Capital One Spark Cash Select review

This card offers busy business owners the ease of flat-rate cash back on every purchase. In addition to the rewards, cardholders enjoy a long list of extra benefits and a nice welcome bonus opportunity.

Written by
Jennifer Doss
Why you should trust CardRatings
badgeImage
Small Business Card

Capital One Spark Cash Select

  • Rewards
  • 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase. 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
  • Welcome Bonus
  • $500 Cash Back once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
  • Annual Fee
  • $0
card_name
5.0
Credit Score: Excellent
Terms and Limitations Apply

Key Features

Editor Analysis:

Pros
  • This card is great for new business owners who prefer to skip the annual fee.
  • A good earn rate and easy-to-manage rewards program with no sign-ups or caps to keep track of makes this a user-friendly option for cardholders.
  • New cardholders can earn a $500 bonus once spending $4,500 in the first three months of account opening.
Cons
  • This card does not offer a 0% intro APR option and charges an ongoing APR of reg_apr,reg_apr_type. See Rates and Fees
ALTERNATE CARD TO CONSIDER

card_name

discontinued_disclaimer
editor_rating
Credit Score: credit_score_needed
description
card_name

CardName benefits

Simplicity is the beauty of the card_name. The offer and benefits are simple to understand and easy to take full advantage of.

The CardName offers new cardholders a $500 bonus once spending $4,500 in the first three months of opening an account. More savings come in the form of a $0 annual fee. The cash-back rate of 1.5% is not as high as some other cards, but it applies to all purchases made with the card and that can easily add up to thousands of dollars per year that you can re-invest into your business.

If your business has several employees with the authority to make purchases on the company credit card, you can also request additional cards at no charge. This allows multiple people to be able to make purchases on the account while racking up the rewards for your business.

As a Spark Cash Select cardholder, you also get the following benefits:

  • $0 fraud liability for unauthorized charges
  • Itemized report of yearly spending provided at the end of the year to help you with budgeting and taxes
  • Free employee cards with spending limits you can customize (See Rates and Fees)
  • Travel benefits, such as travel assistance and roadside assistance

How to qualify for the CardName

In order to qualify for the card_name, you should have excellent credit, which is generally considered at least an 800 FICO score. Please note though that this number can vary by credit bureau. Capital One may also look at other factors from your credit history when determining your eligibility.

Potential downsides of the CardName

For anyone looking for a high cash back rate for their purchases, there are better choices out there. If you travel a great deal on business, you can still earn quite a bit of cash-back rewards with the card_name, but you might do better with a card that offers reward miles or some special redemption options when it comes to travel. With some, the travel rewards you earn can carry a higher cash value than the 1.5% the CardName offers.

Also, if you have the time and inclination to manage your account closely, a card that offers higher cash-back rewards in particular categories your business frequently shops in could prove worth your time and attention. Finally, your creditworthiness and your ability to make on-time payments is critical to making the most of the CardName. To begin with, you need excellent credit to qualify for this card. And paying on time is critical as missed or late payments will quickly rack up interest charges that will eat into any of your rewards.

How the CardName compares to other cards

CardName vs. CardName

discontinued

Like the CardName, the CardName is a simple business card that allows you to get all of your supplies and earn cash back. However, the difference is the amount of cash you can earn with each card as well as some of the ongoing benefits and rewards opportunities.

While the CardName offers 1.5% cash back on all purchases, CardName provides unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere-with no limits or category restrictions, and unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Additionally, the welcome offer gives cardholders an opportunity to earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first three months, plus earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500,000 spent during the first year.

Both cards provide numerous helpful benefits like free employee cards, fraud coverage, and travel and emergency assistance services. See Rates and Fees

CardName vs. card_name

discontinued

The CardName and the CardName are comparable in that they both have no annual fee and they both provide 1.5% cash back on all purchases. However, the CardName card has the additional benefit of an intro APR of 0% on purchases for the first intro_apr_duration and then RegAPR. See Rates and Fees

Also, the CardName offers $900 bonus cash back if you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months.

However, for the international traveler, the Spark Cash Select card is a better choice with no fee on foreign transactions, compared to the Ink Business Unlimited card’s foreign transaction fee of foreign_fee.

Both cards allow you to add employee cards for free and to set spending limits.

Who should get the CardName?

If you want a card that will bring in some rewards as you save on many of the fees other cards have, the card_name is a good choice.

If you are the owner of a growing business that doesn’t do much traveling, this card can provide multiple opportunities to save money and earn money that can be invested back into your business.

In addition, the rewards program is easy to understand and make the most of. Anyone who likes to see their bank account grow without having to jump through too many hoops should also have this card in their wallet.

Frequently asked questions

Although most business credit card transactions aren't reflected in personal credit scores, there are certain exceptions to this rule. Capital One, for example, reports business card activity to both personal and business credit bureaus.
As the name implies, excellent credit is required for the CardName. This is generally considered a FICO score of at least 800, but this number can vary by credit bureau. Capital One may also look at other factors from your credit history when determining your eligibility.

Our Methodology

Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. Current Scores reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); “Past Scores” reflect scores from the 2022 survey.

Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.


This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.


For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Related Articles