Over the past few years, Capital One has upped its rewards game by expanding and improving its slate of credit cards. These include easy-to-use cash-back cards whose points can be redeemed at a fixed value for travel purchases and other statement credits. This card offers cardholders a reliable rate of return on their daily spending.
The issuer has also expanded its Capital One Mile program so certain cardholders can transfer miles to 15-plus airline and hotel partners, including Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club and ALL Accor Live Limitless.
Depending on where you spend the most money and how you want to redeem your rewards, deciding which Capital One credit card to apply for can be difficult. The products you can decide between are the popular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Quiksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card. Let’s take a closer look to see what might be a better fit.
Related: Capital One Venture Rewards Vs. Capital One Venture Ex
Capital One Venture Rewards Vs. Capital One Quicksilver Comparison
| card | Capital One Venture Awards | Capital One Quiksilver Cash Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $95 | $0 |
| Welcome bonus | Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | Earn a one-time $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening |
| Earnings | 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
2 miles per dollar spent on everything else |
5% cashback on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
1.5% cashback on everything else |
| Other benefits | Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit
There are no foreign transaction fees Travel accident insurance Purchase protection Extended warranty |
There are no foreign transaction fees
Travel accident insurance Extended warranty |
Capital One Venture Rewards Vs. Capital One Quiksilver Welcome Offer
However, the miles you earn with Capital One Venture Rewards are transferable to 15-plus airline and hotel partner loyalty programs. Given that added flexibility, as of December 2024, TPG values these miles at 1.85 cents each, meaning this welcome bonus is worth $1,388.
The Capital One Quiksilver Cash Rewards welcome bonus is significantly more modest — just $200 cash back. But you only need to spend $500 in the first three months of account opening to qualify.
Winner: Adventure Rewards. The Venture Rewards welcome bonus is significantly more valuable than Quicksilver.
Related: 7 Reasons to Get the Capital One Venture Rewards Card
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Capital One Venture Rewards Vs. Capital One Quiksilver Benefits
Both cards lack foreign transaction fees, provide concierge services and access to cardholders special events. It also includes various purchase and travel protections.
Venture Rewards have a $95 annual fee, while Quiksilver Cash Rewards do not have an annual fee.
*On enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level during the offer period. Please note, registration through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards registration process (eg at Hertz.com) will not automatically identify the Cardholder as eligible for the Program and Cardholders will not automatically be upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply
Winner: Adventure Rewards. Venture Rewards steps up a notch here, with some added perks like Hertz Five Star status and Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit.
Related: Credit Card Benefits and Perks You Should Be Using
Capital One Venture Rewards Vs. Earn rewards with Capital One Quiksilver
Venture Rewards earn 2 miles per dollar on purchases, an elevated 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One travel portal.
Winner: Adventure Rewards. Venture Rewards earns slightly more on non-bonus spend than Quiksilver, which means it can barely outpace the competition here.
RELATED: The Best Time to Apply for These Popular Capital One Credit Cards Based on Offer History
Capital One Venture Rewards Vs. Redeeming Rewards with Capital One Quiksilver
Here is where the two cards differ most dramatically.
Venture Rewards, on the other hand, earn miles that can either be redeemed for cash back or transferred to Capital One’s travel partners. Regarding cash back, you can redeem your miles for travel purchases and gift cards at a rate of 1 cent. If you choose statement credits on other types of purchases or checks, you only get a rate of 0.5 cents per mile, essentially cutting your cost in half, so you’ll want to avoid this option.
However, Capital One Venture miles can be transferred to 15-plus partner programs in addition to cash back. The best way to maximize your Capital One Venture miles is to transfer them to partners like British Airways Executive Club, Air Canada Aeroplan or Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles.
the winner: adventure rewards. Venture Rewards has access to transfer partners and Quiksilver does not, so Venture Rewards wins here.
Related: Best Ways to Maximize Capital One Miles
Should I get Capital One Venture Rewards or Capital One Quicksilver?
If you prefer to earn cash-back at a flat rate of 1.5% on all purchases and want to use the rewards to offset your credit card bills or purchase gift cards, then Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is for you. On the other hand, if you want a wider range of flexibility in redeeming your rewards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card makes better sense. Venture Rewards offers more benefits and stronger earning categories, so if you don’t have a choice between cash back and miles, Venture Rewards makes the most sense.
The bottom line
However, if you want miles specifically for travel purchases and Capital One’s travel transfer partners and benefits, such as the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit, Venture Rewards is a better choice.
To learn more, read our Capital One Venture Rewards review and Capital One Quicksilver review.
Learn more: Capital One Venture Rewards
Know more: Capital One Quiksilver Cash Rewards
Related: Capital One Venture X Credit Card Review
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. For details of conditions and exclusions applicable see the relevant guidelines for benefits.