Capital One Savor Review: No Longer Available; Existing Holders Can Still Use It
The Bottom Line
4.8
If you're a foodie who also happens to frequently paint the town, this card can be well worth its annual fee. But there are also excellent dining cards that cost nothing to carry.
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$95
Rewards rate
1%-8%
Bonus offer
Earn a one-time $300 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 19.99%, 26.24% or 29.99%, Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 29.99%, Variable
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR
Foreign transaction fee
0%
More details from Capital One
- Earn a one-time $300 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
- Earn unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services, 3% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Capital One cardholders get access to premium experiences in dining, entertainment and more.
- As of July 16, 2024, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is no longer accepting applications, according to Capital One. Existing cardholders can continue using the card.
- Information for this card not reviewed by or provided by Capital One.
Pros and Cons
Pros
No foreign transaction fee
Rich rewards on dining, entertainment
Broad definition of entertainment
Generous sign-up bonus
Cons
No 0% APR period
Detailed Review
» This page is out of date
As of July 16, 2024, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is no longer accepting applications, according to Capital One. See our article for more details. The review below details what the card offers for existing cardholders, who can continue using the card.
• • •
If a night out is just another night for you, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card* might be calling your name. This card offers an impressive — and unlimited — 4% cash back rate on dining, streaming and entertainment spending, not to mention a rich 3% back at grocery stores, plus 1% back on everything else. It also carries one of the biggest sign-up bonuses currently available from a cash-back card.
The catch? There's an annual fee of $95. And that's expensive for a cash-back product, especially since similar foodie-focused cards exist for no fee at all.
But for those who spend plenty of money dining out at sit-down restaurants and fast-food joints, going out to movies and shows, and hanging out at nightclubs, coffee shops or even bowling alleys, the rewards can make it worth the fee.
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: Basics
Card type: Cash back.
Annual fee: $95.
Rewards:
4% cash back on dining, eligible streaming services, and entertainment.
3% cash back at grocery stores.
5% cash back on hotels and rental cards booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply).
1% cash back on all other purchases.
Through Nov. 14, 2024, you can also earn 10% cash back with this card on Uber and Uber Eats, as well as a complimentary Uber One membership. Terms apply.
Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 19.99%, 26.24% or 29.99%, Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Minimum redemption requirement: None.
How this card defines 'dining, entertainment and groceries'
Dining includes purchases at restaurants, fast-food places, coffee shops, cafes, lounges, bakeries, bars, nightclubs and more, according to the issuer.
Entertainment includes tickets purchased for a movie, play, concert, sporting event, tourist attraction, theme park, aquarium, zoo, dance club, pool hall or bowling alley, the issuer confirms. "Entertainment" doesn’t include purchases like cable, digital streaming or subscription services — but again, streaming is its own separate 4% bonus category.
Grocery purchases include supermarkets, meat lockers and specialty markets. It doesn't include superstores like Walmart and Target.
How this card defines eligible streaming services
Unlike American Express, which maintains a comprehensive list of services that qualify for bonus rewards on streaming, Capital One has yet to publish such a list. As of July 2023, its website describes eligibility this way: "Streaming purchases made from eligible music and video streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu and Disney+. Some services, such as Prime Video, AT&T TV and Verizon FIOS On Demand, are excluded, as well as audiobook subscription services and fitness programming."
Savor vs. SavorOne
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card isn't the only card under Capital One's Savor brand. The $0-annual-fee Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card offers rewards in similar categories, and unlike its more expensive cousin, it's still accepting new applications. see rates and fees.
The cards at a glance:
Empty Table Header | Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card | Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card. |
|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $95. | $0 (see rates and fees) |
Sign-up bonus | No longer accepting new sign-ups. | Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. |
Cash-back rewards |
|
|
APR | The ongoing APR is 19.99%, 26.24% or 29.99%, Variable APR. | 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 19.99% - 29.99% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies. |
Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
Good for those who spend big on night life
This card pays for itself with $2,375 a year in dining/streaming/entertainment spending. If you're out on the town several nights a week or you frequently cover the dining and entertainment costs for a crowd, that might not be a very high bar to clear. Maybe you entertain clients for business, or you like to pick up the group tab at a restaurant or bar and have your friends Venmo you their share.
How can you know what counts as a dining or entertainment purchase? It comes down to the merchant classification code used by the business. If the merchant is using a code that Capital One defines as dining, entertainment or streaming, you should get 4% cash back for it.
Cash back is more flexible than travel rewards
Many top-shelf dining credit cards offer rewards in the form of points that can be redeemed for travel. If you don't travel much — or just don't want to use your rewards for it — they're not a great fit. This card's dining rewards come in the most flexible form of all: cash, which you can use for anything (yes, including travel). While this card could be a great pick for a frequent traveler who spends plenty on dining and entertainment, it's just as good for someone who prefers adventures closer to home.
Drawbacks and Considerations
The fee may be hard to swallow
If a $95 annual fee is a dealbreaker, you have other options when it comes to dining rewards. In addition to the no-fee version of this card discussed above, take a look at the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card. It, too, earns 4X back on dining purchases, but unlike the Savor, the card's annual fee is $0. Notably, however, it does not earn bonus rewards on "entertainment" purchases. If that's a big category for you and you still want to avoid a fee, also consider the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card. It earns 5% cash back in two categories of your choice from a list (see it below), on up to $2,000 spent per quarter on combined purchases. Some of those eligible 5% categories include fast food, movie theaters, as well as TV, internet and streaming services. The card also offers an uncapped 2% back in an everyday category of your choice, including restaurants. You'll get 1% back on all other non-bonus-category purchases.
Full list of 5% categories on the U.S. Bank Cash+
Fast food.
Home utilities.
TV, internet and streaming.
Department stores.
Cell phone providers.
Electronics stores.
Sporting goods stores.
Movie theaters.
Gyms/fitness centers.
Furniture stores.
Ground transportation.
Select clothing stores.
Travel benefits could be a better fit
The fact that the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is not specifically a travel card can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on your style. If you're looking for a card that offers both dining rewards and travel benefits, the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card could be a stronger choice, despite its more modest dining rewards.
This card offers 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1.5 points per dollar spent on all other purchases. (You could boost your rewards higher if you qualify for the Bank of America Preferred Rewards® program.) Points are worth 1 cent each whether they’re redeemed for cash back, travel purchases or other options. The card comes with an airline incidental statement credit worth up to $100 every year (for expenses such as seat upgrades and baggage fees) and a reimbursement for TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fees worth up to $100 every four years. It also features a solid sign-up bonus: Receive 60,000 online bonus points - a $600 value - after you make at least $4,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
Another alternative for those who enjoy both dining out and traveling: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. If earns bonus rewards in a variety of popular spending categories, including dining and travel. You'll earn 3 points per dollar on dining purchases, but points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed for travel booked through Chase, which is an effective rate of 3.75%. It has an annual fee of $95, charges no foreign transaction fees and offers a generous sign-up bonus: Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.
To learn how these cards stack up against the competition, check out our best credit cards page.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
If you spend plenty on food and fun, this card has your name written all over it. The hearty dining and entertainment rewards can outweigh the annual fee, and you can spend those cash rewards any way you'd like.
Just be aware that other credit cards designed for frequent diners can offer similar or better rewards for no annual fee at all.
*Information related to the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.
This card also earns 4X rewards on dining, except its annual fee is $0. Plus, you'll get a decent rate back at gas stations and on eligible streaming services. What you won't get, however, are bonus rewards on "entertainment" spending.
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Methodology
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