Capital One Quicksilver Rewards Credit Card
- Best for: People who travel abroad often and want one no-fee, flat-rate cash back card
- What Sets It Apart: Flat 1.5% cash back with no foreign transaction fee; 15 months at 0% on purchases and balance transfers
- Cost: $0 annual fee; no foreign transaction fee; 18.74%, 24.74%, or 28.74% variable APR after the 0% period; 3% fee on balances transferred in the first 15 months
- Features: $200 bonus once you spend $500 in 3 months; 5% when you book hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars through Capital One Travel; cash back in any amount, with no expiration while the account is open
- Pros: No rotating categories to track; the full 1.5% on purchases abroad; a $200 bonus for $500 in spending
- Cons: 1.5% trails no-fee 2% cards; some cards issued on Capital One’s Discover network, accepted at fewer merchants abroad than Mastercard; 5% only through Capital One Travel
Get the Capital One Quicksilver if you travel abroad often and want one no-fee card that pays 1.5% cash back everywhere without a foreign transaction fee. If you rarely leave the U.S., a no-fee card paying a flat 2% will earn you more.
Capital One offers the Quicksilver to applicants with excellent credit, and its version for good credit earns the same rates without a welcome bonus or a 0% interest period. The QuicksilverOne and Quicksilver Student are the versions for fair credit and for students.
Key Features
- No annual fee and no foreign transaction fee
- 1.5% cash back on everything, except 5% when you book hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars through Capital One Travel, Capital One’s booking site
- $200 bonus once you spend $500 in the first 3 months
- 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then a variable rate of 18.74%, 24.74%, or 28.74%, depending on your credit
- Cash back redeemable in any amount as a statement credit or check, and it doesn’t expire while the account is open
Pros
- No rotating categories to track or activate
- Purchases abroad earn the full 1.5%, with no fee added
- A $200 bonus that takes only $500 in spending
- 15 months at 0% on both new purchases and balance transfers
Cons
- 1.5% back, below the 2% some no-fee cards pay on everything
- Some cards now issued on Capital One’s Discover network, which fewer merchants abroad accept than Mastercard
- 5% only on Capital One Travel bookings, and flights booked there earn 1.5%
- 3% fee on balances transferred during the 0% period
By our math, the Quicksilver’s 1.5% out-earns a flat 2% card such as the Wells Fargo Active Cash once more than a sixth of your spending happens abroad, where that card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee. If you spend that much abroad, check the network logo when your card arrives, and pack a Visa or Mastercard as a backup if the logo is Discover’s.
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