How the Capital One Savor Will Save My Family Hundreds at Restaurants During Our Hawaii Vacation
Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.
There’s a big focus in our hobby on collecting airline miles, hotel points and transferable rewards to unlock free travel. These are your key to getting free flights and hotel stays, which make up the bulk of trip expenses.
But what about unavoidable costs like meals, gas and groceries? You’ll still need to eat and get around once you’re at destination, which is where cash back credit cards come in. I recently opened the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card and will use the bonus to offset the cost of dining on an upcoming trip to Hawaii. Thanks to this card, my out of pocket expense will be minimal and we’ll probably splurge on a nice seafood meal or two.
The information for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Why I Chose the Capital One Savor for Restaurant Expenses
Read our review of the Capital One Savor card
The Capital One Savor is a solid pick if you’re looking for a cash back credit card to wipe out vacation expenses like dining out, groceries and entertainment. Currently, it’s offering a welcome bonus of $300 cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. And you’ll also earn:
- 4% cash back on dining
- 4% cash back on entertainment
- 4% cash back on popular streaming services
- 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target)
You’ll earn 1% cash back on all other purchases, and the $95 annual fee.
These bonus categories fit real well if you’re planning a trip, especially with family. Capital One says entertainment includes movies, plays, concerts, sporting events, tourist attractions, theme parks, aquariums, zoos, dance clubs, pool halls or bowling alleys, record stores and video rental locations.
I’ll use the Savor almost exclusively for meals and attractions when we’re in Hawaii, and use the cash back bonus to erase those expenses. It’s really easy to redeem cash back from the Capital One Savor. You can request a check or statement credit, any time, with no minimum redemption amount.
I’d had my eye on the Capital One Savor for a while, and I won’t stop using the Capital One Savor after the trip, either.
That 4% back on dining and entertainment will be helpful any time the kids want to take in a movie or go out for an ice cream with their pals. So I ordered each child an authorized user card (Capital One doesn’t have an age limit for authorized users). It’ll help grow their credit history, so when they turn 18 they’ll have a better shot at qualifying for the best travel credit cards.
In the past (and when I applied for the card), the Capital One Savor bonus has been as high as $500 cash back after meeting minimum spending, but I don’t know if that offer will ever return. This was actually the first Capital One card I’d ever applied for, so I was a little nervous, but fortunately it was an instant approval.
Side note — the Capital One Savor is a metal credit card and it is heavy (it feels even chunkier than my Chase Sapphire Reserve). So it’s got a bit of a cool factor going on for it — the kids were quite impressed.
Want to learn more about the Capital One Savor? Check out these posts:
- Our review of the Capital One Savor card
- The Capital One Savor is the girl next door I’ve been overlooking
- Save 4% on a surprising number of activities (and dining) with the Capital One Savor card
- Why the Capital One Savor is the best cash back card for my family (and maybe yours, too)
- 5 tips for increasing your Capital One credit card application approval odds
- Capital One Savor and Vivid Seats partnership
For the latest tips and tricks on traveling big without spending a fortune, please subscribe to the Million Mile Secrets daily email newsletter.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Our best offer ever! Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,250 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Earn 2X points on dining including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 100,000 points are worth $1,250 toward travel.
With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 for a minimum of one year with DashPass, DoorDash’s subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
Get up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through 12/31/2021, and get full access to their workout library through the Peloton app, including cardio, running, strength, yoga, and more. Take classes using a phone, tablet, or TV. No fitness equipment is required.
Intro APR on purchases
N/A
Regular APR
15.99%-22.99% Variable
Annual Fee
$95
Balance Transfer Fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Rates & Fees
Other
MORE INFO
Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
Join the Discussion!