Claire Tsosie is a managing editor for NerdWallet's travel team. Previously, she was a writer on the credit cards team and a managing editor on the expansion team. Her work has been featured by Forbes, USA Today and The Associated Press. She's been a speaker at both CardCon and FinCon. Email: <a href="mailto:claire@nerdwallet.com">claire@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Paul Soucy leads the credit cards and travel rewards content teams at NerdWallet. He was an editor with the Des Moines Register, USA Today and Meredith/Better Homes and Gardens for more than 20 years, then built a successful freelance writing and editing practice. He edited the USA Today Weekly International Edition and received the highest award from ACES: The Society for Editing. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration.
Claire Tsosie is a managing editor for NerdWallet's travel team. Previously, she was a writer on the credit cards team and a managing editor on the expansion team. Her work has been featured by Forbes, USA Today and The Associated Press. She's been a speaker at both CardCon and FinCon. Email: <a href="mailto:claire@nerdwallet.com">claire@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Paul Soucy leads the credit cards and travel rewards content teams at NerdWallet. He was an editor with the Des Moines Register, USA Today and Meredith/Better Homes and Gardens for more than 20 years, then built a successful freelance writing and editing practice. He edited the USA Today Weekly International Edition and received the highest award from ACES: The Society for Editing. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
NerdWallet's content is
fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness, and relevance by humans.
It undergoes a thorough review process involving writers and editors to ensure
the information is as clear and complete as possible. Learn more by checking
our
Editorial Guidelines.
Content was accurate at the time of publication.
Why trust NerdWallet
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
80+ years of combined experience covering small business and personal finance.
Objective comprehensive business credit card ratings rubric (Methodology).
NerdWallet's business credit card content, including our ratings, reviews and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business credit cards. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, Washington Post, MarketWatch, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, MSN and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage. We independently evaluate and rate dozens of small-business credit cards, scoring them on fees, rewards rates, bonus offers and other features to help you choose the best business card for your company.
Advertiser disclosure
You're our first priority.
Every time.
We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with
confidence. While we don’t cover every company or financial product on
the market, we work hard to share a wide range of offers and objective
editorial perspectives.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us for advertisements
that appear on our site. This compensation helps us provide tools and
services - like free credit score access and monitoring. With the
exception of mortgage, home equity and other home-lending products or
services, partner compensation is one of several factors that may affect
which products we highlight and where they appear on our site. Other
factors include your credit profile, product availability and
proprietary website methodologies.
However, these factors do not influence our editors’ opinions or ratings, which are based on independent research and analysis. Our partners cannot
pay us to guarantee favorable reviews.
Here is a list of our partners.
Claire Tsosie is a managing editor for NerdWallet's travel team. Previously, she was a writer on the credit cards team and a managing editor on the expansion team. Her work has been featured by Forbes, USA Today and The Associated Press. She's been a speaker at both CardCon and FinCon. Email: <a href="mailto:claire@nerdwallet.com">claire@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Paul Soucy leads the credit cards and travel rewards content teams at NerdWallet. He was an editor with the Des Moines Register, USA Today and Meredith/Better Homes and Gardens for more than 20 years, then built a successful freelance writing and editing practice. He edited the USA Today Weekly International Edition and received the highest award from ACES: The Society for Editing. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration.
Claire Tsosie is a managing editor for NerdWallet's travel team. Previously, she was a writer on the credit cards team and a managing editor on the expansion team. Her work has been featured by Forbes, USA Today and The Associated Press. She's been a speaker at both CardCon and FinCon. Email: <a href="mailto:claire@nerdwallet.com">claire@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Paul Soucy leads the credit cards and travel rewards content teams at NerdWallet. He was an editor with the Des Moines Register, USA Today and Meredith/Better Homes and Gardens for more than 20 years, then built a successful freelance writing and editing practice. He edited the USA Today Weekly International Edition and received the highest award from ACES: The Society for Editing. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
NerdWallet's content is
fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness, and relevance by humans.
It undergoes a thorough review process involving writers and editors to ensure
the information is as clear and complete as possible. Learn more by checking
our
Editorial Guidelines.
Content was accurate at the time of publication.
Why trust NerdWallet
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
80+ years of combined experience covering small business and personal finance.
Objective comprehensive business credit card ratings rubric (Methodology).
NerdWallet's business credit card content, including our ratings, reviews and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business credit cards. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, Washington Post, MarketWatch, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, MSN and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage. We independently evaluate and rate dozens of small-business credit cards, scoring them on fees, rewards rates, bonus offers and other features to help you choose the best business card for your company.
Advertiser disclosure
You're our first priority.
Every time.
We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with
confidence. While we don’t cover every company or financial product on
the market, we work hard to share a wide range of offers and objective
editorial perspectives.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us for advertisements
that appear on our site. This compensation helps us provide tools and
services - like free credit score access and monitoring. With the
exception of mortgage, home equity and other home-lending products or
services, partner compensation is one of several factors that may affect
which products we highlight and where they appear on our site. Other
factors include your credit profile, product availability and
proprietary website methodologies.
