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Student credit cards don’t often provide the best rewards or benefits available, typically because they’re designed as beginner cards. But certain credit card companies, such as Capital One, have been making progress with issuing cards that could help students build their credit while also providing them with helpful benefits.
This Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees) review digs into the details of this new Capital One credit card, showing where its strengths and weaknesses lie. See whether it makes sense for your situation.
Build Credit & Earn Cash Back
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Current Offer
Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
Annual Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Who should get the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card?
The Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards card is available only to college or university students who are 18 or older and have a valid U.S. address. As with most student credit cards, you don’t need an excellent credit score to qualify for this card — fair credit or limited credit could be enough for approval.
This card could make sense for any student who wants to start building their credit history while earning a flat cashback rewards rate at the same time. Many starter cards offer few benefits or no earning potential, so this card is a step above those options. If you would prefer a rewards program that allows you to earn bonus rewards in specific categories instead of a flat rate on every purchase, the Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards card might not be the best fit for you.
The Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards card has a $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. This should slot nicely into the typical financial situation for many students who don’t want to worry about fees. And if you’re planning to study abroad, having no foreign transaction fees could prove useful.
Card basics
| Card type | Cash Back/Student |
| Credit card issuer | Capital One |
| Credit card network | Mastercard |
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Early spend bonus | Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months |
| Reward rate | Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| Recommended credit score | Fair |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards benefits and perks
- Earning potential: Cardholders can earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. This type of rewards rate can be helpful for students who often have a wide range of expenses, from food to books and more. The travel rewards are an added bonus if you book hotels or rental cars through Capital One Travel.
- Low credit requirement: You likely don’t need excellent credit or good credit to be approved. As with many student credit cards, this card typically requires limited or fair credit history — which could make it easier for students to qualify.
- $0 annual fee: The Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards card has a $0 annual fee, so there’s no annual cost to worry about.
- No foreign transaction fees: If you’re traveling or studying abroad, you won’t have to deal with foreign transaction fees when using this card.
- Extended warranty protection: Eligible purchases made with this card have their warranty extended.1
- Important alerts: Account alerts from CreditWise can alert you to changes on your TransUnion or Experian credit reports.
Drawbacks to this card
- No intro APR offer: Some credit cards offer 0% introductory APR offers, typically for balance transfers or purchases. Unfortunately, this card doesn’t have either of these options. For these types of credit card offers, check out our list of the best balance transfer cards.
Earning and redeeming cash back
Best ways to earn
This card doesn’t earn bonus rewards in different everyday categories, such as groceries or gas. Rather, it has a flat Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
So the best way to achieve cashback earnings with the Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards card is to use it on all your everyday purchases, as well as hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel.
Everyday purchases could include using your card for groceries, filling up your car, eating out, and anything else you’re already spending money on. If you’re able to pay any of your bills or utilities with a credit card (without incurring fees) then it could make sense to use your card for those as well.
Using your card for everything doesn’t mean spending more money than you typically do. It simply means changing your purchasing habits to take advantage of credit card rewards.
| Categories | Rewards rate |
| Every purchase, every day | 1.5% |
| Hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel | 5% |
Maximizing your redemptions
If you use your card to make purchases, you’ll earn cash back at a 1.5% rate. Once you earn enough cash back, you can decide how you want to redeem your rewards.
The Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards card offers multiple ways to redeem your cash back, including:
- Statement credits
- Mailed check
- Cover previous purchases
- Gift cards
- Cover PayPal purchases
- Shop with Points at Amazon.com
Capital One doesn’t offer public information about its reward redemption rates or how much value you can get from each redemption option. But for cashback credit cards, the best redemptions are typically the ones with an actual cash component.
For example, getting statement credits or receiving a check in the mail are the closest options for converting your rewards into actual cash in hand. Other options include gift cards or covering online purchases, but these aren’t guaranteed to have the best value.
Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card FAQs
Can a 17-year-old get a Capital One credit card?
Most Capital One credit cards require you to be 18 or older to qualify. However, Capital One allows cardholders to add authorized users, which could include children, to their accounts. Authorized users can receive their own credit card and share a line of credit with the primary cardholder. So if you are too young to apply for a card, or if you think you may not qualify yet for a Capital One credit card, consider talking to a trusted adult to see whether they’ll open an account and add you as an authorized user.
Which Capital One student card is best?
The best Capital One student card for you is the one that most aligns with your spending habits and financial goals. If you want an unlimited, flat rate of cash back, consider the Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards card. If you prefer earning rewards in specific bonus categories, the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card might be a better fit.
What happens to my Capital One student credit card after I graduate?
You won’t lose access to your card or its rewards and benefits after you graduate. You have to be a student to qualify for a Capital One student card, but you can continue using them after graduation as well.
Other cards to consider
The Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees) offers college students an opportunity to build credit while earning cash back at a flat rate. But it might not be the best credit card for every situation. For other options, check out our list of the best credit cards for bad credit. You can also consider the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Freedom Rise®.
The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees) is another student card offered by Capital One. It has a $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. But the big difference between this card and the Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards is in the earning rate. Instead of flat cashback rewards on every purchase, you can earn 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal; unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 3% on dining, entertainment, streaming services, and grocery stores (excluding superstores such as Walmart® and Target®); and 1% on all other purchases.
For more details, check out our Savor Student Cash Rewards card review.
The Chase Freedom Rise® has a $0 annual fee and provides 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Cardholders can also earn $25 statement credit for enrolling in automatic payments within the first three months of account opening.
Build Credit & Earn Cash Back
See how these cards compare:
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Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Welcome bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
- No annual fee
- 3% unlimited cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores such as Walmart® and Target®)
- 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when booked through the Capital One Entertainment portal
- Automatic consideration for a higher credit limit after 6 months
- No foreign transaction fee
- Rates and fees
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Chase Freedom Rise®
- $0 annual fee
- Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Earn $25 statement credit for enrolling in automatic payments within the first three months of account opening