In the battle of big credit card issuers there isn’t one much bigger and better than Capital One vs Discover. They both have a large portfolio of available cards that come with a wide range of rewards and benefits. As well as secured cards, if you have limited credit, and cards options if you are a college student as well.
They also both focus on a wide variety of credit card categories as well. Ranging from travel rewards, to cash back, balance transfers, and more. If you are in the market for a new credit card then you are sure to find some worth looking at as both Discover and Capital One are considered a great credit card company. Now on with the Capital One vs Discover comparisons.
By Matthew Coan
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Related: Discover it Card Pros And Cons
Here at Casavvy we want to give you all the information you need to help make the best decision for you. That’s why we do the research for you and leave what matters most to just that, you. So let’s dive right in and see if we can find which one is the better credit card issuer in the contest of Capital One vs Discover.
We will break down each credit card brand along with some of the cards that they have to offer. Going into detail about the rewards and benefits that they both have available. Starting out the Capital One vs Discover showdown is Capital One.
Capital One
Capital One offers cards that run on both the Visa and Mastercard networks. Meaning that they are acceptable in many places around the world. You can find a wide selection of cards ranging from premium travel credit cards, to a secured credit card to help consumers repair their credit.
While many of their cards come with no annual fee there are some (especially the high end travel cards) that can have very high annual fees. No matter what you are in the market for Capital One is sure to have you covered as far as selection is concerned.
Discover
Discover bank runs on its own financial institution so it is completely separate from other bands like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. It used to be common that many vendors did not except Discover because they have a separate fee structure than the other brands. But they have narrowed the gap significantly and claim that Discover is accepted in 99% of places that accept credit cards and also in 200+ countries.
So that should not be too much of a problem. Discover also has a wide variety of cards and they all come with no annual fee. That’s right, none of their cards have an annual fee. Travel, cash back, travel, student cards, and secured options are all available with Discover and they have some of the best options in the market. And Discover claims to have some of the best customer service around.
Now that you know a little about each brand, let’s break down the major credit card categories and find out who comes out on top.
Travel Credit Cards
Capital One offers a variety of travel credit cards while Discover only has one. There is a big difference here because Capital One has a top tier travel card with lots of perks and benefits, but also a high annual fee. While on the other hand Discover’s travel card offers travel rewards and charges no annual fee. All of the options here will require good to excellent credit.
Capital One Venture X
- High annual fee
- Bonus categories to earn even more miles
- Airport lounge access along with Capital One Travel portal, which has some great deals you can take advantage of
- Great signup bonus
- Annual travel credit
- and more
Capital One Venture Card
- Annual fee, but not a super high one
- Great rewards earning potential
- Excellent sign-up bonus
- and more
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
- No annual fee
- On par rewards earning power with other no annual fee travel cards
- Decent signup bonus
- And more
Discover it® Miles
- No annual fee
- On par rewards earning with other no annual fee travel cards
- The more you spend in your first year then the more your signup bonus will be
- and more
Winner
We have to go with the clear winner being the Capital One Venture Card. While it doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of the Venture X card, its annual fee is much lower and it earns a great rewards rate on every dollar that you spend. It also comes with an excellent signup bonus that should more than cover the cost of your annual fee for the first year. You can also take advantage of some great included travel benefits as well. One major one being no foreign transaction fees.
Cash Back Credit Cards
Capital One has 4 options when it comes to cash back cards while Discover has 2. And in no way does that dismiss the options that Discover has. Same applies here where Capital One offers cards with upgraded options but also and annual fee. While the Discover credit card options both come with no annual fee and great cash back power. Let’s break these choices and find the best option for a cash back credit card.
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Great cash back rewards in the bonus categories featured with this card
- Awesome signup bonus
- Base cash back rate on everything you purchase outside bonus categories
- Annual fee thats even with other cards in this tier
- And more
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Younger sibling to Savor Card
- Very good cash back earning on purchases made in bonus categories
- Base cash back rate on everything else you purchase
- Very good welcome bonus offer
- No annual fee
- and more
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Simple, straight forward cash back rewards on everything you buy
- No bonus categories to juggle
- Well above average cash back earning power
- Decent signup bonus
- Annual fee
- And more
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Younger sibling to Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card
- Decent cash back earnings rate on everything you purchase
- Annual fee
- No signup bonus available
- And more
Discover it® Cash Back
- Maximum rewards in bonus categories that rotate every quarter
- Industry stand cash back rate on every other purchase you make
- Signup bonus depends on how much you spend on your card during your first year
- No annual fee
- And more
Discover it® Chrome
- Small sample of cash back bonus categories that stay consistent all year long
- Industry standard rewards for cash back on everything else you purchase
- Signup bonus dependent on how much you spend on your card during your first year
- No annual fee
Winner
We have to go with a tie here. If you can maximize the bonus cash back categories of the Discover it Cash back card then it’s a for sure winner. Especially if you know you are going to spend a lot and get a huge Cash Back match at the end of your first year. If you want easy and simple cash back then the Capital One Quicksilver Card is your best bet. Especially because it comes with a nice signup bonus as well.
