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Tiered rewards credit cards make it possible to earn more rewards if your common purchases match the bonus categories. Do you know what card is the best match for your spending habits? This Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card vs Chase Freedom Flex℠ comparison lets you quickly decide.
The information for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Capital One Savor vs Chase Freedom Flex
Both cards offer some of the highest award amounts for lifestyle spending. You can earn bonus points on purchases like entertainment, dining, grocery stores, and commuting.
Signup Bonus
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards offers $300 bonus cash by spending $3,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. This bonus is redeemable as a cash statement credit. There is an annual fee of $95.
New Chase Freedom Flex℠ cardholders can earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
There is no annual fee.
Winner: Chase Freedom Flex
Earning Cash Rewards
Each card offers tiered rewards letting you earn cash back. What bonus categories you can maximize will probably be your primary focus for this Capital One Savor vs Chase Freedom Flex comparison.
The Capital One Savor lets you earn up to 8% back on select purchases:
- 4% back on dining, entertainment, and select popular streaming services
- 3% back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target)
- 1% back on all non-bonus purchases
With the exception of the Vivid Seats promotion, the 4% and 3% rewards categories remain the same throughout the year. This consistency makes it easier to estimate your annual cash rewards. All bonus categories earn unlimited bonus cash, which also makes the Savor Card very attractive.
Bonus: The Capital One Savor is also one of our picks for the best credit cards for restaurants and dining.
The Chase Freedom Flex awards 5% back on the first $1,500 spent (then 1% back) on their selected quarterly bonus categories, once activated. Chase doesn’t announce the exact 5% categories until shortly before the next calendar quarter starts, although they are seasonally based.
Chase Freedom Flex℠ cardholders also earn in these bonus categories:
- 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate (then 1% back)
- 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 3% cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 3% cash back on drugstore purchases
- 1% on all other purchases
Spending the full $1,500 means you earn $75 cash back each quarter and up to $300 back for the year from the 5% bonus tier.
Winner: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Savor vs Chase Freedom Flex: Redeeming Points
You can redeem your Capital One Savor rewards for a cash statement credit in any amount. Your points don’t expire. Unfortunately, you can’t pool your rewards with other Capital One credit cards, like is exemplified in the Capital One Venture Rewards Card review, if you prefer travel rewards more.
The Chase Freedom Flex lets you redeem your rewards points for cash, travel, gift cards, and Amazon.com Shop with Points. Each point is worth 1 cent each for every redemption. Although this card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you cannot transfer them to airline or hotel partners. If you prefer earning for travel, check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred review.
However, if you also happen to earn a Chase Sapphire product, the points you earn with your Freedom can qualify for 1:1 point transfers or the Chase travel redemption bonus (up to 50%). Learn more about the best Chase credit cards to learn how to make the most out of this Chase combo.
For both of the Capital One Savor Card and Chase Freedom Flex, the best redemption option is cash rewards.
Winner: Chase Freedom Flex
Capital One Savor vs Chase Freedom Flex: Annual Fee
The Capital One Savor has an annual fee of $95. There isn’t a foreign transaction fee which makes this a good credit card for international travel.
Chase Freedom Flex never has an annual fee but has a 3% foreign transaction fee. Overall, it’s better to only use the Freedom Card inside the United States. Not having an annual fee makes this a better fit if you can’t maximize the bonus categories or you want a $0 annual fee credit card to help improve your credit score. It’s also one of the best travel credit cards with no annual fees if you’re traveling domestically.
Winner: Toss-Up
Credit Score Needed
You will have the best approval odds for the Capital One Savor Card or Chase Freedom Flex with a 670 credit score or higher. Many consider a 670 credit score the beginning of good credit. Having a 740 credit score is often considered the start of excellent credit which means you may qualify for a higher credit limit with either card.
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
The Savor is a better option if you want to earn bonus cash on every dining, entertainment, select streaming services, and grocery store purchase. Below is a quick summary of the Capital One Savor key features:
- No foreign transaction fee
- $300 cash bonus after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months of account opening
- It’s one of the best metal credit cards
If you like these bonus categories but can’t justify the annual fee, consider the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card. It earns an unlimited:
- 10% Cash Back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats, plus complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024
- 8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply)
- 3% Cash Back on dining and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
- 3% Cash Back on popular streaming services and entertainment
- 1% Cash Back on all other purchases
There is no foreign transaction fee.
New Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card cardholders can earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Chase Freedom Flex
The Chase Freedom Flex is the better option if you don’t want to pay an annual fee or if dining and entertainment are not your most common monthly purchases.
- 5% back on quarterly bonus categories (up to first $1,500 in combined quarterly spending)
- New bonus categories each calendar quarter
- Rewards points are redeemable for cash, travel, gift cards, and Amazon.com credit
- Points never expire
- No redemption minimum
- No annual fee
The Chase Freedom Flex can be a good primary card if you prefer to redeem your points for cash rewards. But if you like to travel, the Freedom Card is an easy way to earn 5% on bonus purchases that only earn 1 point each with the Chase Sapphire Reserve vs Chase Sapphire Preferred.
One thing to watch out for before applying is the Chase 5/24 rule. If you are the primary or authorized user on at least 5 credit cards opened in the most recent 24 months, your application will most likely be declined because of too many new credit account. Once you have less than 5 new accounts in a 24-month period, your approval odds are high if you have a minimum 670 credit score.
Summary of Capital One Savor vs Chase Freedom Flex
Hopefully, this comparison of the Capital One Savor vs Chase Freedom Flex helps you decide which card would be best. The Capital One Savor Card is one of the best credit cards for earning the most rewards for dining and entertainment. If you want more flexibility in earning bonus points, the Chase Freedom Flex can be a better fit.
