Is the Capital One Savor Worth It?
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Written by
Jon Nickel-D'Andrea
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Edited by
Emily Gadd
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Reviewed by
Jasmin Baron
As the old saying goes, “cash is king”, and a cash-back credit card that has great earning rates along with no annual fee is a rare combination. The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers big cash back on dining, grocery store purchases, select streaming and even entertainment expenses, all with no annual fee.
Since dining out can be a huge expense for many families, earning a strong 3% cash back rate helps take a bite out of that pie. If you’re not a fan of eating out and prefer to do it yourself, that same 3% cash back applies to your grocery purchases as well.
Lastly, if you’re looking for the cherry on top, the Savor Card comes with an attractive 0% intro on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months, then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) APR, making this an excellent card for just about anyone looking for versatility and big cash back potential.
Quick Verdict
The best part about the Capital One Savor Card is the extra bonus categories for elevated cash back earnings. While some cards offer a flat cash back or flat points earning rate, the Savor Card offers higher rewards rates for dining, grocery stores, entertainment, popular streaming services and even certain hotels and rental cars.
If trying to remember which card to pull out of your wallet in a given scenario gives you heartburn, then perhaps a flat earnings card will be better suited to your needs.
With that said, there’s a reason that this card makes the list of our best Capital One credit cards. The ability to earn unlimited cash rewards with no annual fee, no foreign transaction fee and an easy-to-earn welcome bonus makes this a card worth your attention.
Capital One Savor: At a Glance
- Annual fee: $0
- Welcome offer: For a limited time, earn $300 in welcome bonuses. Enjoy a $100 credit to use towards flights, stays and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel during your first cardholder year. Plus, earn a $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- Rewards structure: Earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Earn unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, plus 1% on all other purchases.
- Statement credits and perks: No foreign transaction fee, 50% off Capital One Café beverages
- Estimated value: With no annual fee, the value you’ll get is determined by how many purchases you use it for
Who Should Consider the Capital One Savor?
As someone who travels for work, taking clients out to dinner is a staple of what I do, and earning a percentage back into my pocket for all that food is a win in my book.
If you’re heading out to eat a lot yourself, or you take friends, family or even clients out for dinners around town, then you should strongly consider the benefits of the Capital One Savor Card.
Speaking of travel, any hotel, vacation rental or rental car that you book through the Capital One Travel portal will net you a sweet 5% cash back, meaning that you’re not only saving on your food expenses when you travel, but getting a nice return on a big chunk of that travel as well.
Once you’re back home, earning 3% for all your grocery store expenditures is another huge benefit, all coming from a card that doesn’t charge an annual fee. The Capital One Savor Card knocks it out of the park for huge benefits.
Who Should Skip the Capital One Savor?
Since the rewards come as cash back and not as flexible rewards, there’s not a chance to get any outsized value here. If you like trying to use your balance of credit card rewards to transfer to airline and hotel partners or use them to offset the cost of future travel, consider a card that earns Capital One miles, such as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
Also, if you are not a big eater at home, or generally don’t have a big appetite while on the road, then you probably aren’t going to be seeing a ton of extra value from the Capital One Savor Card.
The vast majority of hotels that you book through credit card travel portals aren’t eligible to earn rewards points in the hotel’s own loyalty program. If you’re trying to earn elite status and earn hotel points, don’t be sucked in by a 5% return on your spend. You’ll more than likely be losing out on a lot more by not earning those coveted hotel rewards.
How To Maximize the Savor’s Value
The first thing I did when I got this card was add it to my mobile wallet, so that if I was heading out to a restaurant or grocery store that allowed for mobile pay, I’d already have the card loaded up and didn’t have to worry about remembering to keep the card in my wallet. This means that everywhere from food trucks to donut shops, I’ll earn 3% back.
Next, don’t forget to add your card to your online streaming accounts like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+. Having the card saved automatically means that you’re not accidentally using the wrong card and missing out on bonus cash back.
Lastly, don’t forget to double-stack the card’s earnings with other store benefits like grocery store fuel points. I like earning 3% back like normal and then also earning points towards free gas or groceries with my local chain. It makes the card even more valuable than before.
Final Verdict on the Capital One Savor
The Capital One Savor Card provides a lot of value for a card with no annual fee. If you like the simplicity of using one card for the majority of your common expenses, this one might make sense.
Earning 3% cash back on both dining and groceries is huge, and then adding in entertainment and streaming services on top makes this an incredibly rewarding card for spending in those categories, so long as you remember not to carry a balance month over month. Carrying a balance on the card will erode the cash back that you earn, so make sure to pay that bill when it comes in the mail.
We like the 5% back for hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel as an extra perk, so long as you’re not aiming for elite status with any specific hotel chain. If small, independent properties that aren’t part of any hotel chain are your jam, this card’s 5% cash back makes your next vacation cheaper than ever.
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. 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.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Savor Card
Does the Capital One Savor Card come with any travel benefits?
Yes, the Savor Card comes with travel accident insurance at no additional cost when you pay for the entire fare with your card. It also gives you Hertz Five Star status* (enrollment required), allowing you to skip the counter at select locations and choose from a wider range of cars.
Is the Capital One Savor Card hard to get?
While there’s not a published minimum credit score required to get the Capital One Savor Card, based on what we’ve seen, you’ll have the best shot at approval with good to excellent credit (a FICO score of 670 or above).
Is there a limit to the amount of cash back I can earn with the Capital One Savor Card?
Nope! The sky’s the limit for earning cash back with the Savor Card, for both the 3% bonus categories and the 1% cash back for all other purchases being uncapped.
How do I use the 50% off Capital One Café benefit?
Simply head into your local Capital One Café and use your Savor Card. The barista will give you 50% any handcrafted drink with no limits.
