Review of Capital One SavorOne Rewards Card

Our Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

We give the Capital One SavorOne Rewards Credit Card card 4 out of 5 Stars because it’s a good choice if you want to earn cash back on the food you buy. The cash back at restaurants and grocery stores is a combination you won’t usually find on reward credit cards, giving it a competitive edge.

Why We Like It

• Offers cash back both at restaurants and on groceries
• Easily obtainable welcome bonus
• Long 0% introductory period for new purchases and balance transfers
• Ability to monitor your VantageScore 3.0 credit score, based on your TransUnion® credit report
• A better-than-average benefits package
• No annual fee or foreign transaction fee

Why It Could Be Better

• Entertainment category may not offer much value

The Capital One SavorOne Reward Card gives you a way to earn rewards on all the food you buy, including both restaurants and grocery stores.

That makes this card stand out, because most reward credit cards will only offer cash back in one of those categories, not both. The SavorOne card could be your automatic go-to option for any food expenses. Only a few cards can say that.

There the Savor lineup offers two cards:

• Capital One SavorOne Rewards Card: No annual fee; 3% cash back for dining, entertainment, grocery stores and streaming services; $200 cash bonus for spending $500 in the first 3 months.
• Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card: annual fee of $95; 4% cash back for dining, entertainment and streaming services; 3% back at grocery stores; $300 cash bonus for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months.

Both cards feature contactless technology, allowing for quick tap-and-go payments.

Is the SavorOne card right to help you earn cash back whenever you go out to eat or grocery shopping? Read our comprehensive review to find out!

Insider Advice: Getting the Most Out of Your Card

• Use it for everything food: Want one credit card to use for all of your food expenses? The SavorOne card is a good option because it has cash back categories for both grocery stores and restaurants.
• Qualify for the intro bonus: Be sure to get the welcome bonus by spending enough in the first few months.
• Take advantage of the intro APR period: Use the 0% intro APR to pay off large purchases at no interest for 15 months. Just be sure to pay them off before the period ends and to always make your minimum payments. After the 0% introductory period the regular 14.99% – 24.99%. Variable APR will apply.
• Pay off some high-interest debt: If you’re struggling to pay down debt on other credit cards, consider transferring it over to the SavorOne card. You’ll get a long period to pay it down at no interest. Just be sure to account for the transfer fee.
• Use the benefits: Take advantage of the card benefits when traveling. They include car rental coverage, dining reservation perks and a personal concierge who can help with booking.
• Redeem for statement credits: The easiest way to redeem your cash back will be through statement credits, which directly reduce the balance of your account.
• Set up your automatic redemption preferences: You can have your cash back automatically redeemed as a statement credit whenever it reaches a certain amount, or at certain times throughout the year.
• Use it abroad: This card has no foreign transaction fees, so you can use it outside the country at no extra cost.

The Rewards

The Capital One SavorOne Rewards has the fairly unique feature of rewarding you for a nice variety of food-related expenses. Whereas most cards make you choose between dining and grocery stores, the SavorOne provides solid rates for both.

You’ll be buying food anyway, so why not earn a little cash back? It also has an easy welcome bonus to sweeten the pot.

Your rewards don’t expire and there is no limit to the cash back you can earn.

This card is designed to give you cash back rewards for food expenses of almost every kind, covering dining at restaurants and shopping at grocery stores. The SavorOne card is actually pretty unique in that respect. Most reward credit cards only have a category for either restaurants or grocery stores, but not both. Not many cards offer the equivalent of 3% on entertainment, either.

The 3% back at grocery stores isn’t very much, however. That’s especially true because many people are likely to spend more at grocery stores than at restaurants. 

The American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card is a great option if you want to earn more rewards for U.S. supermarket purchases, offering 6% cash back on the first $6,000 spent per year, then 1%.

The SavorOne’s welcome bonus is fairly good among reward cards, as well.

Redeeming

You can redeem your cash back in a few different ways:

• As statement credits to reduce your account balance
• For physical checks
• For gift cards

We recommend that you always redeem your cash back as a statement credit because this is the easiest and most direct method. Physical checks will take several weeks to arrive.

Gift card redemption rates will vary and you won’t always get the full value of your cash back. So, we recommend you avoid this method.

You can set up automatic redemption preferences to make the process easier. You can either set it for certain dates throughout the year or when your cash back hits a specific threshold.

The Benefits

This card comes with Mastercard benefits, along with other perks from Capital One. That includes a variety of services that can make your trips more affordable and comfortable.

