Costs & Pricing

Metric	Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Annual fee	$95 (no first-year waiver published)	$0
Employee card fee	$0	$0
Purchase APR	17.74%–26.74% variable (Prime + 10.99% to +19.99%; max 29.99%)	16.74%–26.74% variable after intro (based on creditworthiness)
Intro APR (purchases)	Not offered	0% for 9 months, then 16.74%–26.74% variable
Foreign transaction fee	$0	$0
Late payment fee	$40	Not disclosed on public product page (aggregators: up to $39; cash-back hub footnote mentions 2.99% — unresolved)

Rewards & Value

Metric	Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Base earn rate	1 Ultimate Rewards point per $1 on all other purchases (uncapped)	Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase (no category restrictions)
Welcome bonus	100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after $8,000 purchases in first 3 months (posts 6–8 weeks after qualifying)	$750 cash after $6,000 purchases in first 3 months
Redemption value	1¢/point cash (RPA contractual floor); Chase Travel marketed at 1.25¢; transfers at partner ratios	Face-value cash (statement credit or check); any amount; does not expire while account is open
Transfer partners	Native transfers (airlines 1:1; IHG, Marriott, Wyndham 1:1). World of Hyatt 1:1 through 9/30/2026, then 4:3 from 10/01/2026 (1,000 UR → 750 Hyatt). Unlocks transfers for Ink Cash/Unlimited points moved onto this card.	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	Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Personal guarantee	Required — authorizing officer liable individually and jointly with the business for all balances	Not quoted on product page; market practice = required for Capital One small-business revolving cards
Credit check	Hard pull on the authorizing officer (standard Chase practice)	Hard pull on apply (commonly all three bureaus). Pre-approval advertised as no impact to personal score.
Employee cards	Free; number not capped in public copy; individual spend limits and real-time tracking	Free; custom spend limits; card lock; account-manager role (primary remains liable)
Product type	Revolving business credit card	Revolving business credit card (fixed credit line)

Pros & Cons

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Pros

• 100,000 UR / $8,000 / 3-month welcome bonus; authorized-user spend counts
• 3x on shipping, direct social/search ads, comms, and travel up to $150k per anniversary year
• Native Ultimate Rewards transfers; unlocks transfers for Ink Cash/Unlimited points
• $0 foreign-transaction fee and $0 employee cards
• Cell-phone protection plus purchase protection and primary business rental CDW

Cons

• $95 annual fee with no Global Entry, lounge, or travel statement credit
• No intro 0% APR — poor working-capital tool if a balance will be carried
• Personal guarantee + hard pull + unofficial 5/24 gate
• Advertising 3x is narrow (direct platform MCCs, not agencies); office supplies are not 3x
• Hyatt transfers drop to 4:3 on October 1, 2026; bonus likely unavailable if you ever held this card

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

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Ink Business Preferred is the transfer keystone of the Ink family — 3x on the spend categories many operators actually have, $0 FTF, and a 100k welcome bonus, all at $95. Pair it with Ink Cash or Unlimited if you want the rest of spend at cash-back rates with transferable points parked here. Skip it if you need 0% capital, no personal guarantee, lounges, or simple uncapped cash back.

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.