The best Capital One credit cards to add to your wallet

Capital One has developed a reputation for offering straightforward rewards credit cards that make earning rewards easy. That’s why I chose the issuer for my very first card.

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card gave me an affordable, simplistic entry point to travel rewards, and it held a slot in my wallet for over a decade before I upgraded it to the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

Some Capital One cards are geared toward travelers, are loaded with travel perks and offer access to Capital One Travel, the issuer’s handy booking portal.

Other Capital One cards are designed more for foodies or small-business owners, but they all have one thing in common: They offer flexible, easy-to-use rewards with strong earning rates in common categories, including nonbonus spending.

Though I’ve since branched out to other card issuers like Chase and American Express, Capital One cards are still a cornerstone of my points and miles strategy. They help me rack up rewards in categories where my other cards can’t compete, and I’ve used these rewards to book zero-cost flights to Europe and independent hotel stays in the U.K. and beyond.

Whether you’re a newbie to the points and miles world or a more advanced traveler looking to boost your rewards on everyday purchases, Capital One has a card for you. Here are our top picks.

The best Capital One credit cards

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Spark Miles for Business
• Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Venture X Business
• Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Spark Cash Plus
• Capital One Spark Cash
• Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business*

*The information for the Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Comparing the best Capital One credit cards

Here’s an overview of TPG’s recommendations for the best Capital One credit cards.

Now, let’s examine each card in detail and consider why some of these deserve a place in your wallet.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Welcome offer: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Plus, earn a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in the first cardholder year.

Annual fee: $95.

Standout benefits: Thanks to a stellar welcome offer, a lucrative earning strategy and valuable transferable rewards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is consistently ranked among the best rewards credit cards.

For a modest annual fee of $95, this card earns an unlimited 2 Capital One miles per dollar spent on all purchases (except hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, which earn 5 miles per dollar spent).

That makes the Venture Rewards a great all-around card for everyday, nonbonus spending (think: pet care, wedding expenses, home improvement store purchases and car repairs). This card also offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit and does not charge foreign transaction fees, making it a great travel companion for wherever your international journeys take you.

Plus, the Venture’s current welcome offer is one of the best we’ve seen. Not only can you earn 75,000 bonus miles (worth $1,388, according to TPG’s April 2025 valuations), but you can also get a one-time travel credit worth $250 when you book travel via Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year. With a huge variety of flights, lodging, car rentals and more available on the portal, this credit is easy to use.

You can redeem Capital One miles to reimburse yourself for travel purchases at a fixed rate of 1 cent apiece, or you can maximize their value by transferring them to Capital One’s 15-plus airline and hotel partners. Although Capital One’s list of transfer partners may not be as long or as varied as some competitors, I’ve gotten great value from my miles by transferring them to Air France-KLM Flying Blue and British Airways Club to book international flights.

The Venture Rewards is one of the best all-around Capital One travel cards and an ideal starter card for new points and miles enthusiasts who don’t want to worry about memorizing bonus categories. It can also be a great choice for more advanced travelers looking to fill the gap between the bonus categories on their other cards.

For more information, check out our Venture Rewards card review.

Learn more: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Welcome offer: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee: $395.

Standout benefits: Think of the Venture X as the older sibling to the Venture Rewards card. This premium offering comes with a higher annual fee and more perks that are especially useful for frequent travelers. The Venture X was named the Best Premium Travel Credit Card at the 2024 TPG Awards and was also the first premium credit card in my wallet.

With no foreign transaction fees and an earning rate of an unlimited 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases, the Venture X is perfect for buying souvenirs and making other nonbonus purchases abroad. Plus, when you book through Capital One Travel, you’ll earn an impressive 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars and 5 miles per dollar spent on flights and vacation rentals. Additionally, you’ll get access to elite benefits at select hotels through Capital One’s Premier Collection.

The card’s perks include a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, an annual $300 travel credit to use on Capital One Travel, 10,000 bonus miles each year, trip insurance and access to Capital One and Priority Pass lounges.

With so many travel options available on Capital One Travel, I’ve found it easy to use the $300 travel credit that comes with the Venture X, which effectively drops the annual fee to $95. That’s a steal for a card that also provides generous lounge access.

Granted, Capital One’s lounge network is still quite small, but since it includes my home airport in Denver, I get plenty of use out of the card’s lounge perk.

