Capital One Quicksilver Student vs Citi Double Cash®
Side-by-side comparison
| Capital One Quicksilver Student | Citi Double Cash® | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | No annual fee | No annual fee |
| Welcome offer | $50 cash bonus | $200 cash back |
| Dining | 1.5x | 2x |
| Groceries | 1.5x | 2x |
| Gas | 1.5x | 2x |
| Travel | 1.5x | 2x |
| Streaming | 1.5x | 2x |
| Everything else | 1.5x | 2x |
| Est. yearly rewards* | $437 | $583 |
| Points type | Pools with Capital One → transferable | Pools with Citi → transferable |
| Network | Visa | Mastercard |
*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 Citi Double Cash® about $583, valuing every point at a flat 1 cent. The Capital One Quicksilver Student has no annual fee, so its rewards are all profit. The Citi Double Cash® has no annual fee, so its rewards are all profit. Counting rewards and any credits, the Citi Double Cash® delivers more total value, about $146 a year more for a typical spender, mostly because it earns more where you spend most, on everything else and groceries. Both earn points that only unlock airline and hotel transfers once you pair them with a premium card in the same family, so it comes down to which ecosystem you are building: Capital One for the Capital One Quicksilver Student, Citi for the Citi Double Cash®. On the sign-up bonus, the Citi Double Cash® currently has the larger welcome offer. A welcome bonus is a one-time event, so weigh it apart from the ongoing rewards.
Pick the Citi Double Cash® if your spending leans toward dining, groceries, gas.