Capital One Spark Cash Plus review: Unlimited 2% cash-back rewards with no preset spending limit

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The Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus * The information for the Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. offers an unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, but since it’s a charge card, the balance has to be paid in full every billing period.

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About the Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Small business owners with a strong cash flow who are looking for the ability to earn an unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, with the flexibility to spend big when needed, could benefit from Capital One Spark Cash Plus. Just note, this charge card has a $150 annual fee.

As a charge card, the Spark Cash Plus has no preset spending limit. Rather, what you can spend on this business card adapts based on factors including your spending behavior, payment history and credit profile. However, because this is a charge card, your entire balance is due at the end of each billing cycle. There is no APR because the balance is due in full every month. If the bill is paid late, a 2.99% late fee will be charged each month.

The card offers a $1,200 cash bonus after spending $30,000 in the first three months of account opening. 

To recoup the cost of the $150 annual fee through cash back earned, you’d have to spend at least $7,500 per year. However, if your business spends more than $150,000 on the card every year, the $150 annual fee can be refunded.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus basics

• Annual fee: $150.
• Welcome bonus: Earn a $1,200 cash bonus after spending $30,000 in the first three months of account opening.
• Rewards: Earn an unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travell.
• APR: There is no APR because the balance is due in full every month. If the bill is paid late, a 2.99% late fee will be charged each month.
• Foreign transaction fees: See Terms.
• Other benefits: Free employee cards with customized spending limits, extended warranty, Card Lock for lost or stolen cards, virtual account numbers, downloadable purchase records, easily monitor recurring transactions and subscriptions, roadside assistance.
• Does the issuer offer a preapproval tool? No.
• Recommended credit score: Excellent.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus details

Capital One Spark Cash Plus rewards

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus card earns an unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

There is no preset spending limit as this is a charge card where the entire balance is due in full every billing period. However, Capital One will determine how much your business can spend based on payment history, credit profile and spending patterns.

Cash-back rewards can be applied as a statement credit or a check, gift cards, travel purchases and more. Business owners can also set up an automatic redemption preference where rewards can be issued at a set time of the year or when a specific threshold has been met.

While there is no cap on the amount of cash back you can earn with the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card, all purchases must be paid in full every billing cycle. There is no APR because the balance is due in full every month. If the bill is paid late, a 2.99% late fee will be charged each month. In addition, not paying the entire balance may be reported as delinquent to the credit bureaus on the business owner’s personal credit reports.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus rewards potential

To determine the rewards potential with the Capital One Spark Cash Plus, we’re going to look at what a sole proprietor might earn with a monthly business spend of $40,000:

In yearly terms, this would be $480,000 spent on the card and $9,600 earned in cash back.

Note that our estimate doesn’t factor in any car rental or hotel bookings made through Capital One Travel, which would earn an elevated rate of 5% back and increase your total earnings.

Also, you can get the $150 refunded every year you spend at least $150,000.

Cash back earned won’t expire as long as the account remains open and in good standing.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus APR

Since the Capital One Spark Cash Plus is a charge card, meaning all of your purchases must be paid in full at the end of each billing cycle, there is no variable APR range — and thus no interest charges assessed on purchases. 

And unlike some other business charge cards that provide the ability to finance certain eligible purchases over time, like the Chase Ink Business Premier® Credit Card * The information for the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , the Capital One Spark Cash Plus does not offer a pay-over-time feature. 

In fact, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus assesses a monthly late fee on any unpaid balances. Your account will be considered past due if not paid in full and may be reported as delinquent to the credit bureaus.

There is no intro APR offer for purchases or balance transfers. 

Pros 

• Potential for a generous welcome bonus. 
• Get the $150 refunded every year you spend at least $150,000.
• Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Free employee cards.
• No foreign transaction fees.

Cons

• $150 annual fee.
• There is no APR because the balance is due in full every month. If the bill is paid late, a 2.99% late fee will be charged each month
• High spending requirements to earn the welcome bonus and annual fee refund.
• Elevated cash-back rate for Capital One Travel spending does not apply to airfare.
• No intro APR offers.
• Limited benefits.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus benefits

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus offers limited cardholder benefits. The benefits that do come with the card include:

• Free employee cards. You can boost the amount of cash back earned by adding employees as authorized users on the card. The primary cardholder can also set up individual employee card spending limits and lock or unlock employee cards at any time.
• Extended warranty protection. Free protection and warranty coverage on eligible items purchased with the card.
• Virtual card numbers. Protect your card number with vendor-specific virtual card numbers that can be locked, unlocked or deleted at any time.
• Account manager. Business owners can assign an account manager to make purchases and payments, resolve problems and review transactions.
• Monitor recurring transactions. View a list of merchants who routinely charge your card monthly.
• Roadside assistance. Assistance available to help with jump-starting, tire changing and towing.
• Fraud and zero liability protection. Plus, if your card is lost or stolen, Capital One offers to send you an emergency replacement card and a cash advance.

