Chase Ink vs. Capital One Spark [2023]: Which Business Cards Are Better?

We recommend Chase Ink Business credit cards because they help you maximize your earning potential with bonus rewards on many different, but common, business expenses. And for frequent business travelers, the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card stands out with its 25% bonus toward travel redemptions and the option to transfer rewards to hotel and airline partners.

But we think certain Capital One Spark credit cards could be excellent choices depending on your situation and preferences. For example, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business makes sense if you want to use one card for all your business expenses because you’ll earn at least 5X miles on rental cars and hotels booked through Capital One Travel.

Let’s dig into our Chase Ink vs. Capital One Spark credit card review to see how these business credit cards compare so you can decide which issuer might make sense for your business.

Key takeaways

• You typically need at least a good credit score to qualify for a Chase Ink credit card, whereas you might only need a fair credit score to qualify for one of the Capital One Spark cards. Keep in mind that card issuers use multiple factors to determine card eligibility, and a certain credit score doesn’t guarantee approval.
• Many Chase credit cards allow you to combine rewards points, which could increase their value and your overall earning potential. But you can’t combine points with the New Business Card! Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card.
• Chase has 14 travel partners compared with 18 from Capital One.
• Capital One tends to focus on simple earning rates, whereas Chase has a few cards that provide bonus rewards in certain categories.
• Both Chase and Capital One provide cashback, travel, and low-interest credit cards in their business card lineups.

Chase Ink vs. Capital One Spark comparison

Our verdict

Chase Ink Business credit cards are our overall recommended option for business owners because they provide loads of value with their earning rates and benefits, more so than we believe the average person can receive with Capital One Spark cards.

We also like how at least three of the Chase Ink cards (not the Ink Business Premier) can work well together to increase your overall earning potential and value of your rewards. For these reasons, we feel Chase Ink business cards are some of the best business credit cards available.

Chase Ink benefits and drawbacks

We like how the Chase Ink cards generally provide earning rates that make sense for business owners. You can choose a simpler approach to earning with the Ink Business Premier or Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card, or you can boost your earning potential on specific expenses with the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card and Ink Business Preferred.

And the rates can be quite generous on everyday business expenses. For example, the $0-annual-fee Ink Business Cash provides 5% cash back at office supply stores and on internet, cable, or phone services (up to $25,000 combined annually); 5% cash back on Lyft; 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (up to $25,000 combined annually); and 1% cash back on everything else.

Add another or multiple Chase Ink cards into the mix, and you can earn even more rewards on other categories as well. Keep in mind that you can combine points between multiple Ink Business cards and increase your travel redemption value by 25% if you also have the Ink Business Preferred.

Note that you can’t combine points with the Ink Business Premier.

Find out more about Chase Ink business cards.

Capital One Spark benefits and drawbacks

We like how Capital One Spark cards focus on simple earning rates. In this case, we mean generally being able to use one credit card for all your business expenses.

For example, take the Capital One Spark Cash Plus. This card earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

Because you already earn an elevated 2% cashback rewards rate on every purchase, every day, you can easily use the Spark Cash Plus for all your business purchases. This might not add up to the same earning potential as some of the Chase Ink business cards, but there’s also value in not having to think about which card you should use for which expense.

Learn more about Capital One business cards.

Capital One vs. Chase: What both companies excel at

Both Capital One and Chase provide different types of business credit cards to choose from, depending on your preferences and spending habits. For example, you can select from cashback, travel, and low-interest cards for your business.

That could be helpful for multiple scenarios, including a preference to earn cash back over miles. Or wanting to earn rewards you can redeem for travel.

There’s no clear winner between which card issuer provides the better credit cards, as it depends on the situation. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s a testament to how valuable cards from both companies can be, including the ease of using any rewards you earn.

For travel redemptions with eligible cards, use the Chase Ultimate Rewards program or Capital One Travel. You could easily redeem your rewards toward flights, hotel stays, and car rentals with either online travel portal. Or you could transfer rewards to a variety of airline and hotel partners with either card issuer.

