Capital One Spark Cash Plus Credit Card Review

If you were to spend exactly $50,000 in the first six months, including the 2% cash back you earn as you spend — you will have earned $2,000 in total cash back. And the best part is that these credit card rewards are not taxable.

• 2% cash back on all eligible purchases
• No preset spending limit
• $200 annual cash bonus for each year you spend over $200,000
• Purchase records that integrate with popular accounting software like Quickbooks
• Free employee cards
• Extended warranty and protection
• Roadside assistance
• No foreign transaction fees

Select calculated how much cash back the average American can earn in a year when using their Capital One Spark Cash Plus. We worked with the location intelligence firm Esri, who provided us with a sample annual spending budget of $22,126.

The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953).

With all spending considered, this would give a cardholder $442 in cash back in the first year, and if you include the $1,000 welcome bonus, $1,442. Over a five year period, cardholders could earn $2768 in cash back, including the welcome offer. Cardholders could earn more (or less) cash back depending on their annual spending habits.

Redeeming Capital One cash back is extremely simple.

In your Capital One customer portal, you will see your accrued cash back, and you will be given two options to redeem it:

• Credit it directly to your credit card account
• Have a check mailed directly to you

You can redeem it at any time, and there is no minimum to redeem it.

The card has a $150 annual fee. It does not have any foreign transaction fees.

Select analyzed two other credit cards to see how they match up with one another.

The Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is an excellent choice for a business credit card as it earns up to 5% cash back using a tiered cash-back system. As you spend on the card, you will earn:

• 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year
• 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
• 1% cash back on all other qualifying purchases

In addition, the card comes with a more achievable welcome offer compared to the Capital One Spark Cash Plus: $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.

And if you need spending flexibility, you will have a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. After that, the card has a 13.24%–19.24% variable APR.

If you are deciding between these two cards, there are two factors to consider: the amount you’re spending and where you are spending.

If an established credit line is bothersome and you need flexibility to spend as needed, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus is likely the better of the two. If you feel that you can earn more cash back by taking advantage of the cash back categories, consider the Chase Ink Business Cash® card for your wallet.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus vs. Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is another great business credit card for earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points. So instead of filling your pocket with cash back, you can earn thousands of dollars worth of travel rewards with your business expenses.

As you spend on the card, you will earn:

• 3X points for every dollar spent on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in the following categories each account anniversary year — Shipping purchases, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines, Internet, cable and phone services and travel
• 1X points for every dollar spent on all other qualifying purchases

In addition, the card with a valuable welcome offer: 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening. That’s $1,250 toward travel rewards when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You’ll also be able to transfer Chase points to one of Chase’s hotel or airline partners, including United and Hyatt.

Similar to the comparison above, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus is best if you need spending flexibility and want cash back to use for your business. However, if you have travel a lot, you’ll likely enjoy the rewards earned from the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card more than cash back.

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus is a great option for a small business owner who is looking for a no-frills credit card to help save money on their expenses.

Earning a simple 2% cash back on all eligible purchases makes using the card quite simple, as there are no spending categories to remember or unique redemptions to keep track of.

However, this card is also great to create a credit card strategy around. For example, you could pair it with the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card to earn maximum cash back on specific categories, as well as multiple welcome offers.

To determine which credit cards offer the best value, Select analyzed 234 of the most popular credit cards available in the U.S. We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is for the consumer to redeem points.

CNBC Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri. The company’s data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here.

Esri’s data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.

Select used this budget to estimate how much the average consumer would save over the course of a year, two years and five years, assuming they would attempt to maximize their rewards potential by earning all welcome bonuses offered and using the card for all applicable purchases. All rewards total estimations are net the annual fee.

While the five-year estimates we’ve included are derived from a budget similar to the average American’s spending, you may earn a higher or lower return depending on your shopping habits.

Information about the Capital One Spark Cash Plus has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer prior to publication.