Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card [2024] Review: Useful Elevated Cashback Categories

Savor card basics

Who should get this card?

This card is a good match for folks who have high spending on groceries, dining, or entertainment.

That’s a pretty broad statement, I know. Here are some examples of who that might include:

• Families with high grocery bills that don’t buy those groceries at Walmart or Target
• Someone working a fast-paced job who doesn’t have time to cook and relies on take-out
• A foodie couple that enjoys checking out hot new restaurants and loves fine dining
• A Swiftie who is hitting as many concerts as possible
• A die-hard fan of the 49ers, the Cowboys, the Bulls, the Nationals, the Bruins, or any other pro sports team and wants to attend games in person

While this card does include streaming as a higher-earning category, the cost of streaming services generally isn’t high enough to make it worth using this card over another one.

For example, Netflix’s highest-tier plan is about $23 per month. With a 3% cash back rate, that comes to less than $1 in cash back. So the streaming category boosts your overall cash back if you have high spending in one of these other categories, but it’s not going to contribute a lot on its own.

Other benefits

Solid early-spend offer

Many credit cards offer a welcome offer within a few months of opening an account if you meet certain requirements, and this card is no exception. With the Capital One Savor, you could earn a limited-time $250 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

That’s an achievable bonus and comparable to other cards. For example, the Chase Freedom Flex^® has a welcome offer where you can earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

Intro APR periods

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees) provides these 0% intro APR offers.

• 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases, then 19.74% - 29.74% (variable) APR
• 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers, then 19.74% - 29.74% (variable) APR.

Intro APR offers could be valuable for multiple reasons. You might consider an intro APR offer on purchases if you have upcoming large expenses that you want to pay for over time. For intro APR offers on balance transfers, you might want to turn high-interest debt into no-interest debt for a certain amount of time.

There are cards with significantly longer intro APR periods available on balance transfers, though. The Wells Fargo Reflect^® Card offers 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers, then 17.74%, 24.24%, or 29.49% Variable. There’s a balance transfer fee of 5%, min: $5.

That said, most balance transfer cards like the Reflect don’t have ongoing rewards, so if you’re confident you can get your purchase or balance transfer paid off within the intro period, it could be the best of both worlds if you go with the Savor card. You can manage a purchase or balance transfer and then enjoy ongoing rewards.

Earning & redeeming cash back

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look how your cash back can add up with the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 1 cent.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $1,155

Year two earnings: $905

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model which takes a look at points earned via spending, the early spend bonus, and the annual fee.

Best ways to earn

You can earn the maximum with the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards card by shopping for purchases classified as dining or entertainment or by using it at grocery stores.

Cash back on dining can be earned at bars, restaurants, cafes, fast-food chains, bakeries, and lounges. So, whether you like to dine in or eat takeout, this card can benefit you.

And there’s a long list of entertainment purchases you can earn cash back on, including purchases at record stores, bowling alleys, and dance halls as well as on tickets for amusement parks, live sporting events, and tourist attractions, such as zoos and aquariums. You can’t earn bonus cash back on college sports events, unless they're booked through Capital One Entertainment.

Since purchases at grocery stores also give you bonus cash back, making grocery store purchases with your card makes sense. Be aware, though, that big-box stores, such as Walmart and Target, aren’t classified as grocery store spending by most of the best credit cards for groceries. Avoid doing your grocery store shopping at those places if you want to earn the most possible rewards with your Capital One Savor Cash Rewards card.

Maximizing your redemptions

Redeeming your cash back with the Savor is very flexible. You can opt to get your cash back as a statement credit, can request a check, or can use cash back to purchase gift cards.

You also have the option to set up automatic redemptions on a specific date or when your cash back reaches a certain dollar amount. You don’t have to worry about redeeming by a certain time as cashback rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.

You can also redeem your cash back for travel with Capital One Travel. I’ve had good experiences doing just that. I’ve booked hotel rooms through there for a Vegas trip. I had to move my reservation and switch hotels, and I was able to do all of that seamlessly through the travel portal.

FAQ

Bottom line

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees) is a $0-annual-fee card with useful reward categories and redemptions. If you’re a foodie, value entertainment, or are a bit overwhelmed with grocery store prices these days, it could be a valuable addition to your wallet.

If you like the idea of cashback but you aren’t sure this card is a match, check out our list of other top cash back credit cards.