Is Capital One or Citibank better credit card?

It really depends on what customer segment you fall under. We really like the Citi Premier card for middle-of-the-road travel rewards, but it’s also hard to beat the Capital One Venture X card for premium travel rewards. Consider also the Capital One Venture card, Double Cash card, Citi Double Cash card, Capital One Spark Miles card, or Capital One Spark Cash Plus card.

Are Capital One and Citi the same?

Capital One and Citi are not the same bank. Capital One is headquartered in Virginia, while Citi is headquartered in New York. Capital One and Citi are considered to be competitors.

What is Citi's best credit card?

Right now, Citi’s best credit card is probably the Citi Premier card. It offers 3x points on air travel, hotels, supermarkets, restaurants, and gas.

Does Capital One have good credit cards?

Capital One’s best cards are the Capital One Venture X card, Capital One Venture card, Capital One VentureOne card, and Capital One Savor card. On the business side, the best cards are the Capital One Spark Travel Elite card, Capital One Spark Miles card, Capital One Spark Cash Plus card, Capital One Spark Miles Select card, or Capital One Spark Cash Select card.

Capital One vs. Citi Credit Cards – Which Is Best? [2023]

Capital One and Citi are 2 large financial institutions in the U.S. Both offer standard banking products like checking accounts and savings accounts, as well as a variety of credit cards.

Citi seems to be shrinking in the world of credit cards compared to its heyday, while Capital One continues to be growing more every year. Still, both credit issuers offer compelling credit card products worthy of consideration.

But choosing the right card for your situation can seem overwhelming, especially if you’re considering not 1, but 2 credit card issuers.

So in this guide, we’ll look at separate credit card categories and isolate the 2 best products available in each segment.

Before we do that, let’s take a look at how Capital One miles compares to Citi ThankYou Rewards.

Table of contents

Comparing Capital One Miles and Citi ThankYou Rewards
- Transfer Partnerships
Best Overall Travel Rewards Card
- Winner: Citi Premier® Card
- Runner-up: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Best Overall Business Card
- Winner: Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Runner-up: Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business
Best Premium Travel Rewards Card
- Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Best No-Annual-Fee Credit Card
- Winner: Citi® Double Cash Card
- Runner-up: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
Best No-Annual-Fee Business Card
- Winner: Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business
- Runner-up: Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit
Best Card for Cash-back
- Winner: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Runner-up: Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
Best Business Card for Cash-back
- Winner: Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card
- Runner-up: Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Comparing Capital One Miles and Citi ThankYou Rewards
- Transfer Partnerships
Best Overall Travel Rewards Card
- Winner: Citi Premier® Card
- Runner-up: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Best Overall Business Card
- Winner: Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Runner-up: Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business
Best Premium Travel Rewards Card
- Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Best No-Annual-Fee Credit Card
- Winner: Citi® Double Cash Card
- Runner-up: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
Best No-Annual-Fee Business Card
- Winner: Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business
- Runner-up: Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit
Best Card for Cash-back
- Winner: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Runner-up: Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
Best Business Card for Cash-back
- Winner: Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card
- Runner-up: Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi
Final Thoughts

Comparing Capital One Miles and Citi ThankYou Rewards

Capital One’s proprietary rewards program is called Capital One Miles, and the miles you earn and redeem are Capital One miles.

Similarly, Citi’s proprietary rewards program is called Citi ThankYou Rewards, and the points you earn and redeem are Citi ThankYou Points.

Currently, Citi has a small portfolio of credit cards that participate in ThankYou Rewards, while Capital One’s portfolio is slightly larger.

Remember, Citi and Capital One operate totally independent points programs, but Capital One miles can be redeemed in these ways:

Transfers to airline and hotel partners
Capital One Travel bookings
Statement credits on eligible travel purchases
PayPal
Amazon.com
Gift cards
Cash-back

Similarly, Citi ThankYou Points can be redeemed as follows:

Transfers to airline and hotel partners
Citi Travel Center bookings
Shop with Points
Amazon.com
Gift cards
Cash-back

Capital One Miles and Citi ThankYou Rewards both share similar redemption pathways, but you’ll almost always want to avoid PayPal, Amazon.com, online shopping, or cash-back, as these will definitely yield the lowest redemption value. You’ll often get less than 1 cent per point through these redemptions.

