25 in rewards before you can cash out, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card lets you redeem for any amount at any time. Want to redeem $1.89 worth of rewards and get that soft drink for free? Go right ahead.
Cash sign-up bonus
The only thing better than earning cash is earning it with minimal effort. The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card has a solid sign-up bonus with a fairly low spending requirement to earn it — meaning you're less likely to feel pressured to overspend.
Low fees
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is a good option for the fee-averse. It charges an annual fee of $0, and because it has no foreign transaction fees, it's one of the best cash-back cards to take with you when traveling internationally. Even the 3% balance-transfer fee is lower than what many of its rivals charge. (Still, if a balance transfer is your main purpose in applying for a new credit card, there are better card options without transfer fees.)
Great 0% APR period
Because of the transfer fee, we don't usually recommend this card for balance transfers. But it's a great option if you have a big purchase coming up that will take a few months to pay off. It has an introductory APR of 0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 15.49% - 25.49% Variable APR.
Reasonable qualification requirements
This card is marketed to people with good credit, which we generally define as scores above 690. This is not the only decent rewards card that's available to people with good (but not excellent) credit, but we appreciate that you don't have to be pushing 800 to qualify for a decent rewards card with low fees.
Why you might want a different card
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card has a lot going for it, but it isn't the best fit for everyone.
You can get a higher flat rate
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer pays 2% cash back on purchases — 1% when you make them, plus another 1% when you pay them off. That's obviously a better rate than the 1.5% on the Capital One card. However, the Citi card does not offer a sign-up bonus. Taking the bonus into account, you'd have to spend $30,000 with the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer before your total rewards exceed those on the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card. Once you reach that milestone, though, you'll always be ahead in terms of rewards.
Rewards rate aside, the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer lags the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card in a couple key areas:
It has no 0% APR period for purchases.
It charges a foreign transaction fee of 3%.
You can't redeem your cash back until you have accumulated at least $25 in rewards.
If any of these is a dealbreaker for you, go for the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card.
You can get bonus rewards on gas and groceries
Flat-rate rewards are perfect for consumers with varied spending habits. People who spend a significant chunk of their budget on gas and groceries should consider a card that specifically rewards these types of transactions. Enter the no-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. It offers 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 in spending per year — then 1%), 2% back at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores, and 1% back on everything else. (Terms apply.)
If you spend at least $61 a week at the supermarket, take a look at the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. It charges an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95 but pays much richer rewards: 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 a year in spending (then 1%); 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions; 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit; and 1% cash back on all other purchases. (Terms apply.)
These cards also include bonus offers for new cardholders and 0% introductory APR periods.
Strategic spending can earn you 5%
If you don't mind logging in to your account every quarter to opt into bonus rewards categories, you may want to check out one of the 5% credit cards — the Chase Freedom Flex℠ or the Discover it® Cash Back.
Both of these cards earn 5% cash back in categories that change every three months; you have to opt in to the category each time it changes. The 5% cash back is good on up to $1,500 per quarter in spending. All other spending earns 1% cash back. The current bonus categories for both cards can be found here.
To learn more about how your cash-back credit card options might stack up, check out our best credit cards page.
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card vs. the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Probably the best-known rival to the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card in the 1.5% cash-back game is the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. The cards have identical rewards rates, both allow you to redeem cash back in any amount, and they have similar 0% APR periods, too.
Three noteworthy differences:
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers a larger cash bonus: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, you'll earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase and 3% on dining at restaurants and drugstores. All other purchases earn 1.5% back.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® charges a 3% foreign transaction fee. If you expect to be doing a lot of spending during international travel, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is the more cost-effective choice.
The cash back on the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is technically earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which can give you more flexibility (and potentially more value) when you redeem.
Should I get the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card?
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card isn't fancy. That's a feature, not a drawback. It doesn't pay the highest cash-back rate on the market, but few cards offer as compelling a combination of rewards rate, redemption simplicity, low fees, sign-up bonus and 0% APR period.
To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please visit this page.
on Capital One's website
Frequently asked questions
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases. The annual fee is $0, and new cardholders get this offer: One-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
The annual fee for the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is $0.
The Capital One Platinum Credit Card is designed for people with fair or average credit (generally defined as a score of 630 to 689). It can help you build credit if used carefully, but it doesn’t offer rewards. The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card offers 1.5% cash back on all purchases, but you'll need good credit or better to qualify.
Both cards earn 1.5% cash back, but the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card requires good to excellent credit to qualify. It has a $0 annual fee and a sign-up bonus. You can qualify for the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card with fair credit, but it charges a $39 annual fee and doesn’t offer a bonus.
To qualify for the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, you'll need good to excellent credit — generally defined as a score of 690 or higher. You'll also have to meet other approval criteria, such as having sufficient income.