Costs & Pricing

Metric	Spark Cash Plus	Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Annual fee	$150 ($150 statement credit if ≥ $150,000 net purchases by membership anniversary)	$0
Employee card fee	$0 (free employee and virtual cards)	$0
Purchase APR	Not printed as revolving purchase APR; Pay Over Time variable APR ~25.74% (review sites, mid-2026) if balance carried	16.74%–26.74% variable after intro (based on creditworthiness)
Intro APR (purchases)	Not offered	0% for 9 months, then 16.74%–26.74% variable
Foreign transaction fee	$0	$0
Late payment fee	2.99% late fee if minimum payment not paid by due date	Not disclosed on public product page (aggregators: up to $39; cash-back hub footnote mentions 2.99% — unresolved)

Rewards & Value

Metric	Spark Cash Plus	Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Base earn rate	Unlimited 2% cash back on net purchases (no category caps)	Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase (no category restrictions)
Welcome bonus	$2,000 cash after $30,000 spend in first 3 months; +$2,000 for every $500,000 in year one (repeatable)	$750 cash after $6,000 purchases in first 3 months
Redemption value	1¢ per 1¢ cash back on statement credit/check	Face-value cash (statement credit or check); any amount; does not expire while account is open
Transfer partners	No native transfer partners; cash may convert to Capital One miles ($1 = 100 miles) if linked to miles-earning Cap One card	Cash itself does not transfer. If you also hold a Capital One miles card, cash can convert at 1¢ = 1 mile (widely documented; not on the Select product page).

Credit & Eligibility

Metric	Spark Cash Plus	Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Personal guarantee	Required in practice (issuer-typical for Cap One business cards; not quoted on product page)	Not quoted on product page; market practice = required for Capital One small-business revolving cards
Credit check	Hard pull on submit; pre-approval advertised as no impact to personal credit	Hard pull on apply (commonly all three bureaus). Pre-approval advertised as no impact to personal score.
Employee cards	Free; spend limits, lock/unlock, account manager role; primary remains liable	Free; custom spend limits; card lock; account-manager role (primary remains liable)
Product type	Hybrid charge card / NPSL business card (designed pay-in-full; Pay Over Time optional)	Revolving business credit card (fixed credit line)

Pros & Cons

Spark Cash Plus

Pros

• Uncapped 2% cash back on all net purchases
• NPSL capacity plus free employee and virtual cards
• $150 annual fee refunded at $150,000 net spend by anniversary
• Large year-1 bonuses — $2,000 at $30k/3 mo plus $2,000 per $500k spent
• $0 foreign transaction fee; 5% on Capital One Business Travel hotels/VR/cars

Cons

• $150 fee is real if spend stays below $150k/year
• Pay-in-full design — 2.99% late fee and Pay Over Time interest if you carry
• Bonus hurdles favor very high spenders ($30k/3 mo, $500k increments)
• No 0% intro APR and no balance transfers
• Bonus often blocked for existing/previous Capital One Business cardholders

Spark 1.5% Cash Select

Pros

• $0 annual fee; unlimited 1.5% cash back with no category tracking
• Live $750 / $6,000 / 3-month welcome bonus
• 9-month 0% intro APR on purchases
• $0 foreign-transaction fee; free employee cards that earn the same rate
• Cash back never expires while the account is open; redeem any amount

Cons

• 1.5% trails 2% flats and category-heavy Ink/Amex products at scale
• 5% travel only inside Capital One Business Travel; no lounge/GE credits
• Balance transfers not available
• Revolving Spark cards commonly report to personal credit
• Excellent-credit bar; full Schumer (late fee, penalty APR) not on the public product page

Verdict

Spark Cash Plus

Capital One Spark Cash Plus is the go-to for businesses with serious spend who can pay in full. Uncapped 2%, NPSL flexibility, free employee/virtual cards, and a refundable $150 fee at $150k make it a premium flat-rate engine — especially with the live $2,000 welcome bonus and limited $500 travel credit (through Sep 7, 2026). Poor fit for 0% financing seekers, lounge hunters, or businesses under $150k annual card spend.

Spark 1.5% Cash Select

Spark Cash Select is the clean no-fee 1.5% Capital One option — plus a $750 bonus and 9 months of 0% on purchases. It is not Spark Cash Plus (NPSL, $150) and not Classic (fair credit, 1%). Best as a simple daily driver or year-1 0% tool; once annual spend is high enough that a 2% flat or category card wins, move the volume.