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Capital One Quicksilver vs Savor
Capital One's two flagship no annual fee cash back cards solve different problems. Quicksilver pays a flat 1.5 percent on everything with zero category tracking. Savor pays 3 percent on dining, groceries (excluding superstores), entertainment, and streaming, plus 1 percent everywhere else. Both have $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fee; Quicksilver's welcome bonus is $200 after $500 spend, and Savor currently runs a limited-time $250 bonus on the same $500 spend. The right choice depends on whether your spending concentrates in Savor's four bonus categories or spreads evenly across all purchases.
Terms verified 2026-06-14.
Side-by-side specifications
| Feature | Quicksilver Cash Rewards | Savor Cash Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
| Base rate | 1.5% on all purchases | 1% on non-category purchases |
| Bonus categories | None (flat rate) | 3% dining, groceries (excl. superstores), entertainment, streaming |
| Bonus category cap | N/A | Uncapped |
| Welcome bonus | $200 after $500 in 3 months | $250 after $500 in 3 months (limited-time) |
| Hotels and rental cars via Capital One Travel | 5% back | 5% back |
| Intro APR | 0% for 15 months (purchases & transfers) | 0% for 12 months (purchases & transfers) |
| Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
| Regular APR | 18.49% to 28.49% variable | 18.49% to 28.49% variable |
| Cell phone protection | No | No |
| Network | Visa Signature or Mastercard World Elite | Visa Signature or Mastercard World Elite |
Sources: Capital One Quicksilver product page, Savor product page, both accessed 2026-06-14.
The break-even math: when does Savor beat Quicksilver?
Savor earns 3 percent on its four categories and 1 percent on everything else. Quicksilver earns 1.5 percent on everything. The break-even point depends on what share of your spend falls into Savor's categories.
Algebraic break-even: 0.03 times C plus 0.01 times (S minus C) equals 0.015 times S, where C is category spend and S is total spend. Solving: 0.02 times C equals 0.005 times S, so C/S equals 0.25. Translation: if 25 percent or more of your spend is in Savor's categories, Savor wins. Below 25 percent, Quicksilver wins.
For most US households, the 25 percent threshold is easy to hit. The typical household spends about $700/month on groceries plus $250/month on dining plus $50/month on streaming, totaling $1,000/month on Savor categories. If total card spend is $3,000/month, the category share is 33 percent and Savor earns approximately 1.67 percent blended versus Quicksilver's 1.5 percent flat. The differential on $36,000/year of spend is approximately $60. Not transformative, but worth the marginal complexity of Savor's structure.
Spend profile worked examples
| Profile | Savor categories | Other spend | Savor annual | Quicksilver annual | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light category user | $3,000 | $30,000 | $390 | $495 | Quicksilver +$105 |
| Average household | $10,000 | $25,000 | $550 | $525 | Savor +$25 |
| Dining-heavy | $15,000 | $20,000 | $650 | $525 | Savor +$125 |
| Foodie + entertainment | $20,000 | $15,000 | $750 | $525 | Savor +$225 |
| All other | $0 | $35,000 | $350 | $525 | Quicksilver +$175 |
For most middle-income households with normal grocery and dining spend, Savor wins by a modest margin. For households whose card spend is dominated by travel, gas, online retail outside groceries, or healthcare (none of which are Savor categories), Quicksilver wins. The cleanest test: estimate your monthly grocery + restaurant spend. If above $700/month, Savor. Below $500/month, Quicksilver. Between, either works.
Same-issuer benefits worth knowing
Both cards share Capital One's core benefit suite. The travel earnings via Capital One Travel are notably higher than typical no-AF cards: both Quicksilver and Savor earn 5 percent on hotels and rental cars booked through the portal. Savor adds 8 percent back on Capital One Entertainment ticketing (concerts, sports, theater); Quicksilver earns its flat 1.5 percent there. The entertainment portal regularly has presale access and modestly discounted ticket prices versus going direct to the venue.
Same-issuer means you can manage both in one Capital One mobile app, see combined rewards, transfer rewards between accounts (within constraints), and trigger only one credit pull when adding the second card if approved as a product add. For the Quicksilver + Savor stack, this operational simplicity is worth a meaningful amount in day-to-day friction reduction.