Specifically, Capital One miles are worth:

Up to 10 cents per mile when transferred to travel partners
1 cent per mile on statement credit travel redemptions
1 cent per mile on Capital One Travel bookings
1 cent per mile on Amazon.com
0.8 cents per mile on PayPal
0.5 to 1.0 cents per mile for gift cards
0.5 cents per mile for cash-back

On the other hand, Citi ThankYou Points are worth:

Up to 10 cents per point when transferred to travel partners
1 cent per point on Citi Travel Center bookings
Around 1 cent per point for gift cards
0.83 cents per point for online shopping through Shop with Points
0.8 cents per point on Amazon.com
0.5 to 1.0 cents per point for cash-back

In comparison, when you transfer Capital One miles or Citi ThankYou Points to travel partners, you can get upwards of 10 cents per point of value.

Transfer Partnerships

To get maximum value from your Capital One miles or Citi ThankYou Points, you’ll need to pay attention to each program’s transfer partners.

Simply put, you can transfer your bank’s points to airline frequent flyer programs or hotel loyalty programs.

From there, you can use those new points or miles to book award travel, including Air France business class, Emirates first class, and much more.

At the moment, there are a series of transfer partners that are offered to both Capital One and Citi (all at a 1:1 ratio unless otherwise noted):

Aeromexico Club Premier
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Avianca LifeMiles
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Choice Privileges (Citi 1:2, Capital One 1:1)
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Airways
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (Citi 1:1, Capital One 2:1.5)
JetBlue TrueBlue
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Wyndham Rewards

Capital One offers a couple of useful partnerships beyond what Citi offers:

Citi, meanwhile, has access to transfers to Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus.

Overall, we believe Capital One has the slight edge over Citi, simply because of how useful Air Canada and British Airways are as frequent flyer programs.

Still, Citi’s enhanced transfer ratio with Choice Privileges of 1:2 allows savvy travelers to book Preferred Hotels for some terrific value.

In the end, we value Capital One miles at 1.8 cents each and Citi ThankYou Points at 1.6 cents each.

Bottom Line: Capital One miles are slightly more valuable than Citi ThankYou Points, thanks to partnerships with British Airways Executive Club and Air Canada Aeroplan. However, Citi can be more useful for booking hotel stays, thanks to a 1:2 transfer partnership with Choice Privileges.

Best Overall Travel Rewards Card

Between Capital One and Citi, travel rewards credit cards are a big focus. Let’s take a look at our winning products in this section!

Winner: Citi Premier® Card

The Citi Premier card is currently Citibank’s flagship credit card in the U.S.

This mid-tier rewards credit card offers impressive overall travel rewards with a streamlined structure that’ll make it easy for you to maintain all personal expenses on a single card while earning lots of rewards.

It earns 3x ThankYou Points on air travel, gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets. On all other purchases, you’ll earn 1x ThankYou Points.

This credit card also offers an annual $100 hotel savings benefit when a single stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) is booked through thankyou.com.

You’ll get access to Citi Entertainment, contactless payments, digital wallets, no foreign transaction fees, and fee-free authorized user cards, too.

Runner-up: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture card has been around for many years — over time, its benefits and rewards have transformed, and today, it earns up to 5x Capital One miles:

5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
2x miles on all other purchases

As we mentioned earlier, Capital One miles are worth 1.8 cents per mile, which translates to a maximum return on spending of 9%. You’ll also find that the Capital One Venture card earns at least 2x miles on purchases, which guarantees a minimum return on spending of 3.6%.

The Capital One Venture card also includes a handful of useful travel benefits:

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
2 complimentary visits to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges per year
No foreign transaction fees
Travel insurance, including baggage insurance

Lastly, there are no additional annual fees for authorized users with this credit card.

Bottom Line: The Citi Premier card and the Capital One Venture card are 2 credit cards always competing for market share in the travel rewards segment. We believe the Citi Premier card outranks the Capital One Venture card because of its impressive list of bonus categories; however, the Capital One Venture card can hold its own, especially with its travel benefits beyond rewards.

Best Overall Business Card

If you’re running a business, you’ll need the best business card possible to help you be successful, and the best overall business cards in this instance are issued by Capital One.

Winner: Capital One Spark Miles for Business

The Capital One Spark Miles card is our favorite overall business card. It entitles you to great rewards on business purchases, low fees, and travel benefits.

Right now, you’ll find a welcome bonus on this card, as well as the ongoing ability to earn up to 5x Capital One miles on purchases:

5x miles on hotels and car rentals purchased via Capital One Travel
2x miles on other purchases

This credit card is one of the best cards for business owners because you can confidently use this credit card and get a return on spending of at least 3.6%.

