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Designed for average credit, the Capital One Spark Classic for Business isn’t flashy, but it’s a good option if you’d like a business credit card and can’t get approved for anything more rewarding. It only earns 1% cash back, which is typical at this credit level.
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The information related to Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business and American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card have been collected by Credit Card Insider and have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of these products.
We give the Capital One Spark Classic for Business 4 out of 5 Stars. Even though it’s not the most rewarding card, it’s balanced pretty well.
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The information related to Capital One Spark Classic for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Capital One offers five different credit cards in its Spark family of business cards. This is a review of its business card designed for fair or average credit, the Capital One Spark Classic for Business.
This is a pretty basic card, only offering 1% cash back for every purchase. But it has no annual fee, and comes with some standard business benefits.
You won’t be able to earn a ton of rewards with the Spark Classic. But it does report your activity to the business credit bureaus, so you can use it to improve your business credit. Some other “business” cards don’t do this, so it’s a nice feature to have.
Are you a small business owner with average personal credit? This card could present a good way to improve your business credit while getting a bit of cash back in the process.
While the rewards offered by this card are pretty meager, there’s no annual fee. So as long as you’re not carrying a balance or accruing other fees, you’ll be able to earn cash back practically for free.
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You can earn an unlimited amount of cash back, and it will not expire as long as your account is open. You may be able to transfer your rewards between Capital One cards. Contact customer support for your card to learn if you can.
This rewards program is very basic because this card is designed for average credit. See some other business cards below, with better rewards and features.
You can redeem the cash back you earn as a statement credit to reduce the balance of your account. Or you can have it mailed to you in the form of a check. The statement credit is usually the easiest way to redeem.
Capital One provides an automatic redemption system you can use if you’d like. This will automatically redeem your cash back rewards at either a set time every year or when it reaches a specified threshold.
There is also the option to redeem your cash back for certain purchases, gift cards, and other expenses. But these methods are subject to change and will not always grant the full value of 1 cent for every 1 cent you’ve earned. So, it’s usually best to just redeem for statement credits.
Purchase APR | Balance Transfer APR | Cash Advance APR |
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24.49% Variable | 24.49% Variable | 24.49% Variable |
Annual Fee | Foreign Transaction Fee |
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$0 | None |
Balance Transfer Fee | Cash Advance Fee |
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N/A | 3% of the amount of the cash advance, but not less than $10 |
Penalty APR | Late Fee | Returned Payment Fee |
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30.90% Variable | Up to $39 | None |
The Spark Classic, designed for average credit, doesn’t have an annual fee to worry about. But you will have a pretty high APR. If you pay off your card balance in full every month, however, you’ll be able to avoid having to pay any interest at all. And that will also be best for your credit.
You won’t be charged extra when making foreign transactions. That’s a nice feature to have on a Visa rewards credit card like this, because it will be accepted pretty much everywhere around the world.
If you have average credit, the Capital One Spark Classic for Business may be one of your only options if you want a business credit card (but remember you can also use personal credit cards for business spending, if you so choose).
As a card for average credit, you shouldn’t expect to get great rewards and flashy benefits. It only offers 1% back, but it’s better than nothing. You can hand out as many employee cards as you need to, earning rewards on all the spending. And there are some basic financial and account management features to help keep everything organized.
It’s a simple card, but if you want to improve your business credit while earning a bit of cash back too, this card provides a way. Capital One reports positive business card activity to more business credit bureaus than most other card issuers. So this and other Capital One business cards are good ways to build your business credit.
Check out some different Capital One business cards below, along with some other alternatives to the Spark Classic card.
You can follow the link below to apply now, securely on Capital One’s website. Capital One will check your personal credit history and perhaps your business’ credit history. The approval process can be instant or it may take a few days, and if approved you should get your card within 10 business days.
For the Capital One Spark Classic for Business, it’s recommended you have fair credit.
You’ll want scores within the ranges of 580–669 for FICO or 650–699 for VantageScore to be considered to have fair credit.
However, even if you don’t fall within those credit scores, you do still have a chance to get the card. Credit card issuers will weigh other factors when deciding, so people with lower scores still have a shot. Although that holds true for the reverse: Even if you have higher scores, you still might not make the cut.
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The information related to Capital One Spark Classic for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Yes, this card reports all of your activity (positive and negative) to three major business bureaus: Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Small Business Financial Exchange. That means it can help establish a positive credit history for your business. All card activity will also be reported to the consumer credit bureaus, a fairly rare feature that means you can also improve your personal credit with this card (or damage it).
Learn more about how different issuers report to the business credit bureaus.
The Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business (Review) is a bit like an upgraded version of the Spark Classic. It’s designed for people with excellent credit, rather than average.
You’ll get 0% APR for for 9 months for purchases with this card. That can be a nice way to help fund a business for a bit, letting you pay off large expenses over time at no interest before the 13.99% - 23.99% (Variable) APR kicks in.
The Spark Cash Select also comes at the Visa Signature level, which has some upgraded benefits. These include potentially cost-savings perks like the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection. When staying at participating properties, this provides room upgrades, complimentary breakfasts and in-room WiFi, and $25 in food and beverage credits.
Other than that, this card is pretty much like the Spark Classic. Capital One provides all the same business-related benefits for each card.
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The information related to Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card (Review) has no annual fee and features a flexible earning option.
You’ll have more earning potential with this card than the Spark Classic. The bonus categories you choose here will provide quite a bit more cash back on certain purchases. And every other purchase will get the 1% rate just like the Spark Classic.
The Business Advantage card also comes with a 0% introductory APR for 9 billing cycles for purchases, before the regular rate of 13.74% - 23.74% Variable APR. You won’t get anything like that with the Spark Classic, which has an APR on the high side.
There are some basic shopping and travel protections with the Business Advantage card. And there are also some tools to manage spending. But for the most part, the extra benefits are pretty similar between this and the Spark Classic.
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The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Review) provides solid rewards potential from multiple business-related categories, but requires better credit scores.
The Ink Business Cash presents a great opportunity to reap in the rewards, without costing you anything annually. There are $25,000 earning limits for the 5% and 2% categories, but even with those caps, your earning potential will far outperform what you would see from the Spark Classic. Following that limit, you’ll be reduced to the same 1% you’d earn with the Spark Classic.
There are some small differences in their benefits. You’ll be limited in the number of employee cards you can request, unlike the Spark Classic for Business. There are also the Shop through Chase and Chase Offers perks which provide rewards and discounts at a number of different retailers, and the Luxury Hotel and Resort benefit.
If you spend a lot in this card’s categories and don’t require more than 70 employee cards, this could be a pretty lucrative option.
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The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (Review) is a simple business card that offers a moderate reward rate.
Similar to the Spark Classic for Business, you’ll earn a flat rate for all of your purchases. However, it’s double the percentage, for the first $50,000 you spend per year. You’ll need higher credit scores, and you won’t get unlimited employee cards, but you will get 99 to give out.
There are a few finance tracking tools attached to help you monitor your spending, but other than that there’s not much to this card. The benefits are pretty minor and on-par with what the Spark Classic offers. It might be best used as a beginner card, but could lead to more rewards than you’d see with the Spark Classic.
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American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
The information related to American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
securely on the issuer's website
The information related to Capital One Spark Classic for Business has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
Do you use the Spark Classic for Business from Capital One? How do you like it, and how do you use it? Leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you!
For rates and fees of the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, please click here.
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