Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard® review: Great rewards for customers of one of the largest retail chains

Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

4.0

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

5%

Introductory offer: Earn 5% cash back on purchases in Walmart® stores for the first 12 months when you use your card with Walmart Pay

Rewards rate

1% - 5%

Earn 5% cash back on Walmart.com purchases, including pickup and delivery . Earn 2% cash back on purchases in Walmart® stores, Murphy USA and Walmart® fuel stations. 2% cash back on restaurants and travel purchases. 1% cash back on all other purchases everywhere else Mastercard® is accepted.

Recommended Credit Score

Fair to Good (580 – 740)

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5

4.4

See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply

Apply now

on American Express's secure site

Annual fee

$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.

Intro offer

Earn $250

Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.

Rewards rate

1% - 6%

6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. 3% Cash Back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more. 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations. 1% Cash Back on other purchases.

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Citi Custom Cash® Card

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5

4.4

See Rates & Fees

Apply now

on Citi's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

$200

Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

Rewards rate

1% - 5%

Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

• Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express

  If you can stomach an annual fee (after your first year), the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express is worth a look because it has one of the highest rewards rates for U.S. supermarket purchases. If you’re willing to extend your food-buying strategy beyond Walmart’s aisles, a great grocery credit card like this one will be the right place to start.

  You’ll miss out on rewards for Walmart purchases, but the Blue Cash Preferred offers generous rewards rates for streaming services, transit purchases and gas. Plus, it offers $84 worth of streaming credits and a welcome offer worth $250 in statement credits.
  
  

• Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

  The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card could go a long way toward replacing the Walmart Rewards Mastercard. It offers generous rewards in several everyday categories, and though it doesn’t earn boosted rewards for Walmart purchases, it can help you earn more rewards in common categories that weren’t included in the Walmart card’s boosted tiers.

• Chase Freedom Flex®

  The Chase Freedom Flex® has no annual fee and offers rewards in rotating categories throughout the year. You can earn more cash back in a variety of generously boosted categories than you can with the Walmart Rewards Mastercard. Use the Walmart card for purchases at Walmart.com and the Freedom Flex for purchases that align with Chase’s quarterly rotating rewards program.

• Citi Custom Cash® Card

  Pairing the Citi Custom Cash card with the Walmart Mastercard would be an optimal strategy for covering multiple reward categories. You can continue to use the Walmart Mastercard for Walmart.com purchases and the Citi Custom Cash for your next highest spending category. This strategy could net you 5 percent back on your top spending category: the Custom Cash’s highest eligible spending category each billing cycle (on up to $500 each billing cycle, then 1 percent) and Walmart.com purchases with the Walmart Mastercard. Plus, the Custom Cash can adapt to changes in your spending habits.

• Rewards value

  The primary criteria for a rewards or cash back card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

  To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average person’s spending habits, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

  Based on this data, we determine a “chargeable” spend (which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards). This includes the following spending by category:

  • Groceries: $5,200
  • Dining out: $3,000
  • Entertainment: $2,500
  • Gas: $2,100
  • Apparel and services: $1,700

  Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 23 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

  This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases, as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value

  With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other rewards cards.

• Rates and fees

  We also rate cards based on how much it costs to keep them in your wallet or carry a balance. 

  To start, each rewards or cash back card is scored based on whether it offers an intro APR and how its ongoing APR compares to the rates available on other rewards or cash back cards. 

  We also score each card based on how its annual fee influences its overall value. 

  We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value. Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value, but if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score even if it carries a high annual fee. 

  With this in mind, we rate a card based primarily on how its ongoing rewards value and ongoing perk value (such as annual credits or bonuses) stack up against other cards in the category when you subtract its annual fee.

• Flexibility

  We rate each card’s flexibility based on the restrictions it imposes on earning and redeeming rewards and factor this rating into a card’s overall score. 

  Flexibility factors include whether a card only allows you to earn a high rewards rate on a small amount of spending or requires you to meet a certain earning threshold before you can redeem rewards. We also examine whether your points are worth less when you redeem for some options versus others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners. 

• Perks

  We also score each card’s set of features – its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating. 

  We break down these tiers as follows:

  • Tier 1 has less than standard card features (an ultra-streamlined card that offers basic utility and next to nothing in the way of ancillary benefits. 
  • Tier 2 includes the benefits you’d expect on standard Visa or Mastercard credit cards, such as free access to your credit score, car rental insurance and $0 liability for fraudulent charges. 
  • Tier 3 includes “prime card” or better-than-average card features like cellphone insurance, lost luggage insurance, concierge services and purchase protection. 
  • Tier 4 includes luxury features such as airport lounge access, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs. 
  • Tier 5 includes the sort of exemplary benefits you’ll find on top-tier luxury cards, such as high-value travel credits, cardholder memberships and other unique and valuable perks.

• Is the Walmart Rewards Card only good at Walmart?

  You can use the Capital One Walmart Rewards Mastercard wherever Mastercard is accepted.

• Is there an app for the Walmart credit card?

  You can access your account through either the Walmart mobile app or the Capital One mobile app for iOS and Android. The Capital One app is also compatible with the Walmart® Rewards store card. By using the Walmart app, you can use Walmart Pay to maximize rewards for in-store Walmart purchases during your first year with the card.

• Can I use the Capital One Walmart Rewards Card at Sam’s Club?

  Yes, the Capital One Walmart Rewards card can be used at Sam's Club. However, you will only earn the base 1 percent cash back rate on purchases, not the boosted cash back rates for Walmart purchases.

What cardholders think

Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®

4.1

43 ratings

In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers.

82% of customers recommend this card

Score breakdown

5 stars

56%

4 stars

26%

3 stars

7%

2 stars

0%

1 star

12%

Score by category

Overall 4.1 / 5

Extra perks 3.0 / 5

Privacy and security 4.1 / 5

Customer service 4.2 / 5

Online portal or mobile app 4.0 / 5

In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder’s product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate’s own reviews of these cards.