Our Take
The bottom line:
Capital One Spark Cash Plus offers 2% cash back on all purchases and a healthy welcome offer, but you can’t carry a balance.
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Annual fee
$150
Regular APR
N/A
Intro APR
N/A
Apply now
on Capital One's website
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Earns cash back on primary and employee cards
- Rewards don’t expire
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Balance must be paid in full every month
- Has annual fee
- High spending requirement to hit full welcome bonus, annual bonus offers
Full Review
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
card pays 2
% cash back on all purchases. This simple approach — no rotating bonus categories to keep track of or spending caps to monitor — makes it easy to earn rewards without having to think too much about it.But there are some things to weigh before committing to the
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
, like the $150
annual fee. That's high for any business credit card, but especially for cash-back cards, which typically don't have an annual fee. (See rates and fees.) The welcome offer easily surpasses that expense, if you can meet the hefty spending requirements. But after that, you'd need to spend at least $7,500 on the card each year for the rewards to offset the fee. (Capital One does refund the fee if you spend at least $150,000 in a year.)
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
is also a charge card, not a credit card. While that means there's no preset spending limit, your balance will be due in full every month. Late payments could result in dings to your personal and business credit scores.🤓 Nerdy Tip
TheCapital One Spark Cash Plus
has no preset spending limit, which is not the same thing as no limit. The spending limit varies depending on each cardholder’s payment history, credit profile and spending behavior.The Capital One Spark Cash Plus is best for small-business owners who:
- Want a cash-back business card with high flat-rate rewards.
- Will spend enough to negate the annual fee — and earn the welcome bonus.
- Have consistent enough cash flow to pay their bill in full each month.
If the
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
doesn't sound like a fit for you, a different Capital One business credit card may make sense instead — like the Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit
. That card eliminates the annual fee, lets you carry a balance and still offers flat-rate, unlimited cash back. The tradeoffs? The rewards rate is less (
1.5
%), as is the welcome offer. (See rates and fees.) Here's how those cards compare to each other, as well as additional options in Capital One's lineup: To view rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
, see this page.To view rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit
, see this page.To view rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Cash Select for Good Credit
, see this page.To view rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
, see this page.Capital One Spark Cash Plus: Benefits and fees
- Card type: Small business.
- Annual fee: $150.
- Sign-up bonus:Earn a one-time cash bonus of $1,200 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months.
- Ongoing rewards:Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- Interest rate: No APR. The balance is due in full every month, so interest can’t accrue.
- Foreign transaction fees: $0.
- Late payment fee:2.99% of the unpaid portion.
- Other benefits:
- Get your annual fee refunded every year you spend at least $150,000.
- Rewards won’t expire for the life of the account.
- No preset spending limit.
- Ability to set customized spending limits for each employee card.
- (Benefits may change over time.)
Why you might want the Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Generous, easy-to-manage rewards
Business credit cards often pay a flat cash-back rewards rate on most items plus a higher rate for purchases in certain categories, like gas or office supplies. The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
offers 2
% cash back on every purchase. If you don’t want to keep track of a card’s spending categories or if your business expenses don’t conveniently fall into those categories, then this card might be a good fit.While some flat-rate cash-back business credit cards offer 2% back with no annual fee, most of those cards cap how much you can earn annually. Not the
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
. You'll earn 2
% no matter how much you spend, so you could earn thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in rewards each year. Just make sure to pay off the card in full each month.Welcome bonus
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
offers a large sign-up bonus: Earn a one-time cash bonus of $1,200 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months.
That potential total easily outpaces the card's annual fee of $150
. (See rates and fees.) Plus, you can get your $150 annual fee refunded every year you spend at least $150,000. For businesses with big operating budgets and steady cash flow, the welcome bonus plus the opportunity to have the annual fee refunded each year make the
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
a smart choice.No foreign transaction fees
Like other Capital One business cards, the
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
doesn't charge foreign transaction fees. Usually, credit card foreign transaction fees are around 3%, which can add up if you travel internationally or make purchases from overseas suppliers.Why you might want a different card
Charge card vs. credit card
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
is a charge card. Instead of making a partial payment and carrying the rest of what you owe as a balance, you’ll have to pay off your balance each month or risk late fees — and possibly late payments noted on your credit report.If your business cash flow is robust, that might not be a problem. But if you tend to carry a balance on your business credit card during leaner months, other options may be better for protecting your credit, even if you accrue some interest.
If you're comfortable with a charge card but want some wiggle room, consider the
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
. The two charge cards offer similar rewards, with the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
offering an added boost for big purchases: Earn unlimited 2.5% total cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more and unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases. Earn unlimited 5% total cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
But the
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
also lets you finance qualified purchases of $500 or more, up to a certain limit. It also offers a monster welcome offer: Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Not a big enough spender
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
benefits big spenders the most. After all, there's no preset spending limit, you'll need to hit $150,000 spent in a year to get your annual fee back and the welcome bonus requires a big initial outlay (which, again, you'll need to pay off immediately). If your business won't use your credit line as much, consider The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
. That card also offers flat-rate 2% cash back — but caps those rewards at the first $50,000 spent each year (you'll get unlimited
1
% cash back thereafter). It also offers a potentially more attainable, if much less lucrative, welcome bonus: Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months. Terms Apply.
. No intro APR offer
Because you can’t carry a balance on the
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
, there is no introductory offer of a 0% intro APR period. (See rates and fees.) If you’re hoping to use a new credit card to make a big purchase and then pay it off over several months, consider other options — like the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
, another flat-rate cash-back card with this intro offer: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%-24.49% Variable APR
.Is the Capital One Spark Cash Plus right for you?
As your business expenses grow, so do the rewards you could earn from the
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
. If you appreciate the simplicity of no rewards categories and have international suppliers or travel expenses, this card could generate significant cash back for your business over time, outweighing its annual fee.That said, if your business has unreliable cash flow, a traditional business credit card might be a better fit than a charge card.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
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on Capital One's website
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