You won’t need to worry about any specific bonus categories; instead, you’ll earn at least 2x miles on all purchases.

The Capital One Spark Miles card also comes with 2 free visits to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges every year and an up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit every 4 years.

Lastly, the Capital One Spark Miles card comes with purchase security, extended warranty, no foreign transaction fees, and fee-free employee cards.

Runner-up: Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business

Our runner-up best business credit card is the Capital One Spark Miles Select card, which is just a step below the Capital One Spark Miles card.

Notably, this card has no annual fee and still earns up to 5x Capital One miles:

5x miles on hotels and car rentals booked via Capital One Travel
1.5x miles on other purchases

So while you’re not going to earn at least 2x miles on your purchases like you would with the Capital One Spark Miles card, you will still earn at least 1.5x miles on all business purchases, which is equivalent to a 2.7% return on spending.

The Capital One Spark Miles Select card also comes with purchase security, extended warranty, zero fraud liability, roadside assistance, and no-additional-cost employee cards.

Best Premium Travel Rewards Card

Venice — Image Credit: Rebe Adelaida via Unsplash

If traveling in style is a top priority for you, getting a premium travel rewards card should be at the top of your to-do list.

Citi doesn’t really compete in this segment, but Capital One offers a fantastic product that fits this niche perfectly.

Winner: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is one of hottest credit cards available right now, and it’s easy to see why.

To start, the welcome offer alone will have you itching to add this card to your wallet.

Capital One’s flagship premium credit card enjoys a terrific earning structure of up to 10x Capital One miles:

10x miles on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel
5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
2x miles on other purchases

If you earn 10x Capital One miles, you’re getting a return on spending of 18%, which is huge.

Every anniversary year, you’ll enjoy a bonus of 10,000 miles. That’s on top of the up to $300 Capital One Travel credit and the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit.

This credit card enables you to gain unlimited complimentary visits to Capital One Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and Priority Pass Lounges, as well.

And when you’re booking car rentals, get top-tier Hertz President’s Circle status as a complimentary benefit.

The Capital One Venture X card even includes cell phone insurance, exceptional travel insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, no foreign transaction fees, and up to 4 authorized users for no additional annual fee.

Best No-Annual-Fee Credit Card

For some people, it’s easier to avoid annual fees altogether, especially if you are cash-constrained.

Here are the best no-annual-fee credit cards offered by Capital One or Citi.

Winner: Citi® Double Cash Card

The Double Cash card represents perhaps the most complete embodiment of the cash-back, low-fee credit card product.

Indeed, it even offers a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers, and it may even offer an additional cash-back offer as part of its welcome bonus.

The Double Cash card earns 2% cash-back on all purchases, which is split up into 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay.

Just remember that even though the Double Cash card’s rewards are ThankYou Points, you’ll only be able to transfer your points to Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Wyndham Rewards at reduced ratios.

To get access to the complete list of airline partners, you’ll need to also hold the Citi Premier card. If you do have the Citi Premier card, your 2% cash-back is effectively convertible to 2x ThankYou Points, which is equivalent to a 3.2% return on spending.

Otherwise, you can use your ThankYou Points for a fixed value through cash-back, gift cards, or direct deposit.

This credit card also offers access to Citi Entertainment, fee-free authorized user cards, and fraud protection.

Runner-up: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Our second-favorite no-annual-fee credit card is the Capital One VentureOne card, which is a terrific choice if you have good credit and want to dip your toes in Capital One’s rewards ecosystem without committing to an annual fee just yet.

The rewards of up to 5x Capital One miles include:

5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
1.25x miles on other purchases

Additionally, the Capital One VentureOne card gets you access to Capital One miles without an annual fee, plus secondary car rental coverage, extended warranty, no foreign transaction fees, and no-additional-fee authorized users.

Best No-Annual-Fee Business Card

Now that we’ve gone over the best no-annual-fee credit cards for personal transactions, let’s walk through the best business credit cards without annual fees.

Winner: Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business

Our favorite no-annual-fee business credit card is the Capital One Spark Miles Select card, which we actually discussed above.

It’s worth mentioning again because you’ll earn at least 1.5x Capital One miles on all purchases, which is equal to a return on spending of 2.7%.

Here is the breakdown:

5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
1.5x miles on other purchases

This no-annual-fee credit card earns rewards that can be transferred to Capital One’s full list of travel partners, which is a game-changer for business owners looking to avoid annual fees.

Also, the Capital One Spark Miles Select card includes purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, roadside assistance, zero fraud liability for unauthorized purchases, secondary rental car coverage, no foreign transaction fees, and employee cards for no additional annual fees.

