Capital One Spark Cash Select card basics
Capital One Spark Cash Select(Rates and fees) |
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| Card type | Business |
| Card issuer | Capital One |
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Rewards rate | Unlimited 1.5% cash back for your business on every purchase, everywhere; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site |
| Intro APR | None |
| Welcome offer | Earn a $750 bonus when you spend $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening |
| Recommended credit score | Excellent |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
Who should get the Capital One Spark Cash Select?
Are you hoping to avoid paying an annual fee for a bunch of cardholder perks you probably won't use? Or do you want an effortless credit card rewards program you don't have to think about? Do you want to get added protection for every purchase you make?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider applying for the Capital One Spark Cash Select.
You can also get free cards for your staff to earn rewards faster and redeem your cash back anytime you want with no limits or expiration dates for the life of the account.
And if all that wasn't enough, purchase protection ensures you can get eligible items repaired or replaced within 90 days of buying if something goes wrong — and eligible items purchased with your card will have the manufacturer's warranty doubled.1 <p class="">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.<br></p>
To get all these features, however, you'll need to make sure you're creditworthy, as this isn't a business credit card for people with no credit.
Spark Cash Select card benefits
- Decent early spend bonus: If you choose the Capital One Spark Cash Select(Rates and fees), then you can earn a $750 bonus when you spend $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. Though not the highest bonus on the market, it's a nice perk that should be relatively easy for most business owners to earn.
- Easy-to-follow rewards structure: Get a straightforward unlimited 1.5% cash back for your business on every purchase, everywhere; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site with both versions of the card. There are no limits and no rotating bonus categories to worry about.
- No annual fee: Unlike many other business cards, there's no annual fee for becoming a card holder with either version of this card.
- Free employee cards: Whichever one of these two business cards you choose, you can get credit cards for every member of your staff and earn rewards from all the purchases they make.
Earning and redeeming
One of the best things about the Capital One Spark Cash Select(Rates and fees) is that the rewards program is incredibly simple. So you don't have to think about strategizing at all to get the most bang for your buck from this card.
Best ways to earn
Capital One's Spark Cash Select card simply provides 1.5% cash back on all purchases. There's limited opportunity to earn bonus rewards, but you also don't need to worry about activating bonus categories.
To maximize the rewards you earn, simply use your card for as many business purchases as you can. And don't forget to take advantage of the option to get free cards for all your employees so they can charge their purchases and help you earn rewards faster. Also when booking hotels or rental cars, use this card to book through Capital One's travel booking site and earn 5% cash back.
Maximizing your redemptions
Redeeming your rewards is also very simple with Capital One's Spark Cash Select card. You can access the cash back you earn as a statement credit or a check. You can redeem any time you want with no minimums, so you can put cash back right into your business.
Capital One also allows you to redeem for credits for previous purchases or gift cards. But since you don't get any extra value for your cash back by taking advantage of these options, it's usually simpler to just get a check or statement credit.
Other cards to consider
Not sure that the Capital One Spark Cash Select(Rates and fees) is right for you? There are a few other business cards to consider:
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus(Rates and fees) offers similar features to the Spark Cash Select cards, but it differs from these cards in that it offers greater cash back potential on all of your spending. This card charges a $150 annual fee after the first year, and it offers unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site. That means that instead of elevated rates on bonus categories, like Capital One Travel bookings, it offers an elevated base rate on everything.
The card also offers everyday spending protections, like the Capital One Spark Cash Select(Rates and fees), including purchase security and extended manufacturer warranties.1 <p class="">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.<br></p> Consider this one over the Capital One Spark Cash Select cards if you'd benefit more from a higher base cash back rate than bonus rates on a portion of your spending.
Check out our full Capital One Spark Cash Plus review.
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card(Rates and fees) is also similar to the Capital One Spark Cash Select(Rates and fees). It charges a $0 annual fee, and it earns unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site. You also get a 0% intro APR period for 12 months (then 16.99% - 24.99% Variable APR) on the Ink Business Unlimited — just as long as the one offered by Capital One.
The new cardmember welcome bonus is similar, as you can earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Overall, you might prefer this Chase Ink Business card over Capital One if you're partial to the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and wouldn't use Capital One Travel to book hotels and flights anyway.
Check out our full Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card review.
FAQs
Does Capital One cash back expire?
Capital One cash back never expires for the life of the account, so you don't need to worry about losing the rewards you've earned with either Spark Cash Select card.
How does cash back work with Capital One?
Capital One makes it easy to earn cash back with the Spark Cash Select cards since you simply get 1.5% cash back on all purchases. However, balance transfers and cash advances don't count as purchases, so you won't get any cash back when you complete these transactions with your card.
You can redeem cash back for a statement credit or request a check. And you can redeem manually anytime you want with no minimum redemption limit.
What is considered excellent credit?
The Capital One Spark Cash Select(Rates and fees) requires you to have an excellent credit score. Capital One doesn't specify a specific minimum score in order to successfully apply for this card. A FICO score of 749-799 is considered "very good" and a score over 800 is considered "exceptional."
Numerical credit scores are provided as guidelines only and are not a guarantee of approval.
How do I redeem my Capital One Spark rewards?
To redeem your rewards, log into your Capital One account and navigate to the "Redeem Rewards" page. From there, you can select the amount you want to redeem and how you'd like the rewards delivered to you.