Costs & Pricing

Metric	Spark 1.5% Cash Select	Spark 1% Classic
Annual fee	$0	$0 (ongoing; no intro-year structure)
Employee card fee	$0	$0 (free employee cards; no per-card fee published)
Purchase APR	16.74%–26.74% variable after intro (based on creditworthiness)	28.99% variable on the product page and pre-approval rates block (Sept. 3, 2026). Not published as a range; no Prime + margin table on the Classic page. Review sites still show 29.49%–30.74% — treat as stale vs issuer page.
Intro APR (purchases)	0% for 9 months, then 16.74%–26.74% variable	Not offered
Foreign transaction fee	$0	$0
Late payment fee	Not disclosed on public product page (aggregators: up to $39; cash-back hub footnote mentions 2.99% — unresolved)	Not on the official Classic page. Bankrate (Dec 19, 2025): up to $39. Do not apply Cap One charge-card 2.99%-of-unpaid-minimum language to Classic.

Rewards & Value

Metric	Spark 1.5% Cash Select	Spark 1% Classic
Base earn rate	Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase (no category restrictions)	Unlimited 1% cash back on every purchase. Marketing: no limits or category restrictions; no minimums. Rewards will not expire for the life of the account.
Welcome bonus	$750 cash after $6,000 purchases in first 3 months	None. Live public offer as of September 3, 2026: no cash bonus, no spend threshold. Historical typical offer: also none.
Redemption value	Face-value cash (statement credit or check); any amount; does not expire while account is open	Cash at face value on statement credit or check (1¢ per 1% dollar). Official FAQ: redeem for any amount / no minimums. Gift-card rates may vary. Do not assume portal 5% unless the user actually books hotels/cars in Capital One Business Travel. Do not assume World Elite travel credits or transferable miles.
Transfer partners	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).	None on this cash-back product. Official FAQ: cash rewards earned through spending on Spark Classic are not taxable (issuer still says consult a tax expert).

Credit & Eligibility

Metric	Spark 1.5% Cash Select	Spark 1% Classic
Personal guarantee	Not quoted on product page; market practice = required for Capital One small-business revolving cards	Not quoted on the Classic product page. Commonly reported as required; official Classic sentence missing. Secondary sources (NerdWallet, Ramp, WalletHub) treat Cap One small-business cards, including Classic, as PG required.
Credit check	Hard pull on apply (commonly all three bureaus). Pre-approval advertised as no impact to personal score.	Pre-approval advertised as no impact to personal score. Submitted application treated by reviewers as a hard pull on personal credit (commonly all three bureaus). Official: application may be declined if you have a freeze with credit bureaus.
Employee cards	Free; custom spend limits; card lock; account-manager role (primary remains liable)	Free; add with name, DOB, phone; option to issue plastic or not; custom spend and cash limits, reset mid-cycle. Number allowed not disclosed. Primary account / guarantor remains responsible (Classic page does not spell joint and several).
Product type	Revolving business credit card (fixed credit line)	Revolving business credit card (balance may be carried; interest applies). Not a charge card. Contrast siblings: Spark Cash Plus and Venture X Business are pay-in-full / NPSL charge cards.

Pros & Cons

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

Spark 1% Classic

Pros

• $0 annual fee with no year-2 surprise
• Explicitly underwritten for fair personal credit — rare in the Spark/Ink/Amex Business set
• Unlimited 1% + 5% Capital One Business Travel hotels/cars; rewards do not expire while the account is open
• $0 foreign-transaction fee on a fair-credit product
• Free employee cards with spend limits, virtual numbers, QBO/Excel export, year-end summaries, and $0 fraud-liability language covering employee cards

Cons

• 28.99% variable purchase APR and no intro 0% — carrying a balance is expensive
• No welcome bonus
• 1% base lags Spark Cash Select (1.5%) and Spark Cash (2%)
• Balance transfers not available
• Likely reports full activity to personal credit — utilization risk

Verdict

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.

Spark 1% Classic

Spark Classic is a credit-access card, not a rewards engine and not a 0% working-capital tool. Do not confuse it with Spark Cash Select (1.5%, $750 bonus, 9-month 0%) or Spark Cash Plus (2% NPSL charge card). Do not copy Venture X or World Elite Spark insurance onto this SKU until Classic’s own Guide to Benefits is confirmed. If you can qualify for Select or Ink Unlimited, those are better earners. If you cannot, Classic is a reasonable builder — only if you pay in full.