Capital One Quicksilver Student vs United℠ Club
Side-by-side comparison
| Capital One Quicksilver Student | United℠ Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | No annual fee | $695 |
| Welcome offer | $50 cash bonus | Up to 90,000 bonus miles |
| Dining | 1.5x | 2x |
| Groceries | 1.5x | 1x |
| Gas | 1.5x | 1x |
| Travel | 1.5x | 2x |
| Streaming | 1.5x | 1x |
| Everything else | 1.5x | 1x |
| Est. yearly rewards* | $437 | $340 |
| Points type | Pools with Capital One → transferable | Locked to United MileagePlus |
| Network | Visa | Visa |
*Estimated yearly rewards on typical household spending, every point valued at a flat 1 cent. Verified June 2026. See your own numbers in the calculator.
The verdict
On a typical year of household spending, the Capital One Quicksilver Student earns about $437 a year in rewards and the United℠ Club about $340, valuing every point at a flat 1 cent. The Capital One Quicksilver Student has no annual fee, so its rewards are all profit. The United℠ Club charges $695, but carries about $750 in annual statement credits that offset it for anyone who uses them. Counting rewards, fees, and any credits, the Capital One Quicksilver Student delivers more total value, about $418 a year more for a typical spender, mostly because it earns more where you spend most, on everything else and groceries. The bigger difference is the ceiling: the Capital One Quicksilver Student earns points you can move to travel partners for outsized value, while the United℠ Club stays locked to a single airline or hotel program. Favor the Capital One Quicksilver Student if you will use travel transfers, the United℠ Club if you want simplicity. On the sign-up bonus, the United℠ Club currently has the larger welcome offer. A welcome bonus is a one-time event, so weigh it apart from the ongoing rewards.
Pick the Capital One Quicksilver Student if your spending leans toward groceries, gas, streaming. Pick the United℠ Club if your spending leans toward dining, travel.