Compare the Features and Benefits of Capital One Spark Cash Select Review and
United Gateway℠ Card

The Spark Cash Select credit card is ideal for small business owners that want a cash back card with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

It’s a very simple card. You won’t find transferable points nor a rich suite of card benefits here, but that’s the tradeoff to avoid any sort of annual fee. You still get free employee cards.

Small business owners earn 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases, plus 5% when you book hotels and rental cars through the Capital One Travel Portal.

If you also have a Capital One credit card that earns Capital One miles like a  Capital One Spark Miles for Business card, or a personal Venture X, Venture, or VentureOne credit card, you can transfer your cash from the Capital One Spark Cash Select to those cards, making them Capital One Miles – transferable to airline and hotel partners. $10 = 1,000 Miles.

Unlike the Spark Cash Plus, the Spark Cash Select will report to your personal credit profile.

The United Gateway card does a solid job of providing enough benefits to make you wonder if it will be sufficient, vs investing $150 or more on one of the other Chase United credit cards since this is the only one with no annual fee.

The answer will depend on you.

If you fly several times a year and check a bag each time, then you’ll come out ahead paying the $150 annual fee on the United℠ Explorer Card since you’ll get free checked bags (one for you and a companion on the same itinerary) every time you pay with your card on a domestic flight. You also won’t get priority boarding with the Gateway card. That said, this card gives you not one but TWO checked bags free after spending $10,000 in a calendar year – so if you always have two bags, this could actually be a better choice!

However, if you are on “Team Carry-On Only,” then this card provides many of the same benefits, including the benefit that gives you access to expanded Saver economy coach availability just like a United Silver Premier member. However, unlike all of the other United cards, you won’t be entitled to upgrades on award tickets.

Additionally, you won’t have any opportunities to earn PQPs from spending on this card whereas all the other United cards do offer that benefit.

Lastly, you might do better with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card if you aren’t using the checked bag benefit or the expanded award availability benefit. That’s because you’ll have more opportunities to earn points from spend on the Sapphire Preferred, and while you can transfer those points right over to United, you can also take advantage of all of the other Chase Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel transfer partners.

In the end, it depends on you if this is a good card for you, or if another similar card might be better.