How the Capital One Spark Cash Plus compares to other business rewards cards

Capital One Spark Cash Plus vs. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card * The information for the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you believe your business would be better served by a credit card — which can offer repayment flexibility via the ability to roll over a balance — rather than a charge card, you may want to take a look at the Ink Business Preferred card issued by Chase.

On top of boasting a lower annual fee of $95, cardholders can earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed for cash back, travel, gift cards and more.

Plus, when you redeem points for travel purchases through the Chase Travel℠ portal, they carry 25% more value. Or you can transfer points at a 1:1 rate to more than a dozen airline and hotel partners, then redeem for travel through your preferred loyalty program.

And, the Ink Business Preferred comes with a robust lineup of benefits, including trip cancellation and interruption coverage, primary car rental insurance coverage and cellphone insurance.

Finally, the welcome bonus for new Ink Business Preferred cardholders is generous. You can earn 120,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus vs. Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select * The information for the Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you’d like a no-annual fee-business card that earns unlimited cash-back rewards on all your business purchases — but doesn’t require payment in full every month — the Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select * The information for the Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. is a good alternative to its charge card big sibling.

Cardholders can earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

The card comes with a $750 cash bonus after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

The Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select * The information for the Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. has the same limited benefits as the Capital One Spark Cash Plus and comes with a 18.49% to 24.49% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus vs. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card * The information for the The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Another popular small business credit card with no annual fee is The American Express Blue Business Cash Card (terms apply).

With the Amex Blue Business Cash, businesses can earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases (automatically rewarded via statement credits), up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. If you hit the spending cap, that’s $1,000 in cash back before your earning rate drops. Your cash back is automatically applied as a statement credit, keeping redemptions simple.

In addition, the Blue Business Cash offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months, then a 18.49% to 26.49% variable APR.

However, the travel protections offered by The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card * The information for the The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. include just secondary car rental coverage² and Global Assist Hotline access³. It also charges foreign transaction fees of 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.

Should you get the Capital One Spark Cash Plus?

If your business has a strong cash flow where paying the balance in full every month won’t impact your bottom line, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus is worth a look. The card’s unlimited cash-back rewards could help save your business some money by offering a flat percentage back on every dollar you spend, so long as you spend enough to recoup the annual fee.

Spending $7,500 per year on purchases earning the  cash back rate is enough to recoup the amount of the $150 annual fee in rewards. And if you’re putting $31,000 or more in expenses on your business card every year, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus and its base cash-back rate will beat out a 1.5% cash-back card even after you subtract the annual fee from rewards earned.

The fact that this is a charge card will also appeal to business owners who need big purchasing power. Traditional credit cards typically constrain you to a set credit limit, but this one does not.

But again, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus is a charge card that does not offer any ability to finance purchases over time without incurring a late fee charge. And there are limited benefits offered by the Spark Cash Plus compared to some of the other leading small business cards on the market. For example, there is no cellphone insurance or enhanced travel benefits such as rental car insurance or trip interruption and cancellation coverage.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Is the Capital One Spark Cash Plus a business card?

Yes, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus is a small business card. It is also a charge card where you cannot roll over a balance month to month without incurring a late fee.

Does the Capital One Spark Cash Plus offer cards for employees?

Yes, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus offers free employee cards. The primary cardholder or account manager has the ability to lock or unlock an employee card as well as set customized spending limits.

What is the maximum credit limit on the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card?

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus has no preset spending limit. However, once accepted for the card, the amount you can spend will vary over time and is based on payment history, spending behavior, credit profile and other factors.

What credit score do I need to qualify for the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card?

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus card is reserved for applicants with excellent credit scores. According to FICO, a score of 740 to 799 is very good, while 800 or higher is exceptional.

But know that your credit score is just one factor considered, so no score guarantees approval.

^{¹For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
²Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
³Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.}