Capital One Quicksilver Student Card: Simple and Straightforward
The Bottom Line
4.5
Qualified students will receive a no-hassle 1.5% cash back on all purchases in addition to a welcome offer. So if you prefer simplicity, this card is probably for you.
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1.5%-5%
Bonus offer
Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 19.24%-29.24% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 29.24%, Variable
Balance transfer fee
Balance Transfer Fee applies to balances transferred at a promotional rate
Foreign transaction fee
0%
More details from Capital One
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Enjoy no annual fee, foreign transaction fees, or hidden fees
- Lock your card in the Capital One Mobile app if it's misplaced, lost or stolen
- Earn up to $500 a year by referring friends and family when they're approved for a Capital One credit card
- Build your credit with responsible card use
- Whether you're at a 4-year university, community college or other higher education institution, this card might be an option for you
Pros and Cons
Pros
No annual fee
Qualify with limited credit
Earns rewards
Reports to the three major credit bureaus
Cons
No bonus categories
High APR
Detailed Review
The Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is a no-frills, low-hassle gateway into the world of credit card rewards for qualifying students. You'll get the same 1.5% cash back on purchases that you'll find on the venerable non-student version — the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card — except the student card is easier to qualify for.
With a new cardholder bonus offer on top of that solid ongoing rewards rate, the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card could be an A+ option for students who don't have the time or inclination to juggle multiple bonus categories.
However, to qualify for the card, you may need at least some established credit, meaning that other student cards may be easier to get. And if you're willing to put in some work, you might be able to do better than a flat 1.5% rate.
Click to see a side-by-side comparison of Capital One's student credit cards
Empty Table Header | Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card | Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
Rewards |
|
|
Annual fee | $0 (see rates and fees). | $0 (see rates and fees). |
APR | The ongoing APR is 19.24%-29.24% Variable APR. | The ongoing APR is 19.24%-29.24% Variable APR. |
Bonus offer | Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months. | Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months. |
Foreign transaction fee | $0. | $0. |
Student status required | Yes. | Yes. |
Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Basics
Card type: College student.
Annual fee: $0 (see rates and fees).
Bonus offer: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months.
Rewards:
1.5% cash back on purchases.
5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Terms apply.
Redemption: Options for redeeming your cash back include as a credit on your statement or for gift cards. You can also redeem rewards for purchases on Amazon or through PayPal. Terms apply.
Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 19.24%-29.24% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Credit score requirement: Capital One has not said conclusively whether students without a substantive credit history can qualify for this card. The recommended credit score range is fair or average credit, which NerdWallet defines as a FICO score of 630 to 689.
Other benefits:
Access to 24/7 concierge.
You can be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as six months,
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
Simple rewards
Users of rewards credit cards generally fall into two camps: optimizers and simplifiers. Optimizers like moving parts and strategically spend money in bonus categories to maximize their rewards-earning potential. Simplifiers prefer keeping things straightforward, which is exactly what the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card does well.
The card earns an unlimited 1.5% cash back on most purchases, with no bonus categories to track or sign up for. And while some competitors make their rewards hard to use with minimum redemption limits, the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card makes it possible to redeem cash back in any amount (according to Capital One's website).
In addition to this easy base rewards structure, you can earn an additional 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Bonus offer for new cardholders
The Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of only a few student credit cards that offer a sign-up bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months.
No annual fees or foreign transaction fees
Fees can eat into the real rewards-earning rate of any credit card. Thankfully, the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card has a $0 annual fee and doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees). That makes the card perfect for purchases throughout the semester, while you study abroad or during that spring break trip to Mexico.
A long-term companion
Even after you move on from student status, you can keep the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card. The rewards rates remain the same, and rewards never expire. Keeping a student account open through the years can be a boon to your credit since the length of your credit history accounts for 15% of your overall FICO score.
Or you could seek a "product change" with Capital One, which might allow you to switch to a more lucrative card without having to close your existing card or change its account number.
Drawbacks and Considerations
Eligibility
The primary drawbacks to the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card are its eligibility requirements. According to the terms and conditions for this card published on Capital One's website, you must satisfy the following criteria to qualify:
Be a student (read more about how that's defined in our guide to Capital One student cards).
Be 18 years or older.
Have a valid Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
Have proof of a monthly income that is greater than your rent or mortgage payment by at least $425.
As mentioned above, Capital One does not say whether students who have not established a credit history can qualify for this card. Those who don't might want to consider the Discover it® Student Cash Back or the Discover it® Student Chrome. These cards both earn rewards, and you can apply without a FICO credit history requirement.
Limited opportunities for extra rewards
Earning 1.5% cash back on everything is pretty solid for a student card, but if you spend a lot of money in specific categories, you might net more total rewards with an alternative. Options include:
The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees) earns 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target), 3% on dining, 3% on entertainment and popular streaming services, and 1% on other purchases.
The Discover it® Student Cash Back earns 5% cash back on quarterly categories that you activate, on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter, and 1% on other purchases. Categories have included popular options like grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations.
The Discover it® Student Chrome earns 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases per quarter, plus 1% cash back on all other purchases
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
This card was designed with simplicity in mind. If you qualify and want a no-hassle credit card to help build your credit profile, you won’t do much better than the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card.
If you’re an optimizer, though, you might want to check out the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, which offers bonus rewards categories as well as a similar sign-up bonus.
This card is ideal for students who don't mind working a little harder for richer rewards. It earns 3% back on dining, entertainment, eligible streaming services and purchases at grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target). Other non-bonus-category purchases earn 1% back.
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Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
