Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Over the past few years, Capital One has raised its rewards game by expanding and improving its slate of credit cards. These include easy-to-use cash-back cards whose points can be redeemed at a fixed value toward travel purchases and other statement credits. These cards give cardholders a reliable rate of return on their everyday spending.
The issuer has also expanded its Capital One miles program so that certain cardholders can transfer miles to 15-plus airline and hotel partners, including Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club and ALL Accor Live Limitless.
Depending on where you spend the most money and how you want to redeem your rewards, deciding which Capital One credit card to apply for can be difficult. Among the products you might be deciding between are the popular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card. Let’s take a closer look to see which may be a better fit.
Related: Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Capital One Venture X
Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Capital One Quicksilver comparison
| Card | Capital One Venture Rewards | Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards |
| Annual fee | $95 | $0 |
| Welcome bonus | Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. | Earn a one-time $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening |
| Earning | 5 miles per dollar spent on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
2 miles per dollar spent on everything else |
5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
1.5% cash back on everything else |
| Other benefits | Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit
No foreign transaction fees Travel accident insurance Purchase protection Extended warranty |
No foreign transaction fees
Travel accident insurance Extended warranty
|
Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Capital One Quicksilver welcome offer
The Capital One Venture Rewards currently offers new cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. These miles are worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed at a fixed rate for travel purchases or new bookings via Capital One Travel and for gift cards.
However, the miles you earn with the Capital One Venture Rewards are transferable to 15-plus airline and hotel partner loyalty programs. Given that extra flexibility, as of December 2024, TPG values these miles at 1.85 cents apiece, meaning this welcome bonus is worth $1,388.
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards‘ welcome bonus is considerably more modest — only $200 cash back. But you only have to spend $500 in the first three months of opening an account to qualify.
Winner: Venture Rewards. The Venture Rewards’ welcome bonus is worth significantly more than the Quicksilver’s.
Related: 7 reasons to get the Capital One Venture Rewards Card
Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Capital One Quicksilver benefits
The Venture Rewards is categorized as a travel card; therefore, the benefits are tailored toward travel. Benefits include Hertz Five Star status* and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit (up to $120).
Both cards lack foreign transaction fees, provide concierge services and give cardholders access to exclusive events. They also include various purchase and travel protections.
The Venture Rewards carries a $95 annual fee, while the Quicksilver Cash Rewards doesn’t have an annual fee.
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply
Winner: Venture Rewards. The Venture Rewards comes out slightly ahead here, with a couple of extra benefits like Hertz Five Star status and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit.
Related: Credit card perks and benefits you should be using
Earning rewards with the Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Capital One Quicksilver
The Quicksilver Cash Rewards earns 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and a flat 1.5% back on all other purchases. That makes your return on spending easy to calculate and count on. It’s also on par with competing cash-back cards from other issuers.
The Venture Rewards earns 2 miles per dollar on purchases, with an elevated 5 miles per dollar spent on hotel and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal.
Winner: Venture Rewards. The Venture Rewards earns slightly more on non-bonus spending than the Quicksilver, meaning it barely edges out the competition here.
Related: The best time to apply for these popular Capital One credit cards based on offer history
Redeeming rewards with the Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Capital One Quicksilver
Here’s where the two cards diverge most dramatically.
The Quicksilver Cash Rewards is a cash-back card, plain and simple. With a 1.5% rate of return on every dollar you spend, you can redeem your cash back in a few different ways. Among them are statement credits, gift cards, purchases with PayPal, Amazon.com purchases or a check.
On the other hand, the Venture Rewards earns miles that can be redeemed either for cash back or transferred to Capital One’s travel partners. Regarding cash back, you can redeem your miles at a rate of 1 cent apiece for travel purchases and gift cards. If you opt for statement credits on other types of purchases or a check, you only get a rate of 0.5 cents per mile, essentially cutting your value in half, so you’ll want to avoid this option.
However, Capital One Venture miles are transferable to 15-plus partner programs in addition to cash back. The best way to maximize your Capital One Venture miles would be to transfer them to partners such as British Airways Executive Club, Air Canada Aeroplan or Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles.
Winner: Venture Rewards. Since the Venture Rewards has access to transfer partners, and the Quicksilver does not, the Venture Rewards wins here.
Related: Best ways to maximize Capital One Miles
Should I get the Capital One Venture Rewards or the Capital One Quicksilver?
If you prefer to earn cash-back at a fixed rate of 1.5% across all purchases and to use the rewards to help offset your credit card bill or to purchase gift cards, then the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is for you. On the other hand, if you want a wider range of flexibility in redeeming your rewards, then the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card makes better sense. The Venture Rewards does offer more benefits and stronger earning categories, so if you don’t have a preference between cash back and miles, the Venture Rewards makes the most sense.
Bottom line
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card are great rewards card options. The Quicksilver is useful for folks who want a simple cash-back formula for earning and redeeming without much effort.
However, if you want miles specifically for travel purchases and can maximize Capital One’s travel transfer partners and benefits, such as the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit, the Venture Rewards is a much better choice.
To learn more, read our Capital One Venture Rewards review and Capital One Quicksilver review.
Learn more: Capital One Venture Rewards
Learn more: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards
Related: Capital One Venture X credit card review
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