Runner-up: Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit

The Capital One Spark Cash Select card is the cash-back version of the Capital One Spark Miles Select card.

The good news is that this card offers an impressive welcome bonus for a no-annual-fee card, plus the following rewards structure:

5% cash-back on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
1.5% cash-back on all other purchases

Plus, the Capital One Spark Cash Select card has no-additional-fee employee cards, roadside assistance, no foreign transaction fees, and extended warranty.

Best Card for Cash-back

Money — Image Credit: Katie Harp via Unsplash

Cash-back is the most flexible type of rewards. And for some people, it could be totally worth it.

In this section, we’ll show you some of the best credit cards that earn cash-back from Capital One and Citi.

Winner: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Savor card is one of the most impressive cash-back credit cards available. With this card, you’re eligible to earn a welcome bonus, plus up to 10% cash-back in unlimited rewards:

10% cash-back for Uber and Uber Eats purchases
8% cash-back Capital One Entertainment purchases
5% cash-back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
4% cash-back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services
3% cash-back at grocery stores
1% cash-back on other purchases

This credit card also offers shopping and travel benefits like extended warranty, zero fraud liability, no foreign transaction fees, and fee-free authorized users.

Runner-up: Citi Custom Cash℠ Card

One of the best credit cards for cash-back, especially if you’re a relatively low spender from month to month, is the Citi Custom Cash card.

The card currently offers a welcome bonus, plus a 0% introductory APR promotion on purchases and balance transfers.

The Citi Custom Cash card earns 5% cash-back in your top eligible spending category each billing cycle (up to the first $500 spent) from the list below:

Drugstores
Fitness clubs
Gas stations
Grocery stores
Home improvement stores
Live entertainment
Restaurants
Select streaming services
Select transit
Select travel

Although earning 5% cash-back on these categories is potentially fantastic, there’s a limit of just $500 per billing cycle in these purchases. On other purchases, you’ll earn 1% cash-back.

One of the secrets of this card, though, is that your rewards are earned as ThankYou Points, which means that you can convert your 5% cash-back to a maximum of 8% return on spending if you also have the Citi Premier card.

The Citi Custom Cash comes with access to Citi Entertainment, contactless payments, digital wallet capabilities, zero fraud liability, and fee-free authorized users.

Best Business Card for Cash-back

If you’re running significant expenses through your business, saving an extra 1% or 2% could make an enormous difference in the long run.

So if you’re looking to maximize your business’s transactions through cash-back cards, let’s look at our top picks.

Winner: Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card

Our winning cash-back business card is the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card. Right now, you can qualify for a substantial welcome bonus, and this product happens to be a charge card with no preset spending limit.

Earn up to 5% cash-back on purchases:

5% cash-back on rental cars and hotels booked through Capital One Travel
2% cash-back on other purchases

You’ll note that the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card also has an annual $200 cash bonus every calendar year you spend $200,000 or more, too!

Standard benefits are included, like purchase protection, extended warranty, zero fraud liability, roadside assistance, no foreign transaction fees, and no-additional-fee employee cards.

Runner-up: Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi

The Costco Anywhere Business card is our runner-up cash-back credit card for business owners.

Although the card is co-branded with Costco, you can earn cash-back on so much more than just Costco purchases.

Currently, the rewards of up to 4% cash-back are broken down as follows:

4% cash-back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases for the first $7,000 per year and 1% after that (including gas at Costco)
3% cash-back on eligible travel purchases worldwide and on restaurants
2% cash-back on other purchases from Costco or Costco.com
1% cash-back on other purchases

With this card, you can also use contactless payments, digital wallets, purchase protection, and Citi Entertainment. Lastly, there are no foreign transaction fees. There’s also no annual fee with your paid Costco membership, and authorized users come with no additional annual fees, too.

Final Thoughts

Citi and Capital One both possess unique credit card offerings that fit neatly into specific target markets.

That’s because Citi and Capital One both offer excellent cards for travel rewards or cash-back rewards. There are both ultra-premium options and no-annual-fee options, too.

And lastly, while we value Capital One miles slightly higher than Citi ThankYou Points, you might end up earning points more quickly with certain cards with the Citi Premier card, for example. With a wide selection of options, you’re bound to find one you’re happy with!

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.

Enrollment required through Capital One website or mobile app. Upon enrollment, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. 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.

The information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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Capital One vs. Citi Credit Cards – Which Is Best? [2023]