Capital One Quicksilver Student vs PayPal Cashback Mastercard
Side-by-side comparison
| Capital One Quicksilver Student | PayPal Cashback Mastercard | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | No annual fee | No annual fee |
| Welcome offer | $50 cash bonus | No current offer |
| Dining | 1.5x | 1.5x |
| Groceries | 1.5x | 1.5x |
| Gas | 1.5x | 1.5x |
| Travel | 1.5x | 1.5x |
| Streaming | 1.5x | 1.5x |
| Everything else | 1.5x | 1.5x |
| Est. yearly rewards* | $437 | $437 |
| Points type | Pools with Capital One → transferable | Cash back only |
| 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 PayPal Cashback Mastercard about $437, valuing every point at a flat 1 cent. The Capital One Quicksilver Student has no annual fee, so its rewards are all profit. The PayPal Cashback Mastercard has no annual fee, so its rewards are all profit. These two are about as close as cards get: both pay a flat 1.5x on everything, neither charges an annual fee, and on that spending they finish within a few dollars of each other. The choice is not really about the rewards rate. The bigger difference is the ceiling: the Capital One Quicksilver Student earns points you can move to travel partners for outsized value, while the PayPal Cashback Mastercard pays plain cash back. Favor the Capital One Quicksilver Student if you will use travel transfers, the PayPal Cashback Mastercard if you want simplicity. One tiebreaker: the Capital One Quicksilver Student adds no foreign transaction fees, which the other does not. On the sign-up bonus, the Capital One Quicksilver Student currently has the larger welcome offer. A welcome bonus is a one-time event, so weigh it apart from the ongoing rewards.