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Capital One has made an effort to appeal to the younger generation with marketing efforts such as branded cafes where Capital One cardholders receive special discounts, as well as exclusive access to tickets to sporting events, concerts and other entertainment. Considering how focused they are on targeting young people, it comes as no surprise that they issue credit cards tailored specifically to students.
Currently, Capital One offers two credit cards made specifically for students: the Capital One SavorOne Rewards for Students Credit Card and the Capital One Quicksilver Rewards for Students Credit Card. In order to be approved for either of these cards, you need to be actively enrolled in a college or university. When you apply for one of these cards, Capital One will require proof of enrollment and will actually contact your academic institution to verify that you’re an actively enrolled student. So, unfortunately, if you aren’t currently enrolled at an academic institution, you won’t be approved for either of these cards.
However, if you get either the SavorOne Student or Quicksilver Student card while you’re a student, you can continue to use your card after you graduate. So, if your graduation date is coming up soon, you may want to move quickly and sign up for one of these cards. Need a good reason to grab one of these cards as soon as you can? The student versions of these credit cards are available to those with average credit, whereas the non-student versions require good/excellent credit.
Before you sign up for one of Capital One’s student credit cards, it’s worth comparing the different features of the SavorOne Student card and the Quicksilver Student card. In general, the SavorOne Student card offers elevated cashback spending bonuses for specific categories like dining and entertainment, whereas the Quicksilver Student card offers a flat cashback rate on all purchases.
In this article, we’re going to break down all of the different features of each card, so you can determine which one is better for your wallet.
Capital One Student Card Basics
Capital One’s two current student cards have several features in common. First, you need to be a currently enrolled student (and that enrollment needs to be verifiable) in order to be approved. However, both the SavorOne Student and Quicksilver Student cards are available to people with no credit history. So, if you’ve never had a credit card before, signing up for one of these cards is a great first step on your path to building credit.
This lower credit requirement is a major advantage of these student credit cards, because the non-student versions of these cards, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, require specific, higher credit scores. The non-student versions of these cards are essentially the same as the student versions in terms of benefits.
Once you graduate, you can continue to use your SavorOne Student card or Quicksilver Student card indefinitely. So, if you’re currently a student with a credit score below the good/excellent range, signing up for one of these student cards before you graduate is a great way to get a credit card that would otherwise be out of your credit range.
Side-By-Side Comparison
While the SavorOne Student card and Quicksilver Student card are similar in many ways, they differ primarily in how they earn rewards. Neither card charges an annual fee, neither charges foreign transaction fees and both are currently offering a sign-up bonus for new cardmembers. However, the SavorOne Student card offers elevated spending bonuses in some categories and a flat rate of 1% cash back on everything else, whereas the Quicksilver Student card offers a simple and easy flat cashback rate of 1.5% on all purchases (with a few exceptions).
To determine which of these two cards is better for you, you should look at your spending from previous years and calculate how much cash back you’d earn with each card. If you tend to spend a lot of money on dining, entertainment and groceries, you’ll probably want to go with the SavorOne Student card. If you spend a lot of your money in other categories, you’ll probably want to go with the Quicksilver Student card.
| Capital One SavorOne Rewards for Students Credit Card | Capital One Quicksilver Rewards for Students Credit Card | |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
| Cash back rates | 10% cash back on Uber and Uber Eats purchases (through Nov. 14, 2024) 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores 1% cash back on all other purchases | 10% cash back on Uber and Uber Eats purchases (through Nov. 14, 2024) 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 1.5% on all other purchases |
| Other notable benefits | $0 fraud liability protection No foreign transaction fees Complimentary 6-month Uber One membership (available through Nov. 14, 2024) Travel accident insurance Option to add an authorized user | $0 fraud liability protection No foreign transaction fees Complimentary 6-month Uber One membership (available through Nov. 14, 2024) Travel accident insurance Option to add an authorized user |
As you can see, there’s really no difference between these two cards apart from their spending bonuses. So, in determining which card is better for you, you just need to look at which card’s spending bonuses will earn you more cash back.
