Capital One Platinum Card vs. Capital One Savor Card [Detailed Comparison]

Earning rewards on card purchases can result in significant bottom-line value, whether you use those rewards for travel or accumulate cash-back to offset expenses.

We talk frequently about rewards-earning cards such as the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card featured in our article today. However, not everyone is in a position to qualify for this type of credit card. For this reason, we’re also covering the Capital One Platinum Credit Card for those not quite ready for a card that requires good to excellent credit.

Comparing these 2 cards could give you a perspective of how valuable a rewards-earning card can be. A comparison will also illustrate how successfully managing a basic card such as the Capital One Platinum card can elevate the quality of your card choices.

We’ll look now at what you’ll need to qualify for the Capital One Platinum card and Capital One Savor card and how the cards compare.

Overview

Before we dig into the details regarding our featured cards, let’s review a quick side-by-side comparison of both cards’ features and benefits:

The Value of a Welcome Bonus Offer

While the Capital One Platinum card does not offer a welcome bonus offer, the Capital One Savor card offers a welcome bonus offer of cash-back. You can earn the bonus after completing minimum spending requirements within the specified period after card approval.

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Capital One Platinum Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Capital One Platinum card is great for those looking to build up their credit score and credit history, without paying a deposit or annual fee.

Capital One Platinum Credit Card

The Capital One Platinum card is great for those looking to build up their credit score and credit history, without paying a deposit or annual fee.

Welcome Offer

None

Annual Fee

$0

APR

Purchases: 29.74% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Fair to Good (580-739)

Why We Like This Card

If you’re ready to get serious about building or rebuilding your credit, you’ll want a credit card for which approval is probable, one that has a simple structure and is easy to manage, and ideally, has some benefits you can use. This is where the Capital One Platinum Credit Card really shines.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• No annual fee (rates & fees)
• Free credit monitoring

Cons

• Does not earn rewards
• The high APR can be costly if you carry a balance

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Card Highlights

• No annual or hidden fees. See if you're approved in seconds
• Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
• Help build your credit through responsible use of a card like this
• Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
• Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
• Get access to your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with online banking from your desktop or smartphone, with Capital One's mobile app
• Check out quickly and securely with a contactless card, without touching a terminal or handing your card to a cashier. Just hover your card over a contactless reader, wait for the confirmation, and you're all set
• Pay by check, online or at a local branch, all with no fee - and pick the monthly due date that works best for you

Financial Snapshot

• APR: Purchases: 29.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Capital One Savor card is a great no-annual fee card for those who regularly spend on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target).

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Savor card is a great no-annual fee card for those who regularly spend on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target).

Welcome Offer

Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

$200

Annual Fee

$0

APR

Purchases: 0% intro on purchases for 15 months; 19.24% - 29.24% variable thereafter

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Savor card is a phenomenal option when it comes to no-annual-fee cash-back credit cards. With popular bonus categories like dining, grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target), entertainment, and popular streaming services, and the ability to earn 3% cash-back on these purchases, it is easy to see why those who use the card can earn some serious cash-back throughout the year.

The card also allows you to take your rewards and experiences even further by offering access to Capital One Travel, Capital One Dining, and Capital One Entertainment.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
• 5% cash-back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
• 3% cash-back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target)

Cons

• Rewards are purely cash-back, so there is no option for miles transfers to transfer partners for redemptions

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Card Highlights

• Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
• Earn unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart^® and Target^®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, plus 1% on all other purchases
• Earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
• Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
• No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus cash back won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how much you can earn
• 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 19.24% - 29.24% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies
• No foreign transaction fee
• No annual fee

Financial Snapshot

• APR: Purchases: 0% intro on purchases for 15 months; 19.24% - 29.24% variable thereafter
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Earning Rewards

The Capital One Platinum card is designed primarily to build credit and does not earn rewards.

You’ll want to carry the Capital One Savor card with you daily as the card earns 3% cash-back on qualifying dining and grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target). You will also earn 3% cash-back on entertainment purchases, including popular streaming services.

Cardholders also earn 8% cash-back at Capital One Entertainment and 5% cash-back on Capital One Travel hotel and rental car purchases.

