The Capital One Savor Card: Your Ticket to 3% Back on Dining, Groceries, and Fun

If your wallet is full of cards that give you 1% or 2% back on everything, but your actual spending is heavily skewed toward restaurants, the supermarket, and nights out, you might be leaving money on the table. The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards card is built for exactly that kind of lifestyle. It’s a straightforward cash-back card with a surprisingly generous set of bonus categories, all wrapped up with a $0 annual fee. Let’s dig into what makes this card a potential everyday favorite and whether it’s the right fit for your spending habits.

Where This Card Really Shines

The headline act here is the trio of 3% cash-back categories: dining, entertainment, and grocery stores. For many people, that covers a huge chunk of their monthly discretionary spending. The 'entertainment' category is notably broad, covering things like movie tickets, concerts, sporting events, and even tourist attractions.

What makes this especially useful is that these rewards are unlimited and there's no annual fee to eat into your earnings. Pair that with no foreign transaction fees, and it becomes a great card to take abroad, as you'll still earn that elevated 3% on meals out while traveling.

The Hidden Power-Up: Converting Cash to Miles

Here’s a pro tip that turns this from a good cash-back card into a potentially great travel card. If you also have a Capital One miles-earning card like the Venture or Venture X, you can transfer your Savor cash rewards to that account at a 1-to-1 ratio. Suddenly, your 3% cash back becomes 3x miles.

Why would you do that? Because Capital One miles can be transferred to airline and hotel partners, often yielding a value greater than one cent per mile. This opens up possibilities for booking premium cabin flights or luxury hotel stays that straight cash back can't match. If you're into travel rewards, this combo is a classic one-two punch.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

No card is perfect for everyone, and it's wise to know the limitations before you apply.

First, the grocery bonus excludes superstores like Walmart and Target. If you do all your shopping there, you won't get the 3%. It's aimed at traditional supermarkets.

Second, outside of its bonus categories, you're only earning 1%. This isn't your 'catch-all' card for bills or random online purchases. You'll want to pair it with a flat-rate card for non-bonus spending.

Finally, be aware of Capital One's application rules. They have a well-known '48-month rule' for welcome bonuses: you typically can't get a bonus on a card if you've received a bonus for that same card in the last four years. Their approval algorithms can also be a bit unique, sometimes pulling your credit from all three bureaus.

Bottom Line

• An excellent no-fee card for maximizing spending on dining, groceries, and entertainment.
• The ability to convert cash back to miles supercharges its value for travel enthusiasts.
• Best used alongside another card for purchases that only earn 1% back.

Common Questions