If you’re torn between the Venture and the Venture X, consider how often you travel and your travel style. If you can easily use the $300 Capital One Travel credit each year and the additional perks, like lounge access, the Venture X is a no-brainer.

Trying to decide if this is right card for your needs? Read our Venture X card review for more information.

Learn more: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Welcome offer: Earn 50,000 miles after spending $4,500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee: $0 introductory fee for the first year, then $95.

Standout benefits: If you’d like to earn valuable transferable Capital One miles and qualify for a business credit card, consider the Capital One Spark Miles for Business.

This business card has the same earning structure as its consumer counterpart, the Venture Rewards card, earning 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar spent on everything else. As a result, this card is perfect for business owners who spend a lot in categories not covered by other business cards or who prefer a simple earning structure with no spending limits or categories to track.

Plus, the welcome bonus on the Spark Miles for Business is the easiest to earn of all the Capital One business cards on this list, making it attainable even for businesses with relatively small expenses.

The 50,000 Capital One miles you can earn after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening are worth $925 per our April 2025 valuations — or $500 if you redeem your miles at a fixed rate of 1 cent each (though we typically recommend redeeming your miles for travel, as you can stretch their value further this way).

For more information, check out our Spark Miles for Business card review.

Learn more: Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

Welcome offer: Earn a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee: $0.

Standout benefits: One thing I love about Capital One credit cards is that most of them provide access to the Capital One Travel portal — even no-annual-fee cash-back cards like this one. Capital One Travel offers a huge variety of flights, lodging and rental cars, and its price prediction tool and price watch features give it an edge over competitor portals.

No matter which card you hold, you can earn bonus rewards on some travel booked through Capital One Travel. However, travel categories and earning rates vary slightly from card to card. In the case of the Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, you’ll earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through the portal and an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

You can convert these rewards to cash back and use them on virtually anything with no minimum amount to redeem your rewards, meaning you can apply your earnings immediately to your statement credit and lower your credit card bill. With no annual fee and no expiration for your cash back, this is one of the most foolproof ways to save money on your everyday purchases.

On the other hand, if you currently hold a miles-earning Capital One card (or plan to get one eventually), the Quicksilver Cash Rewards can become even more valuable. That’s because you can convert your cash-back rewards into fully transferable Capital One miles if you hold another card that earns Capital One miles.

If you’re hoping to start with a simple, no-fuss cash-back rewards strategy and eventually branch out into the points and miles world, this is a great card to get you started.

Check out our Quicksilver Cash Rewards card review to help you decide if this is the right product for you.

Learn more: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Welcome offer: Earn $200 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee: $0.

Standout benefits: After holding various Capital One travel cards for years, I have my eye on the Savor Cash Rewards for the next addition to my wallet. That’s because I spend a lot on groceries (and nowadays, who doesn’t?), and this gem of a card can help me rack up rewards in this category, as well as on dining, entertainment and streaming purchases.

Cardholders earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases, 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target) and on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services and 1% cash back on all other purchases. That’s a pretty impressive earning structure for a card with no annual fee, and it makes it one of our favorite dining credit cards.

Another major perk? The Savor Cash Rewards card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, which means you can continue earning bonus rewards on dining, groceries, entertainment and more while abroad.

This card has even more potential if you pair it with a miles-earning card like the Venture X, which allows you to convert your cash-back rewards into fully transferable Capital One miles.

The Savor Cash Rewards card is an earning powerhouse for budget-conscious consumers who spend a lot on groceries and nights out but don’t want to pay a hefty annual fee to maximize rewards on these purchases.

It’s also a smart choice if you already hold a Capital One miles-earning card, like the Venture or Venture X, that complements the Savor’s earning structure. And if you’re planning to study abroad or become a digital nomad, this card is the perfect companion for grocery runs in foreign countries.

With no annual fee and an easy-to-earn welcome bonus, there’s no reason not to apply for this card.

For more information, check out our review of the Savor Cash Rewards card.

Learn more: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Venture X Business

Welcome offer: Earn 150,000 miles after spending $30,000 in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn an additional 200,000 miles after spending $200,000 in the first six months.

Annual fee: $395.

