AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Offers for the Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business and Capital One Spark Classic for Business are not available through this site. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers
The Capital One business credit card lineup includes six different products with the Capital One Spark branding. Small business owners can choose to earn simple, flexible cash back or transferrable miles that can unlock significant travel savings. But regardless of the type of rewards you prefer, the Spark business cards stand out from the competition by earning rewards that are easy to understand and redeem.
Beyond some (very) enticing welcome offers, what sets these Capital One business cards apart? Which one is the best fit for your business? Let's look at the current welcome offers on the Capital One Spark family of cards, plus the strengths and weaknesses of each. This can help you understand which card best suits your budget and business expenses.
Page Contents
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Let's start with the most accessible of Capital One's small business cards. The Capital One Spark Miles for Business has a welcome offer of 50,000 miles when you spend $4,500 within 3 months from account opening. The annual fee: $0 introductory fee for the first year; $95 after that.
- Earn 50,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening; worth $500 in travel if redeemed for a fixed-value, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 2 Miles per $1 on every purchase, everywhere
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (up to $120)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 introductory fee for the first year; $95 after that
- 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Strengths: Simple earning structure, low annual fee, flexible miles
The Spark Miles card earns miles you can transfer to 19 Capital One transfer partners. The earning structure is simple: Earn 2X miles on every purchase and 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
The ability to earn flexible miles is one of the biggest strengths of this card. With cash back, you have money worth what it's face value. With miles, you may be able to redeem them for outsized value via transfer partners. In recent AwardWallet user redemptions, Capital One miles have yielded 2¢ per mile.
The rate of return on your spending and the value of the welcome offer depends on how you use your miles and the redemptions you make. If nothing else, you can redeem your miles as a statement credit to offset travel purchases at a rate of 1¢ apiece.
Weaknesses: Loyalty programs can be confusing, other cards are simpler
If you're looking for simplicity, one of the cashback cards below are likely a better fit. To maximize the miles on this card, you're going to need to transfer miles to partner programs and search for award space. For some business owners, earning 2% cash back on every purchase and enjoying the simplicity of some other card might be preferable to earning 2X miles and having to understand how to use them for good value.
Who is this card for?
This card is for small business owners who prefer earning flexible miles, from which they can gain outsized value via award redemptions. It's also a great card for small business owners who like the low annual fee they pay in exchange for higher earning rates.
Related: Capital One Spark Miles for Business Full Review
Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business
The Capital One Spark Miles Select has a welcome offer of 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. The annual fee is $0.
- Earn 50,000 Miles Miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening; worth $500 in travel if redeemed for a fixed-value, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 1.5 Miles per $1 on every purchase
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 annual fee
- 5X Miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 1.5 Miles per $1 on every purchase.
Strengths: No annual fee, earn flexible miles
Not paying an annual fee is great. And you still earn flexible miles, which we discussed above for their potential redemption value.
Weaknesses: Lower earning rate
In exchange for not paying an annual fee, the Spark Miles Select earns only 1.5 miles per $1 spent, whereas the Spark Miles above earns 2X. So you have a lower earning rate here.
If you value Capital One miles at a base rate of one cent per mile, you will come out ahead with the Spark Miles if you spend $19,000 or more annually. At a 2 cents per mile valuation, it's worth paying the $95 annual fee on the Spark Miles with $9,500 or more in spending.
If you're spending less than this, you will save money by not paying an annual fee but earning at a lower rate. If you spend above that amount, it will compensate for the annual fee on the Spark Miles through accelerated earning.
Who is this card for?
This card is for small business owners who don't want to pay an annual fee and/or spend less than $10,000 on the card annually. It's also a great card for people who want to earn miles and have redemption options with hotels and airlines.
Related: Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business Full Review
Capital One Capital One Spark Cash Select
The current welcome offer is for $500 cash back once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. The annual fee is $0.
- $500 Cash Back once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- 1.5% cashback on every purchase
- 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 annual fee
- 1.5% cashback on every purchase
- 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Strengths: Welcome offer ROI, no categories/caps, no annual fee
The Capital One Spark Cash Select earns 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase. 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site.
After spending the $4,500 required to earn the welcome offer, you would earn at least $67.50 in cash back. Add that to $500 from the welcome offer, and you've earned a total of $567.50 from spending $4,500. That's over a 12% return — solid for a no-annual-fee card.
Not having to worry about spending categories, no caps on annual earnings, and the fact the card has no annual fee is a great combination for small businesses looking to keep expenses down while earning a nice welcome offer.
Weaknesses: Lower earning rate, no earning bonuses
In exchange for not having an annual fee, you sacrifice 0.5% in earnings on every purchase. That's because the Spark Cash earns 2% on all purchases. How much are you really losing? Should you get a different card?
The gist: If you spend more than $19,000 annually on the Spark Cash, you'll earn more than $95 (cost of the annual fee) through that extra 0.5% in cash back on every purchase. If your business won't meet this spending threshold, you will save money with a no-annual-fee card.
Who is this card for?
This card is for businesses that spend less than $19,000 on the card annually, are happy with a simple earning structure, and see the welcome offer as simply sweetening the pot.
