Capital One Improves Savor Card With 4% Cash Back on Dining and Entertainment
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Last October, in an effort to lure foodies who might be interested in earning extra credit card rewards on food purchases both while at home and out and about, Capital One added a new cash back card to its portfolio. The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offered unlimited 3% cash back on dining and 2% back at grocery stores, ideal for those who spend a significant portion of their budget on food purchases. The information for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
But now Capital One is introducing a new Savor card that not only improves on its rewards for dining, but adds a new bonus category to appeal to a wider audience, and it's all accompanied by a substantially increased sign-up bonus.
Let's start with a look at the bonus. Applicants for the new Capital One Savor card will get $300 in bonus cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first three months after opening the account. That's an excellent sign-up bonus for a cash-back card — in fact, it's one of the very best across all personal cash-back cards, and would be a solid reason all on its own to consider getting the card.
However, Capital One has also provided customers two new reasons to keep the card beyond just the sign-up bonus. The new Savor Card has increased its cash-back bonus on dining purchases from 3% to 4%, and also added another 4% cash-back category for entertainment purchases. You'll also still get 2% cash back on at grocery stores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. All cash-back categories are unlimited and uncapped.
Those 4% dining and entertainment categories are industry leading, with only the Uber Visa card matching the 4% on dining and no other card providing 4% cash back on entertainment purchases. There are also no minimums for redeeming cash back on the Savor card, and no foreign transaction fees.
This is all excellent news, but there's one catch: The new Capital One Savor card now has a $95 annual fee, though it's waived for the first year. The old Savor card had no annual fee, so you're paying something extra for these extra features. But if you're reluctant to get a card with an annual fee, even a reasonable one, there's another option.
In addition to the new Savor card, Capital One is also introducing the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card with no annual fee and 3% bonus cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on everything else. Like the Capital One Savor, the SavorOne card has no foreign transaction fees and no minimum for redeeming cash back. It does come with a smaller bonus — $150 in cash back after $500 in purchases in the first three months.
The new entertainment category on both Savor and SavorOne cards includes the usual suspects: movies, plays, concert tickets, sporting events and so on. As far as dining, you'll get bonus cash back for restaurants, fast food establishments and other categories such as food trucks, Starbucks, bakeries and more. You'll also get access to premium experiences in dining and entertainment with both the Savor and SavorOne cards.
The significantly higher sign-up bonus and the waived annual fee in the first year makes the main Capital One Savor card almost certainly the better choice of the two to start. On an ongoing basis, you'll have to do the math to determine if the Savor or the SavorOne is a better card for you, but with a $95 annual fee, you'll need $9,500 in dining and entertainment expenses to break even entirely with cash back on the Savor over the SavorOne.
Just a reminder that Capital One has some significant application restrictions. You can only have two personal Capital One cards at any time, and you must wait six months between applications. So make sure to time any application for the Savor cards accordingly.
Finally, if you currently have the existing version of the Savor card with no annual fee, you're in luck. You'll automatically be upgraded to the new 4% dining and entertainment bonus categories, but you'll be locked into paying no annual fee for the card. That means if you've already got a Savor card, you'll likely want to hang onto it for a very long time.
Bottom Line
If you're willing to put in the time and effort needed to maximize points and miles, then other credit cards can get you slightly better value than the Savor and SavorOne cards. But if you're looking to keep things simple with easy to redeem cash back, it's going to be hard to beat the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards card in its 4% bonus categories, and the sign-up bonus is top of the line for a personal cash-back card. Between these new Savor cards and Capital One's improvements to its Venture cards earlier this year, the issuer has made major strides in improving its credit card products in 2018, and depending on your spending habits and needs, the Savor cards are definitely worthy of your consideration.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.