• Premium Access with OpenTable: Get exclusive OpenTable reservations to certain hot restaurants, in a limited selection of cities
• Mastercard Concierge (Mastercard World Elite only): Call any time to talk to a personal assistant, who can help you in all sorts of non-emergency tasks
• Capital One CreditWise: Get free access to your VantageScore 3.0 from your TransUnion credit report. You’ll also get access to some information from your actual TransUnion® report, which most cards don’t offer. Although this isn’t the more common FICO Credit Score, it can still be a useful way to monitor your credit
• Cell Phone Protection: Pay your monthly phone bill with the card to get coverage against damage and theft
• Price Protection: Get reimbursed for the price difference for an eligible purchase if you find it advertised for less elsewhere
• Extended Warranty: Register to double an eligible manufacturer’s warranty protection up to one additional year, for warranties of three years or less
• MasterRental Coverage: Access coverage for collision damage and theft of eligible rented vehicles when you decline the rental company’s own insurance
• Master RoadAssist Service: Call 24-hour toll-free dispatch for help with services like towing, battery recharge, fuel delivery and more. Third-party fees apply
• Security and account alerts: Get notified about changes to your account or unauthorized activity
• Capital One Second Look fraud coverage: Automatically monitor your account 24/7 for fraudulent activity

The Bottom Line

The Capital One SavorOne Rewards Credit Card is designed for spending on food, particularly at restaurants and grocery stores. If you need a card for that purpose, this one is a strong competitor.

The cash back rates you’ll get — 3% at restaurants, grocery stores, streaming services and on entertainment — are pretty good compared to most cards. The welcome bonus is not bad either. Most reward cards only have a cash back category for either restaurants or grocery stores, so it’s nice to see a card that covers both.

The extra perks are fairly good for a no annual fee card, with Mastercard benefits that can be useful when traveling.

Overall, the SavorOne card is a good option to earn a decent amount of cash back on food expenses at no annual fee, so your rewards can potentially be all profit. If you’re looking for rewards for food but want to see some other options, check out the alternatives below. They offer ways to earn more at either restaurants or grocery stores, along with other valuable reward categories.

What Credit Scores Do You Need for the Capital One SavorOne Rewards Credit Card?

You’ll want a credit rating of at least good, which would put you in the 670 – 739 range. That would give you the best shot of being approved for this card.

Capital One will also look at things like income and how much outstanding debt you have to see if you’re a good fit. At the end of the day, Capital One determines your creditworthiness. So even if you don’t fall within that range you could still qualify.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of card is the Capital One SavorOne Rewards?

It’s a Mastercard, which means you can only use it where Mastercard credit cards are accepted. So you won’t be able to use this card when it comes time to pay at Costco, for example, which only accepts Visa credit cards.

If you’re looking for more information about the differences between Visa and Mastercard, check out our page.

What are the benefits of the Capital One SavorOne Rewards?

You’ll get a collection of perks and discounts at participating rental car providers, help making dining reservations and a nice collection of shopping and travel protections. These protections include car rental insurance and extended warranty, to name a few.

Does the Capital One SavorOne Rewards have an annual fee?

No, there’s no annual fee attached to the card, but there is a $0 balance transfer fee when you transfer with the promotional rates. Otherwise, there won’t be a fee. 

The Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card is the other Savor card Capital One offers. It has an annual fee but features slightly improved rewards and benefits. It doesn’t, however, offer a 0% introductory APR period like the SavorOne.

Alternatives to the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards

Discover it® Chrome Card

Why We Picked It

The Discover it® Chrome Card is another no-annual-fee rewards card that provides cash back at restaurants.

While it offers less cash back on groceries, you’ll earn 2% on gas. And for your first year, Discover will double your rewards. So you’ll get the equivalent of 4% on gas and groceries and 2% everywhere else. Your potential return during your initial 12 months will be pretty high.

But the Discover it® Chrome Card only offers that rate for the first $1,000 you spend every quarter, which can be a bit limiting depending on your spending habits. There’s no limit to the cash back you can earn with the SavorOne Rewards Credit Card at its 3%.

You’ll get less time for the intro APR period with the Discover it® Chrome than with the SavorOne and the benefits aren’t as impressive. But you will be able to monitor your TransUnion-based FICO Score 8 credit score.

Look at the Discover it® Chrome if you want a card for restaurants and gas stations. Or consider the SavorOne if you want a card for restaurants and grocery stores. But keep in mind there are plenty of other cards for each.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card

Why We Picked It

The American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card offers high rewards for a manageable annual fee.

While this card has an annual fee, unlike the SavorOne, it also earns quite a bit more at U.S. supermarkets. So you’d easily be able to cover the cost with your returns, if you spend enough. You’ll also earn across more bonus categories, giving you more opportunities to gain rewards.

The introductory bonus for the Blue Cash Preferred® is typically a bit harder to reach. The spending requirement is bigger, but it delivers more in return. There’s also a shorter 0% introductory APR period for purchases and the benefits package is quite a bit different.

But if you’re looking for a more rewarding and versatile credit card experience, this is definitely one to consider.