Cash back: New Business Card! Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card vs. Capital One Spark Cash Plus

	New Business Card! Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card	Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Earning rate	5% cash back on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards; 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more; 2% cash back on all other business purchases	2% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Welcome bonus	Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months	Earn up to $1,000 cash bonus — $500 after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, plus $500 after spending $50,000 in the first 6 months
Annual fee	$195	$150
Redemption methods	Statement credits Bank deposits Travel Gift cards Online shopping (Pay with Points)	Statement credits Mailed checks Travel Cover past purchases Gift cards
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent
	Learn how to apply	Learn how to apply

The Chase Ink Business Premier and Capital One Spark Cash Plus have similar earning rates, annual fees, and redemption methods. They also don’t have foreign transaction fees.

The Spark Cash Plus has the lower $150 annual fee compared with the $195 annual fee on the Ink Business Premier. But the Ink Business Premier provides more earning potential with its elevated earning rate.

Specifically, you earn 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more. That’s not something you can find on the Spark Cash Plus. And if you frequently have those types of large business expenses, you should more than cover the difference in annual fees with the extra rewards you’re earning.

For example, here’s how much cash back you would earn at a 2.5% versus 2% rate on purchases equalling $50,000:

• 2.5% rate: $50,000 x 0.025 = $1,250
• 2% rate: $50,000 x 0.02 = $1,000

That’s a sizable difference of $250 in rewards, which clearly puts the Ink Business Premier on top if you frequently make large purchases. It doesn’t hurt that the Ink Business Premier also provides cell phone protection, which the Spark Cash Plus doesn’t have.

Winner: We like the Ink Business Premier because it has more earning potential for high-spending businesses.

For lower annual fees, consider these other cashback cards from Chase and Capital One:

• Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card
• Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card
• Capital One Spark Cash Select - $500 Cash Bonus

Travel rewards: Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card vs. Capital One Spark Miles for Business

	Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Earning rate	3X points on the first $150,000 spent each year on travel, shipping, internet, cable, or phone services, and advertising purchases with social media and search engines; and 1X points per $1 on everything else	5X miles on rental cars and hotels booked through Capital One Travel, and 2X miles on every purchase, every day
Welcome bonus	Earn 100,000 points after spending $15,000 in the first 3 months	Earn 50,000 miles after spending $4,500 in the first 3 months
Annual fee	$95	$95 (waived first year)
Redemption methods	Travel Transfers to travel partners Transfers to other eligible Chase cards Statement credits Bank deposits Gift cards Online shopping (Pay with Points)	Travel Transfers to travel partners Cover past travel purchases Statement credits Mailed checks Gift cards
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent
	Learn how to apply	Learn how to apply

The Ink Business Preferred and Capital One Spark Miles have a few similarities, including their annual fees, redemption methods, and no foreign transaction fees.

The primary difference between the two cards is how you earn rewards. The Ink Business Preferred focuses on specific bonus categories that likely align with common business expenses. And the Capital One Spark Miles provides a simple earning rate that makes it easy to use one card for all your business purchases.

So the better card for you depends on your preferences. Do you want loads of bonus categories or a simple earning rate?

Keep in mind that you could also increase your overall earning potential by using the Ink Business Preferred in tandem with the Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited. And points you move to the Ink Business Preferred in this manner are worth 25% more toward travel redemptions.

Winner: It depends. We recommend the Ink Business Preferred if your business expenses align with its bonus categories and you also combine points with the Ink Business Unlimited and Ink Business Cash. But for simple and straightforward earning potential, we recommend the Capital One Spark Miles.

For lower annual fees, consider these other travel credit cards from Chase and Capital One:

• Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card
• Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card
• Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business

0% intro APR: Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card vs. Capital One Spark Cash Select - 0% Intro APR for 12 Months

	Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card	Capital One Spark Cash Select - 0% Intro APR for 12 Months
Intro APR	0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases (then 17.74% - 23.74% (variable))	0% intro APR for first 12 months on purchases (then 20.24%, 25.24% or 28.24% (variable))
Annual fee	$0	$0
Welcome bonus	Earn $750 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months	Introductory APR on purchases
Earning rate	1.5% cash back on all spending	Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases on all cards attached to the account; plus 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Good
	Learn how to apply	Learn how to apply

There aren’t typically as many business credit cards with 0% introductory APR offers as personal cards. But you have two excellent options with the Ink Business Unlimited and Capital One Spark Cash Select.

