Capital One Spark Cash Select Review: Simple Cash Back for Your Business

For business owners who value simplicity in a cash back card, the Capital One Spark Cash Select is a decent choice. With a flat rate of cash back on your purchases, this card eliminates the hassle of juggling multiple spending categories. The card’s welcome offer sweetens the deal: You can earn $500 Cash Back once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

However, you can find business cash back cards with higher rewards rates — especially if you have excellent credit. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card and Capital One Spark Cash offer even higher flat rates. And the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card can be a more valuable option if you don’t mind keeping up with rewards categories.

We use an objective rating and ranking system that compares features across a large set of credit cards (over 200 of them, from over 50 issuers). We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.

We rank cards based on the following criteria:

• Average value over two years (50% of rating): We calculate the cash back earned for the average cardholder using Bureau of Labor statistics data and an annual spend of $20,000, minus the annual fee. This value includes sign-up bonus and annual bonuses. We look at the average rewards earned over two years to balance out a card’s ongoing value with its first-year value.
• Flexibility of rewards (30% of rating): We consider how easy the rewards are to use, looking at factors like expiration dates and minimum thresholds to redeem.
• Other features (20% of rating): We also compare a card’s benefits, such as purchase and travel protections, against benefits from other cards.

Annual fee: $0

Regular purchase APR: 17.49% - 23.49% (Variable)

Foreign transaction fee: None

Sign-up bonus: Earn $500 Cash Back once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

Rewards: Earn 1.5% - 5% Cash Back

• Earn 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase
• Earn 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site

Other benefits:

• Free employee cards
• Customized spending limits for employees
• Roadside assistance
• Extended warranty
• $0 fraud liability

Recommended credit: Excellent

• Simple rewards rate

  This card keeps rewards simple with a flat-rate amount you’ll earn in either of two categories: 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site.

  There are no rotating categories or spending caps. Additionally, there’s no limit to how much you can earn, and the rewards don’t expire as long as your account is open.

  → Learn more about the best rewards credit cards of 2025

• Valuable sign-up bonus

  With the Capital One Spark Cash Select, you can earn $500 Cash Back once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

  This isn’t the best bonus for a business credit card, but if you regularly spend over $1,500 a month on your business expenses, you can easily achieve it. If that amount is a stretch, consider buying office supplies or stocking up on materials that you know you will use, and have cash for so you can pay your balance in full to avoid paying interest.

• No foreign transaction fee

  If business takes you outside the United States, physically or with an online purchase, know that you won’t be hit with extra foreign transaction fees with this card.

• Free employee cards

  You can issue cards to employees at no extra cost. You can customize their spending limits and earn cash back on every purchase for your business.

• Flexible due date

  The Capital One Spark Cash Select lets you pick your own monthly due date to pay off your balance. This can benefit business owners with variable income flow throughout the year.

• Excellent credit recommended

  The Capital One Spark Cash Select was designed for consumers with excellent credit, which is a FICO Score of over 800.

  For those with lower credit scores, the Capital One Spark Cash Select for Good Credit or Capital One Spark Classic for Business might be worth looking into. Secured business credit cards are another option if you don’t think you’ll qualify for an unsecured credit card.

• It's possible to earn a higher cash back rate

  The card’s earning rate isn’t bad, and the simplicity is nice. However, you can earn higher rates on business cards with no annual fee.

  For example, the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card lets you 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.

• No elevated rewards on office expenditures

  While the flat-rate cash back is nice, if you spend a lot of money on office products or business travel, this card may not be the best choice for you. Other cards, like the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card, offer higher cash back rates on certain categories like cable and phone services and advertising office supplies.

Capital One Spark Cash Select vs. Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card

Depending on your business’s spending habits, the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card might be the more rewarding option. It offers a tiered rewards rate: 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.

If you max out on the card’s office supply store and other business categories each year, you’ll earn $1,250 after spending $25,000. If you spend the same amount on any category with the Capital One Spark Cash Select, you’ll only earn $375.

If you max out the lower tier that combines gas stations and restaurants with the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card, you can earn up to $500 per year compared to the Capital One Spark Cash Select‘s $375.

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Capital One Spark Cash Select vs. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is a no annual fee card (see rates & fees) that lets you earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. It has a less valuable welcome offer than the Capital One Spark Cash Select: Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.

Despite the lower welcome offer, the card’s elevated rewards rate on your first $50,000 spent can help you earn more rewards overall than with the Capital One Spark Cash Select. To maximize your earnings if your business does spend over $50,000 a year, you can use The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card until you reach the spending limit, then use the Capital One Spark Cash Select as a catch-all option after.

You can also use The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card to finance a large business purchase, since it offers a generous introductory APR: 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening, then a 17.49% - 27.49% Variable APR applies (see rates & fees).

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Capital One Spark Cash Select vs. Capital One Spark Cash

The Capital One Spark Cash is another card that offers a higher flat rate than the Capital One Spark Cash Select. You’ll earn 2% Cash Back on every purchase; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site.

The card has an annual fee of $0 intro for first year; $95 after that. How much your business spends in a year can help you decide which card will be more valuable. If you charge more than $19,000 on general purchases in a year, you’ll earn more cash back with the Capital One Spark Cash , even with the annual fee factored in.

The Capital One Spark Cash Select is a solid choice for businesses that want a cash back credit card without the hassle of categories or spending caps. It’s even better if your typical spending is high enough to meet the spending requirement to earn the sign-up bonus. The $0 annual fee helps keep your expenses low, while the free employee cards ensure you get cash back on every business purchase.

Before you apply for a business credit card, you should have a sense of how much your business spends every year across different categories. Business cards like the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card can offer you more rewards than the Capital One Spark Cash Select if you spend a lot at office supply stores, for example. Or, if you spend over $20,000 per year, cards with a higher flat rate like the Capital One Spark Cash or The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card may be better fits.