Spark 1.5% Cash Select

Rewards by category

Our take

The Spark 1.5% Cash Select is the no-annual-fee end of Capital One's Spark cash line. Every purchase earns an unlimited 1.5% cash back with no limits and no category restrictions, and the cash back has no expiration date for the life of the account. On top of that flat floor, hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel earn 5%.

Read the 5% carefully, because it is narrower than it looks. It applies only inside Capital One Business Travel — the same booking made straight with a hotel or a rental counter earns the flat 1.5%. Capital One names only hotels and rental cars, so cruises, vacation rentals and tours are not part of the 5%. And Capital One Business Travel is a different portal from the consumer Capital One Travel; the issuer's own footnote says rewards and benefits may vary between the two, so do not assume a rate you have seen on a personal Capital One card carries over.

The card charges no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, which makes it an easy card to leave in the wallet for overseas vendors and business trips. The current welcome offer is a one-time $750 cash bonus after $6,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. In a small business wallet this works as the floor: let the flat 1.5% catch the long tail, push hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Business Travel when the portal price is competitive, and add a category card wherever a rate beats 1.5 cents on the dollar.

The math

Run $250 a month of hotels through this card and you're earning about $150 a year at our conservative valuations. There's no annual fee to earn back — everything above the 1.5% base rate is pure upside.

Key benefits

• No foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside of the United States
• Cash back has no expiration dates for the life of the account

Common questions

Does Spark 1.5% Cash Select have an annual fee?

No — Spark 1.5% Cash Select has no annual fee.

What does Spark 1.5% Cash Select earn on hotels?

5% on hotels (book via capital one business travel).

What rewards does Spark 1.5% Cash Select earn on everything else?

1.5% on all other purchases, in Cash Back.

How do I actually earn the 5% cash back on the Spark 1.5% Cash Select?

You have to book through Capital One Business Travel, and the 5% covers hotels and rental cars only. Book the same hotel directly, or book a cruise, vacation rental or tour anywhere, and you earn the flat 1.5% instead. Note too that Capital One Business Travel is a separate portal from the consumer Capital One Travel, and Capital One says rewards and benefits may vary between them.

Does the Spark 1.5% Cash Select charge an annual fee or foreign transaction fees?

Neither. The annual fee is $0, and Capital One states you pay zero foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside of the United States. For a business paying overseas suppliers, that keeps the full 1.5% intact on international spend instead of handing part of it back as a surcharge. The purchase APR is 16.74%-22.74% variable, so the card only stays cheap if you pay in full.