Wells Fargo Platinum vs. Capital One Quicksilver
The Wells Fargo Platinum card is no longer accepting new applications, though existing cardholders can continue to take advantage of its benefits. If you’re looking for a Wells Fargo card with a similar structure, consider the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card, which comes with a 0 percent intro APR for 21 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers followed by a 17.74%, 24.24%, or 29.49% Variable APR.
Key takeaways
- The Wells Fargo Platinum card* has been discontinued, but cardholders who already have the card can still find it beneficial to keep it.
- If you’re thinking about retiring it and getting another similar credit card, consider the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card.
- Quicksilver is a flat-rate cash back card that can save you money on every purchase you make — plus, it comes with an introductory APR offer.
If you’re a long-time user of the Wells Fargo Platinum card, you might be considering adding another credit card to your wallet, since Wells Fargo retired the card in October of 2021. Choosing the right credit card can be challenging, especially when there are so many different selections on the market. It’s important to find a card that meets your needs.
For a credit card with a similar intro offer to the Wells Fargo Platinum card — plus many additional ongoing benefits — consider looking into the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card.
This comparison between the Wells Fargo Platinum card and the Capital One Quicksilver can help you decide whether you’d rather stick to your old card or pick up a new one.
Main details
| Cards | Wells Fargo Platinum | Capital One Quicksilver |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | N/A | $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening |
| Rewards rate | N/A | 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.5 percent cash back on all other purchases |
| Intro APR | 0% intro APR for 18 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers (16.49% to 24.49% variable APR after) | 0% intro APR for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers (19.74% - 29.74% (Variable) after) |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
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View all rewards cardsWells Fargo Platinum vs. Capital One Quicksilver highlights
Capital One Quicksilver
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Since you can’t open a Wells Fargo Platinum card anymore, Capital One Quicksilver wins this round. With the Quicksilver, you’ll earn a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on the card in three months. That breaks down to spending about $167 a month, which should be easily achievable for most people. It’s also a great welcome bonus for those who can’t or would prefer not to spend a lot on their credit card to meet the minimum spending requirements.
Capital One Quicksilver
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The Wells Fargo Platinum card doesn’t offer any rewards. Its biggest draw, before it was retired, was its long 0 percent introductory annual percentage rate (APR) offer.
The Capital One Quicksilver, on the other hand, earns:
- 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 1.5 percent cash back on all other purchases
So if you spend $500 in three months on everyday purchases, you’ll not only earn $200 from the welcome bonus, but another $7.50 from the cash back rewards on this card. Over time, the rewards will add up and save you money on purchases.
Tie
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Both cards have no annual fee. This means that if you wanted to keep the Wells Fargo Platinum card open, it wouldn’t cost you any money. This is especially helpful if the Wells Fargo Platinum card was one of your first credit cards. Keeping the card open would contribute to your length of credit history, which contributes to your credit score.
With both cards charging no annual fee, opening a Capital One Quicksilver card wouldn’t cost you anything, either.
Wells Fargo Platinum card
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Getting a card with a 0 percent introductory APR offer can help you pay down debt from a high-interest card or pay off a large purchase over time. If you’ve owned the Wells Fargo Platinum for a while, you might’ve already taken advantage of their offer.
Even though it’s been retired, the Wells Fargo Platinum had a better introductory APR offer out of the two cards. It offered a 0 percent introductory APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 18 months from account opening, followed by a variable APR of 16.49 percent to 24.49 percent. The card also had an intro balance transfer fee of 3 percent within the first 120 days, followed by a balance transfer fee of 5 percent ($5 minimum).
The Quicksilver offers a 0 percent intro APR for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers with a 3 percent balance transfer fee, followed by a variable APR of 19.99 percent to 29.99 percent — which is not a bad introductory offer when compared to other 0 percent APR cards. However, if you’re looking to get a new card that has a better intro offer than the Wells Fargo Platinum had, the Quicksilver might not be the best choice.
