Quicksilver Secured Card basics
Card type | Secured |
Credit card issuer | Capital One |
Annual fee | $0 |
Reward rate | Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
Recommended credit score | Fair |
Foreign transaction fee | None |
Should you get the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card?
The Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards is designed to help individuals with poor or limited credit to qualify for a legitimate credit card. They would then have the opportunity to build their credit and potentially qualify for better financial opportunities in the future.
You can often qualify for secured credit cards without having a good or excellent credit score, but they still look and function like a typical card. Your credit limit is often tied to a refundable security deposit that you provide if you're approved.
The minimum deposit amount for the Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards is $200. You could deposit more to raise your credit limit (depending on your creditworthiness). Using the card and making timely payments could help build your credit history and increase your credit score.
This card likely wouldn't make sense if you have good or excellent credit and might already qualify for credit cards with more benefits.
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card benefits and perks
- Helpful rewards: This card lets you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Many secured credit cards earn no rewards at all, including those with annual fees, so this benefit gives the card an edge over its competition.
- $0 annual cost: With a $0 annual fee, this card differs from many of the best secured cards that often charge around $30 or more.
- Broad security deposit range: You can deposit between $200 and $3,000 when opening this card, which then serves as your credit limit. This range is much wider than many similar cards offer, giving you more room to find an amount that suits you.
- Upgrade to unsecured: You might qualify to upgrade your card to the unsecured version in as few as six months with responsible use and full on-time payments. This wouldn't change any card benefits, but your credit limit would no longer be tied to a security deposit. You get your deposit back minus any standing charges if you qualify for the upgrade.
- Credit history progress: Your credit activity on this card is reported to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, the three major credit bureaus. This means you may be able to improve your credit history and credit score as you use this card and make full on-time payments.
- Automatic credit line reviews: Capital One offers automatic credit line reviews in as few as six months after account opening. This could help increase your initial credit line if you qualify.
- No foreign transaction fees: This credit card offers zero foreign transaction fees, which means you wouldn't have to pay additional fees if you make purchases abroad. This perk is relatively uncommon for cash back cards, and even less common for secured cash back cards.
- CreditWise: This is a free service from Capital One that helps you monitor your credit history, keep track of your credit score, and review your TransUnion credit report.
- Capital One Travel: Access Capital One's travel booking service where you could redeem your cashback rewards toward flights, hotel stays, and car rentals.
Drawbacks to the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card
- No early spend bonus: Many card issuers provide a welcome bonus on their credit cards to help new cardholders immediately earn rewards. The Quicksilver Secured doesn't offer an early spend bonus. Check out our dedicated page to compare credit cards to see recommendations with welcome offers.
- Security deposit: You have to put down a security deposit for this card, which is tied directly to your card's credit limit. This is common for secured credit cards, but having some money tied up could be inconvenient.
- High annual percentage rate (APR): It's not recommended to carry a balance on most credit cards because of high interest rates that lead to costly interest charges. This is also true for the Quicksilver Secured, which has a 29.74% (variable) APR. The best credit cards for carrying balances are typically balance transfer credit cards with intro APR offers. Make sure to check for the balance transfer fees associated with these cards.
Earning & redeeming cash back
Best ways to earn
The Capital One Quicksilver Secured offers unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
With this rewards program, you could use your card for all your everyday purchases if you want to earn as much cash back as possible. This could include any existing expenses, such as groceries, gas, internet, streaming services, and more. Doing this would give you at least 1.5% in cash back on everything, as this card has no specific bonus categories.
If you have an upcoming trip, consider earning 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Using Capital One Travel for every travel booking might not make sense, but it's typically worth comparing against other options to discover potential deals.
Categories | Rewards rate |
Every purchase, every day | 1.5% |
Hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel | 5% |
Maximizing your redemptions
The Capital One Quicksilver Secured offers these redemption options for your cash back:
- Mailed check
- Statement credit
- Cover recent purchases
- Gift cards
- Capital One Travel
Cash back is typically redeemed at a 1:1 ratio, regardless of the redemption option. This means one cashback reward would be worth 1 cent. So 10,000 cashback rewards points would be worth $100.
Because the redemption options on this card typically hold the same value, the best option for you depends on your lifestyle and financial needs.
Other cards to consider
If the Capital One Quicksilver Secured doesn't seem like the right fit for you, consider other secured credit cards. If you're looking for an alternative, we like the Platinum Secured Credit Card from Capital One and OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card.
Platinum Secured Credit Card from Capital One
The Capital One Platinum Secured has a $0 annual fee and offers refundable security deposits as low as $49. This might be a better option if you have less money to deposit now and can get by with a lower credit limit, because the Quicksilver Secured requires a deposit of at least $200.
This card doesn't offer any rewards, but you might qualify for it even if you have a low credit score. Additionally, you could have the opportunity to upgrade to an unsecured version in the future.
Read our Platinum Secured Credit Card from Capital One review to learn more.
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
The OpenSky Secured Visa has a $35 annual fee and also lets you make refundable security deposits between $200 and $3,000. The annual cost is higher than the Quicksilver Secured or Capital One Platinum Secured, but this card has no credit check involved. The card application might take fewer than five minutes to complete.
Check out our OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card review for more information.
FAQs
Is Quicksilver secured or unsecured?
Capital One offers several Quicksilver cards, including the Quicksilver Secured from Capital One, which, as the name suggests, is a secured card. Capital One also offers the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card and QuicksilverOne from Capital One, which are unsecured cards.
Is Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card a good card?
Yes, the Quicksilver Secured from Capital One is a good card for those with poor or bad credit. You may qualify for this card with poor credit yet get a healthy cashback rewards rate. Please note that credit scores are only one factor that card issuers look at and your score does I not guarantee approval. Capital One also offers automatic credit line reviews and the opportunity to upgrade this card to an unsecured card in as few as six months of responsible use.
Is it hard to get a Quicksilver Capital One credit card?
The difficulty of getting a Quicksilver Capital One credit card depends on your credit score and which card you apply for. If you'd like to qualify for Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, you may want to have a good or excellent credit score, but the Quicksilver Secured is often available to those with limited or bad credit.
Is Quicksilver a good credit card to build credit?
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is a good credit card to build credit if you're able to qualify and use it responsibly. If you have limited or bad credit, consider applying for the Quicksilver Secured. You may qualify with a lower credit score (though credit scores are only one factor that credit card issuers look at), and your credit card account's activity is reported to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, the three major credit bureaus.
What kind of credit score is needed for Capital One Quicksilver?
It could help to have a good or excellent credit score if you'd like to qualify for the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card. According to the FICO credit scoring model, a good credit score ranges between 670 and 739. If your credit score isn't high enough to be in this range, you might have better chances of qualifying for the QuicksilverOne from Capital One or Quicksilver Secured.
Do note that your credit score is only one factor that credit card issuers take into account and having a certain score does not guarantee approval.