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On This Page
- Key Takeaways
- Capital One Platinum Credit Card Review
- Capital One Platinum Credit Card Rewards
- Capital One Platinum Credit Card Benefits
- Capital One Platinum Credit Card Drawbacks
- How the Capital One Platinum Card compares
- Should you get the Capital One Platinum Credit Card?
- FAQ: Capital One Platinum card
On This Page
- Key Takeaways
- Capital One Platinum Credit Card Review
- Capital One Platinum Credit Card Rewards
- Capital One Platinum Credit Card Benefits
- Capital One Platinum Credit Card Drawbacks
- How the Capital One Platinum Card compares
- Should you get the Capital One Platinum Credit Card?
- FAQ: Capital One Platinum card
By Sarah Stasik - Personal Finance + 1 other
Reviewed By Blake Esken - Los Angeles Times
Updated on SEP 10, 2024 9 Min Read Why Trust Us?
Capital One Platinum Credit Card review
Key Takeaways
- What we think: The Capital One Platinum Credit Card is a decent starter card. It doesn’t earn any rewards, but it can help cardholders build credit with responsible use, so they can qualify for better options in the future.
- Capital One Platinum offers several perks that make it easy to manage, monitor and build your credit.
- You can get approved for this card with only a fair credit score.
- The Capital One Platinum Credit Card doesn’t have an annual fee.
SUMMARY
The Capital One Platinum Credit Card works as an entry-level or midlevel credit card for those who are looking to further improve their credit score. We created this Capital One Platinum credit card review to help you decide whether this card would make a good addition to your wallet. Read on to find out Capital One Platinum’s benefits, drawbacks, rates, fees, and more.
Pros & Cons
Pros Cons
on CardRatings' secure site
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer
N/A
Regular APR
29.99% variable
Recommended Credit
Fair/Good (580 - 740)
EARNING REWARDS
This card doesn’t earn any rewards.
Show More Show Less
Capital One Platinum Credit Card: Review
Is the Capital One Platinum Card good?
It depends on what you define as “good.” The Capital One Platinum Credit Card allows for a good opportunity to get a card that doesn’t require a security deposit or an annual fee, and cardholders who manage their accounts responsibly can improve their credit histories.
However, compared to other credit cards, this card is lacking in perks. It doesn’t earn rewards and has no partner benefits or statement credits, but if your goal is to build your credit history with an unsecured credit card, the Capital One Platinum may be a good option.
Capital One Platinum Credit Card: Highlights
- No annual fee
- Doesn’t earn rewards
- Chance of a credit limit increase after 6 months of responsible use
- Has fraud liability protection and credit monitoring tools
- 29.99% variable APR
- Doesn’t require a security deposit
Who is the Capital One Platinum Card best for?
The Capital One Platinum Card is for individuals with lackluster, but not very bad, credit scores (we recommend at least a 580 FICO score). It can be used to help build credit without paying an annual fee or putting up a security deposit. This card is not for people looking to earn rewards on their purchases, as it doesn’t earn any.
Capital One Platinum Credit Card: Rewards
The Capital One Platinum Mastercard does not come with a rewards program. That also means there isn’t a welcome offer — an option for earning quick cash back or other rewards if you spend a certain amount within a short period.
Rates & Fees
Fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Late payment fee: Up to $40
- Balance transfer fee: 4% if you were offered a promotional APR; no fee at the regular APR
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Cash advance fee: 5% of the total charge or $5, whichever is more
Interest Rates
- Regular APR: 29.99% variable APR
- Introductory APR on purchases: No introductory APR offer on this card
- Balance transfer APR: 29.99% variable APR unless you are offered a promotional balance transfer APR
- Penalty APR: No penalty APR for late payments
Credit limit
Capital One doesn’t publish a specific credit limit range for the Capital One Platinum Credit Card. The credit limit you are offered depends on factors such as your FICO score, current debt load and your income.
According to reports from cardholders, credit limits may range from $300 to $3,000. It’s more likely that you’ll be approved on the lower end of the range to start unless you already have good credit.
Capital One Platinum Credit Card: Benefits
- Automatic credit card limit reviews. If you pay your statements on time, manage your balance well and keep your other existing debts in good order, you might be approved for a credit limit increase just six months after opening this card.
