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Capital One Spark Cash Plus Review: Unlimited 2% Back and a Big Bonus

Review Updated
Brittney Myers
Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures that our product ratings are not influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus earns an unlimited 2% back on your spending. This makes it one of the best business credit cards out there. However, it also has an annual fee (see rates and fees), so you need to be sure you'll earn enough cash back to make it worth the fee. Learn more about this credit card and if it's the right fit for you with our Capital One Spark Cash Plus review.

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Excellent (740-850)
Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Excellent (740-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR

N/A

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash back for your business on purchases, no limits or category restrictions; plus, earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

2% - 5% cash back

Annual Fee

$150

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. $2000 Cash Back once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months. Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year

$2000 Cash Back

  • This card is built for businesses with significant expenses that want high-value rewards. You’ll earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, plus 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. If you spend over $150k annually, your annual fee will be waived, and we love that in your first year alone, you could earn over $4,000 in cash bonuses -- the largest welcome offer Capital One has ever provided for this card.

    • Big welcome offer
    • 2% cash back
    • Free employee credit cards
    • No foreign transaction fee
    • Potential annual spending bonus
    • Annual fee
    • Pay-in-full card
    • Personal guarantee
    • Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months
    • Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. You can earn this bonus multiple times over the course of year 1!
    • Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
    • Enjoy purchasing power that adapts to your business. The Spark Cash Plus card has no preset spending limit, so it can adapt to your needs based on your spending behavior, payment history, credit profile and other factors
    • Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
    • Empower your teams to make business purchases while you earn rewards from their transactions with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
    • $150 annual fee - Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year
    • Spark Cash Plus has no APR because your balance is due in full every month
    • For businesses that need large spending capacity and want to maximize cash back

Full Capital One Spark Cash Plus review

This credit card is a good fit for: Business owners with high annual spend who want to earn a top-tier cash back rate on their business purchases.

Top perks

This business credit card has a lot of pros in its favor.

Unlimited 2% cash back

You earn 2% cash back on your card purchases, without any spending caps or categories to track. The 2% cash back rate is unlimited, so it adds up quickly if you spend quite a bit for your business.

Your rewards won't expire so long as your account remains open and in good standing. Cash back can be redeemed as a statement credit to your card account. You can even set up automatic redemption based on a set date or a set rewards threshold so you never miss out on redeeming your rewards.

$2000 sign-up bonus

New cardholders can earn $2000 in sign-up bonus cash back by spending $30,000 on your card within the first 3 months.

You can also earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500,000 spent during the first year. And yes, you can earn this bonus multiple times over the course of the first year.

Since this card is designed for businesses with a lot of expenses, the high spending requirement is likely attainable for many cardholders. If you manage to earn the full $2000, you'll end up with one of the best sign-up bonuses we've found for a cash back card -- especially if you ending up spending a lot with the card in your first year.

No foreign transaction fees

Cash back cards often have foreign transaction fees of up to 3% -- but not the Capital One Spark Cash Plus. It charges zero foreign transaction fees, which can be a big savings if you -- or your employees -- need to make purchases abroad. Foreign transaction fees can also be charged on any transaction that routes through a foreign bank, so this is a vital perk for businesses that make purchases from foreign suppliers.

Learn more: Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards

Free employee cards

Large businesses with a lot of revenue also tend to have a lot of employees. The Capital One Spark Cash Plus lets you add employee credit cards to your account with no extra card fees. You can set individual spending limits for each card based on the employee using it, and you can track purchases as they post. Employee cards can also earn the same unlimited 2% cash back, so you'll earn for every eligible purchase no matter who makes it.

Potential annual spending bonus

By the time you add up the sign-up bonus and unlimited 2% cash back, you already have a pretty rewarding business card. But the Capital One Spark Cash Plus takes it a step further. Every year you spend at least $150,000 on your card, you'll earn an extra $150 cash back bonus -- enough to cover the card's $150 annual fee. (See rates and fees.) This makes the Capital One Spark Cash Plus's annual fee well worth paying for businesses with high annual spend.

