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September 21, 2017

Capital One Quicksilver Review

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by the card issuer. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of the issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer.
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Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card offers unlimited 1.5% cash back with no rotating bonus categories or annual fees. Read on to find out if it's worth having.

5-point scale (the higher, the better)

Pros and Cons

  • 1.5% Cash Back
  • $200 Bonus
  • Intro APR
  • No Bonus Categories
  • No Travel Transfer Opportunities

Bottom Line

Good cash back credit card for non-travelers

Reasons to Get the Card

We've highlighted top reasons why you'd want to use the Quicksilver card:

  1. $200 bonus: The Quicksilver card gives you a $200 cash back bonus when you spend $500 in the first three months. That's a much lower minimum spending limit compared to what some other cash back cards require for their bonuses.

  2. Unlimited 1.5% cash back: Unlike other cash back cards that require you to sign up for bonus categories, the Quicksilver card pays a flat 1.5% cash back on every dollar you spend. There's no limit to how much you can earn.

  3. 0% APR promotion: This card offers an introductory 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. After that, the APR ranges from 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) based on your credit. This is good if you're planning to buy something big.

  4. No annual fee: The Quicksilver card has no annual fee. You can earn rewards without paying an annual fee to use it.

  5. No foreign transaction fee: You can take this card on vacation without worrying about the extra 3% foreign transaction fee that many other cards impose for purchases abroad.

  6. No rewards expiration dates: Your Quicksilver cash back rewards never expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing. That way, there's no pressure to use them right away and you can let your rewards pile up.

  7. Flexible redemption options: You can redeem your Quicksilver rewards a few different ways. You can get cash back in the form of a paper check or statement credit. Or you can get credit against previous purchases or swap it for a gift card.

  8. Access to credit score tracker tool: Capital One's CreditWise allows you to monitor your credit report and get updated credit scores. There's also a simulator that tells you how your score will be impacted by financial decisions.

3 Reasons to Consider Other Cards

The Quicksilver card has a lot to offer, but there are a few reasons why you might want to choose a different card instead.

  • Your credit is not that great: Usually, you'll need excellent credit to qualify for this card. If you're working on building credit or you've had a few bumps because of late payments, the Quicksilver card probably isn't going to be a great fit.

    Tip: Capital One also offers the QuicksilverOne card for those with fair/average credit. It also pays 1.5% back on purchases, but it comes with a $39 annual fee. You'll also miss out on the bonus offer.

  • You want bigger rewards: Earning 1.5% cash back is decent, but you can find other cards that offer a lot more cash back, depending on the type of purchase. Some cards, such as the Chase Freedom, offer 5% cash back for purchases in rotating bonus categories. That may be better for you if your top priority is pumping up your rewards.

  • You travel frequently: You're not going to get as much mileage out of your Quicksilver rewards compared to cards specifically geared towards travelers. While you can apply your cash back as a statement credit to cover travel expenses, you can't transfer this card's rewards to frequent flyer or hotel programs.

How It Compares

With so many rewards cards out there, narrowing down the field is tough. Even though two cards may look similar, it pays to take a closer look at their differences to find the right one. To finish up our Quicksilver review, we'll compare it against other popular credit cards.

If you like to travel: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture is for those who want to score miles for future travel and don't mind paying an annual fee.

Like the Quicksilver, this card has no foreign transaction fees. But it does have a downside: The card doesn't come with a 0% APR promotional rate, so you may want to take a pass on this one if you don't plan on paying in full right away.

You might also be interested in Capital One Quicksilver vs Chase Sapphire.

If you want consistent cash back: Chase Freedom Unlimited

Tip: Another good thing about the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is that you earn rewards in the form of Ultimate Rewards points. You can transfer your points to a Chase Sapphire Preferred® card, which will allow you to book travel at a discount (through Chase Travel℠) or transfer to Chase transfer partners.

If your credit score isn't great: Capital One Platinum Credit Card
If your credit score is stuck in the average range, the Platinum card from Capital One can help give it a boost with responsible credit usage. There are no rewards, but it also has no annual fee. You get free access to the CreditWise tool to see how your score is improving from month to month.

If you want to earn cash back twice: Citi Double Cash
If you're good about making payments in full, you may favor the Citi Double Cash.

Tip: If you plan to spend over $30,000 in your first year and pay the balance in full, then the Citi Double Cash may be the better option. If you plan to spend less than that, then the $200 one-time bonus you receive with the Capital One Quicksilver once you spend $500 within the first 3 months of account opening may outweigh the benefits of Citi Double Cash.

Bottom Line

Whether the Quicksilver card is right for you comes down to a couple of things. It's a great choice all-around for spenders who have outstanding credit and want an easy way to earn cash back. On the other hand, you could earn more rewards with a different card, particularly if you concentrate your spending in specific areas. You'll also run into trouble getting approved if your credit score isn't that impressive.

Rebecca Lake is a journalist at CreditDonkey, a credit card comparison and reviews website. Write to Rebecca Lake at rebecca@creditdonkey.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for our latest posts.

Note: This website is made possible through financial relationships with some of the products and services mentioned on this site. We may receive compensation if you shop through links in our content. You do not have to use our links, but you help support CreditDonkey if you do.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Capital One. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Capital One.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. This site may be compensated through the Advertiser's affiliate programs.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Chase. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Chase. This site may be compensated through the Advertiser's affiliate programs.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Citi. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Citi.

Disclaimer: The information for the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Chase Freedom, Citi® Double Cash Card, and Capital One Platinum Credit Card has been collected independently by CreditDonkey. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

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Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

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