Standout benefits: The business version of the Venture X is almost identical to the consumer version, down to the $395 annual fee.

The Venture X Business offers the same benefits, including lounge access, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit and an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Travel. It also has the same earning structure: Earn 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar spent on flights and vacation rentals booked through the portal and an unlimited 2 miles per dollar spent on everything else.

The differences lie in business-friendly features, like the ability to assign account managers, download purchase records into various formats and add employee cards at no additional cost. Instead of having a preset spending limit, this card adapts to your needs based on spending behavior, payment history and credit profile.

The Capital One Venture X Business card also has one of the most lucrative welcome offers in the industry. It’s worth $2,775, per TPG’s April 2025 valuations — and that’s before you factor in the chance to earn an extra 200,000 miles after spending an additional $200,000 within six months from account opening.

Between the flexible spending limit and the hefty spending required to attain the welcome bonus, this card is ideal for businesses with high monthly expenses. Just keep in mind that this is a pay-in-full card, meaning you must be prepared to pay off your balance each month. If you need to carry a balance or may not spend enough to earn the welcome bonus, other cards on this list may be a better fit for your business.

For more information, read our review of the Venture X Business.

Learn more: Capital One Venture X Business

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Welcome offer: Earn 20,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee: $0.

Standout benefits: The VentureOne is the first travel card I ever got — and, for many years, it was the only card in my wallet. Back then, I didn’t want to keep track of multiple cards and spending categories, nor did I want to pay an annual fee just to hold onto a piece of plastic. The VentureOne was the perfect starter card for my young traveling self, with no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and an unlimited 1.25 miles per dollar spent on all purchases, every day.

Plus, it earns 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. As someone who loves staying at boutique and independent hotels, I earned a lot of miles this way and stayed at some unique properties that I may not have discovered otherwise.

Unlike Capital One’s other no-annual-fee cards, the VentureOne earns fully fledged Capital One miles. You can redeem these at a fixed value through Capital One Travel or for a statement credit to cover travel purchases, or you can transfer them to airline and hotel partners for more value. This makes the VentureOne an ideal gateway to the world of points and miles for anyone who likes to start small and learn at their own pace.

I chose the statement credit route for years, using my miles to cover my most recent travel purchase. With a redemption rate of 1 cent per mile, 30,000 miles was enough to pay for a $300 plane ticket home to visit my parents. Later, I started exploring Capital One’s transfer partners and discovered that 30,000 miles could get me a round-trip ticket to Paris if I transferred them to Air France-KLM Flying Blue. I was hooked.

The VentureOne can also make a good companion card because it earns more than 1 mile per dollar spent on nonbonus purchases. Even after I dove deeper into points and miles and filled out my wallet with other cards that earned bonus points and miles on various categories, I continued using my VentureOne for nonbonus purchases like pet expenses and home improvement. It remained a staple in my wallet until I eventually upgraded to the Venture X to earn even more miles on nonbonus purchases.

To find out more, check out our review of the VentureOne Rewards card.

Learn more: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Welcome offer: Earn $2,000 cash back after spending $30,000 in the first three months of account opening. Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500,000 spent during the first year.

Annual fee: $150.

Standout benefits: The Spark Cash Plus is very similar to the Venture X Business except it earns cash-back rewards instead of Capital One miles. Its annual fee is also significantly lower: $150, which will be refunded if your business spends more than $150,000 in a year.

In terms of reward earning rates, you’ll get 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and an unlimited 2% cash back on all other purchases.

The valuable $2,000 welcome bonus requires a higher minimum spend, and you can earn an additional $2,000 cash back for every $500,000 spent in the first year. That number may be out of reach for many small businesses, but if you anticipate spending over $500,000 in a year, the welcome bonus alone makes this card a no-brainer. If you spend even more, there’s no limit to how many $2,000 cash bonuses you can earn in the first year.

This card rewards businesses with high operating costs, but keep in mind that the balance must be paid in full every month. If your business has high expenses — and you know you can pay them off in full each month — this could be the most lucrative Capital One business card for you.

For more information, read our review of the Spark Cash Plus card.

Learn more: Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Capital One Spark Cash

Welcome offer: Earn $750 cash back after spending $7,500 in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee: $0 introductory fee for the first year, then $95.

