Quicksilver Cash Rewards

Rewards by category

Our take

Quicksilver Cash Rewards fits people who want one card to cover everything without keeping score. Every purchase earns a flat 1.5% cash back, there is no annual fee, and a cash-back dollar is worth exactly a dollar, with no point valuations to second-guess. If your spending is spread across groceries, gas, streaming, and everything in between, a flat rate captures all of it at the same steady clip.

The honest tradeoff is that the headline number comes with a string attached. The 5% on hotels and other travel applies only when you book through Capital One Travel; pay a hotel directly and you are back at the 1.5% base rate. There is no signup bonus to chase either, so the case for this card rests on steady, unconditional cash back rather than a first-year windfall.

In a small wallet, treat Quicksilver as the floor rather than the ceiling. Let a bonus-category card handle its specialty and route everything unbonused here at 1.5%. It also travels well: there is no foreign transaction fee, and it runs on the Mastercard network. Its fourth-place ranking in our Other Travel category reflects that portal-booked 5%, worth using if the Capital One Travel price already matches what you would pay elsewhere.

The math

Run $250 a month of hotels through this card and you're earning about $150 a year at our conservative valuations. There's no annual fee to earn back — everything above the 1.5% base rate is pure upside.

Common questions

Does Quicksilver Cash Rewards have an annual fee?

No — Quicksilver Cash Rewards has no annual fee.

What does Quicksilver Cash Rewards earn on hotels?

5% on hotels (book via capital one travel).

What rewards does Quicksilver Cash Rewards earn on everything else?

1.5% on all other purchases, in Cash Back.

Does the Quicksilver Cash Rewards card charge foreign transaction fees?

No. This card has no foreign transaction fee, so purchases outside the US earn the same flat 1.5% cash back with nothing skimmed off the top. It runs on the Mastercard network. If you travel internationally and your other cards add a surcharge abroad, this is the one to hand over at checkout.

Do I have to book through Capital One Travel to get the 5% back?

Yes. The 5% rate on hotels and other travel applies only to bookings made through Capital One Travel; a stay booked directly with the hotel earns the 1.5% base rate instead. Before you commit, compare the portal price with booking direct, because the extra 3.5% only pays off when the underlying price is competitive.