These cards are quite similar and should provide about the same experience if you’re primarily looking for a 0% intro APR offer on purchases. But if you’re also interested in earning rewards, the Ink Business Unlimited typically has a better welcome offer than this version of the Capital One Spark Cash Select.

Note that there’s another version of the Spark Cash Select that provides a welcome offer but no 0% intro APR offer. None of these cards typically provide 0% intro APR balance transfer offers.

Winner: We like the Ink Business Unlimited because it essentially matches the Capital One Spark Cash Select across the board and also provides a better welcome offer.

For another business card with a 0% intro APR offer, consider the Ink Business Cash. It provides 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases (then 17.74% - 23.74% (variable)).

Which credit card company should you choose?

When you should choose Chase

• You already have a relationship with Chase
• You would rather have different spending categories to help maximize your earning potential
• You want to earn rewards for travel and plan on taking advantage of the 25% travel redemption bonus on the Ink Business Preferred
• You don’t mind using multiple business cards to boost your earning potential
• You prefer Chase transfer partners, including Southwest, United, and Hyatt

Learn more about Chase credit cards.

When you should choose Capital One

• You already have a relationship with Capital One
• You prefer simple rewards rates
• You would rather use one credit card for all your purchases
• You prefer Capital One transfer partners, including Etihad, Turkish Airlines, and Wyndham

Learn more about Capital One credit cards.

What factors to consider before choosing

We generally recommend Chase Ink over Capital One Spark business cards, but you might find that either card issuer could work for you depending on your preferences and spending habits.

We like the Chase Ink cards because you can use the Chase Ink Business Cash, Unlimited, and Preferred cards together to maximize your earning potential. Simply use whichever card earns the highest rate in a specific category and then combine your points onto the Ink Business Preferred for a 25% boost to travel redemptions.

Here are the earning rates on each card:

This strategy could be useful if your business expenses align with the bonus categories on these Chase Ink cards.

But if you don’t want to worry about using different cards for specific purchases, consider the Ink Business Premier. You can’t combine its points with the other Chase Ink cards, but it provides a simple earning rate of 5% cash back on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards; 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more; 2% cash back on all other business purchases.

This generally beats the earning potential on any of the Capital One Spark cards, but Capital One has more cards to choose from with straightforward earning rates. So if keeping things simple is important to you, we recommend the Capital One Spark lineup.

FAQ

Chase Ink vs. Capital One Spark: bottom line

We generally recommend Chase Ink over Capital One Spark business cards if you want to maximize your earning potential. This is especially true with the Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Preferred cards that provide high earning rates on specific business categories.

But you’ll likely find the most earning potential is through using the Ink Business Cash, Unlimited, and Preferred together and combining bonus points across all three cards. Note that the Ink Business Premier doesn’t have synergy with the other Chase Ink cards, but it can also provide plenty of value on its own.

If you prefer simple earning rates, the Capital One Spark cards have more options to choose from. One specific highlight is the Capital One Spark Miles because you can earn at least 2X miles on every purchase, every day.

Check out more of our top recommendations and compare credit cards to find the right credit card offer for you.

Up to 5% Cash Back

Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card

Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card

Learn How to Apply

Current Offer

Earn $750 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

5% cash back at office supply stores and on internet, cable, or phone services (up to $25,000 combined annually); 5% cash back on Lyft; 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (up to $25,000 combined annually); and 1% cash back on everything else

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn $750 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months
• $0 annual fee
• 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months (then 17.74% - 23.74% (variable))
• Up to 5% cash back

Drawbacks

• Capped spending on bonus cash back categories
• Has foreign transaction fee

Card Details

• Earn $750 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months
• 5% cash back at office supply stores and on internet, cable, or phone services (up to $25,000 combined annually); 5% cash back on Lyft; 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (up to $25,000 combined annually); and 1% cash back on everything else
• Intro purchase 0% APR offer: 0% for 12 months then 17.74% - 23.74% (variable)

Author Details

Ben Walker, CEPF Ben Walker, CEPF, is a credit cards and travel writer at FinanceBuzz who loves helping others achieve their travel goals through financially sound decisions. For over a decade, he has been using credit card points and miles for the sole purpose of traveling the world. Ben is a Certified Educator of Personal Finance and has been featured in The Washington Post, MSN, Debt.com, and Finder.com.

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