Capital One Savor vs Quicksilver: Which Card Pays More?

Want the answer for your own budget? Run these two cards on your own spending and see the dollars side by side.

Both cards come from Capital One. Both have no annual fee and both pay cash back. Savor pays a higher rate on food, entertainment and streaming, and a lower rate on the rest. Quicksilver pays one flat rate. This guide shows where one starts to beat the other.

All card facts below come from Capital One's own pages, as of November 2026. Rates and offers change, so check before you apply.

The two cards side by side

Source: capitalone.com product pages for Savor and Quicksilver, read November 2026.

Capital One Travel is Capital One's own booking site. Capital One Entertainment is its own ticket site. The 5% and 8% rates apply only to purchases made there.

Both cards pay cash back. Cash back is worth its face value, so $1 of rewards is $1.

The rule that decides it

Every dollar in Savor's 3% categories earns 1.5 cents more on Savor. Every other dollar earns half a cent more on Quicksilver.

So Savor needs $1 of 3% spending for every $3 of other spending just to pay the same. In plain words:

• If your 3% spending is more than one third of your other spending, Savor pays more.
• If it is less than one third, Quicksilver pays more.
• At exactly one third, they pay the same.

Travel booked through Capital One Travel earns 5% on both cards. So it does not change which one pays more.

Three budgets, worked out

Each example uses yearly spending.

Budget 1: Single person, light food spending ($20,000 a year)

This person spends $2,400 at grocery stores, $1,200 on dining, $200 on streaming and $16,200 on everything else.

Quicksilver pays $24 more. The 3% spending is $3,800, less than one third of $16,200 ($5,400).

Budget 2: Family of four ($36,000 a year)

This family spends $9,600 at grocery stores, $3,000 on dining, $600 on entertainment and $360 on streaming. That is $13,560 in Savor's 3% categories. Another $22,440 goes to everything else.

Savor pays $91.20 more. The 3% spending is $13,560, well over one third of $22,440 ($7,480).

Budget 3: Family that buys groceries at Walmart ($30,000 a year)

This family spends $8,000 on groceries at Walmart, $1,500 on dining, $300 on streaming and $20,200 on everything else. The Walmart groceries earn only 1% on Savor.

Quicksilver pays $114 more. This family spends a lot on food, but most of it is at a superstore. So it earns the low rate on Savor.

The first year: the welcome bonus

Both cards offer the same welcome bonus as of November 2026: $200 after $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. That is about $167 a month.

So the bonus does not change which card pays more in year one. The yearly totals above decide it. Offers change often, so check Capital One's page before you apply.

When to hold both cards

Both cards cost $0 a year. You can put Savor's 3% purchases on Savor and everything else on Quicksilver.

For Budget 2, the split works like this. The $13,560 of 3% spending earns $406.80 on Savor. The other $22,440 earns $336.60 on Quicksilver. That adds up to $743.40.

The cost is a second card to track and a second bill to pay.

If you miss a payment, the late fee and interest will cost more than you gain. Only split if you pay both cards in full every month.

Who should pick each card

Pick Capital One Savor if:

• Grocery stores, restaurants, entertainment and streaming are more than one third of your other spending.
• You buy groceries at regular grocery stores, not Walmart or Target.
• You buy tickets through Capital One Entertainment, which pays 8% on Savor.

Pick Capital One Quicksilver if:

• Most of your spending is bills, gas, shopping and other things outside Savor's 3% list.
• You buy most groceries at a superstore.
• You want the longer 0% intro period: 15 months versus 12.

Hold both if:

• You have big food spending and big other spending.
• You pay both bills in full every month.

Other things that differ

Intro interest rate. Quicksilver gives 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. Savor gives 0% for 12 months. If you plan a large purchase you will pay off over time, those 3 extra months matter. Interest on a carried balance costs far more than any cash back.

Gas and bills. Neither card has a gas or utility bonus. Those purchases earn 1% on Savor and 1.5% on Quicksilver.

Using the card abroad. Capital One says neither card charges a foreign transaction fee. Both work for a trip abroad.

How to decide in four steps

1. Add up a year of card spending. Use three months of statements and multiply by four.
2. Total your grocery store, dining, entertainment and streaming spending. Leave out Walmart and Target.
3. Compare that total with one third of everything else.
4. If it is close, pick the card with the 0% intro period that fits your plans.

The card vs card calculator does this for you. If you are not sure cash back is right for you at all, try the cash back vs points vs miles calculator. Our guide to flat-rate versus bonus-category cash back explains the choice in general.

Sources

• Capital One Savor product page: earn rates, superstore and entertainment exclusions, welcome bonus, intro and regular APR, foreign fee. Read November 2026.
• Capital One Quicksilver product page: earn rates, welcome bonus, intro and regular APR, foreign fee. Read November 2026.

This is educational information, not personal financial advice.