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Capital One Quicksilver vs. Capital One QuicksilverOne compared

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card and Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card are both rewards credit cards that pay 1.5% cash back on all of your purchases. The underlying difference between the two cards is the credit required for approval.

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is aimed at consumers with “good” credit or better. By comparison, the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is available to consumers with “fair” or limited credit.

Although the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card offers more creditworthy consumers more favorable terms, I think the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of the top credit cards on the market for consumers with fair credit.

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

Welcome Offer

Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening

Rewards

Earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase; 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

Annual Fee

$0 annual fee.

Our Thoughts

A pretty straightforward no-annual-fee credit card with decent flat-rate cash back that skips the worry on bonus categories. That overall simplicity, along with a welcome bonus and intro 0% period, makes this a good option for those who aren't worried about always earning the highest cash back.

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card gives you 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day, with no limit.

Unlike some competing cards, there are no rotating categories or sign ups required to earn a higher level of cash back.

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and feature.

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card also offers a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

As I mentioned above, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card requires at least good credit. Although card approvals are handled on an individual basis, I would generally consider someone with at least three years of credit history and a credit score in the high 600s to have good credit. Get an idea of your individual credit standing with the help of free credit reports and scores.

» MORE: Read our full Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card review

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Welcome Offer

No welcome offer or sign-up bonus offered.

Rewards

Earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases; 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

Annual Fee

$39 annual fee.

Our Thoughts

This is perhaps the best credit card for those with just fair credit that would still like to earn cash back on all their purchases. Cardholders miss out on a sign-up bonus and there's an annual fee, but they also avoid the good to excellent credit requirement that comes with other rewards cards, like with the Quicksilver version.

Like Quicksilver, the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card gives you unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase with no rotating categories or enrollment required. The two biggest differences between Quicksilver and QuicksilverOne are that:

  • Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card has a $39 annual fee
  • Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card does not offer a one-time cash bonus for new cardmembers

Although the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is not quite as attractive as Quicksilver, it may be available to consumers who would not otherwise be approved for Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card or a similar prime credit card. This makes QuicksilverOne an attractive option for young adults with limited credit or anyone with fair or average credit.

One last nice thing about the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is that cardmembers can get access to a higher credit line after making your first six monthly payments on time.

» MORE: Check out our Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review

Which card should you apply for?

If you know you have excellent credit, choose the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card.

Likewise, if you know you have limited credit, choose the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card. After a year or two of making on-time payments, you may be able to call Capital One and request your account be upgraded to the Quicksilver card when your credit situation has improved.

Competitors to consider

If you’re attracted to the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, there are several cash back rewards credit cards to compare.

For example, if you know you’ll be spending at least $800 a month on your rewards credit card, consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card alongside. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a $95 annual fee, but pays 2x miles per dollar spent on every purchase that you can redeem for statement credits toward nearly any travel expense, making the rewards more valuable than the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card’s 1.5% cash back.

If you’re looking at the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card, ask yourself if you’ll spend at least $2,600 a year on the card. If so, the cash back you earn will cover the card’s annual fee.

If you’ll only use the credit card once in a while, consider the barebones Capital One Platinum Credit Card instead. Also designed for consumers with fair or limited credit, the Capital One Platinum Credit Card does not offer rewards but has no annual fee, making it the economical option for very occasional use. Alternately, you may wish to compare all Capital One credit cards before making your selection.

Summary

Both these cards offer unlimited 1.5% cash back.

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is for consumers with good credit.

By contrast, the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is available to consumers with fair or limited credit. The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card has a $39 annual fee and does not offer a one-time bonus.

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