- Reports to all three credit bureaus. Capital One reports your payment and account history to all three major credit bureaus— TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. This is a critical benefit for anyone looking for ways to build credit because timely payments only have a positive impact on your credit history if they’re reported.
- No penalty APR. While you will pay a late fee if you miss a payment — and may take a hit on your credit report if you’re 30 days late or more — this card doesn’t charge a penalty APR. Other cards raise your interest rate temporarily after a late payment, but your regular APR remains the same on the Platinum card from Capital One.
- 24/7 customer service access. If you have questions about your account, need to pay a credit card bill or have any other issues, you don’t have to wait for customer service lines to open. Cardholders can call 24 hours a day, seven days a week and speak to a customer service representative about their issue.
- $0 fraud liability protection. This card comes with $0 fraud liability. This means you aren’t held responsible for unauthorized charges made on your card if it’s lost or stolen.
- Add an authorized user. If you’re trying to build credit jointly with someone, such as a spouse, you can add an authorized user to your account so you both benefit from the positive credit activity.
- Emergency card services. You can quickly get a replacement card if yours is stolen or lost. That’s especially helpful if you’re traveling and relying on your card to help get you home.
- Credit monitoring and security alerts. Capital One lets you set up security notifications via phone, email or text message. It will send you a notification if unusual activity hits your card. You also get access to CreditWise, Capital One’s credit monitoring service. You can see credit report information from Experian and TransUnion via this program. You can also track your FICO score to understand how your current situation and actions impact your credit.
- Card lock. If you can’t put eyes on your credit card and aren’t sure if it was stolen or lost, you can lock it quickly in the Capital One Mobile app. When a card is locked, no one can use it. If you find your card a few hours or even days later and realize it was simply misplaced, you can unlock it in the mobile app so you can use it.
Capital One Platinum Credit Card: Drawbacks
No rewards
While many credit cards earn rewards on eligible purchases, the Capital One Platinum Card doesn’t offer any. This card is first and foremost meant to help users build their credit responsibly. Sometimes earning rewards can encourage people to spend more money than they should, so this could be a potential benefit— removing the incentive to earn cash back or points, thereby limiting your spending.
High APR
If you pay off your credit card balance every month, you won’t pay any interest expenses. If you carry a balance from month to month, you begin to accrue interest on that debt until you pay it off. The Capital One Platinum’s interest rate is high — 29.99%, so if you do carry a balance, you’ll be met with some less-than-ideal charges. Even with a lackluster credit score, you may be able to get approved for a card with a lower interest rate.
Not for bad credit scores
Capital One Platinum, while it’s meant to help people rebuild their credit, still requires a fair credit score to qualify. That’s a FICO score of 580 or higher. If your score is lower than that, you may want to take a look at the best credit cards for bad credit. On the other hand, if you have good, very good or exceptional credit, you’ll likely get approved for this card, but you may want to explore other options first.
See: Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit or The Best Credit Cards of 2024
How the Capital One Platinum Card compares
Capital One Platinum Credit Card vs. Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
Those who are more interested in a rewards credit card and who have excellent credit might prefer the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card over the Platinum card.
Here’s a quick look at how these cards stack up against each other.
Feature | Capital One Platinum | Capital One Quicksilver |
---|---|---|
Credit required | Fair | Excellent |
Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
Rewards | None | 1.5% cash back on every purchase |
Welcome offer | None | $200 cash back when you spend $500 in the first 3 months |
Introductory APR offer | None | 0% for the first 15 months for purchases and balance transfers |
Regular APR | 29.99% variable | 19.99 – 29.99% variable |
Even without digging deeper, you can see that the Quicksilver card is a better choice if you have the credit score to get approved.
Learn more: Capital One Platinum vs. Quicksilver
Capital One Platinum Credit Card vs. Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
The Capital One Platinum Card and the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card have similar perks and fee structures, but the Platinum Secured requires a security deposit to open your account.
Let’s see how these cards stack up:
Feature | Capital One Platinum | Capital One Platinum Secured |
---|---|---|
Credit required | Fair | Bad/Poor, Limited |
Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
Rewards | None | None |
Welcome offer | None | None |
Security deposit required? | No | Yes— Minimum $49, depending on credit factors |
Regular APR | 29.99% variable | 29.99% variable |
If your score is too low to qualify for the Capital One Platinum Card, its secured counterpart may be a good option.
