Costs & Pricing

Metric	Spark 1.5% Cash Select	U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Annual fee	$0	$0 intro first year, then $95/year
Employee card fee	$0	$0
Purchase APR	16.74%–26.74% variable after intro (based on creditworthiness)	18.24%–25.24% variable (creditworthiness + Prime). Consistent 2026 aggregator tables — official Schumer box is application-gated, not a scanned PDF.
Intro APR (purchases)	0% for 9 months, then 16.74%–26.74% variable	Not offered
Foreign transaction fee	$0	$0
Late payment fee	Not disclosed on public product page (aggregators: up to $39; cash-back hub footnote mentions 2.99% — unresolved)	Up to $41 reported (WalletHub 28 Aug 2026)

Rewards & Value

Metric	Spark 1.5% Cash Select	U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Base earn rate	Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase (no category restrictions)	1 point per $1 eligible net purchase (1X)
Welcome bonus	$750 cash after $6,000 purchases in first 3 months	75,000 bonus points after $6,000 eligible net purchases on the Account Owner’s Card within 180 days (live official offer, 3 Sep 2026). About $750 only if redeemed at the official maximum 1¢ travel / USB-deposit path. Posts 1–2 billing cycles after qualifying.
Redemption value	Face-value cash (statement credit or check); any amount; does not expire while account is open	Official maximum applies to travel, Real-Time Rewards for travel purchases, and deposit into an eligible U.S. Bank account (treat as 1.0¢). Merchandise, gift cards, and statement credit may be worth less. Secondary: 0.8¢ cash if not depositing to a USB account (Doctor of Credit). Do not assume 1.0¢ on every path.
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).	No airline/hotel partners. Intra-USB only: to/from Business Altitude Power, personal Altitude Connect, personal Altitude Go — not Altitude Reserve. 20,000 points out and 20,000 in per calendar year. Both accounts in good standing. Transfers final.

Credit & Eligibility

Metric	Spark 1.5% Cash Select	U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Personal guarantee	Not quoted on product page; market practice = required for Capital One small-business revolving cards	Required in practice for U.S. Bank small-business cards. Official product page does not print the clause — confirm in Cardmember Agreement.
Credit check	Hard pull on apply (commonly all three bureaus). Pre-approval advertised as no impact to personal score.	Hard inquiry on the personal credit report (official benefits-center FAQ). SSN/ITIN collected. Beneficial owners ≥25% identity-verified; USB says that will not affect their credit.
Employee cards	Free; custom spend limits; card lock; account-manager role (primary remains liable)	$0 additional AF. Identity check only (issuer says no credit impact). Spend controls via Spend Management. Liability remains on the business account / guarantor.
Product type	Revolving business credit card (fixed credit line)	Revolving business credit card (preset limit; ExtendPay installment option on eligible purchases)

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

U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

Pros

• Live welcome bonus 75,000 points / $6,000 / 180 days on the owner card (official, Sep 2026)
• 4X on a wide travel definition plus gas/EV through $150,000 combined — broad for a sub-$100-AF business card
• $0 FTF and 4 Priority Pass visits after enrollment
• $0 employee-card AF and Spend Management controls
• Points can be pooled and moved (capped) to personal Altitude Go / Connect or Business Power

Cons

• $95 AF after year 1 with thin automatic credits
• No airline/hotel transfer partners; max value is issuer travel / USB deposit
• No 0% intro APR; employee spend excluded from the bonus hurdle
• Gas 4X excludes wholesale clubs and supercenters including Walmart/Target
• Public Schumer box is application-gated; insurance dollar caps are not in marketing copy

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.

U.S. Bank Business Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

Business Altitude Connect is the $95 (year-1 $0) travel sleeve — not consumer Altitude Connect (TSA credit, 0% intro, quarterly gas cap) and not Ink Preferred (transferable UR). 4X travel+gas to $150k plus 4 Priority Pass visits is the reason to pick it. Ads, shipping, Costco gas, and transferable-points collectors should skip it. Year 2 needs real 4X volume or the $95 fee loses to a $0 1.5–2% flat.