Most no-annual-fee credit cards are forgettable. Capital One's Savor Cash Rewards card (rebranded from SavorOne in late 2024, with the same perks and earning structure) is the exception, and it's worth a look if you spend on restaurants, supermarkets or holidays.
The basics: it costs nothing to hold, charges no foreign transaction fees, and pays 3% cash back on dining, grocery stores, entertainment and popular streaming services — plus 5% on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Everything else earns 1%, uncapped. New cardholders get $200 cash back after spending $500 in the first three months, a modest hurdle for a free card, and you can re-earn the bonus every 48 months rather than once per lifetime as with some Capital One products.
The foreign transaction fee detail matters most for travellers. Plenty of free cards charge 3% on overseas purchases, quietly eroding any rewards. With the Savor, you pay nothing extra abroad, and if your holiday spending leans on restaurants, attractions and amusement parks, those purchases earn the full 3% bonus category rate — assuming the merchant codes correctly.
There's a smarter play if you're points-minded. The Savor is technically a cash back card, but pair it with a Capital One miles card like the Venture X and you can convert your cash back into Capital One miles at 1 cent each, then transfer to airline programmes such as Air Canada Aeroplan or Air France-KLM Flying Blue. In that combination, dining and groceries effectively earn 3x miles, hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel hit 10x, and the Savor fills the bonus-category gap the Venture X famously lacks. The review calls this pairing a slam dunk for anyone building a Capital One points balance.
Other perks: 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months (then a variable 18.74%–28.74% APR), extended warranty on purchases, travel accident insurance, Mastercard rental car coverage, and a 24/7 concierge — rare on a free card. Protections are thinner than on premium cards, and you'd want a credit score around 700 or above for good approval odds, though approvals aren't strictly score-based.
The honest caveats: 1% on non-bonused spending is weak compared to the best everyday cards, and cash back alone won't excite anyone chasing outsized redemptions. But as a free, no-fee card for travel spending abroad or as the bonus-category sidekick to a miles card, the Savor earns its wallet slot.
Who should care: anyone heading abroad who wants a no-cost card for restaurant and attraction spending, or travellers already holding a Capital One miles card who want to top up their point balances on groceries and dining. Review from One Mile at a Time.
