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Capital One Quicksilver vs. Discover it® Cash Back: More Welcome Bonus Potential Gives the Win to Discover

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Ashley Maready
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Ashley Maready is a former history museum professional who made the leap to digital content writing and editing in 2021. She has a BA in History and Philosophy from Hood College and an MA in Applied History from Shippensburg University. Ashley loves creating content for the public and learning new things so she can teach others, whether it's information about salt mining, canal mules, or personal finance.

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Capital One and Discover® each offer a range of credit card options for consumers, including some stellar cash back cards. Cash rewards cards are the easiest way to make your cards work for you -- there's no messing with points or miles.

So here's a closer look at the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Discover it® Cash Back. Both have strengths and weaknesses, so this breakdown includes a head-to-head match-up on the features that impact your life and credit card spending. Let's dive in and find out why the Discover it® Cash Back slightly edges out the competition.

Capital One Quicksilver vs. Discover it® Cash Back overview

As of Jun. 18, 2024
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Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card Discover it® Cash Back
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4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Apply Now for Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

On Capital One's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. $200 Cash Back after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening

$200 Cash Back

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year.

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. 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.

1.5%-5% cash back

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.

1% - 5% Cashback

Intro APR:

Purchases: 0% intro on purchases for 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0% intro on balance transfers for 15 months (Balance Transfer Fee Applies)

Intro APR:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular APR:

19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Regular APR:

18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR

Annual Fee:

$0

Annual Fee:

$0

Highlights:

  • Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
  • Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
  • $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
  • Enjoy up to 6 months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024
  • 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; 19.99% - 29.99% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies

Highlights:

  • INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers–only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
  • Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.
  • Redeem your rewards for cash at any time.
  • Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It's free, activate with the mobile app.
  • Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 18.24% to 28.24% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
  • No annual fee.
  • Terms and conditions apply.
Apply Now for Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

On Capital One's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

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Why Capital One Quicksilver might be the ideal choice

If you don't relish the thought of keeping track of multiple credit card rewards programs and ensuring your spending matches the right card, a good flat-rate cash back card is probably the best fit for you. And the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is a stellar option.

You earn a flat 1.5% cash back rate on your purchases, with 5% back on travel booked through Capital One Travel. You don't have to activate any bonus categories and also get a pretty sweet 0% intro APR period (more on that below). What's not to like?

When Discover it® Cash Back could be the better option

If you want some bonus cash back earnings in your life, on top of a flat rate across all spending, Discover has you covered. The Discover it® Cash Back is a particularly good option, and here's why.

You can earn at least 1% on all purchases, but also 5% on purchase categories that rotate quarterly. You have to activate your bonus category for a given quarter, and it's subject to a spending cap (more on that below). Best of all, your welcome bonus for this card depends on your spending -- you can earn an unlimited cash back match from Discover for your first year. That feature makes this one worth seriously considering.

Capital One Quicksilver vs. Discover it® Cash Back comparison

It's time for a closer look at both Capital One Quicksilver vs. Discover it® Cash Back. You can earn cash back on your spending with both, but they have some important differences in key areas.

Capital One Quicksilver vs. Discover it® Cash Back annual fee

You get all the perks of the Capital One Quicksilver (see rates and fees) at no annual fee cost to you. This effectively makes the card free for you, if you pay off your balance every month and don't pay interest.

Guess what? The Discover it® Cash Back also comes with a $0 annual fee. This is a benefit to you, but it also means we can't use the annual fee as a criteria to differentiate between our two contenders.

Winner: Tie

Capital One Quicksilver vs. Discover it® Cash Back welcome offer

All right, here's a point of significant difference between these two contenders. The Capital One Quicksilver's welcome offer is pretty conventional among credit cards. You'll earn $200 Cash Back for spending $500 in the first 3 months with the card. Can you transition at least $167 of your regular spending to this card for three months (without overspending)? Boom, you can earn the welcome bonus.

The Discover it® Cash Back could reward you handsomely if you can wait a year for your welcome bonus. Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. This effectively doubles your earnings from everyday spending as well as in the 5% rotating quarterly bonus categories that you activate (note that your earnings in these are capped to the first $1,500 of spending). Wow!

Winner: Discover it® Cash Back

Capital One Quicksilver vs. Discover it® Cash Back intro APR

If you need to finance a large purchase over time, a card with a great 0% intro APR offer can be a real asset that can save you money (just be careful you can pay off your balance before the 0% intro APR reverts to the go-to APR -- as it'll be much higher).

Capital One Quicksilver (see rates and fees) comes with 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months. And if you've got a balance elsewhere to pay off, you'll get 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months (Balance transfer fee applies), as well. After those 15 months, an APR of 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) applies.

The Discover it® Cash Back also comes with 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months. And if you've got a balance to transfer cover, same deal. After the 15 months are up, you'll receive a 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balances transferred to the card.

No winner here (or perhaps two winners here?), since you get the same generous intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers with both options.

Winner: Tie

Capital One Quicksilver vs. Discover it® Cash Back rewards

Both options on the table are cash back cards, but how they earn differs. The Capital One Quicksilver is the more straightforward and easy of the two. You get 1.5% cash back across the board on your spending. That feature makes this card a standout for your everyday life:

  • Spend $150 at the grocery store: $2.25 back
  • Drop $50 at the bookstore: $0.75
  • Buy a new washing machine for $600: $9

Your cash back builds over time. And if you're booking air travel or hotel stays, you'll earn 5% back by booking through Capital One Travel. That can be a nice bump to your cash back earnings if you're a traveler.

Discover it® Cash Back can help you maximize your earnings in rotating bonus categories -- every quarter, there's a new one. You just need to log into your Discover account every quarter to activate. And don't worry -- the categories you'll find will likely easily fit into your spending. You might see categories such as:

  • Amazon shopping
  • Groceries
  • Restaurants

Just note that your cash back is capped to $1,500 of spending in a bonus category. Max this out for an entire year, and you'll earn $300 (5% of $6,000).

Plus, you'll earn 1% across the board on your non-bonus category spending. You can find a better flat rate with other cards (including the 1.5% offered by the competition in this breakdown), but getting the chance at 5% in rotating bonus categories makes Discover it® Cash Back the winner here -- very slightly.

Winner: Discover it® Cash Back (by a nose)

Final take

The right option for you depends on your spending. If you want to avoid that moment of indecision at the checkout counter (or checkout screen, for online shopping), you might like the Capital One Quicksilver. No matter what you buy, you get 1.5% back -- and 5% if you're booking travel through the Capital One Travel portal.

But you have the potential to earn a great deal of cash rewards with the Discover it® Cash Back if you go hard on the rotating bonus categories. That first-year welcome bonus plays a big role in making this card a winner for this competition.

Both cards are excellent choices, and you won't pay an annual fee or foreign transaction fees for either one. So consider your own spending and willingness to maximize bonus categories to pick your own winner.