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The Capital One business credit card lineup includes seven different products with the Capital One branding. Small business owners can choose to earn simple, flexible cash back or transferable miles that can unlock significant travel savings. But regardless of the type of rewards you prefer, the Spark and Venture business cards stand out from the competition by offering rewards that are easy to understand and redeem.
Now's a great time to revisit 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 Cashback Cards
$0
- 1.5% cashback on every purchase
- 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
$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 Business Travel
$150
- 2% Cash Back on every purchase. 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel.
Capital One Spark Cash Select
The new welcome offer is for $750 cash back once you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. The annual fee is $0.
- Earn $750 Cash Back once you spend $6,000 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 Business 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 Business 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 Business Travel.
After spending the $6,000 required to earn the welcome offer, you would earn at least $90 in cash back. Add that to $750 from the welcome offer, and you've earned a total of $840 from spending $6,000. That's a 14% return — solid for a no-annual-fee card.
Not having to worry about spending categories, no caps on annual earnings, and the fact that 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 a high annual fee.
- Earn a $1,000 cash bonus plus for a limited time, earn a $250 Capital One Business Travel credit when you spend $10,000 within 3 months of account opening
- 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 Business Travel
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 (plus a $500 Capital One Business Travel credit) once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months. The annual fee is $150.
- Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 plus for a limited time, earn a $500 Capital One Business Travel credit 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 Business Travel.
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 Business 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 for spending.
Related: Capital One Spark Cash Plus Full Review
Miles-Earning Capital One Cards
$95
- 5X miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on other eligible purchases
$0
- 5X miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 1.5X miles per $1 on other eligible purchases
Capital One Venture Business
The Capital One Venture Business features a valuable bonus of 100,000 bonus miles once you spend $10,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, transferable to 22 Capital One transfer partners.
- Earn a one-time welcome bonus of 100,000 miles once you spend $10,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account
- Receive up to $220 in credits: Receive an annual $50 travel credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel, up to an annual $50 statement credit for purchases at qualifying advertising or software merchants, plus up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® every four years. Terms and conditions apply
- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
- Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
- $95 annual fee
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
- Top rated mobile app
- 5X miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on other eligible purchases
Strengths: Simple earning structure, low annual fee, flexible miles
The earning structure is simple:
The ability to earn flexible miles is one of the biggest strengths of this card. Compared with cashback that has a fixed value, you may be able to redeem miles for outsized value via transfer partners. In recent AwardWallet user redemptions, Capital One miles have yielded 2.07¢ per mile.
The rate of return on your spending and the value of the welcome offer depend 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 above can be 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 Venture Business Full Review
Capital One VentureOne Business
The Capital One VentureOne Business offers new cardholders a bonus of 50,000 Miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, and charges no annual fee.
- Earn a one-time welcome bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 1.5X miles per dollar on every purchase, with no category restrictions or blackout dates, and miles won’t expire while your account remains open and in good standing
- Earn unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
- Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Redeem your miles through Capital One Business Travel or get reimbursed for eligible travel expenses made with your card within 90 days of purchase
- $0 annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside the United States
- Free employee cards that earn rewards on employee purchases, with customizable spending limits
- Receive complimentary Hertz Five Star® status, with enrollment required; terms and age restrictions apply
- 5X miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 1.5X miles per $1 on other eligible purchases
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 VentureOne Business Card earns only 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel, and 1.5X miles on all other business purchases miles per $1 spent, whereas the Venture Business Card 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 Venture Business Card if you spend $19,000 or more annually. Assume a valuation of 2 cents per mile, it's worth paying the $95 annual fee on the Venture Business Card 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 Venture Business Card 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 VentureOne Business Full Review
Which of the Capital One Business Cards Is Best?
The best Capital One 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 overall return at the end of the year.
Welcome offer
The Spark Cash Plus‘s bonus of $2,000 cash back (plus a $500 Capital One Business Travel credit) is an excellent offer — if you can meet the spending requirement. So, the best Capital One Business 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 $1,000 cash back (plus a $250 Capital One Business Travel credit) when you spend $10,000 within 3 months of 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 Venture Business Card or VentureOne Business Card 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 sizable welcome offers on Capital One Spark cash-back cards mean you could earn a large bonus and then convert those rewards into Capital One miles.
You just need a second card that earns Venture 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 business cards can earn miles, increasing your options for earning and redeeming.
Our Take
The current offers on the Capital One business cards 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 a simple earning structure without numerous categories to track. Plus, Capital One offers uncapped rewards on eligible purchases — unlike some business cards from other issuers.
Hopefully, this analysis helps you choose which Capital One business card is best for your business.
