At a glance
The X1 Card has a higher credit limit than many other credit cards and could be easier to qualify for too, as it takes your income into consideration. It’s also more secure than others thanks to its virtual card capabilities. Compared to other no-annual-fee cards, the X1 is also considerably more rewarding. Just make sure you can take advantage of partner offers -- the best way to redeem rewards -- before applying.
X1 Card
- Intro Offer
-
No current offer
- Annual fee
- None
- APR
- 15.50% – 27.75% Variable
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
-
670 – 850
Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
2x – 10x 2X points on every purchase regardless of category; 3X points every time you spend $1,000 in a month; 4X, 5X and even 10X points for every friend who gets a card; Up to 10X points at leading online stores such as Apple, Nike and Sephora when you shop in the X1 App
Our take
The X1 Card has a lot to offer. Its companion app makes it easy to manage and it’s more rewarding than most no-annual-fee credit cards. It might even be a bit easier to qualify for.
It can even help make online shopping more secure by generating virtual cards from its app. Additionally, it has a higher credit limit than most other cards at its fee level, which could come in handy if you’re looking to improve your credit or have access to emergency funds.
Overall, its features are more akin to a credit card with an annual fee. It might even double as a travel card if you don’t already have one in your wallet, though a dedicated travel card would do it better. Its redemption options are plentiful and can push its rewards potential far ahead of what competitor cash-back cards offer.
Pros
Strong rewards
Could be easier to qualify for
Virtual cards increase security
Wide variety of shopping and travel protections
No annual fee
Cons
Need to redeem rewards with specific brands to ensure the best reward value
No welcome bonus
The X1’s rewards program
The X1 card features one of the most rewarding programs attached to a credit card without an annual fee. Its base rate of 2x points per dollar for every purchase is double what many other flat-rate cards offer, and its bonus categories expand its reward potential considerably.
On top of this, every month you spend at least $1,000 you’ll earn 3x points per dollar -- a higher flat rate than even the highly regarded Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. If you’re using the X1 card for all of your necessary purchases, spending $1,000 a month is likely an easy target to hit.
Additionally, X1 partners with some well-known brands including Apple, Amazon, Nintendo, Best Buy, Nike, Patagonia and Airbnb, among others. You can earn up to 10x points per dollar when shopping with partner brands through the X1 app. Choose the “Shop” tab in the app to see which brands qualify.
X1 will occasionally offer boosted rewards for specific purchase types too, like gas or groceries. Here’s how it works: Tap a button in the app to increase your rewards rate on a select category for any single purchase you make during the next 24 hours.
For example, if you’re about to fuel up and see that X1 is offering a 5x boost on gas, you can activate it and increase your rewards rate from 2x points to 5x points on that transaction. X1 offers five new boosts every Friday.
Redeeming rewards is where things get a bit tricky. In order to get the best value, you’ll need to redeem your rewards for purchases made with X1’s partner brands. While you can redeem for statement credits, your points will only be worth 0.7 cent rather than the full cent you’d get for redeeming for partner purchases. However, if you spend $1,000 or more in eligible purchases in a month and get bumped up to the 3x rewards rates, even the cash-back redemption will net you a 2.1% return.
Refer your friends
Though they’re rare, credit card companies sometimes use referral bonuses to encourage cardholders to recruit new members. The reward is usually a few hundred dollars cash. X1’s referral bonus comes in the form of a boost on your reward rate to 4x, 5x or 10x points on every $1 spent for up to a month for each successful referral for up to 30 days. The referred cardholder will also receive their own mystery reward.
Though this may seem like a more convoluted bonus, there are a few benefits: You can potentially earn more in rewards than with a defined cash bonus, and your bonus isn’t subject to taxes. Credit card referral bonuses are typically subject to tax -- but rewards are considered discounts instead of earned income by the IRS, making X1’s referral bonus tax-free.
Added security with virtual cards
A virtual credit card is a disposable credit card number you can use to make secure transactions. It replaces your credit card’s physical number with a temporary one. The few other credit cards that offer virtual credit card numbers don’t support much flexibility; you get a card number that you can use once and that’s it.
The X1 app takes this concept to the next level. You can manage dozens of virtual cards simultaneously, assign temporary cards and choose expiration dates.
If you sign up for free trials or subscription services with one of your virtual credit card numbers, you can cancel the service with the tap of a button in the app. If you want to share a credit card with someone else to make a purchase on your behalf -- a family member, babysitter or other trusted individual -- you can manage and cancel that number at will.
Other card perks
The X1 includes a surprising number of shopping and travel protections for a card that doesn’t charge an annual fee. Take a look:
- Cellphone protection
- Trip interruption reimbursement
- Purchase security
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Extended warranty protection
- Return protection
- Zero liability protection
- Visa Signature Concierge Service
- Travel and emergency assistance
- Roadside dispatch
Not only does it cover your new purchases against damage or theft, but it also includes a number of travel protections. Couple that with the lack of foreign transaction fees and flat-rate rewards for your purchases, and the X1 card doubles as a lucrative travel rewards card.
In addition to its card perks, it could also help improve your credit. While all credit cards can do that if you pay on time, the X1 card often provides a higher credit limit than most competitors. How much credit you have available contributes to your credit utilization, which is one of the many factors that go into contriving your credit score.
Alternative cards
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
The Wells Fargo Active Cash is the best flat-rate cash rewards card you could choose. It earns 2% cash rewards for your purchases with an introductory purchase APR. It has no annual fee and comes with some useful perks like cellphone protection and roadside dispatch. It may not be able to measure up to the X1 card’s rewards, but it’s less complicated and offers a way to avoid interest charges for new purchases, for a time. It also features a welcome bonus that likely won’t be too hard for most cardholders to obtain.
You can read more in our Wells Fargo Active Cash review.
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card* features rewards for a wide variety of purchases including entertainment, dining, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target). It’s one of the most rewarding credit cards without an annual fee. It’s not as flexible as the X1 card as it earns 3% cash back for specific purchases rather than every purchase, but it does feature a welcome bonus. Similar to the X1 card, it has a dash of travel features, including no foreign transaction fees and heightened rewards for booking hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel.
You can find all the details in our SavorOne Cash Rewards review.
How the X1 Card compares to other cards
X1 Card
- Intro Offer
-
No current offer
- Annual fee
- None
- APR
- 15.50% – 27.75% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
2x – 10x 2X points on every purchase regardless of category; 3X points every time you spend $1,000 in a month; 4X, 5X and even 10X points for every friend who gets a card; Up to 10X points at leading online stores such as Apple, Nike and Sephora when you shop in the X1 App
- Intro Offer
-
$200 cash rewards Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
2% Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
- Intro Offer
-
$200 Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 19.99% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% intro on purchases for 15 months
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 8% 8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply); 3% Cash Back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®); 1% Cash Back on all other purchases
FAQs
X1 points can be worth up to 1 cent each if you redeem them for purchases made at designated retailers. For cash back, points are worth roughly 0.7 cent each.
Though you can start using your credit card instantly after approval through the app, X1 will also ship you a metal credit card to use.
You can add the X1 Card to your digital wallet, like Apple Pay or Google Pay. The X1 app will prompt you with the setup when you’re approved. There’s an option to add any of your virtual card numbers to the wallet, too.
*All information about the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
