The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers generous rewards with no annual fee, including bonus earnings on dining, entertainment, streaming services, and groceries. You’ll enjoy the flexibility to redeem your rewards as cash back or convert them to travel miles when paired with select Capital One cards, making this an excellent choice for both casual spenders and travel enthusiasts.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
Welcome Bonus
The Capital One Savor currently offers the following welcome bonus: bonus_miles_full
Your welcome bonus eligibility depends on whether you currently have or previously had this specific card. You won’t be able to earn the bonus if you’ve had the Savor card before. However, having other Capital One cards won’t affect your ability to earn this welcome bonus.
Earning Cash Back
The Capital One Savor earns cash back at the following rates:
You’ll find strong value in this card if dining and entertainment make up a significant portion of your spending.
While the 3% earning rate is competitive, you can often get better value with transferable points cards in these same categories.
The 1% on non-bonus spending makes this card less appealing for everyday purchases, but pairing it with a premium Capital One card allows you to convert cash back to valuable miles with these cards:
Annual Fee
The Capital One Savor has no annual fee, allowing you to earn rewards without having to worry about paying an annual fee.
Benefits of Capital One Savor
The Capital One Savor offers the following benefits and perks: 0% Intro APR: The Savor offers 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers. After that, a reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR. Extended Warranty Protection: Your purchases gain an extra year of warranty protection when bought with this card, extending manufacturer warranties of three years or less without the inflated prices of store warranty plans. Secondary Rental Car Insurance: This card provides backup protection for rental car damage or theft when you charge the full rental to your card. No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Pros and Cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
Strong Bonus Categories: The 3% rewards rate across dining, groceries, entertainment, and streaming services provides impressive earning potential for everyday spending. You’ll rack up rewards quickly on common purchases without tracking complicated bonus categories.
Flexibility to Convert to Miles: When paired with a premium card like the Capital One Venture X card, you can convert your cash back to valuable Capital One miles. This gives you the option to maximize value through travel redemptions while maintaining the simplicity of a cash back card.
No Annual Fee: The card delivers substantial rewards and benefits without any annual fee, making it easy to earn rewards year after year without worrying about offsetting a fee through spending.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You can use this card internationally without paying extra fees, which is uncommon for a no-annual-fee card. This makes it an excellent choice for travelers who want to earn rewards abroad.
Cons:
Limited Travel Benefits: The card lacks premium travel perks like airport lounge access, travel credits, or comprehensive travel insurance that you’d find on premium travel cards.
Basic Purchase Protection: While the card offers some purchase protection benefits, they’re relatively basic compared to premium cards that provide extended warranty coverage and return protection.
Walmart & Target Exclusions: The 3% grocery store category excludes purchases at major retailers like Target and Walmart, which limits the earning potential for people who regularly shop at these stores.
Limited Redemption Options: Without pairing with a premium Capital One card, your redemption options are limited to cash back, which may provide less potential value compared to travel rewards through transfer partners.
Alternatives to the Savor
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Bilt Mastercard®
The Bilt Mastercard® (review) lets you earn valuable travel rewards on rent payments without fees while offering bonus points on dining and travel purchases. This no-annual-fee card stands out for its unique rent payment feature and strong travel benefits like rental car coverage and trip protection. Earning Rewards: 5x points on Lyft; 3x points on dining; 2x points on travel purchases; 1x points on rent payments without any transaction fees up to 100,000 points per year, and 1x points on everything else. (Five transactions are required per billing cycle to earn points.) Card Benefits: No transaction fees to pay rent and earn 1x points, primary rental car insurance, cell phone protection, trip delay and trip cancellation insurance, purchase protection, and no foreign transaction fees.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review) sets itself apart with 1.5% back on non-bonus purchases, plus higher rewards in select categories including dining and travel. This flexible rewards card becomes even more valuable when paired with a premium Chase card, allowing you to transfer your rewards to travel partners. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earning Cash Back: 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3% back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services; 3% back on drugstore purchases; 1.5% back on all other purchases CaBenefits: Purchase protection, extended warranty, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, secondary rental car insurance, and 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, after that reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR applies;
Is the Savor Worth It?
The Capital One Savor is a compelling choice if you’re looking for a no-annual-fee card that delivers exceptional value on everyday spending.
You’ll get 3% back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and grocery stores, which covers many of the major spending categories for most people.
What makes this card particularly interesting is the ability to convert your cash back into Capital One miles if you pair it with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, effectively turning your 3% cash back into 3X miles for award travel.
The card becomes even more valuable for international travelers since it has no foreign transaction fees, making it an excellent companion for dining out while abroad.
If you spend significantly in the bonus categories and want flexibility between cash back and travel rewards without paying an annual fee, you’ll find the Savor card to be a valuable addition to your wallet.