Which card earns the most?
Since the Wells Fargo Platinum doesn’t earn rewards, the Capital One Quicksilver is the card that earns the most. It earns 5 percent back on hotels and car rentals through Capital One Travel and 1.5 percent cash back on all other purchases, making it a great flat-rate cash back card to have in your wallet for everyday purchases.
Capital One Quicksilver spending example
To show how much cash back you might earn if you charge $1,000 to the card each month, here’s a spending example:
| Spending categories | Money spent monthly | Cash back earned monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel | $150 | $7.50 |
| groceries | $200 | $3.00 |
| Dining out | $200 | $3.00 |
| miscellaneous | $450 | $6.75 |
| Total spent/earned | $1,000 | $20.25 |
If you charged $1,000 each month to your card broken down similarly to the numbers in the chart, you’d earn over $200 in cash back by the end of the year. If you book hotels and rental cars frequently, that 5 percent cash back could really boost your earnings even further. But even if not, getting 1.5 percent cash back on everything you buy can add up over the year.
Why should you keep the Wells Fargo Platinum card?
You’ll likely benefit from keeping this card open so your credit report doesn’t show a recently closed account and your length of credit history remains intact. If you’re still not sure whether you want to use it daily, it’s important to look at the features outside of the $0 annual fee.
Additional benefits
The Wells Fargo Platinum card gives you access to your FICO credit score through your online account page, which can help you keep track of it and notice any major changes. If you need to, you can request a credit report and dispute any incorrect information you find.
Further, this card comes with cellphone protection against damage or theft (up to $600 per claim). However, you can only file up to two claims in a 12-month period, and you have a $25 deductible for each claim. But if you’re accident prone and drop your phone, you won’t have to pay for it. And this is a huge perk.
You can also set up your account to have alerts sent to your phone or email letting you know of any suspicious activity.
Redemption options
Since this is not a rewards card, there are no redemption options to consider.
Recommended credit score
The recommended credit score to hold this card is good to excellent, or a score between 640 and 850.
Why should you get the Capital One Quicksilver?
With no annual fee, the Capital One Quicksilver is a reasonable addition to anyone’s wallet. On top of the 1.5 percent cash back on every purchase, it has a lot of other perks that make the card worth investing in.
Additional benefits
Just like other Capital One cards, this one comes with a host of standard benefits and perks for travel and shopping.
You can get virtual credit card numbers through the Eno, Capital One’s assistant program, when shopping online. This protects your card from being stolen by hackers. The card also provides extended warranty protection, travel accident insurance and auto rental collision damage when you pay with your card.
Since it’s a Capital One card, you’ll be able to purchase exclusive travel and entertainment opportunities through Capital One Access. And the card comes with some 24/7 services like travel and roadside assistance.
Redemption options
The Capital One Quicksilver is one of few cards that maintains the full value of its cash back through all transactions.
Thankfully, Capital One has put together a wide range of ways to redeem your cash back. If you want a “set it and forget it” rewards system, you can opt to receive your cash back at a set time each year.
Another option is to request that it be applied to your next statement or mailed to you in the form of a check. If you’re an online shopper, you can use points to cover recent card purchases and online purchases on Amazon.com.
Recommended credit score
The recommended credit score for this card is good to excellent, or a score between 640 and 850.
The bottom line
If you’re looking to switch away from the Wells Fargo Platinum card to another card in the same tier, then switching to Capital One Quicksilver is a good idea. It has a great intro APR offer and allows you to earn cash back on all categories of shopping. Plus, there’s no annual fee.
But, if you want to keep your Wells Fargo Platinum card because of the credit history, that’s not a bad idea. It doesn’t have an annual fee, either, so it doesn’t cost you anything to keep it. However, since it’s not a points-earning card, you’re not getting the most out of your spending. In the end, you might still want to open the Capital One Quicksilver or check out another card from Wells Fargo.
*The information about Wells Fargo Platinum card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
