Costs & Pricing

Metric	Blue Business Cash® Card	Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Annual fee	$0 (no annual fee, ever)	$0
Employee card fee	$0 (up to 99 Employee Cards)	$0
Purchase APR	16.74%–28.49% variable (Prime + 9.99% to +21.74%; cap 29.99%)	16.74%–26.74% variable after intro (based on creditworthiness)
Intro APR (purchases)	0% for 12 months from account opening, then variable purchase APR	0% for 9 months, then 16.74%–26.74% variable
Foreign transaction fee	2.7% of each transaction after conversion to USD	$0
Late payment fee	Up to $39 (cannot exceed Minimum Payment Due)	Not disclosed on public product page (aggregators: up to $39; cash-back hub footnote mentions 2.99% — unresolved)

Rewards & Value

Metric	Blue Business Cash® Card	Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Base earn rate	2% cash back on first $50,000 eligible purchases per calendar year; 1% thereafter	Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase (no category restrictions)
Welcome bonus	$250 statement credit after $3,000 eligible purchases in first 3 months (standard public offer)	$750 cash after $6,000 purchases in first 3 months
Redemption value	Automatic statement credit — 1¢ per 1% of eligible spend (2% = 2¢ per $1 under cap)	Face-value cash (statement credit or check); any amount; does not expire while account is open
Transfer partners	None — cash back only, not a points bank	Cash itself does not transfer. If you also hold a Capital One miles card, cash can convert at 1¢ = 1 mile (widely documented; not on the Select product page).

Credit & Eligibility

Metric	Blue Business Cash® Card	Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Personal guarantee	Required — joint and several liability of Basic Card Member and Company (CMA)	Not quoted on product page; market practice = required for Capital One small-business revolving cards
Credit check	No personal-score impact to learn if approved; may impact personal credit if applicant accepts the card	Hard pull on apply (commonly all three bureaus). Pre-approval advertised as no impact to personal score.
Employee cards	Up to 99 Employee Cards, $0 AF; spend limits and merchant-type alerts	Free; custom spend limits; card lock; account-manager role (primary remains liable)
Product type	Revolving business credit card with stated credit limit and Expanded Buying Power	Revolving business credit card (fixed credit line)

Pros & Cons

Blue Business Cash® Card

Pros

• $0 annual fee on primary and up to 99 Employee Cards
• 2% automatic cash back on first $50,000 calendar-year eligible spend
• 12-month 0% intro APR on purchases
• Expanded Buying Power — no overlimit fee; rewards earn above limit if approved
• Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty included

Cons

• 2% earn ends at $50k; incremental spend drops to 1%
• 2.7% foreign transaction fee
• Joint-and-several personal liability of Basic Card Member
• Modest standard welcome bonus ($250 / $3k / 3 months) vs many competitors
• Over-limit balances due in full; missed Closing Date can trigger Penalty APR on entire balance

Spark 1.5% Cash Select

Pros

• $0 annual fee; unlimited 1.5% cash back with no category tracking
• Live $750 / $6,000 / 3-month welcome bonus
• 9-month 0% intro APR on purchases
• $0 foreign-transaction fee; free employee cards that earn the same rate
• Cash back never expires while the account is open; redeem any amount

Cons

• 1.5% trails 2% flats and category-heavy Ink/Amex products at scale
• 5% travel only inside Capital One Business Travel; no lounge/GE credits
• Balance transfers not available
• Revolving Spark cards commonly report to personal credit
• Excellent-credit bar; full Schumer (late fee, penalty APR) not on the public product page

Verdict

Blue Business Cash® Card

The Blue Business Cash Card is Amex's no-fee workhorse for modest spenders — 2% automatic cash back up to $50k, then 1%, paired with a 12-month 0% intro APR and Expanded Buying Power. It beats uncapped 1.5% cards on the first $50k but loses incremental dollars to Spark Cash Plus or Ink Unlimited above that cap. Best for domestic sole props and small firms who won't chase category bonuses or transfer partners.

Spark 1.5% Cash Select

Spark Cash Select is the clean no-fee 1.5% Capital One option — plus a $750 bonus and 9 months of 0% on purchases. It is not Spark Cash Plus (NPSL, $150) and not Classic (fair credit, 1%). Best as a simple daily driver or year-1 0% tool; once annual spend is high enough that a 2% flat or category card wins, move the volume.