Alternatives to consider

If you don't want to pay an annual fee: The Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express is also a 2% cash back card, though this one only offers 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in card purchases each year. However, with no annual fee, this could be a great alternative for businesses that don't spend enough to make the Capital One Spark Cash Plus fee worthwhile.

If you want to carry a balance: The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card not only lets you carry a balance from month to month, but it also comes with a 0% intro APR for the first 12 months. Plus, you'll earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on your purchases, with no caps or categories to track and no annual fee.

Read more: Best Business Credit Cards for LLCs

As of Dec. 26, 2024
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Image for
Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
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Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
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Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
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Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.

$250 statement credit

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Earn $750 bonus cash back

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.

1% - 2% cash back

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business

Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase

Intro APR:

Purchases: 0%, 12 months

Balance Transfers: N/A

Intro APR: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR on Purchases

Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 12 months

Balance Transfers: N/A

APR:

17.74% to 25.74%, variable

Regular APR:

17.74% - 23.74% Variable

Annual Fee:

$0

Annual Fee:

$0

Highlights:

  • Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.
  • Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
  • From workflow to inventory to floor plans, your business is constantly changing. That’s why you’ve got the power to spend beyond your credit limit with Expanded Buying Power.
  • Just remember, the amount you can spend above your credit limit is not unlimited. It adjusts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us and other factors.
  • 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 17.74% to 25.74%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening.
  • No Annual Fee
  • Terms Apply

Highlights:

  • Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
  • Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business
  • No Annual Fee
  • Redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
  • Earn rewards faster with employee cards at no additional cost. Set individual spending limits for greater control.
  • Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
  • With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
  • 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
  • Member FDIC
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The information for the Blue Business Cash™ Card from American Express has been collected independently by The Ascent. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

What could be improved

The downsides aren't numerous, but they're still important to consider.

$150 annual fee

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus has a $150 annual fee. (See rates and fees.) If your company spends enough every year to earn the annual $150 bonus, this annual fee is completely reasonable -- you'll earn it back. Even if you don't quite meet the annual spend for the bonus, the fee could still be worthwhile if you earn more in purchase rewards than you would with a no-fee alternative. However, there are a lot of no annual fee cards for businesses with fewer annual expenses that will still be quite rewarding if you don't think the fee is worth paying.

Pay-in-full card has to be paid off every month

Unlike some of the competition, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus doesn't have any kind of intro 0% APR deal. In fact, it doesn't allow revolving balances at all. In other words, you can't carry a balance from month to month on this card. Instead, you'll need to pay your balance in full every month before your due date. If you don't pay the full amount on your bill, you'll be charged a late fee equal to a percentage of your outstanding balance. Your account will also be flagged as "past due."

Personal guarantee required

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus isn't a corporate credit card, it's a small business card -- albeit one for businesses with a lot of annual expenses. Since it's not a corporate card, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus will come with a personal guarantee requirement. This means you, as the business owner and card applicant, agree to be just as liable for the credit card balance as your business. If something goes wrong and your business can't pay its card debt, that responsibility legally falls upon you. If you fail to pay, your personal credit will be affected and Capital One can come after you, personally, for the debt.

Find the best credit card for your needs
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Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.

Suggested credit score

Capital One advertises this card for business owners with excellent credit. In order to have a fair chance at qualifying for this card, you'll want to have a personal FICO® Score of at least 700, though a score over 780 would be better. Of course, approval will be about more than your credit score. Your entire credit history will be evaluated. Additionally, your business details will also influence the decision, including:

  • How long you've been in business
  • Your annual business revenue
  • Your existing business tradelines

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus is right for you if:

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus is an ideal pick for businesses who put a lot of money on their card each year, offering truly unlimited 2% cash back with no cap on how much you can earn. Big spenders can also offset the high $150 annual fee with an equal annual bonus for spending $150,000 each year. If your business doesn't spend enough to make up for the annual fee, however, it's worth looking for an alternative option with a lower -- or $0 -- annual fee. Check out some of those options on our list of credit card reviews.

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus compared vs the competition

See how the Capital One Spark Cash Plus matches up directly with major competitors in our in-depth comparison reviews.

Our credit card methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.