Spark® Cash Select from Capital One® review

Best for cash back on business purchases

• Rewards rate: 1.5 percent cash back on every purchase
• Welcome offer: $200 bonus when you spend $3,000 within three months
• Annual fee: $0
• Purchase intro APR: 0 percent for 9 months
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
• Regular APR: 13.99 percent to 23.99 percent (variable)

Do you want to earn rewards from all of your business purchases, but don’t want to deal with all the rules and categories? The Spark® Cash Select from Capital One® gives you a hassle-free way to earn cash back on every purchase—and even offers a welcome bonus for using your card right away.

This business card doesn’t earn the highest rewards rate out there, but it comes with no annual fee and the opportunity to get your feet wet with business rewards without much risk or commitment.

Current welcome offer

New account holders can earn a $200 bonus for spending $3,000 within the first three months after opening an account. Take note that this offer does not include previous or current account holders, so if you’ve had this card before, you won’t be able to qualify.

Cash back

Earning cash back with this Spark Cash Select is simple because you earn on every purchase.

Earning cash back

The rewards structure for the Spark Cash Select is straightforward—you’ll earn 1.5 percent cash back for every qualified purchase made on the card. There is no limit to the number of points you can earn, and your points will never expire as long as the account remains open.

Redeeming cash back

Capital One offers a couple of ways to redeem your points for cash back. You can receive them back as a statement credit, a check or as a credit on prior purchases or gift cards. You also have the option of automatically redeeming points based on either the time of year or by reaching a specific dollar amount of points value ($25, $50, $100, $200, $500 and $1,500).

How much are points worth?

Cardholders receive 1.5 percent cash back, so if you were to spend an average of $1,000 per month ($12,000 per year) on your Spark Cash Select from Capital One, you would receive $180 in cash back for the entire year.

Benefits

There are a number of benefits you’ll get with this Capital One business card.

Employee cards

Do you have employees that need access to your business account for purchases? With the Spark Cash Select from Capital One, you can get free employee cards, assign an account manager to track expenses and handle transactions and even set limits on each employee’s card, making it easy to manage all of your employees’ transactions.

Security

Capital One offers a plethora of ways to secure your card and give you peace of mind, including secure account login, fraud and other security alerts, and a $0 fraud liability on purchases made with either your or your employee’s lost or stolen card.

Travel

The Spark Cash Select offers great benefits for the busy business traveler, mainly emergency assistance like ticket replacement or medical referrals, and roadside assistance. Cardholders are also covered for a rental vehicle collision on eligible cars in case of an accident or theft.

Rates and fees

You can expect a 0 percent intro APR for the first nine months of having an account, followed by a variable APR ranging from 13.99 percent to 23.99 percent for purchases and balance transfers. The APR for cash advances is a bit steeper at 26.99 percent. A penalty APR of 29.4 percent applies to late payments.

The Spark Cash Select has no annual fee, no balance transfer fee and no foreign transaction fees. It does charge a cash advance fee of $10 or 3 percent of the amount (whichever is greater), as well as a penalty fee of $39 for late payments.

How the Spark® Cash Select from Capital One compares to other business cards

The Spark Cash Select goes toe-to-toe with the top cards in its class thanks to its low rates, no annual fee and rewards potential. The Chase Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card offers the same cash back rate but with a $500 sign up bonus after you spend $3000 in your first three months.

If you want to earn points instead of cash back, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express earns two Membership Rewards for every dollar spent on up to $50,000 in business purchases each calendar year and also comes without an annual fee.

Best cards to pair with the Spark Cash Select from Capital One with

Pairing your Spark Cash Select with a travel rewards credit card can help you save some extra cash on travel expenses. While the Spark Cash Select earns a flat rate on all purchases, cards like Spark® Miles from Capital One® earn extra rewards on travel purchases that you can either redeem for cash or use to travel even more without paying out-of-pocket.

Bankrate’s Take—Is the Spark® Cash Select from Capital One® worth it?

The Spark Cash Select from Capital One is a great option for small business owners who want to earn rewards without much hassle. The card offers a flat rewards rate on all purchases, so you don’t have to worry about how much you’ll earn or if you’re using it in the correct categories. Also, since it comes with no annual fee, it also works well for businesses that want to keep their expenses low while still earning rewards.

It may not be the best card for you if you do a lot of travel or spend a lot of money in specific categories, like online advertising or office supplies. Other cards offer higher bonuses for new cardmembers and better rewards rates in specific categories while also giving you extra benefits.

Pros

• No annual fee
• Simple rewards structure earning 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases
• Rewards never expire as long as your account is active

Cons

• Other cards offer more cash back rewards in select categories
• High APR for cash advances and late payments
• No opportunity to transfer rewards to other loyalty programs

All information about the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed by the issuer. This offer is no longer available on our site.