Our Take
4.6
NerdWallet rating
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.
Capital One Spark Cash Select
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
17.49%-23.49% Variable APR
Intro APR
N/A
Apply now
on Capital One's website
More details from Capital One
- Earn a $500 bonus when you spend $4,500 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
- $0 Fraud Liability for unauthorized charges
View Rates & Fees
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
Compare to Other Cards
at Capital One | at Chase | at American Express |
Annual fee $0 | Annual fee $95 | Annual fee $0 |
Regular APR 17.49%-23.49% Variable APR | Regular APR 20.24%-26.24% Variable APR | Regular APR 17.49%-27.49% Variable APR |
Intro APR N/A | Intro APR N/A | Intro APR 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening |
Recommended credit score 720-850excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent |
Full Review
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 $500 bonus when you spend $4,500 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:
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card: Earns1.5% cash back on all purchases, has a long intro APR period and nice welcome bonus.
- Capital on Tap Business Credit Card: Earns1.5% cash back on all purchases and is one of the few business cards for average credit. Capital on Tap is not available to sole proprietors.
Capital One Spark Cash Select: Basics
- Card type: Small business.
- Annual fee:$0.
- Welcome bonus:Earn a $500 bonus when you spend $4,500 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 17.49%-23.49% 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 17.49%-23.49% 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 Rewards 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 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 rates and fees). If foreign transaction fees aren’t a dealbreaker for you, though, you'd be better off with a different, more rewarding card.To view rates and fees of
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
, see this page.View rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
.View rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Cash Select
.View rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
.Information for the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business was not reviewed by or provided by Capital One.
Apply now
on Capital One's website
