The New Capital One Credit Card Duo & Trifecta (2025): A Complete Guide
While there are many credit card providers offering unique cards in 2025, there are three main players that represent almost all of the total purchase volume: Chase Bank, American Express, and Capital One. However, despite Capital One offering a wide variety of credit cards, the bank is often seen as a worse option than its two main competitors.
With so many credit cards out there on the market, it can be hard to figure out which setup makes the most sense for you
While there are many theories about why this is—including Capital One catering to a slightly younger demographic than AmEx or Chase—one of the most likely is that people don’t view Capital One as having good synergy between their credit card options. In particular, unlike with Chase or American Express, there is no clear credit card trifecta to use.
However, this is a misconception; Capital One does have an effective trifecta that can help give you the maximum return on your spending within the ecosystem. Therefore, in this article, we will discuss the best Capital One credit card duo/bifecta and trifecta setup to help you plan out which Capital One cards will best help you reach your financial goals!
What is a Bifecta/Trifecta?
At its core, a credit card bifecta/trifecta is an efficient combination of two/three distinct credit cards that complement each other to maximize rewards from all forms of everyday spending.
Each card within the trifecta offers unique benefits tailored to various spending categories, such as travel, dining, or groceries; when used together, these cards return value on all major forms of spending. This allows cardholders to optimize their rewards potential without the complexity of managing cards across multiple ecosystems. This approach not only simplifies your card management but can also yield comprehensive rewards comparable to more complex setups that require multiple cards.
Let’s look at a quick example of the most famous credit card trifecta with Chase Bank:
With this combination, the Sapphire Preferred gives you bonus points on travel and on dining, the Freedom Flex gives you bonus points on rotating categories (such as gas, purchases at major retailers, drug stores, etc.) each quarter, and the Freedom Unlimited gives a flat bonus on all other spending. When an individual holds all three of these cards, they essentially get bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points on almost everything they buy, from travel, to food, groceries, gas, and more. These points can then be transferred to valuable travel partners like Hyatt Hotels, allowing cardholders to go on aspirational trips to dream destinations like Alila Kothaifaru Maldives or Park Hyatt Kyoto just through credit card points.
Recommended Article: How to Transfer Chase Points to Travel Partners
This is just one example of a synergetic credit card trifecta within the Chase Bank ecosystem. However, Chase is particularly known for having synergetic cards, while Capital One is not; many believe there are no effective Capital One card combinations. However, there is a specific Capital One credit card pairing that can result in great benefits and rewards that can be combined to provide excellent value.
The Core Capital One Duo/Bifecta
Before jumping into the full trifecta setup, let’s start by looking at the base Capital One Duo/Bifecta that makes up the key dynamic of the combination:
Capital One Venture X
The Capital One Venture X is the bank’s premier travel card offering with the highest annual fee of any Capital One non-business card ($395).
The Capital One Venture X card is designed as a straightforward travel rewards card that earns 10x points on hotels/rental cards (through the C1 Portal), 5x points on flights (through the C1 portal), and a flat 2x miles on all purchases. This card plays a similar role to the Chase Freedom Unlimited we discussed in the Chase trifecta—it makes it extremely easy to accumulate points without tracking spending categories. If you have a purchase to make, you’ll get a flax 2x C1 miles (minimum).
Recommended Article: Capital One Venture X vs. American Express Gold
While the card’s $395 annual fee may seem steep, it’s offset by valuable perks like a $300 annual travel credit (when booked through Capital One Travel), 10,000 bonus miles each card anniversary (worth minimum ~$100), and a one-time 75,000-mile welcome bonus after spending $4,000 on the card in the first 3 months—worth at least $750. The card also includes a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years, complimentary Priority Pass membership, and unlimited access to Capital One lounges in select airports.
Recommended Article: Capital One Venture X vs. BILT Rewards Card
If you consistently use the travel credit and get the annual bonus miles, you’re already coming out ahead in the value you get from holding the card even after the first year. Plus, the 2x miles on all purchases forms the backbone of the ideal Capital One Duo/Bifecta/Trifecta setups, allowing a 2x minimum return on all spending.
Capital One Savor Rewards
The second card rounding out this core Capital One Duo/Bifecta is the Savor Rewards card (previously known as the SavorOne). Unlike the expensive Venture X, the Savor Rewards card has no annual fee but still provides copious benefits and spending rewards to cardholders.
To start, the card offers 3% back on all of the following spending areas:
Grocery stores
Dining
Entertainment (e.g., movie theater, zoo, sports game)
Streaming services (e.g., Netflix, Hulu, Disney+)
With this card alone, cardholders will get bonus returns on their spending on almost everything relating to food and entertainment. For most people, these two categories represent a significant portion of annual credit card spending. Plus, this card offers a substantial $200 bonus once you spend your first $500 on the card in the first 3 months.
The Savor Rewards card is a great low-risk option on its own; however, when used with the Venture X, it forms an incredible duo/bifecta that returns substantial value to cardholders. When combined, the cards pair to give bonus spending rewards on all things relating to travel (booked through the Capital One Portal), grocery stores, dining, entertainment, streaming services, and then a flat bonus on all other purchases! Plus, cardholders get all the additional benefits of the Venture X included; if the credits are used effectively, these two cards can be held essentially for free.
Capital One Credit Card Duo/Bifecta
Plus, the Capital One Duo/Bifecta is incredibly simple to use consistently. If a purchase is for food or entertainment, use the Savor Rewards; for everything else, use the Venture X. Compared to the Chase Trifecta, the Capital One Bifecta is far easier to remember without having to search for rotating categories or bonuses. You can also typically convert your cash-back from the Savor into points to combine with the earnings from your Venture X.
The (Optional) Capital One Trifecta
While you can get great value from holding just the Capital One bifecta/duo mentioned above, you can also add a third card to complete the Capital One trifecta.
Capital One Specialty Retailer Card
Capital One has a wide range of credit cards with no annual fee that give bonus spending rewards at specific retailers. If you consistently shop or if you will be planning a big purchase at any of these retailers, they can be good additions to round out the Capital One Trifecta.
Let’s take the REI Co-op Mastercard as an example.
This card gives holders 5% back on all REI purchases and a $100 REI gift card after you make your first purchase on the card, all with no annual fee. While there are more valuable cards on the market for general spending, if you’re buying equipment for a big trip, you’re going to get 5% back on everything you spend! The only downside is that this specific return is only usable for REI-related purchases.
Recommended Article: Capital One Venture X vs. American Express Platinum
However, when we combine these cards into a Capital One trifecta with the two previous cards, we get the following returns from our credit card setup:
10x C1 Miles on hotels/rental cards booked through the C1 Portal
5x C1 Miles on flights booked through the C1 Portal
5% back on specific retailer(s) (e.g., REI, Williams Sonoma)
3% back on grocery stores
3% back on dining
3% back on entertainment
3% back on streaming services
2x C1 Miles on everything else
Plus, with the credits from the Venture X largely offsetting the annual fee each year, cardholders can use the Capital One Trifecta effectively for free!
Summary — The Capital One Trifecta
These three credit cards—the Venture X, the Savor Rewards, and a specialty retailer card—make up the Capital One Trifecta! By holding all three of these cards, individuals can get excellent returns on almost all their spending, from major travel purchases to movie theater tickets.
We hope this guide was helpful! If you are hoping to travel using your credit card points, don’t forget that you can combine your points across banks and point ecosystems for your bookings, including combining Capital One miles with Chase points and AmEx points, as well as between Chase and AmEx. If mixing your points across ecosystems piques your interest, we also have guides on booking United flights with AmEx points and booking Delta flights with Chase points!
