Our Take
4.9
NerdWallet rating
The bottom line:
This card is a slam dunk for high-spend businesses with consistent cash flow. But if you need more payment flexibility, a traditional business credit card will be a better fit.
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Annual fee
$150
Regular APR
N/A
Intro APR
N/A
Apply now
on Capital One's website
More details from Capital One
- Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months
- Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. You can earn this bonus multiple times over the course of year 1!
- Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Enjoy purchasing power that adapts to your business. The Spark Cash Plus card has no preset spending limit, so it can adapt to your needs based on your spending behavior, payment history, credit profile and other factors
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while you earn rewards from their transactions with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- $150 annual fee - Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year
- Spark Cash Plus has no APR because your balance is due in full every month
- For businesses that need large spending capacity and want to maximize cash back
View Rates & Fees
Pros & Cons
Pros
- High rewards rate
- No preset spending limit
- No foreign transaction fees
- New cardholder bonus offer
Cons
- High annual fee
- Balance must be paid in full every month
- High spending requirement to hit bonuses
- Requires excellent credit
Full Review
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
is a powerhouse charge card built for booming businesses. The card has no preset spending limit, earns
2
% cash back on all purchases and dangles a massive welcome offer for new cardholders: Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months and an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year.
The bonus alone cancels out the card's $
150
annual fee for your first year, and then some. But if your business spends enough to net the bonus, you may eventually qualify to have your fee refunded entirely. Capital One will refund your annual fee each year that you spend at least $150,000. (See rates and fees.) Since the
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
is a charge card, you have to pay your balance in full each month. Late payments will hurt your business credit score and could hurt your personal credit if the bill is left unpaid.This card is best for:
✔️ Unlimited cash back.
✔️ Big spenders.
✔️ Businesses with good cash flow.
Not a fit? Consider these business credit cards
at Chase | at U.S. Bank | at Capital One |
Annual fee $195 | Annual fee $0 | Annual fee $150 |
Regular APR Flex for Business Variable APR: 18.49%-26.49% | Regular APR 17.99%-26.99% Variable APR | Regular APR N/A |
Intro APR N/A | Intro APR 0% intro APR for 12 billing cycles on purchases | Intro APR N/A |
Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent | Recommended credit score 720-850excellent |
This is another charge card for high-spend businesses to consider, especially if you frequently make large purchases. Those big-ticket items can qualify for extra rewards. While the
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
does have a credit limit, it’s higher than most business cards (the minimum credit line is $10,000). Plus, purchases of $500 or more can be paid over time (with interest) up to a set limit.Like the
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
, this card offers unlimited cash back. But instead of a flat rate, you'll earn higher rewards (up to 3%) for certain eliigble purchases, such as at gas stations and office supply stores. The U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card
is a credit card, so you can carry a balance. It also offers an intro APR period. At a glance: Capital One Spark Cash Plus
💳 Card type: Cash-back business credit card.
💲Annual fee: $
150
.💰 Sign-up bonus:
Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months and an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year.
🎉 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's travel booking site.
📈 APR: N/A. Balance must be paid in full each billing cycle.
💷 Foreign transaction fee: None.
🎆 Other benefits:
- Annual fee refunded every year you spend at least $150,000.
See complete rates and fees on Capital One's website.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
No preset spending limit does not equal unlimited spending. How much you can spend at any given time will depend on your payment history, spending patterns and credit history, among other factors.Benefits and perks
Unlimited 2% cash back
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
delivers a lucrative combo of unlimited 2
% back and no preset spending limit, allowing companies with massive annual budgets to rake in rewards. A business that spends $200,000 annually could earn $4,000 in cash back each year. Spend $2 million? That's $40,000 in cash back each year. And that's not counting the welcome offer.
Online commenters say they like another perk with Capital One rewards: They’re transferable. You can combine what you earn on your Spark Cash Plus card with other Capital One cards — including personal cards — to maximize their redemption potential.
Outstanding welcome bonus
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
sign-up bonus is hard to beat: Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months and an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year.
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 and 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%. Those extra costs can add up if you travel internationally or make purchases from overseas suppliers.Drawbacks and alternatives
High spend requirements for bonuses, perks
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
benefits big spenders the most. After all, there's no preset spending limit, you'll need to spend $150,000 in a year to get your annual fee back and the welcome bonus requires a big outlay. (Which, again, you'll need to pay off immediately.)If your business won't use your credit line as much, consider the
Capital One Spark Cash
card instead. It offers the same 2
% back with no foreign transaction fee and a smaller annual fee ($0 intro for the first year, then $95
). See rates and fees. The
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
is another solid option. It earns 1.5%
cash back, has a long intro APR period and no annual fee. But, unlike the Spark cards, the Ink Unlimited does charge a foreign transaction fee. The Spark Cash and Ink Unlimited both offer competitive, attainable welcome offers:
- Spark Cash welcome offer:Earn a one-time $750 cash bonus once you spend $7,500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
- Ink Unlimited welcome offer:Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
No payment flexibility
The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
is a true charge card. It has no preset spending limit, but no option to finance certain purchases either.If you want wiggle room to finance large purchases or carry a balance during leaner months, the
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
offers the best of both worlds. While it is a pay-in-full card, you have the option to finance purchases of $500 or more (with interest, up to a set limit).Another solid option? A business credit card with a 0% intro APR offer, like the
Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card
or the U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card
.Purchases could be denied
The Spark Cash Plus card has no preset spending limit, which is appealing for high-spend businesses. But it can have a downside, too.
Several commenters on Reddit complain about charges being denied, even when they’ve been approved in the past. This makes it difficult for businesses to operate, with some saying they've switched away from the Spark Cash Plus.
Most business cards with no preset spending limit specify that your purchasing power will vary. Capital One recommends using its “Confirm Purchasing Power” option online or calling them before making a large purchase.
If that feels like a hassle, opt for a business credit card with a set limit. It may not offer the same initial spending power, but at least it will have predictability. While your credit limit on these cards may increase periodically, it will rarely decrease. You are typically notified in writing of any limit change.
Difficult to get approved
You need excellent credit — typically a FICO score of
720
or higher — to qualify for the Capital One Spark Cash Plus
. But many online commenters report being denied even with outstanding credit. Other factors that may play into your approval include annual revenue, anticipated monthly spending and time in business.How we evaluated the Capital One Spark Cash Plus
NerdWallet's business credit card experts compared the Spark Cash Plus to other cash-back business cards, evaluating how the card's rewards, perks, fees and features stack up to its peers. We also surveyed Capital One, the card's issuer, gathering information about employee cards, spending controls, credit limits and how often cardholders are considered for a credit limit increase. This data, alongside feedback from business owners — solicited directly and gathered via online forums like Reddit — helped inform our review of the
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
.View rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
.View rates and fees of
Capital One Spark Cash
.The information related to the Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash℠ Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
Apply now
on Capital One's website
Frequently Asked Questions
The Spark Cash Plus doesn’t have a preset spending limit. Instead, your purchasing power varies from month to month based on your spending habits and payment history, among other factors.
Most Capital One business credit cards report all activity to your personal credit reports. The Spark Cash Plus and Venture X Business are exceptions. Outside of the initial credit application, these cards only report instances of nonpayment and will not impact your personal credit score if kept in good standing.
Yes, using the Spark Cash Plus card can help build your business credit score. Capital One reports card activity to the Small Business Financial Exchange (SBFE), which in turn provides information to the three main business credit bureaus — Dun & Bradstreet, Experian and Equifax — to help inform your business credit score.
So, while the Spark Cash Plus doesn’t appear as a line item on your business credit report, using it responsibly can help you build business credit.
