Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card vs. Discover it^® Cash Back [2025]: Simplicity or Earning Potential?

Capital One Quicksilver vs. Discover it Cash Back comparison

	Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card 4.5 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Discover it® Cash Back 4.7 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Card type	Cash back	Cash back
Credit card issuer	Capital One	Discover
Credit card network	Mastercard	Discover
Annual fee	$0	$0
Welcome offer	Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening	Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.
Earning rate	1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; and 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel	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.
Introductory APR	0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 18.74% - 28.74% (Variable)) 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 18.74% - 28.74% (Variable)); Balance transfer fee applies	0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 17.74% - 26.74% Variable *Rates as of December 15, 2025) 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 17.74% - 26.74% Variable *Rates as of December 15, 2025)
Foreign transaction fee	None	0%
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Read full review	Read full review

Capital One Quicksilver vs. Discover it Cash Back: Which is better?

Rewards rates

Winner: Discover it Cash Back because of its excellent earning potential.

The Capital One Quicksilver provides 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; and 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

With the Discover it Cash Back, you can 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.

The Capital One Quicksilver has a more straightforward earning rate, which makes it easy for cardmembers to earn cash back on all eligible purchases. In other words, it's simple and stress-free.

But if you want to maximize your earning potential, we prefer the Discover it Cash Back and its high rewards rate on rotating categories.

Past Discover 5% Cashback Bonus categories have included:

• Amazon.com and drugstores (October-December 2025)
• Restaurants and drugstores (January-March 2024)
• Grocery stores, fitness clubs, and gym memberships (January-March 2022)
• Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and Target.com (October-December 2021)
• Gas stations, wholesale clubs, and select streaming services (April-June 2021)

Check out the Discover 5% cashback calendar to stay updated on what spending earns the most with eligible cards.

Redemption options

Winner: It's a tie. The better card between the two depends on how you prefer to redeem rewards, but redemption choices are pretty similar for the Quicksilver and Discover it Cash Back.

The Capital One Quicksilver provides these redemption options:

• Statement credits
• Cover recent purchases
• Mailed checks
• Gift cards
• Booking travel
• Transfers to eligible Capital One credit cards

The Discover it Cash Back provides these redemption options:

• Statement credits
• Deposits to eligible checking or savings accounts
• Gift cards
• Charitable donations
• Pay with Cashback Bonus at select merchants

We think the redemption options are fairly similar between the two cards with their usefulness.

The Capital One Quicksilver does allow you to transfer rewards to certain other Capital One credit cards, such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. This could open up opportunities to redeem rewards for travel with the Capital One Venture Rewards.

But you can also simply redeem rewards on the Discover it Cash Back for eligible bank deposits and use the money however you want.

Travel

Winner: For travel spending and booking, the Capital One Quicksilver is a better choice than the Discover it Cash Back.

While both the Discover it Cash Back and Capital One Quicksilver stand out from other no-annual-free rewards cards for having no foreign transaction fees, a fairly unique perk for cards of this kind, only the Capital One card always includes (qualifying) travel as a bonus earning category.

With the Capital One Quicksilver, you can earn 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. You can score deals on select bookings when you use the Capital One Travel portal, and you might find that redeeming rewards in this way is more useful than other cash equivalents like statement credits. And if you take advantage of the card's only bonus category often enough, you could potentially get more value out of this card than the Discover it Cash Back.

International acceptance

Winner: Capital One Quicksilver wins here because the Mastercard network is better than Discover for international acceptance.

The Capital One Quicksilver uses the Mastercard credit card network to process payments. Mastercard credit cards are accepted in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, making it one of the most popular card networks in the world.

The Discover it Cash Back uses the Discover card network to process payments. Discover credit cards are accepted at 99% of locations that accept credit cards (According to the February 2025 issue of the Nilson Report). However, the global acceptance levels don't match the Visa or Mastercard networks.

Capital One Quicksilver benefits and drawbacks

Welcome offer: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

We like the Capital One Quicksilver because it has a $0 annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and provides 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; and 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

This type of rewards rate makes it easy to earn cash back on all eligible purchases. The trade-off is you don't have many bonus categories for earning a higher rewards rate.

Intro APR offers include:

• Intro APR on purchases: 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 18.74% - 28.74% (Variable))
• Intro APR on balance transfers: 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 18.74% - 28.74% (Variable)); Balance transfer fee applies

Read our Capital One Quicksilver review.

Discover it Cash Back benefits and drawbacks

Cashback Match™️ welcome offer: Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. Note that this is an unlimited cashback match.

We like the Discover it Cash Back because it has a $0 annual fee and 0% foreign transaction fees. Plus, you can 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.

Note that you must activate the rotating bonus categories each quarter in order to receive the elevated cashback rate. You can earn the elevated cashback rate on up to $1,500 per quarter that you activate.

Intro APR offers include:

• Intro APR on purchases: 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 17.74% - 26.74% Variable *Rates as of December 15, 2025)
• Intro APR on balance transfers: 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 17.74% - 26.74% Variable *Rates as of December 15, 2025)

Read our Discover it Cash Back review.

What both cards excel at

• Welcome offers: New cardholders have the opportunity to earn a generous welcome offer with the Capital One Quicksilver or the Discover it Cash Back.
• Cashback earnings: Both cards provide cash back for making eligible purchases.
• No annual fees: The Capital One Quicksilver has a $0 annual fee, and the Discover it Cash Back also has a $0 annual fee.
• No foreign transaction fees: You don't have to pay foreign transaction fees on applicable purchases with either of these cards.
• Intro APR offers: Both the Capital One Quicksilver and Discover it Cash Back provide useful intro APR offers on purchases and balance transfers.

Which credit card should you choose?

Both the Capital One Quicksilver and Discover it Cash Back have similar eligibility requirements, and they share some perks, such as intro APR offers and no foreign transaction fees. But Capital One Quicksilver has a simple rewards rate with limited bonus categories, while the Discover it Cash Back has a high rewards rate on rotating categories. Here's how to choose the right one.

When you should choose the Capital One Quicksilver

• You already have a relationship with Capital One
• You prefer a simple rewards rate on fixed categories
• You want a card for international travel
• You want to transfer rewards to another Capital One credit card

When you should choose the Discover it Cash Back

• You already have a relationship with Discover
• You prefer a high rewards rate on rotating categories
• You don't typically travel abroad
• You want to redeem rewards for bank deposits

FAQs

Bottom line

Our overall recommendation is the Discover it Cash Back. If you want to maximize your earning potential, this card could earn you plenty of cash back.

We still think the Capital One Quicksilver makes sense as a simple cash back card, but it doesn't reach the same level of earning.

For more of our top recommendations and credit card offers, check out the best cash back credit cards.

Up To 5% Cash Back

Discover it^® Cash Back

4.7

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Discover it^® Cash Back

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Rates and fees

Current Offer

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

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

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.

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• $0 annual fee
• Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers

Drawbacks

• Requires you to activate the highest-earning category each quarter
• Not accepted as widely overseas as Visa or Mastercard

Card Details

• 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.
• Redeem cash back for any amount
• Apply now and you could get a decision in as little as 90 seconds. No annual fee.
• Start shopping and earning rewards in minutes with your virtual card, before your physical card arrives in the mail, if eligible.
• Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 17.74% to 26.74% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness. Rates as of December 15, 2025.
• Terms and conditions apply.