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
Annual Fee
Intro APR, Purchases
Intro APR, Balance Transfers
Regular APR
Credit Needed
$0
0% intro on purchases for 15 months
0% intro on balance transfers for 15 months
19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
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.
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Annual Fee
Intro APR, Purchases
Intro APR, Balance Transfers
Regular APR
Credit Needed
$39
N/A
N/A
30.74% (Variable)
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.
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 Quicksilver 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
The Capital One Quicksilver and QuicksilverOne cards both offer unlimited 1.5% cash back.
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is for consumers with good credit. As a result, it has no annual fee and offers a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
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.