0% APR Credit Cards
Almost all of the Discover Cards come with a 0 APR offer while a select few of the Capital One cards have it available. We are going to disregard which cards come with higher aprs because we think that you have better things to spend your money on than credit card interest. As of this article posting both the Capital One and Discover Cards offer a 0 APR rate for around the same period of time so let’s break down which one can be better.
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Card
- Decent time frame for intro 0 APR period
- Earn rewards in certain bonus categories
- Great signup bonus
- No annual fee
- And more
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
- On par with other cards on this list as far as length of intro APR period
- Great signup bonus
- Awesome cash back rewards earning power
- Annual fee
- And more
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
- Great travel rewards and same 0 APR period as other cards on this list
- Decent signup bonus
- No annual fee
- And more
Discover it® Balance Transfer
- Don’t let the name fool you, this card comes with a 0 APR into period. Although it is much shorter than the other cards on this list
- Rotating cash back bonus categories
- Cash back match bonus at the end of your first year
- No annual fee
- And more
Discover it® Cash Back
- 0 APR offer that’s on par with other cards featured in this section
- Great cash back earning ability if you take advantage of bonus categories
- No annual fee
- Cash back match bonus offer at the end of your first year
- And more
Winner
We are going to have to go with the Discover it Cash Back Card here. Since all of the intro 0 APR timeframes are around the same it gives you the biggest opportunity to earn as much cash back rewards as you can. If you can maximizes their bonus categories. And then double up on it at the end of your first year with their Cash Back Match Program.
Balance Transfer Credit Cards
Both Capital One and Discover offer plenty of options that come with balance transfer offers that you can take advantage of. What’s great about the list that we chose for the balance transfer category is that all of them come with no annual fee. It is important to note that some cards do charge a balance transfer fee so is a good idea to do your research and see what the current intro balance transfer fee is, if any.
Capital One SavorOne Rewards Credit Card
- 0% intro balance transfer offer that’s on par with most of the other cards featured here
- Ability to earn great cash back rewards in bonus categories
- No annual fee
- Good welcome offer opportunity
- No annual fee
- And more
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Intro balance transfer 0% offer that’s equal to most of the cards in this section
- Easy and straight forward cash back earnings potential
- Great signup bonus available
- No annual fee
- And more
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
- 0% intro on balance transfers that similar to the other cards listed here
- Earn great travel rewards
- Decent signup bonus offer
- No annual fee
- And more
Discover it Balance Transfer
- The name says it all with the best 0% balance transfer offer featured here
- Cash back bonus categories that change each quarter
- Bonus offer that matches all the money you spend in your first year
- No annual fee
- And more
Discover it Cash Back
- Balance transfer 0% offer that’s the same as most of the cards on this list
- Earn excellent cash back rewards in rotating bonus categories
- After year 1 earn a cash back match of all the rewards you earned up to that point
- No annual fee
- And more
Discover it Chrome
- 0% intro balance transfer period on par with most of the other cards that we have featured
- Earn great cash bonus rewards in different categories that stay consistent throughout the year
- New cardholders can take advantage of unlimited cashback match after your first year welcome bonus
- No annual fee
- And more
Discover it Miles
- Balance transfer intro period equal to most of the cards offer between Capital One and Discover
- Earn decent travel rewards on every dollar you spend
- After your first year Discover will match all of the the travel rewards that you have earned
- No annual fee
- And more
Winner: Is Capital One Or Discover Better?
The clear and easy winner in this Capital One vs Discover battle is the Discover it Balance Transfer Card. It was a pretty easy decision because it offers the longest 0% intro period on balance transfers and it comes with no annual fee. Usually when you are in the market for a balance transfer you are not too concerned with rewards or extra benefits.
You just want the longest 0% offer available. And the Discover it Balance Transfer is the better choice plus it also comes with some great cash back earning potential as well.
Capital One vs Discover Conclusion
Thank you very much for reading over our findings in the battle between Capital One vs Discover. While both companies offer great credit card options it is ultimately up to you to decide which card works best and your spending habits . It can be very hard to decide a winner for each category because we know that everyone is different.
So remember that just because we thought one card was better than the other does not mean that it is the best card for you.
Our team here at Casavvy worked hard on this research and we want to thank you again for taking the time to read it. Here are some frequently asked questions and answers that we often see.
- How can I apply for any of the cards featured in this Capital One vs Discover Article
Here is a list to our “Best Of” credit cards page that will lead you to more information on the card you are looking at along with their safe and secure application.
- What are the include Capital One benefits? What are the included Discover benefits?
You can find all the information you need by going through our “Best Of” credit card pages listed in question 1. The reason we don’t have a full list here is because they can change often so we don’t want to give you wrong information that may mislead you in your decision.
- What is the main difference between Capital One and Discover
Beside the different financial products they have the main difference is that Capital One runs on the Visa or Mastercard network while Discover has their own network. In the past Discover was not accepted as many places as Visa or Mastercard but that has changed and Discover Card claims it is accepted at 99% of places where credit cards are accepted.
About the author: Matthew Coan is the founder of Casavvy and a credit card expert. He has appeared in various media outlets including Yahoo Finance, Credit Karma, Market Watch, Mens Journal, and more. Continue reading