Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review: Great for social foodies
Grocery shoppers and social foodies will love this card.
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Snapshot
5.0
Bottom line
If you spend heavily on groceries, dining and entertainment, this is one of the best no-annual-fee options. But if you don’t spend a lot on these categories, you might be better off with a flat-rate cash back card instead or another rewards card where you can earn on your highest spends.
Intro offer
$200
Rewards rate
1% - 8%
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
Bankrate Score
Rewards value
APR
Rewards flexibility
Features
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Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards overview
The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards credit card may be the ultimate no-annual-fee cash back card for foodies, entertainment enthusiasts and streaming fans. It offers a high cash back rate on a variety of categories, making it one of the market's most versatile cards.
However, compared to other top-rated cash back cards, SavorOne doesn’t offer the highest rewards rate in any of its bonus categories. While this card’s diverse categories is impressive, another card may be a better fit if you spend heavily in a specific category, like groceries.
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Rewards
- 8 percent cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked using Capital One Travel
- Unlimited 3 percent cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming subscriptions and grocery store purchases (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target)
- 1 percent cash back on all other purchases
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis -
Welcome offer
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Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
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0% APR offer
- 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 15 months
- 0 percent intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months (balance transfer fee applies)
- 19.99 percent, 26.24 percent or 29.99 percent ongoing APR based on your creditworthiness
- (See Rates & Fees)
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Balance transfer fee: 3 percent balance transfer fee for the first 15 months; 4 percent at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time
- Cash advance fee: 5 percent (minimum $5)
- Late payment fee: Up to $40
- (See Rates & Fees)
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Other cardholder perks
- Extended Warranty*
- Price Protection*
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards credit card pros and cons
Pros
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It has no annual fee, so you won’t need to offset recurring costs with rewards.
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The card offers a generous intro APR period for purchases and balance transfers, which can help you avoid interest while paying down your balance.
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You can earn this card’s welcome offer with relatively minimal spending.
Cons
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The barrier to entry for this card is a bit high — we recommend that applicants have at least good credit.
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If your spending falls outside its tiered rewards categories, you may not reap the most benefits from this card.
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To receive the boosted rewards rate on hotel and rental car bookings, you must make your reservations through Capital One Travel, which can limit your options.
Why you might want the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards card
For a credit card with no annual fee, the SavorOne offers competitive cash back rates in everyday categories and plenty of redemption options. (See Rates & Fees) It also carries a good intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers that may appeal to you if you are looking to manage credit card debt.
Rewards: Great rates on everyday purchases
The SavorOne card’s bonus categories cover popular expenses, making the card an excellent option for earning unlimited cash back. The SavorOne earns 3 percent cash back on dining, entertainment, grocery store purchases (excluding Walmart and Target) and popular streaming services.
Although other cards come close to matching in some areas, they might include spending limits for the highest-earning categories. For example, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offers the same cash back rate at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. online retailers, but it’s capped at $6,000 in purchases per year; then it earns 1 percent (cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as statement credit).
Keep in mind the card’s fine print: You’ll only get the card's best cash back rates on Capital One Travel and Entertainment. In addition, not all grocery stores and streaming services are eligible for the card’s boosted reward rates. For instance, superstores and wholesale clubs are excluded. And if you like to order food through a different app or prefer a streaming service not covered by this card another card might suit you better.
Sign-up bonus: Easy to obtain
The SavorOne carries a solid welcome offer of a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 in your first three months. That's a 20 percent return on spend, comparable with other top no-annual-fee cash back cards. Some competing cards may even require you spend slightly more to earn the same bonus value.
Rates and fees: Low cost to open and maintain
The no-annual-fee Capital One SavorOne card is affordable both upfront and over time. It lacks some of the fees you might find on other cards like foreign transaction fees, making it a low-cost and user-friendly card to carry.
Intro offer: Lengthy intro APR for a low-fee card
The SavorOne keeps itself competitive with a longer-than-average intro APR. The intro balance transfer fee is also on the lower end at 3 percent of the transferred amount during the first 15 months of account opening (then 4 percent at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time). Many cards also apply a higher balance transfer fee after a few months, but new cardholders have the entire 15-month introductory window.
Why you might want a different cash back card
The Capital One SavorOne can be a great choice as a cash back card because of its generous rewards rates, welcome offer and intro APR. However, you should consider some downsides before applying.
Applying: High credit requirements
We recommend that you have at least good credit (a FICO score of 670 or higher) before applying for the SavorOne. This may put it out of reach for people with fair credit, but this is typical for cards in this category.
If you don’t meet this card’s credit requirements, you can still build your credit over time. A great first step for students, for instance, would be to apply for the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card. If you aren’t a student, any starter credit card from Capital One could be a good choice. Once you've established healthier credit, you can apply for the SavorOne Cash Rewards card with more confidence and better approval odds.
Benefits: Shrug-worthy perks
The Capital One SavorOne card comes with standard Mastercard benefits, including fraud coverage for unauthorized charges, MasterRental® Coverage, MasterRoadAssist® Service* and ID theft protection*.
This is a relatively thin portfolio compared to what Visa offers with its Visa Signature cards. Visa Signature cards have more benefits, including roadside dispatch, auto rental collision damage waivers, emergency cash disbursement and extra benefits at Luxury Hotel Collection properties.
While lackluster benefits may not be a deal breaker, cash back cards with better perks are available.
We tried it: Here’s what our experts say
Bankrate expert, Nouri Zarrugh, stands by the SavorOne Cash Rewards card as a great way to complement rewards earned with other Capital One cards.
"A lot of people may not realize that you don’t need to redeem SavorOne rewards as cash back. You can also move rewards from the SavorOne to a Capital One travel card at a 1:1 ratio. Considering how many categories this card covers without charging an annual fee, it could help you build a surprisingly powerful travel rewards credit card stack."
— Nouri Zarrugh, Senior Editor at Bankrate/Credit Cards
How the Capital One SavorOne compares to other cash back cards
The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards card slots nicely between two industry heavyweights: the Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card and the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card. Both cards feature a $0 annual fee and offer strong rewards, but they also have some shortcomings.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
Rewards rate
8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases. 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply). 3% Cash Back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®). 1% Cash Back on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Annual fee
Intro offer
$200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
Rewards rate
Earn 3% cash back in the category of your choice (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases). Earn automatic 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases). Earn unlimited 1% on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That’s 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
Rewards rate
Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more. 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service. 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Best cards to pair with the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards card
While you can earn bonus cash back on groceries, dining and entertainment with the SavorOne’s highest cash back categories, they may not be your largest spending categories. Here are cards you can pair with the Capital One SavorOne to bolster your cash back strategy and maximize your earnings.
Who is the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards card right for?
Here's who is most likely to benefit from the reward categories and benefits of the SavorOne Cash Rewards card.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the Capital One SavorOne worth it?
The no-annual-fee Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards credit card is one of the best cash back cards on the market. The variety of bonus cash back categories allows you to earn cash back at a great rate on plenty of purchases while enjoying a generous introductory offer. (See Rates & Fees)
However, if you don’t spend much money on entertainment, groceries or dining, you could have difficulty maximizing rewards with this card. Plus, other rewards cards have higher rates on some of the same categories. The SavorOne is a great catch-all card if you want to just hold one credit card. But rewards strategists may be better off pairing a flat-rate card with a rewards card that comes with higher rates in one or two categories.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
How we rated this card
We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.
Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest).
We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:
Frequently asked questions
What cardholders think
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder’s product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate’s own reviews of these cards.
Community Reviews
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.
