Get help building credit or earn cash back

Although they’re issued by the same bank, the Capital One Platinum Credit Card and Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card are each designed for different types of cardholders.

The Capital One Platinum has a lower recommended credit score range, making it a good card if you want to build your credit through responsible use and on-time payments.

The Capital One Quicksilver makes sense if you want to earn cash-back rewards and take advantage of 0% intro APR offers. It also doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, so it’s an excellent card for international travel.

The Capital One Platinum and the Capital One Quicksilver both have a $0 annual fee. Since both cards lack an annual fee, it’s a tie.

The Capital One Platinum doesn’t have a welcome bonus, while the Capital One Quicksilver comes with a $100 credit to use towards flights, stays, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel during your first cardholder year, plus a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 within the first three months of account opening.

The Capital One Platinum doesn’t have a rewards program, which means there’s no opportunity to earn a percentage back on your spending. With no rewards-earning power, there are options to earn statement credits or other valuable rewards.

With the Capital One Quicksilver, you can earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

You can redeem your Quicksilver cash back for statement credits, checks, gift cards, Capital One Travel bookings, covering previous purchases, and more.

The Capital One Platinum doesn’t come with any 0% intro APR offers on purchases or balance transfers.

The Capital One Quicksilver comes with these 0% intro APR offers:

• Intro APR on purchases: 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months (then 18.99% to 28.99% variable APR).

• Intro APR on balance transfers: 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months (then 18.99% to 28.99% variable APR).

The intro APR offers can be helpful if you have an upcoming large purchase or you want to pay down some existing debt without accruing interest during the offer period.

Aside from the ability to build credit with the Capital One Platinum and earn rewards with the Quicksilver, the two cards are relatively light on additional perks.

The Capital One Platinum does offer automatic credit line reviews where you can be considered for a higher credit line in as little as six months. This is helpful when you’re trying to build your credit, as working your way up to a higher credit limit can help lower the risk of having a high credit utilization ratio (you typically want to use a low percentage of your total available credit to prevent a negative impact on your credit score).

The Capital One Quicksilver carries no foreign transaction fees, which is uncommon for a cash-back card. This gives you the freedom to use your card on trips abroad or other international spending, without having to worry about a surcharge each time.

Neither of these perks is necessarily better than the other, as the best card benefit for you depends on your needs and preferences.

These are the recommended credit scores for the Capital One Platinum and Quicksilver:

• Capital One Platinum Card: Fair, good

• Capital One Quicksilver Card: Good, excellent

According to these suggested ranges, the Capital One Platinum is more accessible to a wider range of applicants. If you have fair credit or better, you could qualify.

However, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be approved for these credit cards if you apply, even if you have a credit score that falls within the recommended range. Whether you qualify depends on the credit card issuer and certain creditworthiness factors, which could include your credit history and income. Both cards offer a prequalification tool that allows you to check the likelihood of approval before you apply, without dinging your credit with a formal inquiry.

You want to build stronger credit and aren’t yet eligible for rewards credit cards that typically require a good to excellent credit score. The Capital One Platinum is a straightforward card that can help you build credit. Although it doesn’t earn rewards or provide extra perks, building credit is a worthwhile goal, and this card is a potential stepping stone on your journey to qualify for more benefit-rich credit products.

You have a strong credit profile and want a straightforward rewards card to earn cash back on all of your purchases. The Capital One Quicksilver could also benefit you if you can take advantage of the card’s 0% intro APR offers, whether it’s on purchases or balance transfers.

There’s no reason to own both credit cards. If you qualify for the Capital One Quicksilver, it’s a better option than the Platinum because it earns rewards on your spending, has a welcome offer, an intro APR offer, and other useful benefits.

If you don’t qualify for the Capital One Quicksilver because of its credit score requirements, the Capital One Platinum could be an ideal choice to help you build your credit profile enough to be eligible for better credit cards in the future.

Here are a few other credit cards we like, whether you’re looking for a beginner card to build credit or want to earn cash back.

Why we like it: The Chase Freedom Unlimited is also a no-annual-fee cash-back credit card like the Capital One Quicksilver, but it adds more everyday spending categories eligible for bonus rewards. With these additional bonus categories, the Freedom Unlimited is the more rewarding choice.

Read our full Chase Freedom Unlimited review

Why we like it: The Capital One Savor Cash is an excellent cash-back card for making purchases on food and fun. It doesn’t have the same base earning rate as the Capital One Quicksilver, but it makes up for that (and some) with its elevated bonus category rates. For earning rewards on dining and entertainment, the $0 annual fee Capital One Savor is one of the best options available for the price.

Read our full Capital One Savor Cash review

Why we like it: The Capital One Quicksilver Secured helps you build your credit without requiring great credit to qualify. The Quicksilver Secured also earns the same cash-back rewards rates as its unsecured sibling card, the Quicksilver, on all of your spending. The potential downside of secured credit cards is that you have to pay an upfront security deposit that acts as equals your credit line. Fortunately, with responsible use over time, your deposit can be refunded and your card converted to the unsecured version.

Read our full Capital One Quicksilver Secured review

Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn’t include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.