Capital One Venture X Business Card vs. Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card [Detailed Comparison]

Your business is starting to grow and you’ve decided to secure a business card. But which one?

It’s not a trivial question to ask yourself — the right business card can be an important step to separate personal expenses from business expenses and simplify accounting at tax time.

Perhaps simplifying is an appropriate choice of words, as the business cards we’re comparing here fit that description.

The Capital One Venture X Business Card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One. and Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One. make earning rewards a simple process.

When it comes to redeeming those points for awards, you have flexibility in what you use them on and protections and benefits that add even more value.

Here’s what you need to know to decide if one of these Capital One business cards is a fit for your business.

* (Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.)

Overview

Before we dig into the details, let’s start with a quick overview of the Capital One Venture X Business card and the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card.

Here’s how the cards stack up side-by-side:

Welcome Offer Comparison

Welcome offers present unique opportunities that let you earn a large number of rewards following card approval.

Once approved for either the Capital One Venture X Business card or the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card, you can qualify for a welcome bonus after meeting the minimum spending requirements.

Welcome bonuses can vary on our featured cards, but they can be worth hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. You should always review all available offers before applying for any card.

These card snapshots contain the most current welcome offers:

Capital One Venture X Business Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Capital One Venture X Business card offers at least 2x miles on all purchases, and comes packed with premium perks.

Capital One Venture X Business Card

The Capital One Venture X Business card offers at least 2x miles on all purchases, and comes packed with premium perks.

Welcome Offer

Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening

150,000 miles

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$2,700

Annual Fee

$395

APR

All charges made on this account are due and payable in full when you receive your periodic statement. The minimum payment due is the New Balance as indicated on your statement.

Why We Like This Card

The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Business card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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The Capital One Venture X Business card is a great all-around premium rewards card that helps you rack up miles on all of your business expenses.

From 2x miles per dollar on all purchases, airport lounge access, an annual travel credit, complimentary employee cards, and more, there is plenty to love about the Capital One Venture X Business card.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per dollar on all other purchases

Cons

• $395 annual fee (rates and fees)
• 10x and 5x bonus categories are limited to Capital One Travel bookings

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
• This card has no preset spending limit, so you get purchasing power that adapts to your spending needs. The annual fee on this card is $395
• Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening
• Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Earn unlimited 10X miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get the best prices on thousands of options
• Every year, you’ll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Travel
• Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
• Skip the lines with up to a $120 statement credit on TSA PreCheck^® or Global Entry. Then enjoy unlimited complimentary access to Capital One Lounges and a network of 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Priority Pass™ and Plaza Premium Group lounges
• This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
• Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  

Financial Snapshot

• APR: All charges made on this account are due and payable in full when you receive your periodic statement. The minimum payment due is the New Balance as indicated on your statement.
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus card offers an unlimited 2% cash-back on all purchases and helpful features for business owners.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus card offers an unlimited 2% cash-back on all purchases and helpful features for business owners.

Welcome Offer

$2,000 cash back once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months. Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year.

Up to $4,000+

Annual Fee

$150

APR

N/A

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Excellent (740-850)

Why We Like This Card

The information regarding the Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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The Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card is great for business owners looking to improve their bottom line by earning 2% cash-back on all purchases without a high annual fee. Further, with no preset spending limit, the ability to get your $150 annual fee refunded every year you spend at least $150,000, and no-additional-fee employee cards, there is something that every business owner will love (rates & fees).

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Unlimited 2% cash-back on all purchases
• 5% cash-back on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• No preset spending limit

Cons

• $150 annual fee (rates & fees)

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months
• Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. You can earn this bonus multiple times over the course of year 1!
• Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
• Enjoy purchasing power that adapts to your business. The Spark Cash Plus card has no preset spending limit, so it can adapt to your needs based on your spending behavior, payment history, credit profile and other factors
• Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Empower your teams to make business purchases while you earn rewards from their transactions with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
• $150 annual fee – Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year
• Spark Cash Plus has no APR because your balance is due in full every month
• For businesses that need large spending capacity and want to maximize cash back

Financial Snapshot

• APR: N/A
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Earning Potential

Earning a welcome bonus is a sure way to jumpstart your rewards earning. You continue to earn rewards by spending on your card.

Here’s how your business would earn ongoing rewards with the Capital One Venture X Business card or the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card.

Spending on the Card

The earning structures on both of our featured cards appear to be similar. The better card for your business, however, will depend on your preference for either Capital One miles or cash.

Also, keep in mind that the Capital One Venture X Business card has a higher annual fee. Make sure your business will receive at least as much as the difference in added value each year.

Added value can come from additional earning potential, greater options at redemption time, or features and benefits. We’ll discuss all of those elements shortly.

Card Renewal Bonus

With the Capital One Venture X Business card, you receive 10,000 bonus miles each time you renew your card. The first bonus is triggered after your first card renewal.