Standout benefits: If you hold the Capital One Spark Cash, your card and all employee credit cards (which you can get for no additional cost) earn an unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases.

This card also comes with a couple of travel benefits. You’ll earn 5% cash back on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One’s travel portal, and there are no foreign transaction fees. As a result, the Spark Cash is a streamlined way to earn cash back on business expenses, both at home and abroad.

This card is especially useful for business owners who don’t spend much across common bonus categories like office supplies and for those who prefer a straightforward earning structure with no bonus categories or spending requirements to track.

Plus, the welcome bonus is relatively easy to earn compared to other business cards on this list, making the Spark Cash a good option for small businesses with lower monthly expenses.

Debating which Capital One business card to select? Read our review of the Spark Cash to help you decide.

Learn more: Capital One Spark Cash

Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business

Welcome offer: Earn 50,000 miles after spending $4,500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee: $0.

Standout benefits: With no annual fee and one of the easiest welcome bonuses to earn on a Capital One business card, the Spark Miles Select makes a great starter card for small-business owners with lower overhead.

This card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and earns 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all purchases, with no limit to how many miles you can earn. These are fully transferable Capital One miles, meaning you can redeem them at a flat rate of 1 cent each or transfer them to Capital One’s 15-plus travel partners to get better value.

For example, I recently booked an Aer Lingus flight from London to Dublin using British Airways Club Avios that I transferred from Capital One. If I had booked and paid with cash, the ticket would have cost $138 (or 13,800 Capital One miles), but because I leveraged my reward miles by transferring them, this award flight only cost 4,000 Avios (the reward currency Aer Lingus uses). Thanks to Capital One’s transfer partners, I saved nearly 10,000 miles and got a stellar value of 3.5 cents per mile.

That’s the power of earning transferable currencies, and the Spark Miles Select for Business is an easy, affordable way to do it. If you’re interested in earning travel miles on business expenses with no annual fee, look no further.

Learn more: Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business

What to consider when choosing a Capital One credit card

There is no single best Capital One credit card because the best card depends on your lifestyle and budget. Here are some questions to ask yourself to find the best option for your specific needs.

Preferred rewards

What types of rewards are most useful to you? You can often get the most value out of flexible credit card rewards by transferring them to airline and hotel partners, but this adds time and effort to the redemption process. If you prefer a simplistic approach to earning and redeeming credit card rewards across the purchases you make, one of Capital One’s cash-back cards may be perfect for you.

I prefer earning Capital One miles because I travel often and feel confident that I can get more value out of transferable miles than cash back. If you’re interested in this route, spend some time getting to know Capital One’s 15-plus transfer partners to see how you could use your miles.

For instance, Avianca LifeMiles is great for domestic travel, and Air Canada Aeroplan has some fantastic long-haul sweet spots, especially now that it has eliminated fuel surcharges.

Flying Blue is one of my favorite redemption paths because it often runs fantastic Promo Rewards on flights to Europe. On the hotel side, there are several unique ways to redeem Choice Privileges points, plus programs like Wyndham Rewards offer redemptions starting at 7,500 points per night.

These are just a few of the loyalty programs where you can transfer Capital One miles. With more than 15 airline and hotel partners, Capital One has a transfer partner for virtually everyone.

Spending habits

Next, consider your personal spending habits (or business expenses); which categories appear on your credit card statements most often?

The best card for you will earn rewards in the categories you spend most in. Capital One shines in the realm of flat-rate credit cards, which are great for nonbonus spending, as it offers cards that earn extra rewards on dining, groceries, entertainment and travel. If your expenses often fall into other common bonus categories, you may find better options with other issuers.

If you travel often, you’ll want to make sure you have at least one card in your wallet that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. You should also look closely at the travel categories and earning rates on Capital One’s cards. Most of them earn bonus rewards on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, but only a couple — the Venture and Venture X — earn extra on flights booked through the portal. If you spend a lot on flights, this may influence your decision.

Welcome bonus

Your preferred rewards type and spending habits are the most crucial factors in determining the best Capital One card for you in the long term. That said, welcome bonuses can help you decide when to add a card to your wallet and in which order to apply for multiple cards — I’ve certainly been known to wait to apply for a card until a better welcome bonus comes along.

