Costs & Pricing

Metric	Spark 1.5% Cash Select	Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards
Annual fee	$0	$0
Employee card fee	$0	$0 (no published cap on number)
Purchase APR	16.74%–26.74% variable after intro (based on creditworthiness)	16.74%–26.74% variable after intro (creditworthiness-based; Prime + margin not printed on marketing summary)
Intro APR (purchases)	0% for 9 months, then 16.74%–26.74% variable	0% for 7 billing cycles, then 16.74%–26.74% variable
Foreign transaction fee	$0	3%
Late payment fee	Not disclosed on public product page (aggregators: up to $39; cash-back hub footnote mentions 2.99% — unresolved)	Not disclosed on public product pages

Rewards & Value

Metric	Spark 1.5% Cash Select	Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards
Base earn rate	Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase (no category restrictions)	1% on all other Net Purchases (PRFB can lift to 1.25%/1.50%/1.75%)
Welcome bonus	$750 cash after $6,000 purchases in first 3 months	$500 cash rewards after at least $5,000 in purchases in the first 90 days (live public online offer, 3 Sep 2026)
Redemption value	Face-value cash (statement credit or check); any amount; does not expire while account is open	1¢ per 1% (cash is cash). No travel portal, no transfer partners.
Transfer partners	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).	None

Credit & Eligibility

Metric	Spark 1.5% Cash Select	Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards
Personal guarantee	Not quoted on product page; market practice = required for Capital One small-business revolving cards	Required in substance — cards are backed by personal credit; owner/authorized officer applies
Credit check	Hard pull on apply (commonly all three bureaus). Pre-approval advertised as no impact to personal score.	Hard personal pull on applying owner/authorized officer (treat as hard unless a prequalification tool says otherwise — none advertised)
Employee cards	Free; custom spend limits; card lock; account-manager role (primary remains liable)	Free; no published numeric cap; employee-transaction monitoring. Per-card sub-limits Unclear vs the separate CORP product.
Product type	Revolving business credit card (fixed credit line)	Revolving small-business credit card

Pros & Cons

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

Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards

Pros

• $0 annual fee and $0 employee-card fees
• Monthly-switchable 3% category plus 2% dining (first $50k combined); PRFB can take choice to 5.25%
• Live $500 / $5,000 / 90-day bonus and 0% purchase APR for 7 billing cycles
• Cash redeems to deposit, statement, or check; no expiration while open
• In good standing, issuer says the card stays off personal credit reports

Cons

• 3% foreign-transaction fee
• 3%/2% share one $50,000 calendar cap, then 1% (+ PRFB)
• Headline 'up to' rates require business checking and $20k–$100k combined balances
• Personal-credit underwriting and personal liability; not a no-PG startup card
• Intro APR is short and purchases-only; 5% BT fee with no 0% BT

Verdict

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.

Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards

Customized is the category SKU, not the flat 1.5% Unlimited card. It wins when gas, office supply, travel, telecom, computer services, or consulting plus dining stay under $50k combined. After the cap, or if you will not enroll in PRFB, Unlimited is usually simpler. Poor fit for foreign spend, ad-heavy businesses, or anyone who needs no personal guarantee.