Though the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card doesn’t have a renewal bonus, your card renewal fee will be refunded if you spend $150,000 on your card in a calendar year.

Earning rewards is an important factor to consider when selecting a business card, but there are others, as well. You also must consider how you’d prefer to redeem those rewards.

Let’s look next at the value of your rewards at redemption time.

Redemption Options

Earning rewards on the Capital One Venture X Business card and Capital One Spark Cash Plus card is a similar process for both cards, but you’ll see the real value of earned rewards at redemption time.

There are plenty of options with either card — but there are also key differences.

Here’s how redemption options compare between the 2 cards:

The Capital One Venture X Business card gives you the ability to transfer miles earned on it to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners and thus offers a better potential value for rewards.

On the other hand, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card has no option to transfer rewards earned on it directly to airline or hotel partners. If you have another Capital One miles-earning card, you can transfer the rewards to that card and then transfer to airline and hotel partners.

We value Capital One miles at about 1.8 cents each at redemption time. Redeeming cash-back generally has a face value of 1 cent for every reward cent earned.

Spending Example

If your business spends $150,000 each year in 2x miles-earning categories, you’d earn 300,000 Capital One miles on the Capital One Venture X Business card.

On the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card, you would earn 2% cash-back, or $3,000, for this same level of spending.

You could potentially redeem the 300,000 miles for approximately $5,400 worth of travel via Capital One transfer partners. Transferring miles to airline and hotel programs yields greater potential value by purchasing award flights or free hotel nights.

Alternatively, you could utilize the $3,000 cash-back earned on the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card to offset business expenses.

Both cards allow you to redeem rewards for 1 cent each toward a statement credit for previous travel purchases. Additionally, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card lets you redeem rewards for 1 cent each for any purchase.

Travel Benefits

Capital One Venture X Business Card

• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Fee Reimbursement: Use your card to pay for your application or renewal fee and receive reimbursement as a statement credit, up to $120, every 4 years
• Capital One Travel Credit: An annual $300 travel credit when purchasing travel via Capital One Travel.
• Worldwide Lounge Access: Access to over 1,400 Priority Pass lounges and lounge-alternative properties for you and 2 additional guests. Cardholders also receive complimentary access to Capital One Lounge and Plaza Premium Lounge locations with 2 complimentary guests per visit.
• Premier Collection and Lifestyle Collection Hotel Benefits: Book your stay via Capital One Travel and receive a room upgrade (when available), daily breakfast for 2, early check-in and/or late checkout (where available), and complimentary Wi-Fi. In addition, receive up to $100 in on-site credit.

Comparing Travel Protection and Insurance Cover

Travel protections are complimentary additions to the Capital One Venture X Business card and Capital One Spark Cash Plus card.

Protections can provide a monetary cushion if something should go wrong during your trip, and travel benefits can make your trip more comfortable or save you money.

Here are the protections and benefits with both cards:

• Rental Car Insurance — Use your card to rent an eligible vehicle and receive coverage for collision or theft of most rental cars
• Roadside Assistance — Take advantage of 24-hour toll-free dispatch to help with services like towing and fuel delivery

Shopping Protection Comparison

Shopping protections can come in handy if something goes wrong with an eligible purchase you made with your card or if there’s an unauthorized use of your card.

Here are the top shopping protections on both the Capital One Venture X Business card and the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card:

• Purchase Protection Assurance — Eligible purchases are covered for the first 90 days of purchase in the event of theft or damage
• Extended Warranty —- Extends the factory warranties of eligible items purchased with your card
• $0 Fraud Liability — Zero fraud liability for unauthorized charges

Note that we’re not including a comprehensive list of travel and shopping protections and benefits and that descriptions are abbreviated. You’ll find full descriptions and more information on terms and conditions in the guide to benefits for each card.

Fees and Authorized Users

Selecting the right business card includes considering the associated fees that come with membership.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

Neither card charges a foreign transaction fee.

Annual Fee

The Capital One Venture X Business card has an annual fee of $395. The Capital One Spark Cash Plus card has an annual fee of $150.

Adding Additional Users

Adding employee cards can help you manage business expenses by letting you set limits for employee purchases and view transactions as soon as they post. There is no additional fee to add authorized user employee cards to either of our featured cards.

Final Thoughts

While the earning structures on both the Capital One Venture X Business card and Capital One Spark Cash Plus card are similar, the Capital One Venture X Business card has the edge at redemption time.

Plus, the value of miles earned on the Capital One Venture X Business card can be greater, when redeemed for travel, than the value of cash-back earned on the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card.

The Capital One Venture X Business card does have a higher annual fee, but if you value lounge access at all and can use the $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, that difference is negated.

Finally, qualifying for the generous welcome bonus offers on either of our featured cards may require a high minimum spend. You should review those requirements and be sure your business can meet these expenditure levels before selecting either card.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa^® or Mastercard^® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.