Related: Capital One Spark Cash Select Full Review
Capital One Spark Cash
The Spark Cash card is ideal for small business owners who want to maximize cash back on everyday spending without committing to a long-term premium annual fee.
- 2% cash back for your business on every purchase, everywhere
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 intro for first year; $95 after that
- 2% Cash Back on every purchase. 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site.
Strengths: Solid welcome offer with a manageable spending requirement
In addition to offering the same uncapped 2% Cash Back on every purchase as the more expensive Capital One Spark Cash Plus, the Spark Cash has a welcome offer that should be well within reach for many small business owners. Plus, in terms of annual fees, the card has a $0 intro for first year; $95 after that.
Weaknesses: Ongoing annual fee of $95
The Spark Cash‘s long-term $95 annual fee will erode some of your cash-back returns after your no-annual-fee introductory year. For small businesses that expect to spend less than $19,000 on their card annually, the Spark Cash Select may provide better ongoing value.
Who is this card for?
The Spark Cash is well suited for small businesses looking for cash-back rewards and a modest annual fee. However, companies with significant annual expenses may be able to earn a more lucrative welcome offer with the Spark Cash Plus.
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
The current welcome offer on Capital One's Spark Cash Plus card delivers $2,000 cash back once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months. The annual fee is $150.
- 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
- 2% Cash Back on every purchase. 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site.
Strengths: Excellent welcome offer, no categories or caps
The Spark Cash Plus offers 2% cash back on every purchase and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Weaknesses: High spending requirement, no bonus spending categories
While the simplicity of the earning structure could be a strength of the Spark Cash Plus, it's also the card's weakness when you remember that other cards may offer a higher return for some of your spending. What you get in simplicity is a trade-off against other credit cards that offer bonus categories (for more rewards on your purchases) that might match your business expenses.
And then there's the issue of the huge spending requirement for the welcome offer. While the bonus is one of the best available for a cash-back card, not every small business owner will have the spending power to meet the minimum spending requirement, making the card less attractive to these businesses.
Who is this card for?
This card is for business owners who just want to earn 2% cash back on every purchase automatically and want to get a big welcome offer from spending.
Related: Capital One Spark Cash Plus Full Review
Capital One Spark Classic for Business
There is no welcome offer on the Capital One Spark Classic for Business. The card has $0 in annual fees and is designed for businesses building credit.
Strengths: Build credit, earn cash back, no annual fee
Designed for businesses building credit, you can get approved with a lower credit rating — since that's who the card is designed for. Plus, you can earn rewards in the form of 1 % Cash Back on every purchase. There are no special categories to keep track of and no limits to your earnings. The fact there's no annual fee is another plus.
Weaknesses: Lower earning rate, no welcome bonus
The weaknesses are clear. First, there's no welcome offer of any type. You will simply earn from everyday spending, but you won't get any lucrative welcome bonus. There's also no bonus category where you could earn extra cash back at select merchants.
Who is this card for?
This card is for businesses that aren't likely to be approved for cards with better earnings — both on daily spending and in the form of welcome bonuses. It's ideal for businesses to build their credit while earning modest rewards.
Which of the Capital One Spark Cards Is Best?
The best Capital One Spark card for your business depends on your redemption goals, spending habits, and the welcome offer available when applying. Here's a quick recap.
Spending
Analyze your business's spending to determine whether it's better to get a no-annual-fee card with a lower earning rate or pay a modest annual fee for a higher earning rate. Then, according to your annual spending, choose the card that offers the best return and best value at the end of the year.
Welcome offer
The Spark Cash Plus‘s $2,000 cash-back bonus is an excellent offer — if you can meet the spending requirement. So, the best Capital One Spark card bonus will depend on your business's ability to meet the minimum spending requirement.
But for businesses that don't spend as much, the Spark Cash has a valuable offer in its own right. Earning $750 cash back once you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months from account opening is a mix of a reasonable spending requirement and lucrative rewards.
Redemption goals
If you're looking for the simplicity of cash back, the Spark Cash Plus or Spark Cash Select are going to be best — with the decision coming down to how much your business spends each year.
However, if you like the option of miles and redeeming them for better value — or at least having this option instead of statement credits — then the Spark Miles or Spark Miles Select are the best options.
Convert cash back to Capital One miles
If you have a Capital One business card that earns cash back and another card that earns miles, you can convert your cash back into miles. The huge welcome offers on Capital One Spark cards — especially right now with the Spark Cash Plus — means you could still turn this huge bonus into miles.
You just need a second card that earns Capital One miles to make this possible. Use your account on the Capital One website (not the mobile app) to accomplish this. If you have that miles-earning card, essentially all Capital One Spark cards could earn miles, increasing your options for earning and redeeming.
Our Take
The current offers on the Spark credit cards from Capital One provide a great way for business owners to generate transferable miles or cash back from everyday business expenses.
None of the cards charges a massive annual fee. Each has simple earning structures without numerous categories to track. Plus, Capital One doesn't limit how much you can earn — like some business cards from other issuers.
Hopefully, this analysis helps you choose which Capital One Spark card is best for your business.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