SavorOne Student and Quicksilver Student Benefits
The SavorOne Student card and the Quicksilver Student card offer the exact same benefits apart from their spending bonuses. We’ll break down what each of those benefits are below.
$0 Fraud Liability Protection
Every Capital One card offers $0 fraud liability protection. This feature ensures that you’ll never be on the hook for unauthorized charges made on your card in the case that it’s lost or stolen.
If Capital One detects suspicious activity on your account, they’ll notify you via text and email. Then, you’ll be able to verify whether you made the charge or report the charge as fraudulent. In almost every case, Capital One will reimburse you for legitimate fraudulent charges on your account.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Another standard feature of all Capital One cards is that they don’t charge foreign transaction fees. This means that you can use your Capital One card abroad without incurring any additional fees. However, as with any other credit card company, you should notify Capital One before leaving the country for travel abroad so they don’t flag the foreign charges as fraudulent.
While the lack of foreign transaction fees may not seem like a big deal, there are many cards out there that charge foreign transaction fees as high as 3% (such the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card). If you frequently travel abroad and use your credit card, that can add up to a significant amount of money.
Complimentary Uber One Membership
Capital One is currently offering a complimentary 6-month Uber One membership for Quicksilver Student and SavorOne Student cardholders (as well as certain other Capital One cards) through Nov. 14, 2024 as part of their partnership with Uber. An Uber One membership comes with the following perks:
- Unlimited $0 delivery fee on eligible food, groceries and more on Uber Eats
- Up to 10% off eligible orders with Uber Eats
- Up to 5% off eligible rides with Uber
- Member-only perks and promotions
If you have one of the Capital One cards that offer this benefit (which includes the SavorOne Student card and Quicksilver Student card), you can sign up for Uber One through the Uber or Uber Eats app. You’ll need to use your eligible Capital One card as your payment method and choose a monthly payment plan. You also need to make sure to not use any Uber Cash to pay for your subscription.
Once you’ve completed those steps, you’ll receive a statement credit for the full amount of the Uber One membership fee each month within a few days after you’re charged. These statement credits will be applied automatically for up to six months.
If you don’t want to start paying for Uber One after your complimentary six-month period is up, you simply need to cancel your subscription before the end of the sixth month.
Travel Accident Insurance
As both the SavorOne Student and Quicksilver Student cards are geared toward people who like to travel, both cards offer travel accident insurance to protect you in the case of an emergency abroad. When you purchase your travel fare with your eligible Capital One card, you’ll be automatically insured in the case of accidental loss of life or certain serious injuries.
Authorized User
With both the SavorOne Student card and the Quicksilver Student card, you have the option to add an authorized user to your account at no additional cost and with no additional credit check or application.
Your authorized user can then get their own card, log in to Capital One with their own credentials, book travel through Capital One Travel and earn rewards on your account. However, it’s important to remember that you as the primary cardholder will always be the one responsible for paying the bill.
Key Differences
The SavorOne Student card and the Quicksilver Student card are identical in every way except for their spending bonuses.
Spending Bonuses
If you’re willing to keep track of spending bonuses and possibly juggle several credit cards to earn the best rewards on all your spending, the SavorOne Student credit card is probably the better option for you. This card offers 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases (not available with the Quicksilver Student card), which is a very high rewards rate, especially for a card that doesn’t charge an annual fee. You’ll also earn 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores. For many people, these categories represent a large portion of their expenses. So, if you’re willing to book travel and entertainment through Capital One’s portals and you’re willing to target these other specific earnings categories, you can rack up a lot of cash back with the SavorOne Student card.
On the other hand, a lot of people don’t want to deal with juggling multiple credit cards or paying attention to specific spending categories. If that describes you, then you’ll probably want to go with a flat-rate cashback card such as the Quicksilver Student card. With this card, you don’t have to pay attention to spending categories and you can rest assured knowing that you’re earning 1.5% cash back on every purchase (and, occasionally, 5% cash back on certain Capital One Travel purchases).
