Credit Cards » Compare Credit Cards » Capital One vs. Citi Credit Cards: CashBack Travel & Rewards Side By Side

Capital One vs. Citi Credit Cards: CashBack Travel & Rewards Side By Side

Compare Capital One and Citi credit cards: Which is best for travel? What rewards cards do they offer? Which balance transfer card wins?

Article update: November 29, 2024

Article update:November 29, 2024

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Trying to decide between a Capital One and a Citi credit card? You've hit the jackpot! We're about to take a deep dive into what each bank has to offer, covering everything from travel perks to reward points, cashback benefits, and even those swanky luxury cards.

Whether you're gearing up for a globe-trotting adventure, hunting for the best deals to maximize your points, or just want the most bang for your buck with cashback, we've got you covered.

Capital One vs. Citibank: Which Offers Better Cashback Card?

When it comes to cashback cards, both Citi and Capital One offer more than a single option.

For those who are looking for a cashback card with no annual fee, Citi offers the custom cash card as well as the Citi double cash card. All of them offer rewards and also 0% intro APR.

The Citi Custom Cash Card stands out for its adaptability, offering the highest cash back between the three, but with a low cap – making it ideal for those with variable and low spending habits.
The Citi Double Cash Card is perfect for those who prefer a simple, flat-rate rewards system, offering 2% cash back on all purchases.
Lastly, the Capital One Quicksilver Card provides a straightforward 1.5% cash back on every purchase (lower than Citi's cards). It is particularly advantageous for travelers due to its lack of foreign transaction fees.

If you're willing to pay an annual fee, the Savor card may be the best option in terms of rewards, as it offers 1% – 4% , depending on the category – with no limit, and the highest welcome offers between all cards.


	Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card	Capital One Savor	Citi® Double Cash Card	Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
Annual Fee	$0	$95	$0	$0
Rewards	1.5% – 5% 5% percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.5% cash back on all purchases everyday.	1% – 4% unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services, 3% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases.	1% – 2% 2% cash back rewards rate – 1% every time you swipe and another 1% upon payment.	1-5% 5% cash back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle up to the first $500 spent and 1% cash back thereafter
Welcome bonus	$200 $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening	$300 $300 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening	N/A $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months	$200 $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening (20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back)
0% Intro APR	15 months on balance transfers and purchases	None	18 months on balance transfers	15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Foreign Transaction Fee	$0	$0	3%	3%
Purchase APR	19.74% – 29.74% (Variable)	19.99% – 29.99% Variable	18.74% – 28.74% (Variable)	18.49% – 28.49% (Variable)
	Read Review	Read Review	Read Review	Read Review

Venture Card or Citi Premier: Which Travel Card Wins?

When it comes to travel cards, there is an interesting battle between the quite new Citi Strata Premier card to the Capital One Venture card. Both cards carry similar annual fees, but their rewards structures and additional benefits cater to different types of spenders and travel habits.

The Citi Strata Premier Card excels with higher rewards on specific travel, supermarkets, and dining categories and also offers a $100 annual hotel benefit on a stay of $500 or more when booked through CitiTravel.com.

The Venture Card stands out for its lounge access benefits (twice a year), making it a great choice for international travelers. Additional travel perks include price drop protection through Capital One Travel, up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®, and Hertz® Five Star status, which lets you skip the rental counter and choose from a larger selection of cars.


	Citi Strata Premier Credit Card	Capital One Venture
Annual Fee	$95	$95
Rewards	1X – 10X 10X per dollar on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com, 3X points on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, and air travel and other hotels purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases	2X – 5X 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, plus 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Welcome bonus	75,000 points 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards on thankyou.com	75,000 miles 75,000 miles once they spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Membership Club	Citi ThankYou® Rewards	Capital One Travel
Foreign Transaction Fee	$0	$0
Purchase APR	21.24% – 29.24% (Variable)	19.99% – 29.74% (Variable)
	Read Review	Read Review

0% Intro APR: Citi Simplcity vs. Diamond vs. QuicksilverOne

Unless you need a very lengthy 0% intro APR, Capital One SavorOne is the winner when it comes to 0% intro APR. Not only does it offers 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, it also has an appealing cashback rewards structure of 1% – 8% , welcome bonus and no foreign transaction fees.

However, if you're looking for the longest 0% intro APR available, Citi Simplicity and Citi Diamond Preferred can be good options. All cards have no annual fees.


	Citi Simplicity® Card	Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card	Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards
Annual Fee	$0	$0	$0
Rewards	None	None	1% – 8% unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and grocery store purchases (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®). You’ll also earn 1% on all other purchases. Plus, you get 10% cash back on purchases through Uber and Uber Eats, 8% on Capital One Entertainment purchases, and 5% on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
0% Intro APR	12 months on purchases and 21 months on balance transfers	21 months on balance transfers and 12 months on purchases	15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Balance Transfer Fee	$5 or 5% (whichever is greater)	$5 or 5% (the greater)	3%
Foreign Transaction Fee	3%	3%	$0
Purchase APR	18.74% – 29.49% (Variable)	17.49% – 28.24% (Variable)	19.74% – 29.74% (Variable)
	Read Review	Read Review	Read Review

Shopping Cards: Costco By Citi vs. Walmart By Capital One

Citi and Capital One both have partnerships with two major shopping clubs: Costco and Walmart. If your focus is cashback on groceries, Walmart offers a higher rate, making it a stronger option for supermarket purchases.

However, Costco stands out with higher cashback on gas. Ultimately, the better choice depends on your spending habits and preferences.


	Costco Anywhere Visa Card	Capital One Walmart Rewards
Annual Fee	$0 ($60 Costco membership fee required)	$0
Rewards	1-4% 4% cash back on on eligible gas and EV charging purchases for the first $7,000 per year and then 1% thereafter, 3% cash back on restaurants and most travel purchases, 2% cash back at Costco and Costco.com, 1% cash back on all other purchases	1-5% 5% cash back at Walmart.com (including pickup and delivery), 2% cash back in Walmart stores and gas stations, at restaurants and on travel plus 1% cash back everywhere else Mastercard is accepted
Welcome bonus	None	5% 5% cash back for the first 12 months when you use your card with Walmart Pay for in-store purchases, upon approval
0% Intro APR	N/A	N/A
Foreign Transaction Fee	$0	Unknown
Purchase APR	19.99% – 27.99% (Variable)	17.99% – 28.99% (Variable)
	Read Review	Read Review

Bottom Line

Overall, both companies offer a diverse set of credit cards. However, we think that Capital One offer some better option for most categories .

While Citi excels with cards for those who are looking to avoid annual fees, such as the Custom Cash card and the Double Cash card, Capital One offers more appealing travel cards, such as the Venture and Venture X cards. In addition, it offers the Savor/SavorOne and Quicksilver/QuicksilverOne cards, which provide a good solution for almost most consumer types.

Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor. Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more.

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Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

Credit Card Reviews Methodology

In order to determine the best possible credit cards, we look at things like fees, interest rates and rewards. We do this with companies that are associated with us as partners as well as other offerings. From there, we make a decision about what the best card is related to different categories and needs. We focus on interest rate cost & fees, especially the cost of carrying a balance, rewards – cards accumulate rewards in different currencies—points, miles, cash back—and their values vary widely usability – cards that accept a wide range of credit profiles and offer simple solutions for things like checking your credit score or contacting. We also consider customer reviews.

We look at cards related to good or excellent credit ratings that will then provide a range of different benefits and improvements for someone who has these scores. We also look at low fees when it comes to those who have lower credit scores.

Capital One vs. Citi Credit Cards: CashBack Travel & Rewards Side By Side

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