Verdict
Get Savor if: groceries and dining are meaningful spend categories ($500+/month combined), you want the highest no-AF rate on those buckets, you value uncapped 3 percent over the simplicity of flat-rate, you travel internationally occasionally (zero FTF plus 3 percent on overseas restaurants is a strong combo).
Get Quicksilver if: your spending is genuinely diverse with no concentration in dining or groceries, you want zero category tracking, you prefer a slightly higher base rate (1.5 percent vs 1 percent) over a higher bonus rate on a subset.
Get both if: your card spend exceeds $25,000/year and you want to optimize. Use Savor for the four categories at 3 percent and Quicksilver for everything else at 1.5 percent. Blended effective rate lands around 2.0 to 2.4 percent depending on category share, beating most single-card flat-rate options. The cost is managing two cards, which Capital One's mobile app handles cleanly.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Why does Savor pay 3 percent and Quicksilver only 1.5 percent if both are Capital One no-AF cards?
Capital One designs the two cards for different cohorts. Quicksilver is the flat-rate simplicity card for cardholders who do not want to track categories. Savor is the lifestyle-category card for cardholders whose spending concentrates in dining, groceries, entertainment, or streaming. Capital One can afford to pay 3 percent on Savor because the categories are predictable and the typical Savor household spends less than they would on a flat card across all spend. The math works out for the issuer because most cardholders use both products imperfectly.
Can I have both Quicksilver and Savor at the same time?
Yes, and this is the optimal use of both. Capital One does not restrict cardholders to one card per product family. Use Savor for the 3 percent categories (dining, groceries, entertainment, streaming) and Quicksilver for everything else at 1.5 percent. Blended effective rate across typical household spend lands around 2.0 to 2.4 percent, comparable to a flat 2 percent card but slightly higher for households that meaningfully use the Savor categories.
Is Savor really uncapped on all 3 percent categories?
Yes. Capital One does not impose a category cap on Savor. The 3 percent on dining, groceries, entertainment, and streaming applies to every dollar of qualifying spend, no quarterly or annual ceiling. This makes Savor meaningfully better than capped-category cards like Amex BCE or BoA Customized Cash Rewards for high-spend households (those spending $1,000+/month on these categories combined).
What is the welcome bonus on each?
Quicksilver: $200 cash back after spending $500 in the first 3 months. Savor: a $250 cash bonus after spending $500 in the first 3 months (a limited-time offer as of 2026-06-14; Savor's standard bonus has historically been $200). Both use the same low $500 spend threshold. Capital One adjusts these promotional bonuses periodically, so check the application page before applying.
Do both cards have no foreign transaction fee?
Yes. Both Quicksilver and Savor charge no foreign transaction fee. This is unusual for no-AF cards (most charge 3 percent FTF) and makes either a reasonable choice for occasional international travel. For travel-heavy cardholders, Savor is the better pick because it pays 3 percent on dining at international restaurants (which earn the dining category bonus regardless of country).
What APR do both cards charge?
Both carry a regular variable purchase APR of 18.49 to 28.49 percent, set at application based on credit profile. Both also offer a 0 percent intro APR: Quicksilver runs 0 percent for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, while Savor runs 0 percent for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers. After the intro window the regular APR applies. For the longest 0 percent balance-transfer window, Citi Double Cash (18 months) is stronger than either Capital One card.
Are Savor rewards limited to the US?
No. Savor's 3 percent dining, groceries (excluding superstores), entertainment, and streaming categories apply to qualifying merchants worldwide. A restaurant meal in Paris, a grocery purchase in London, a concert ticket in Tokyo all earn 3 percent on Savor assuming the merchant codes correctly (most do internationally). Combined with no FTF, Savor is one of the strongest international travel no-AF picks.
Does the Capital One Walmart card pay better than Quicksilver at Walmart?
Yes, for Walmart-heavy spend. The Capital One Walmart Rewards card (also no AF) pays 5 percent at Walmart.com, 2 percent at Walmart in-store, 2 percent at restaurants and travel, and 1 percent everywhere else. For households whose primary spending is at Walmart, that card outperforms Quicksilver (1.5 percent everywhere) and Savor (1 percent at Walmart because Walmart codes as discount store, not grocery).
Not financial advice. Rates and rewards cited from Capital One's published product pages and rate disclosures as of 2026-06-14.