Capital One

The Highlights

Capital One is a relative late comer to the points game -- but has its place, especially for cruises and rental cars. Capital One points are relatively similar to cash-back, as they can be used to book any travel or erase travel purchases. The difference is you can get much higher “cashback” than an actual cash-back card. And you can still double dip on other loyalty programs, unlike using Chase points. You can read more about this on the Capital One Miles review.

Capital One also has some great bonuses for opening traditional banking accounts. If you are comfortable doing banking online, it's a close second to Chase for our favorite banks for banking itself.

Capital One is relatively easy to get approved for if you have lower credit or a bankruptcy. They do, however, abide by the 5/24 rule. Other applicable rules can be viewed below.

When points appear

Capital One points appear when you make a purchase. As soon as your purchase goes from “pending” to actually showing on your statement, your points will post as well.