Welcome bonuses can also help you narrow down your choices. For instance, say you’re torn between the Venture and the Venture X. The Venture is currently offering an elevated welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, plus a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in the first cardholder year.

This is one of the best offers we’ve seen on this card. If you already have confirmed travel plans, that $250 Capital One Travel credit will help offset the costs of your upcoming trip.

Annual fee

I’ve recommended some Capital One cards that charge an annual fee. However, many cards’ rewards and benefits outweigh their annual fees. It’s up to you to decide what works best for your needs on a card-by-card basis.

Make sure that your desired card’s annual fee fits into your budget and that you’ll get enough value from the card to make it worthwhile. If not, there are plenty of standout Capital One cards on this list that don’t charge an annual fee.

Last year, I got approved for the Venture X, my first premium credit card. It’s currently the most expensive card in my wallet, and when I finally got it, the $395 annual fee was tough to swallow.

However, since I often stay at independent hotels, I knew I could easily use the card’s $300 annual travel credit on a hotel stay through Capital One Travel, essentially reducing the annual fee to $95.

For all the other benefits I get from the card — like the ability to earn an unlimited 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases, lounge access and 10,000 bonus miles each anniversary year — $95 now seems like a steal.

How we chose the best Capital One credit cards

We rated the best Capital One cards based on several factors, including reward-earning rates, welcome bonuses and other benefits associated with each card.

Check out our methodology to learn more about how TPG evaluates and selects cards for our roundups.

Redemption options for Capital One credit cards

If you opt for a cash-back Capital One card, you can apply your rewards as a statement credit against your credit card bill. Thus, you can redeem them for anything — an upcoming vacation, new appliances for your home, a gift for a loved one or simply last week’s groceries.

If you hold a card that earns Capital One miles, you’re limited to redeeming your rewards for travel, but there are many ways to do so.

One option is to use your miles toward travel at a rate of 1 cent each, either by booking through the Capital One Travel portal or redeeming for a statement credit against a recent travel purchase. We recommend the latter because you can essentially save 5% on hotels and rental cars this way.

Alternatively, you can transfer Capital One miles to one of the program’s 15-plus travel partners and redeem them directly for flights or hotel stays. I typically use my miles for international flights through Air France-KLM Flying Blue or British Airways Club because these programs offer low award rates and direct flights from my home airport. Here are a few other ideas for partner redemptions you could make with Capital One miles:

• Transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan to book domestic economy flights for as low as 6,000 points each way.
• Transfer to Avianca LifeMiles to fly business class to anywhere in Europe for only 80,000 miles one-way and no fuel surcharges.
• Transfer to Etihad Guest to snag the ultraluxe first-class Apartments starting from 200,000 miles each way.
• Transfer to Wyndham Rewards to book the program’s new all-inclusive resorts starting at 15,000 points per night.

Transferring to partners will help you stretch the value of your miles to more than 1 cent each, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Know that while most Capital One partners allow you to transfer miles at a 1:1 ratio, a few of them offer a less desirable ratio. These include EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (2:1.5), JetBlue TrueBlue (5:3) and Accor Live Limitless (2:1). Sometimes, you can get better than a 1:1 ratio if Capital One is running a transfer bonus.

Also, be aware that transfers are irreversible. Always search for your dates on the partner’s site and confirm award availability before transferring miles, and make sure that your name on your Capital One account and your partner loyalty account match. Our guide to Capital One transfer times can tell you how long to expect a transfer to take.

If you have a favorite transfer partner(s) on Capital One’s list, you might consider pairing your Capital One card with a cobranded card in the partner program to build your points or miles balance faster.

Bottom line

Capital One’s credit card portfolio really shines when it comes to earning rewards on nonbonus purchases and providing flexible ways to redeem those rewards. It also offers some cards that earn bonus rewards in common purchase categories like travel, dining, groceries and entertainment.

If you’re a frequent traveler, Capital One’s transferable miles offer a slew of valuable redemption opportunities. Plus, all the Capital One cards on this list award bonus miles or cash back on at least some travel categories booked through Capital One Travel, which, in my experience, is an easy-to-use travel portal with tons of options.

Whether you’re a foodie, frequent jet-setter, business owner or a mix of all of these, you’re sure to find a card on this list that suits your lifestyle.

Related: The best travel credit cards to add to your wallet

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.