Capital One Platinum Credit Card
on CardRatings' secure site
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer
N/A
Regular APR
29.99% variable
Recommended Credit
Fair/Good (580 - 740)
EARNING REWARDS
This card doesn’t earn any rewards.
Show More Show Less
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
on CardRatings' secure site
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer
$200
Regular APR
19.99% to 29.99% variable
Recommended Credit
Good/Excellent (670 - 850)
EARNING REWARDS
Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases and 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel platform.
Show More Show Less
Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
on CardRatings' secure site
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer
N/A
Regular APR
29.99% variable
Recommended Credit
No Credit History
EARNING REWARDS
This card doesn’t earn any rewards.
Show More Show Less
Should you get the Capital One Platinum Credit Card?
You might consider the Platinum card a middle step on the road to building credit and improving your credit score. It could be a good option if you have average or slightly lower credit and don’t want a card that comes with an annual fee.
You can get some benefits out of this card if you keep the balance low to avoid large interest expenses and always pay your statement on time. Because Capital One reports to all three credit bureaus, you can build a positive credit history that may help you get approved for a better credit card with reward options in the future.
If you don’t think the Capital One Platinum card is the best credit card for you, check out our other reviews for Capital One cards to see if one of these is a better fit.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card review
- Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review
- Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card review
- Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card review
- Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card review
FAQ: Capital One Platinum card
Who is the Capital One Platinum Credit Card for?
This card is targeted to consumers who have lackluster, but not very bad, credit scores. It can be used to help build credit without paying an annual fee or having to put up a security deposit.
Can you get cashback with the Capital One Platinum Credit Card?
No, the Capital One Platinum card does not offer any cash back or rewards opportunities. However, if you manage your account well and use it to build a positive credit history, you might see your credit score improve. This can lead to opportunities to get approved for cash-back credit cards.
Can you overdraft a Capital One Platinum Credit Card?
Overdraft is a term that relates to bank accounts. However, you might spend over your existing credit limit if you have a credit card. Capital One notes that some cardholders may have the option to exceed their credit limit if they try to make a purchase that would put them over it. If you have this option, you can toggle it on or off as a cardholder.
Exceeding your credit card limit could result in penalties. It also reflects poorly on your credit history because it demonstrates that you are not managing your account well.
What is the minimum payment on a Capital One Platinum Credit Card?
Your minimum payment depends on how much your balance is. Typically, you can expect your minimum payment to be set at 1% of your balance or $25, whichever is greater. It’s important to note that paying only your minimum payment could result in more expensive debt over time as you carry interest-accruing balances forward every month.
How do you apply for the Capital One Platinum Card?
Learn more about the Capital One Platinum credit card and apply directly online. You may be able to check preapproval status without a hard inquiry on your credit report. This preapproval status helps you understand whether it’s wise to move forward with the full application.To get approved for this card, you generally need at least fair credit. That’s a FICO score of 580 or higher. When applying for this card online, you’ll need your contact information, Social Security number and data about your income and how much your mortgage or rent is.
Capital One is more than just a credit card issuer
The first step in growing and maintaining consistent savings is to understand your personal finances through checking and savings accounts, credit cards, and more.
If you want to save and grow your money, consider the following Capital One products:
- Capital One savings accounts
- Capital One checking accounts
- Capital One CDs (certificates of deposit)
About the Author
Sarah Stasik Personal Finance
Sarah Stasik is well versed in personal finance thanks to her previous role as a Revenue Cycle Manager for a Fortune 500 healthcare company. Using her inside knowledge and expertise, Sarah often covers topics ranging from insurance and the economics of private healthcare to personal finance and small business management.
With more than a dozen years of writing experience, Sarah has tackled niches that range from technical advances in fintech to personal budgeting challenges. She has covered topics such as insurance and the economics of private healthcare, small business management and accounting, and credit and savings. Her writing focuses on making complex or seemingly daunting financial topics more accessible and providing helpful and relevant resources for readers.
* Opinions expressed here are those of the LA Times Compare Cards Team and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser or entities included within this content. See our editorial policy for more details.
All products or services are presented in this content without warranty. The information, including card details such as rates and fees, is accurate at the time of publish. Please visit each bank's website directly for the most current information.
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