If you’re looking to earn free travel, Capital One has some of the most straightforward rewards in the industry. If you get one of their Venture cards, like the Venture or VentureOne, you’ll find the rewards are easy to use, extremely flexible and very valuable.
And if travel isn’t your thing, Capital One also has some excellent cashback cards, like the Quicksilver. You’ll get a great rate of return, a solid sign-up bonus and interest-free financing with that card.
Let’s take a closer look at the best Capital One credit cards and the top five reasons you should get one.
The Best Capital One Credit Cards
Before we get into the specifics on why Capital One cards are so great, let’s take a quick look at the best cards they offer.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card – Great for Travelers
The Venture card has a place in any traveler’s wallet, whether you’re new to the points and miles game or a travel hacking veteran. The reason? Because of its simplicity. Earning and redeeming miles doesn’t get any easier.
You’ll get miles for every dollar you spend. There are no special spending categories, caps or limits to worry about. Just use the card and earn miles at a great rate.
When it comes to redeeming those miles, this card really shines. You can buy any travel you want from any vendor and use your miles to pay for it.
Do you like to shop for hotels through Expedia? Or car rentals from Priceline? Maybe you prefer low-cost carriers? Whatever you want, just buy it and redeem miles for statement credits to cover the cost.
Did I forget to mention that this card comes with a substantial sign-up bonus? Well, it does! How can you go wrong?
The Venture card does have an annual fee (waived the first year). While I think the card is easily worth the cost, you may balk at paying for a card. Don’t worry, Capital One offers a no-fee version of the card too: the VentureOne card. The benefits aren’t quite as good, but it’s still a solid travel card.
Quicksilver – The Best Capital One Card for Cash Back
If you want a card that’s even easier to use, consider the Quicksilver cashback card. You’ll get an easy sign-up bonus and nice cash back on all purchases.
That means that this card is great for paying down debt on a high-interest card and/or making a big purchase that you want to pay off over time.
Top 5 Reasons to Get a Capital One Card
Now let’s get to the good stuff. Below are the top five reasons you want a Capital One credit card. [show-more]
1. Flexible Travel Rewards – Great for Economy Flights
The thing that makes the Venture Rewards program so great is its flexibility. You can use your miles to buy any travel you want from anywhere. There are no restrictions and no blackout dates.
Airline frequent flyer programs aren’t what they used to be. Airlines keep cutting back on those programs to save money. That means it’s increasingly difficult to find good redemption deals with airline miles and award space is becoming more scarce.
What makes Venture Rewards so valuable is that you can just buy the airfare you want for the price you want and reimburse yourself with your miles. You aren’t tied to an airline or a set of travel partners.
So, if you prefer to find the cheapest seats (i.e. in the economy cabin) and don’t have a lot of flexibility in your travel dates, this program—and the Venture card—are perfect for you.
2. Great Earning Potential
The Capital One credit cards offer great earning rates. The industry standard for rewards hovers around 1% back. However, the Capital One Venture card and the Quicksilver card both give more than that.
There are no rotating categories or rewards you must opt-in for. Everything you buy earns a bonus.
3. Big Sign-Up Bonuses
You can snag yourself a big sign-up bonus as well. The Capital One Venture, Quicksilver, and Venture One cards all have great sign-up bonuses.
Those are great bonuses, particularly for cards that don’t have annual fees. It’s like free money.
4. No Foreign Transaction Fees
Capital One is a trendsetter in the industry and was one of the first banks to eliminate foreign transaction fees from all of their cards. Foreign transaction fees are typically 3%, so this can be if you travel abroad and prefer to pay with a card.
5. Interest-Free Financing
They also offer competitive interest rates. Some of their cards offer 0% introductory promotional interest rates on purchases and or balance transfers.
Capital One currently has two offers for its no-fee Quicksilver card. You can either get a nice sign-up bonus and a generous period of time of interest-free financing on purchases and balance transfers, or you can get a great sign-up bonus.
Either offer is great, but you’ll have to decide which is more valuable based on your needs.
Ongoing APR’s are variable and will ultimately depend on your credit history.
6. Great Cardholder Benefits
Capital One offers many benefits you may not have initially considered which help cardholders stay on top of their credit use.
Capital One allows cardholders to take charge of their payments by allowing them to choose the due date. You can also keep tabs on the spending of authorized users by receiving an itemized statement which separates the charges of each cardholder.
Perhaps best of all, Capital One offers Creditwise, which allows unlimited access to your credit score as well as useful tools to stay on top of your credit management.
Second Look is another great feature. It is like having someone else double checking and comparing your monthly statements for you. They will notify you of things like duplicate charges or an increase in a recurring monthly payment.
Now’s the Time to Get a Great Credit Card
Capital One has a great lineup of cards. They offer big sign-up bonuses, great earning potential, and valuable and flexible rewards. What’s stopping you from applying for a Venture or Quicksilver card?