Its exceptional rewards potential and account upgrade review process make it one of the best credit-building cards.

Snapshot

The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card for fair credit is a strong alternative for those with less-than-perfect credit, offering the same everyday value as the original Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. It includes an unsecured credit line and the same unlimited cash back rates on groceries, dining and entertainment as its higher-tier counterpart.

While this version does come with a $39 annual fee — similar to the Capital One QuicksilverOne — it still delivers strong rewards potential that can easily outweigh the fee, especially for those planning to upgrade later. However, if you're weighing your options, it’s worth noting that a secured credit card might let you determine your own credit limit and eventually reclaim your deposit, offering more flexibility depending on your credit-building goals.

- 8 percent cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- 5 percent cash back on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel
- 3 percent cash back on dining, grocery store, entertainment and eligible streaming service purchases
- 1 percent cash back on all other purchases
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
- $39 annual fee
- 29.49% (Variable) APR
- No foreign transaction fees
- Up to $40 late payment fee
- No penalty APR
Expert Appraisal: Typical
- Automatic account review for a potentially higher credit limit starting just six months after account opening
- Free credit score monitoring with CreditWise
Expert Appraisal: Good
- Unsecured credit line — no deposit required
- Automatic cash back redemption option
- Access to Capital One Travel, Capital One Shopping and Capital One Dining program reservations and privileges
- Virtual card numbers through the Eno assistant can provide extra security when shopping online
- Complimentary 24/7 concierge service assistance
- 50 percent off handcrafted beverages at Capital One Café locations
- Staple perks like extended warranty coverage, travel accident insurance, $0 fraud liability for unauthorized purchases, card lock and autopay
Expert Appraisal: Good

Its unlimited rewards rates on key everyday categories could make it perhaps the most lucrative credit-building card on the market.

The Capital One SavorOne stands out among credit-building cards thanks to its rewards rates, but it's reward structure doesn’t do much to boost its first-year or long-term value. Based on our card value rating methodology and an estimated $3,600 annual spend, the average cardholder could earn nearly double the $39 annual fee in cash back each year, but that's still a modest return with little ongoing benefit.

Without a welcome offer or upfront perks, there isn’t much extra first-year value to highlight, and the long-term value is limited since you’re only just offsetting the annual fee. The main advantage lies in Capital One’s six-month account review, which may allow an upgrade to the no-annual-fee Savor and better year-over-year value.

Benefits and Costs	First-year value	Ongoing value (no welcome offers)
Yearly rewards*	$74	$74
Welcome offers	—	—
Perks (of monetary value)	—	—
Annual fee	-$39	-$39
Total value	$35	$35

With high cash back rewards for diverse spending categories, an unsecured credit line that skips the security deposit and the chance to receive a higher credit limit with responsible use, the Capital One SavorOne is a strong option for anyone with a fair credit score.

Rewards: Extraordinary everyday cash back

The Capital One SavorOne's broad and generous rewards rates on some of the most popular categories make it standout as a top card for fair credit. Credit-building cards often restrict their rewards rates with category spending limits or low flat rates, and since this card offers unlimited, boosted cash back on categories ranging from travel and dining to entertainment, you could rack up more rewards than you would with a flat-rate rewards card — even for the average spender.

Capital One allows you to set your cash back to automatically redeem at certain times or reward balance intervals, which simplifies the rewards process and make it easier to focus on building credit.

An unsecured credit line can help youstart good credit habits since the typical $200+ needed for a security deposit can instead go toward your initial card balance repayments. On the flip side, it’s worth noting that a secured card allows you to set a high credit limit off the bat, but there’s no guarantee what your unsecured credit limit will be.

However, the SavorOne card could give you a bit more breathing room early on with its first-rate automatic account review process, potentially leading to a higher credit limit. Consistently making on-time, minimum payments may earn you an upgraded credit line after you’ve had the card for six months. By comparison, some other issuers’ similar account review processes only kick in at seven or twelve months (and may not happen automatically). While the difference of a few months isn’t huge, having this review sooner is still a valuable feature for building credit more quickly.

Perks: Sprinkle extra value on unsecured credit line

The SavorOne’s biggest draw is its unsecured credit line, a rarity for fair credit. It goes beyond the usual perks like $0 fraud liability, with added benefits like travel accident insurance and extended warranty coverage — protections you might not get on other cards like this. What’s especially notable is that Capital One didn’t strip these benefits from the fair-credit version; the SavorOne offers nearly the same suite of perks as the full-fledged Savor card.

You also may be able to score a few sought-after reservations with your access to the Capital One Dining and 24/7 concierge service programs, and maybe save a few bucks with the 50 percent discount on handcrafted beverages at Capital One Café locations. These benefits look good on paper, but you probably won’t get much day-to-day value from these features. However, you may be able to nab a little extra cash back if you’re ever able to book a concert, hotel or rental car through the respective Capital One Entertainment and Capital One Travel portals.

Although the SavorOne packs strong rewards potential for a card of its caliber, the annual fee is still a slight drawback — especially if you aren't planning to spend much to offset the cost. And even though you shouldn’t expect a welcome offer from a credit-building card, having no no intro rewards could make this card less lucrative than a few of its competitors.

Rates and fees: Annual fee cuts into value

Although your spending may earn enough cash back to recoup the $39 annual fee, it’s important to keep in perspective that the average person will only earn about $74 in rewards annually with this card — which means over half of those earnings are effectively canceled out by the annual fee. Sparing spenders may not be able to offset the cost with rewards since building credit and keeping your credit utilization low is the priority, not earning rewards.

Granted, $39 isn’t a bad price tag for top-shelf rewards rates and an unsecured credit line, especially if you plan to upgrade to the no-annual-fee Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. But if you don’t mind putting down the $200+ security deposit required for a traditional secured card, that money is at least refundable — unlike an annual fee, which is money you never get back.

Welcome offer: Although rare for fair credit cards, there is no intro value

A welcome offer shouldn’t be a deal-breaker since very few cards built for lower credit scores provide intro rewards (other than student cards). However, there are a few rare exceptions, such as the Discover it® Secured Credit Card and the Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa®. The SavorOne card’s credit-building features and rewards rates may outweigh the welcome offer, and it’s a minor complaint, but it’s worth noting that a welcome offer carries a far comparative value with a card that you may only hold for a short while before upgrading.

The Capital One SavorOne is one of the most rewarding cards available with fair credit, especially if you're looking for an accessible unsecured credit line. However, a few rivals may be more rewarding credit-building options based on your spending habits. Plus, a rare few alternatives have a welcome offer, which could make them more lucrative options.

To be a credit-building card, the Capital One SavorOne has an impressive rewards structure and is an affordable-bridge between typical secured cards and full-fledged cash back cards. It can be one of the best options on the market if you:

Have fair or poor credit
Prefer a small annual fee over an upfront security deposit
Spend more than a combined $1,300 on groceries, dining and entertainment each year to maximize potential reward earnings
Want to eventually upgrade to the full-fledged Capital One Savor card
Want the simplicity of automated cash back redemption

The Capital One SavorOne is a simple, stellar option for everyday spenders who can justify a small annual fee over a larger upfront investment. However, you may want to consider these alternatives if you prefer a credit-building rewards card with no annual fee:

The information about the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card and Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring credit cards for students and people building credit, including each card’s cost, APR, credit-building tools and more.

We analyzed over 50 of the most popular cards designed for students and people with no credit history, bad credit or a fair credit score and scored each based on where its key features stood in relation to others in its category.

Here are some of the key factors that gave this card its score:

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Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | Bankrate