Here are the best Capital One credit cards of June 2023

The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is no longer available to new applicants.

Capital One offers some of the best cash-back and rewards credit cards available to consumers and small business owners. The Savor and Venture cards both rank on Select's list of best dining and travel cards, respectively, and other cardholders can earn generous rewards on everyday spending.

Capital One often updates its cards to make them more competitive and even adjusts them to meet consumers' changing spending habits. Most recently, Capital One introduced its first-ever premium credit card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Before that, the Savor cards added bonus rewards on Uber purchases and streaming services and Capital One expanded the reward redemption options for its Venture cards.

CNBC Select reviews the top Capital One credit cards in seven categories, so you can choose the best card based on your spending habits.

• Best no-annual-fee Capital One card: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Best travel Capital One card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Best luxury Capital One card: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Best cash-back Capital One card: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Best student Capital One card: Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
• Best Capital One card for bad credit: Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
• Best business Capital One card: Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Who's this for? The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is an easy-to-use no-annual-fee credit card that offers cash back and a generous welcome bonus. Cardholders earn 1.5% cash back on everything you buy, which can be conveniently redeemed at any time and for any amount.

Plus if you spend $500 within the first three months your account is open, you'll earn a $200 cash bonus. That's like earning 40% back.

Other great perks: Beyond rewards, you can finance new purchases or transfer debt with a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months from account opening (then 19.74% - 29.74% variable APR; 3% fee on the amounts transferred within the first 15 months). This provides you with over a year to repay large purchases or get rid of debt once and for all.

The Quicksilver card also has no foreign transaction fees and provides *24-hour travel assistance, extended warranty protection and access to premier culinary, entertainment and sports event experiences. Cardholders also enjoy up to six months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through Nov. 14, 2024.

Who's this for? The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a great choice for travelers that aren't loyal to a particular hotel chain. This card offers one of the best rewards programs for travel, especially hotel bookings. Cardholders earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, plus 5X miles per dollars on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

You can redeem your points for travel by transferring them to one of Capital One's airline and hotel partners (like Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Air Canada Aeroplan), or you can use them to redeem any recent travel purchases. You can also redeem your points for actual cash in the form of a check, but points are worth less if you go this route.

Other great perks: A noteworthy perk of this card is a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years worth up to $100. If you travel through airports often, this benefit can save you time and money.

While Venture does come with a $95 annual fee, it's low compared to some other travel cards with annual fees over $500. This card has no foreign transaction fees and comes with a variety of travel perks, such as 24-hour travel assistance services and an auto rental collision damage waiver.

Who's this for? The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is an excellent choice for someone who travels often and wants to reduce airport stress without being brand loyal. It offers a competitive rewards program for common travel expenses: Earn 10X miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles per dollar for every dollar spent on flights through the portal. Plus, you'll earn 2X points on all other purchases.

As with the Venture Rewards Card, there are many ways to redeem your rewards, including transferring them to various airline and hotel partners.

Other great perks: The card is loaded with benefits, including an up to $100 statement credit for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®, complimentary cell phone insurance* and access to Capital One Lounges as well as the extensive network of Priority Pass and Plaza Premium airport lounges worldwide. Every year, cardholders receive up to $300 back in statement credits each year for bookings made through Capital One Travel and a 10,000-mile bonus on each account anniversary.

The card has a $395 annual fee, which is on the lower end for a premium credit card, but it can be quickly made back if you maximize the card's features. There is no fee on purchases made outside the U.S.

Who's this for? If your ideal night is ordering takeout and streaming a movie, you should consider the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. This card offers 10% cash back on purchases with Uber and Uber Eats, 4% on dining and entertainment, 3% at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target) and 1% on all other purchases.

Plus cardholders earn 4% cash back on eligible streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu and Disney+.

Other great perks: Other perks include complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through Nov. 14, 2024, access to premium reservations with Capital One Dining and exclusive events and experiences through the Capital One Entertainment portal.

While this card does have a $95 annual fee, you can recoup it if you spend a combined $2,375 a year on dining and entertainment.

Who's this for? If you want to learn how to use credit responsibly while in college, the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One can help teach you good habits without charging an annual fee. This card encourages you to pay on time with the benefit of earning extra cash back.

Cardholders earn 1% cash back on all purchases, which increases to 1.25% for every billing cycle that you make at least your minimum payment on time. While paying the minimum keeps your account current and prevents late fees, we encourage you to pay in full to avoid interest charges from this card's steep 29.99% variable APR. Responsible use during college for purchases and bill payments could boost your credit score upon graduation.

Take note that this college student credit card doesn't require you to be a student to qualify, but you will need to show that you meet income requirements by providing your employment status and total annual income during the application process.

Other great perks: Beyond rewards and the ability to build credit, you can use this card abroad with no foreign transaction fees and benefit from auto rental collision damage waiver and more.

Who's this for? Prospective cardholders with bad credit may find it difficult to open a traditional, unsecured credit card. However, there's often the opportunity to qualify for a secured card, such as the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card, which can be used to make purchases just like an unsecured card.

The main difference is that you'll be required to make a $49, $99 or $200 security deposit, based on your creditworthiness, to receive a $200 credit limit. This card stands out for offering the chance to qualify for a lower deposit and still receive the same $200 credit limit.

Other great perks: If you don't qualify for the $49 or $99 deposits, you can receive access to a higher credit limit in as little as six months with no additional deposit needed. Capital One automatically considers you for a credit limit increase based on your payment history and creditworthiness after just six months.

Who's this for? Small business owners who want to earn simple cash back on purchases should consider the Capital One Spark Cash Plus. This card offers 2% cash back on every eligible purchase — whether it's shipping costs, office furniture or meals for your employees.

Other great perks: The Spark Cash Plus also comes with helpful business benefits, including account management tools (such as the ability to view recurring transactions and download purchase records to Quicken®, QuickBooks® and Excel®), extended warranty and protection, travel benefits, and more.

This card does have a $150 annual fee, but employee cards are free so there's no added cost there.

To determine which credit cards offer the best value, Select analyzed Capital One credit cards available in the U.S. We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is for the consumer to redeem points.

Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri. The company's data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here.

Esri's data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.

Select used this budget to estimate how much the average consumer would save over the course of a year, two years and five years, assuming they would attempt to maximize their rewards potential by earning all welcome bonuses offered and using the card for all applicable purchases. All rewards total estimations are net the annual fee.

While the five-year estimates we've included are derived from a budget similar to the average American's spending, you may earn a higher or lower return depending on your shopping habits.

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.