SIDE A
A
Capital One · Visa
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
VS.
×
SIDE B
B
Wells Fargo · Visa
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
FILING
Head-to-Head · Plastic Quarterly
Both the Capital One Quicksilver and Wells Fargo Active Cash offer no annual fees, identical $200 signup bonuses, and 15-month 0% intro APR periods—making them accessible entry-level cash back cards for credit scores of 670+. The critical difference is rewards rate. Wells Fargo delivers a flat 2% cash back on every purchase, while Capital One offers 1.5% across the board with a 5% bonus through its travel portal. For typical spenders, Wells Fargo's straightforward 2% structure wins on everyday purchases. Capital One's appeal hinges on using its travel portal and tolerating slightly lower base rewards. Both cards have high standard APRs (19-30%), so carrying a balance nullifies any rewards benefit.
THE VERDICT
Our ruling.
“Wells Fargo Active Cash is the stronger choice for most people. Its 2% flat-rate structure beats Capital One's 1.5% base rate on all spending without requiring category tracking or travel portal redemptions. Only choose Capital One if you frequently book travel through its portal and value the extra rewards hit there.”
CHOOSE A
Side A is for you if…
- 01You book most travel through Capital One's portal and want to maximize that 5% cash back category
- 02You prefer Capital One's brand and already use its CreditWise monitoring service
- 03You value the option to redeem cash back in smaller increments through Capital One's ecosystem
CHOOSE B
Side B is for you if…
- 01You want the highest base cash back rate and don't want to optimize for bonus categories—2% beats 1.5% on regular spending
- 02You spend $1,000+ monthly on purchases; the extra 0.5% compounds to $60+ annually versus Capital One alone
- 03You value cell phone protection ($600 coverage) and Visa Signature benefits like travel insurance and concierge service
THE LEDGER
Side by side.
- ISSUER
- Capital One
- Wells Fargo
- NETWORK
- Visa
- Visa
- ANNUAL FEE
- $0
- $0
- APR RANGE
- 19.24% – 29.24%
- 20.24% – 29.99%
- INTRO APR (PURCHASES)
- 0% for 15 months
- 0% for 15 months
- INTRO APR (BALANCE TRANSFERS)
- 0% for 15 months
- 0% for 15 months
- REWARDS TYPE
- cashback
- cashback
- REWARDS RATE
- 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- 2% cash back on all purchases
- SIGN-UP BONUS
- $200 bonus
- $200 bonus
- BONUS VALUE
- $200
- $200
- MIN. CREDIT SCORE
- 670+
- 670+
- FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE
- None
- Yes (3%)
A HIGHLIGHTS
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
- —Flat 1.5% cash back on everything
- —No annual fee
- —0% intro APR for 15 months
- —No foreign transaction fees
- —Free CreditWise credit monitoring
B HIGHLIGHTS
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
- —Flat 2% cash back on all purchases — no categories to track
- —0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
- —No annual fee
- —Cell phone protection up to $600
- —Visa Signature benefits
QUESTIONS · ANSWERS
Frequently filed.
Wells Fargo Active Cash. It earns 2% flat on all purchases including groceries and gas. Capital One Quicksilver earns only 1.5% on the same categories. On $400 monthly grocery spending, Wells Fargo yields $48 annually versus Capital One's $36.