Redemption Options

The Capital One Savor card earns cash-back that can be redeemed for cash or statement credits. Additionally, cash-back rewards can be redeemed for gift cards, shopping with Amazon, or checking out with PayPal.

If you have a Capital One card that earns miles, like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, you can transfer cash-back to either card. Once transferred, those rewards can then be transferred to airline or hotel partners for greater potential value.

The Capital One Platinum card does not earn rewards.

Travel and Shopping Protections and Benefits — Capital One Savor Card

The Capital One Savorcard has several travel and shopping protections and benefits that can add value for the cardholder.

• MasterRental Insurance — Secondary coverage provided within the country of residence, primary outside the country of residence. Terms and limits apply
• Extended Warranty — Covers eligible items with manufacturer’s warranties of 5 years or less for 1 additional year. Items that have warranties of less than a year will be doubled. Coverage limits are up to $10,000 per purchase and $50,000 per card. 
• Introductory 0% APR — Pay back large or multiple purchases over time with a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; after that, a 19.24% - 29.24% variable APR applies. BT fee applies (rates & fees).
• Capital One Offers — Earn additional cash-back by using Capital One Offers, exclusively for cardholders.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Capital One Platinum Card

According to Capital One, you’re encouraged to have at least a fair credit score to qualify for the Capital One Platinum card. Capital One also describes a qualifying cardholder as “having defaulted on a loan in the past 5 years or having a limited credit history of less than 3 years.” Credit scoring company FICO describes a fair credit score as falling between 580 and 669.

Capital One Savor Card

For the Capital One Savor card, an excellent credit score is recommended. An excellent credit score, according to FICO, is a score that falls between 740 and 790. Capital One adds that a qualifying applicant has “never declared bankruptcy or defaulted on a loan, not been more than 60 days late on any credit card, medical bill, or loan in the last year, and has a loan or credit card for 3 years or more with a credit limit above $5,000.”

It is worth noting, however, that if your credit history closely matches the description of a qualifying applicant and your score is good (670 to 739), you may qualify for the Capital One Savor card.

Before applying for any credit card, you’ll want to know where you stand. You can order a no-fee copy of your credit report from all 3 major credit bureaus via AnnualCreditReport.com.

Once you know your starting point, you can search for prequalified offers using the CardMatch tool. The tool is quick to use and risk-free, with no hard inquiry added to your credit report. The tool is a good way to find out if you have card offers available.

Capital One also has a prequalification tool that requires more detailed information.

To learn more about preapproval offers, you’ll want to review our article for all the information you’ll need on the topic.

Bottom Line: You will need a fair (or better) credit score to qualify for the Capital One Platinum card and a good to excellent score to qualify for the Capital One Savor card. You can find out if you already have card offers by using the risk-free CardMatch tool. 

Everything Else You Need To Know

The Capital One Platinum card has a $0 annual fee (rates & fees), and the Capital One Savor card has a $0 annual fee (rates & fees).

Prequalification or preapproval tools do not guarantee approval for any specific card. Tools give you an idea of the cards for which you’re most likely to be approved.

If approved for the Capital One Savor card, you should receive a minimum initial credit limit of $2,000.

The Capital One Platinum card is issued with a credit limit of $300. After as few as 6 months of positive transactions, Capital One can review your history and may grant you a higher credit limit. Also, you should be able to upgrade the card to a rewards-earning card after building a successful track record.

There is no charge for adding an authorized user to the Capital One Platinum card (rates & fees) or the Capital One Savor card (rates & fees).

Final Thoughts

If you have limited credit, starting with the Capital One Platinum card may be a good first step toward securing a rewards-earning card.

If you have bad or no credit, you may want to learn more about your card options, including the best secured credit cards.

Additionally, our collection of cards suited for those with bad credit could offer card options for which you’d qualify.

If you have elevated your credit to good or excellent, the Capital One Savor card is a good option for your next step card. Its earning categories focus on everyday spending and can result in accumulating a lot of rewards in a short timeframe.

For a broader look at Capital One cards, this list includes some of the best Capital One cards available. We’ve included an overview of each card’s features and benefits.

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.