Capital One Savor vs Capital One SavorOne: Which card is best for you?

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If you dine out frequently or find yourself swiping your card for theater, concerts, and sporting events, you should take a close look at the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card and Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card. Both cards offer some of the highest cash back currently available in certain categories, including 4% cash back on dining and entertainment with the Capital One Savor card.

The Capital One Savor has a $95 annual fee whereas the Capital One SavorOne has no annual fee. But the Savor card offers a higher bonus and better earnings.

The information for the Capital One Savor has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Which card is better for your situation? I’ll help you decide.

If you’re a sports fanatic, either version of the Capital One Savor will serve you well. (Photo by Joseph Hostetler/Million Mile Secrets)

Capital One Savor vs Capital One SavorOne

The Capital One Savor and Capital One SavorOne cards offer unlimited cash back rewards, with excellent card benefits focused towards those who frequently paint the town red.

While cash back cards won’t get you fancy flights or luxury resort stays as easily as the best credit cards for travel, earning up to 4% cash back on purchases is a compelling reason to consider these cards. You can use the cash back you earn for anything, not just travel.

To be approved for either of these cards, Capital One suggests you only apply if you have “excellent credit.” Capital One describes excellent credit to be anyone who has:

  • Never declared bankruptcy or defaulted on a loan
  • Has not been more than 60 days late on a loan in the past year
  • Has had a loan or credit card for 3+ years with a credit limit of $5,000+

If this describes you, you have a good chance of being approved for these cards. Here’s what you can expect from them.

Capital One Savor

The Capital One Savor offers a welcome bonus of $300 cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. You’ll also get:

  • 8% back on Vivid Seats purchases
  • 4% back on popular streaming services
  • 4% cash back on dining and entertainment
  • 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target)
  • 1% cash back on everything else
  • No limits to how much cash back you can earn
  • No foreign transaction fees

The card does have a $95 annual fee, but it’s hard to beat the jaw-dropping 4% cash back on dining and entertainment with the Capital One Savor (read the full Capital One Savor card benefits), plus an impressive welcome bonus of $300 cash back.

Capital One SavorOne

The Capital One SavorOne comes with a welcome bonus of $200 cash back after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. You’ll also get:

  • 8% back on Vivid Seats purchases 
  • 3% back on popular streaming services
  • 3% cash back on dining and entertainment
  • 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target)
  • 1% cash back on everything else
  • NO limits to how much cash back you can earn
  • NO foreign transaction fees
  • NO annual fee

Everyone should have a no-annual-fee card because it can help increase the average age of your credit accounts and potentially boost your credit score. Read our post on the best no annual fee credit cards.

What are the differences between the Savor and SavorOne?

Cash back bonus categories

The Capital One Savor earns 4% cash back in dining and entertainment, while the Capital One SavorOne card earns 3% back in the same categories. Both cards earn 3% cash back at grocery stores and 1% cash back on everything else.

4% cash back on dining & entertainment is incredible. This makes the Capital One Savor card the highest-earning cash back card for these two combined categories. As with other Capital One cash back cards, there is no minimum amount required to redeem cash back. You can redeem for a statement credit or as a check sent to you in the mail.

Annual fee differences

While the Capital One Savor has higher earning in dining and entertainment categories, it does come with a $95 annual fee.

The Capital One SavorOne card has no annual fee.

Both cards offer no foreign transaction fees.

Which card is better to keep?

The better long-term pick between the Capital One Savor or SavorOne will depend on how much you spend in dining and entertainment categories each year. For those who spend more than $9,500 per year (or ~$791 per month) combined between dining and entertainment, it could make more sense to get the Capital One Savor. Here’s why:

  • Capital One Savor: $9,500 per year x 4% in dining and entertainment categories = $380, less $95 annual fee = $285
  • Capital One SavorOne: $9,500 per year x 3% in dining and entertainment categories = $285 (no annual fee subtraction)

Beyond spending $9,500 per year in the dining and entertainment categories, you’ll earn more with the Capital One Savor.

Bottom line

The Capital One SavorOne and Capital One Savor cards are great cards for folks who spend a lot on dining and entertainment purchases.

The Capital One Savor is a great choice. You will earn 4% cash back in dining and entertainment instead of 3%. The introductory offer of $300 cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases within three months of account opening is also among the best welcome offers for cash back cards right now.

But you would need to spend $9,500 per year (or ~$791 per month) combined between dining and entertainment for the Savor card to make more sense for you than the SavorOne card. Either way, both cards offer industry-leading cash back rewards for these categories and will make a great addition to your wallet.

Which card would you pick?

Meghan Hunter is an editor for Million Mile Secrets. She covers points, miles, credit cards, airlines, hotels and general travel. Her work has also appeared in The Points Guy.

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! :)

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