The legacy Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is no longer taking new applicants as of July 2024, although existing cardholders can still use the card. Those interested in the legacy Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card can check out the current version of the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, instead.
Key takeaways
- The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is an excellent choice for those looking for entertainment and dining perks on a card with good rewards rates.
- What Capital One includes as “entertainment” spending is pretty broad, so cardholders will likely get good use out of the cash back rate.
- Even though Capital One defines this category broadly, whether your purchase counts in the entertainment category will ultimately depend on how the merchant classifies their product.
There are a number of rewards cards that offer cash back for each dollar spent, but they don’t all work the same way. Some cash back credit cards let you earn a flat rate of rewards regardless of what you buy, while others have rotating rewards categories that change each quarter. You’ll also find cash back cards that offer tiered rewards for different types of purchases — and that’s where the Capital One Savor family of cards comes in.
The Savor family includes the flagship Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, the now-discontinued legacy version of the Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card*, the revived fair-credit version of the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card*, and the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card.
All these cards offer bonus rewards for dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery store purchases, but they vary in annual fees and credit score requirements. We break down what counts as entertainment to Capital One, as well as how to maximize your earnings, no matter which Savor card you have.
What counts toward the Capital One Savor card family’s entertainment categories?
While grocery store purchases and dining are pretty straightforward bonus categories, it’s easy to wonder what counts as “entertainment” with the Capital One Savor, Savor Student and SavorOne. Fortunately, Capital One spells out exactly which purchases count as entertainment in the FAQs of its website.
Ticket purchases that count as entertainment with the Capital One Savor cards include:
- Movie theaters
- Theatrical promoters
- Sports promoters (professional and semi-professional live events)
- Amusement parks
- Tourist attractions
- Aquariums and zoos
- Dance halls
- Bowling alleys
- Pool halls
- Record stores
Purchases that do not count as entertainment with Capital One include:
- Golf courses
- Collegiate sporting events
- Purchases with non-industry entertainment merchant codes (like cable, digital streaming and membership services)
Do popular streaming services count as entertainment?
Purchases from popular streaming services do not count as entertainment purchases. Instead, “popular streaming services” qualifies for cash back as its own category. Some eligible music and video streaming services that could qualify for cash back include:
- Netflix
- Hulu
- Disney+
- Max (formerly HBO Max)
- Apple.com, iTunes and Apple Music
- Peacock
- Spotify
- ESPN+
- FuboTV
- Bandcamp
- DirecTV
- Sirius XM
- Sling TV
- Starz Entertainment
- Tidal
Purchases from popular streaming services that do not qualify for cash back include:
- Prime Video
- AT&T TV
- Verizon Fios On Demand
- Audiobook subscription services
- Fitness programming
How to earn entertainment rewards (and more) from home
If you don’t go out much, you may be wondering how you can maximize the bonus categories on these cards. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to take advantage of Savor entertainment rewards from the comfort of your home. Here are just a few:
- Use the Capital One Entertainment portal for any occasional outings: The Savor cards offer 8 percent cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases. If you’re planning to buy concert tickets or seats to a sporting event for next year or beyond, a Savor card can help you rack up cash back fast in this category. Even if you don’t go out much, the portal is a good place to find events for special occasions.
- Use a Savor card for takeout and delivery: The Savor cards also offer rewards on dining purchases, even if you’re not dining out. So, if you’re ordering takeout and picking it up from your favorite restaurant, you can earn bonus rewards on those purchases, too.
- Charge your streaming service purchases to your Savor: By using your Savor card for all eligible streaming purchases, you can earn cash back while binging your favorite shows or listening to your favorite artists.
A closer look at the Capital One Savor, Savor Student and SavorOne
At this point, you’re probably wondering whether the Savor family’s entertainment, popular streaming service and dining categories will provide enough value for you to sign up for one of the cards. But first, what’s the difference between the three available cards?
The Capital One Savor, Savor Student and the SavorOne have identical rewards rates, but they target different credit demographics and have different annual fees. The Savor is geared toward those with excellent credit and comes with no annual fee, while the SavorOne is geared toward those with fair credit and comes with an annual fee of $39. The Savor Student also has no annual fee, but it’s geared toward students with no credit history.
The Savor cards, especially the no-annual-fee Savor, are a good choice for those who spend a lot on dining and entertainment, but you might find more use out of a card with more benefits and perks — so long as you’re okay with potentially paying a higher annual fee.
Let’s take a look at the flagship no-annual-fee Savor card’s benefits and rewards rates when compared to a card that’s considered a more premium option for foodies, such as the American Express® Gold Card.
American Express Gold Card vs. Capital One Savor Card
| American Express Gold Card | Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted. | For a limited time, enjoy a $100 credit to use towards flights, stays and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel during your first cardholder year. Plus, earn a $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening |
| Rewards rate |
|
|
| Highlighted benefits |
|
|
| Annual fee | $325 | $0 |
You can typically get much more value from a foodie-centric rewards credit card with an annual fee like the Amex Gold as opposed to a foodie-centric cash back card without one — but that’s only if you can take advantage of the perks enough to justify the fee. If you’re fine with having less statement credits and more streamlined rewards in the form of cash back, then the no-annual-fee Capital One Savor is likely better for you.
Maximizing your Capital One Savor card
To get the most out of your no-annual-fee Savor card or Savor Student card, you’ll want to use it for all purchases that qualify for bonus rewards. However, it’s worth noting that some merchants may use a category code other than “entertainment.” In this case, any purchases made with these merchants would not qualify as entertainment purchases with Capital One. For example, some amusement parks may use the category code “merchandise” instead of “entertainment” for online tickets.
Because the card also lets you earn 3 percent cash back on grocery store purchases (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target), you should use it for essentials, too.
All of this category spending should make it easy to hit the minimum spending requirement and earn the card’s welcome bonus.
Lastly, to keep your cash back rewards from getting canceled out by mounting interest, you should also pay your credit card balance in full each month.
What about the other Savor cards?
If you have the discontinued legacy Capital One Savor Cash Rewards, you’ll need to earn at least $95 in cash back to offset the card’s annual fee. For example, spending at least $3,167 a year on grocery store purchases or $1,188 through Capital One Entertainment would cancel out the amount you spend on your annual fee.
Similarly, if you have the Capital One SavorOne, you’ll need to earn at least $39 in cash back to offset the card’s annual fee. Spending $1,300 a year on grocery store purchases or $488 a year through Capital One Entertainment would offset the card’s annual fee.
The bottom line
If you want to maximize the entertainment category with the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards card, the Savor Student card or the SavorOne card, it’s smart to stay informed about which types of entertainment purchases count. Fortunately, this is a broad rewards category, so it’s easy for consumers to receive cash back on entertainment. Plus, Savor cardholders can earn rewards on popular streaming services, dining and other categories.
Once you feel like you’re getting the most out of this card and its entertainment category, consider pairing it with another Capital One credit card to boost your Capital One rewards even further.
*Information about the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card and the legacy Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. Card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
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