So, when deciding between these two cards, it really comes down to what you spend the majority of your money on and how willing you are to pay attention to spending bonus categories.
Other Cards to Consider
If you’re in the market for a student credit card, then the SavorOne Student card and the Quicksilver Student card are definitely worthwhile considerations. However, there are other options out there that are also worth considering. So, before you sign up for the SavorOne Student card or Quicksilver Student card, do some research on the other student credit cards that are available to you.
To get you started, here are some of the student credit cards we’d recommend:
Discover it Student Cash Back
The Discover it Student Cash Back card might be an even better option than the SavorOne card for those who are willing to tailor their spending to fit certain bonus categories. This card earns 5% cash back in a different set of categories each quarter. For instance, this card is currently earning 5% cash back at restaurants and drugstores through March 31, 2024. Outside of those special rotating categories, you’ll earn 1% cash back on all other purchases. The Discover it Student card also doesn’t charge an annual fee.
One of the best features of the Discover it Student Cash Back card is that Discover will match all of the cash back you earn during your first year as a cardmember. For instance, if you earn $100 in cash back in your first year, you’ll receive a bonus of another $100. This essentially means that your cashback rates are doubled for your first year after signing up for this card.
If you’re willing to adjust where you spend your money to fit those rotating categories, the Discover it Student Cash Back card might be a solid option to consider. However, for most students, the SavorOne Student card is probably still the better option.
If you’re willing to carry two credit cards, though, getting both the Discover it Student card and the SavorOne Student card might be a good idea. You can use the Discover it Student card whenever you’re making purchases in the 5% cash back rotating category and use your SavorOne Student card for all other purchases.
Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students Credit Card
If you’re interested in getting a flat-rate rewards card such as the Quicksilver Student, then you may want to consider the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students Credit Card . Like the Quicksilver Student card, this card offers unlimited 1.5% on every purchase and doesn’t charge an annual fee.
However, unlike the Quicksilver Student card, the Bank of America Unlimited Student card offers a special intro and balance transfer rate.
On the other hand, the Quicksilver Student card does offer 5% cash back on Capital One Travel purchases and 10% cash back on Uber and Uber Eats (through Nov. 14, 2024), whereas the Bank of America Unlimited Student card offers no such elevated spending bonuses.
If you’d rather have elevated spending bonuses in those specific categories, then the Quicksilver Student card is probably the better option for you. If it’s more important for you to take advantage of a balance transfer intro offer, you should consider the Bank of America Unlimited Student card.
The Bottom Line
If you’re a currently enrolled student with an average credit score or little to no credit history, signing up for a student credit card is a great way to start building a positive credit history. Plus, with cards like the Capital One SavorOne Student card and the Capital One Quicksilver Student card, you can earn cashback rewards along the way.
The SavorOne Student card and the Quicksilver Student card are the only credit cards offered by Capital One that are exclusively for students. These two cards are nearly identical apart from their spending bonuses. The SavorOne Student card offers 3% cash back in several categories including dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (as well as 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment) and then a baseline of 1% cash back on all purchases. The Quicksilver Student is a flat-rate rewards card offering 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
Both cards offer 5% cash back on certain Capital One Travel purchases and 10% cash back on Uber and Uber Eats (through Nov. 14, 2024). Neither card charges an annual fee or foreign transaction fees. Both of these cards are only for actively enrolled students and can be obtained with average/fair credit scores and little to no credit history. Finally, both cards offer a cash sign-up bonus for new cardmembers who spend a certain amount on their card in a certain period of time after account opening.
So, when deciding which of these two cards would be better for you, all you need to look at are the spending bonuses. If you’d rather not pay attention to spending categories, then going with the flat-rate Quicksilver Student card is your best bet. However, if you are willing to pay attention to spending categories, then the SavorOne Student card can probably earn you more cash back.
It’s worth noting that these are far from the only options out there for students. There are plenty of other student credit cards from other issuers that could potentially be a better fit for your wallet. So, before signing up for either the SavorOne Student or Quicksilver Student card, make sure that you assess all of the options available to you.
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