However, these factors do not influence our editors’ opinions or ratings, which are based on independent research and analysis. Our partners cannot
pay us to guarantee favorable reviews.
Here is a list of our partners.
Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us
when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not
influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.
Capital One Spark Cash Select
The bottom line:
A top-notch cash-back card with no bonus categories, annual fee or foreign transaction fees. But business owners may have a hard time qualifying if they have less-than-perfect credit.
Credit card details
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
16.74%-22.74% Variable APR
Intro APR
N/A
Rewards rate
1.5%-5%
Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back for your business on every purchase, everywhere — with no limits or category restrictions. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site.
Cashback
Foreign transaction fee
0%
Intro offer
$750
Earn a $750 bonus when you spend $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
Pros & Cons
Pros
High rewards rate
No reward caps
No foreign transaction fees
Cons
Requires excellent credit
Reports all card activity to consumer credit bureaus
No Intro APR period
More details from Capital One
Earn a $750 bonus when you spend $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening
Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back for your business on every purchase, everywhere — with no limits or category restrictions
No annual fee
Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site
Rewards won't expire for the life of the account
Redeem your cash back rewards for any amount
Free employee cards, which also earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
The Capital One Spark Cash Select delivers flat-rate rewards (1.5% on all purchases) with no annual fee or foreign transaction fees. Plus, there’s a welcome offer: Earn a $750 bonus when you spend $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
That equation of simplicity plus rewards, minus fees makes the calculation for carrying this card a relatively easy one, if you can qualify. As the name suggests, you need excellent credit — typically a personal FICO score of 720 or higher — to qualify for the Capital One Spark Cash Select.
The Capital One Spark Cash Select is best for small-business owners who:
Prefer a flat cash-back rate to managing bonus categories.
Buy inventory from international vendors.
Don’t want to pay an annual fee.
Have excellent credit.
If you have less-than-perfect credit, there are plenty of equally solid cash-back business credit cards available, including:
Welcome bonus: Earn a $750 bonus when you spend $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
Rewards: Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back for your business on every purchase, everywhere — with no limits or category restrictions. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site.
Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 16.74%-22.74% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Other benefits:
Itemized year-end spending reports.
Option to download purchase records quickly and securely to accounting software, including Quicken, QuickBooks and Excel.
Why you might want the Capital One Spark Cash Select
Simple flat-rate rewards
Many business cash-back cards offer bonus categories that can supercharge your rewards if your business spending fits into them — or limit your rewards if it doesn't. By offering a 1.5% flat rate on all spending, the Capital One Spark Cash Select does away with such complications. That makes this card a good choice for a business whose spending is all over the map, or not concentrated in typical bonus categories like office supplies or travel.
The Capital One Spark Cash Select pays 1.5% on all purchases, even inventory orders. Put $10,000 a month in inventory spending on the card, for example, and you've got $1,800 in rewards in a year.
No foreign transaction fees
Most cash-back cards slap on foreign transaction fees when you make international purchases, but this one doesn't. That's great if you buy inventory overseas and helpful if you occasionally travel overseas (frequent travelers should explore business travel cards instead). Credit card foreign transaction fees are typically 3%, meaning they can easily wipe out the value of any rewards you earn. That's not a concern with this card.
Why you might want a different card
You want an intro APR period
Like the Capital One Spark Cash Select, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has an excellent sign-up bonus: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. But it has a great intro APR offer, too: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 16.74%-24.74% Variable APR.
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has no annual fee and matches the 1.5% cash back rate offered by the Spark Cash Select cards.
The Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card is another excellent option that give your intro APR period, includes a welcome offer and earns 2% cash back on all purchases. Both alternatives charge foreign transaction fees (3%) though, which is something to consider if you make international purchases.
Your spending aligns with bonus categories, like gas or office supplies
If your priority is simplicity, stick with a flat-rate card like the Capital One Spark Cash Select. But if maximizing rewards is your top aim, consider a cash-back business card that pays a higher rate in select bonus categories.
The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card, for example, offers the following bonus categories: Earn 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas and EV charging stations (transactions of $200 or less)*, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants (*excludes discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs). Earn 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases. Earn 5% cash back on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Travel Center when using your card. The card also has a long intro APR period for purchases and balance transfers, plus a competitive welcome offer: Earn $500 in cash back. Just spend $4,500 on the Account Owner's card in the first 150 days of opening your account.
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is another solid option for bonus categories. Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 5% total cash back on Lyft rides through 9/30/27. Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn.
You don’t have excellent personal credit
Most business credit cards require at least good personal credit — typically a FICO score of at least 690. The Capital One Spark Cash Select ups the ante to the “excellent” credit range (usually scores starting at 720).
If you can’t hit that number, there are other Capital One business credit cards worth considering. Specifically, CapOne is the rare issuer with a business card for entrepreneurs owners with fair credit (typically a FICO between 630-690): the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business. The Spark Classic for Business has an annual fee of $0 and earns 1% on all purchases.
Is the Capital One Spark Cash Select right for you?
The Capital One Spark Cash Select is an easy choice for small-business owners who want simple cash-back rewards, no foreign transaction fees and an annual fee of$0. (See