Key takeaways
- The Capital One Spark Cash Plus and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card are among the top choices for business credit cards.
- The Spark Cash Plus is a charge card with a $150 annual fee, but the extra costs could pay off given the card’s high earning potential.
- The Amex Blue Business Cash doesn’t have an annual fee, but offers an introductory APR and the opportunity to earn an equally high rate of 2 percent cash back on eligible purchases of up to $50,000 per year (then 1 percent).
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card are among the top choices when it comes to business credit cards.
The Spark Cash Plus is a charge card, meaning you pay the balance off in full each month, while the Blue Business Cash is a traditional business credit card.
Both offer a neat slate of helpful perks for business owners. However, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus comes with some attractive features that give it a slight edge in this particular match-up.
Main details
| Capital One Spark Cash Plus | The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus |
|
|
| Annual bonus | Annual fee refund every year you spend at least $150,000 | None |
| Rewards rate |
|
|
| Intro APR offer | N/A | 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening |
| Variable APR | N/A | 17.49% – 27.49% Variable |
| Annual fee | $150 | No annual fee |
Capital One Spark Cash Plus vs. American Express Blue Business Cash highlights
Here’s a head-to-head breakdown of which card offers the best value across important credit card categories.
Welcome bonus winner
-
The Spark Cash Plus comes out as the clear welcome bonus winner since you can earn:
- $2,000 cash back once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months. Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year
This bonus can cover several year’s worth of annual fees for the card.
The Blue Business Cash only allows you to:
- Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.
That’s significantly less than what you could potentially earn with the Spark Cash Plus.
Annual fee winner
-
The Spark Cash Plus has a $150 annual fee.
The Amex Blue Business Cash, on the other hand, is a no-annual-fee business credit card, making it a low-risk option for new or growing businesses.
While you can receive a credit for the Spark Cash Plus’s annual fee each year if your business spends $150,000 within the year, smaller businesses may find this sum difficult to reach reliably.
If this Amex card is not quite right for you after trying it out, you can always transition to another Amex business credit card without worrying about the “sunk cost” of an annual fee.
Rewards rate winner
-
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus offers an unlimited 2 percent cash back on all purchases, whereas the Amex Blue Business Cash has an annual $50,000 cap on its 2 percent back rate. Once you spend more than that, you earn only 1 percent back.
Foreign transaction fee winner
-
The Amex Blue Business Cash card levies a 2.7 percent foreign transaction fee for international purchases, which means purchases abroad will eat directly into any rewards you might earn on the purchase.
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, making it ideal if you find yourself frequently traveling or doing business internationally.
Intro APR offer winner
-
If you’ve got a large business purchase on the horizon, the Amex Blue Business Cash could help you finance it over time. The card offers 0% on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening.
After that, you’re charged an ongoing APR of 17.49% – 27.49% Variable. This option is not available with the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card, as you’re required to pay off your statement balance in full each month.
Which card earns the most?
Capital One Spark Cash Plus vs. American Express Blue Business Cash spending example
If you don’t expect to spend more than $50,000 per year, both cards offer the same amount of cash back, assuming identical spending. But the Spark Cash Plus has the potential to offer more, thanks to the elevated welcome bonus and annual bonus.
Even at $50,000 in annual spending, the Spark Cash Plus wins out. Although you’ll need to factor in the annual fee, the card still has the potential to earn $600 more in rewards compared to the Amex Business Blue Cash due to the welcome offer.
| Capital One Spark Cash Plus | Amex Blue Business Cash | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual spending | $50,000 | $150,000 | $200,000 | $50,000 | $150,000 | $200,000 |
| Rewards amount | $1,000 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $2,500 |
| Welcome bonus | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $250 | $250 | $250 |
| Annual bonus | – | Annual fee reimbursement | Annual fee reimbursement | – | – | – |
| Annual fee | -$150 | -$0 | -$0 | – | – | – |
| Total | $2,850 | $5,150 | $6,150 | $1,250 | $2,250 | $2,750 |
The difference in rewards becomes more obvious as your spending increases, with the Capital One Spark earning a whopping $2,300 more than the Blue Business Cash once you get to $200,000 in annual spending. That $50,000 cap on 2 percent cash back with the Blue Business Cash really limits how much business owners can earn in comparison to the Spark Cash Plus.
But what happens after the first year, when there are no welcome bonuses? At the $50,000 level, the annual fee puts the Capital One Spark Plus Cash behind the Blue Business Cash in net rewards. But as the spending increases, the Spark Cash Plus wins out again.
| Capital One Spark Cash Plus | Amex Blue Business Cash | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual spending | $50,000 | $150,000 | $200,000 | $50,000 | $150,000 | $200,000 |
| Rewards amount | $1,000 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $2,500 |
| Welcome bonus | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Annual bonus | – | Annual fee reimbursement | Annual fee reimbursement | – | – | – |
| Annual fee | -$150 | -$0 | -$0 | – | – | – |
| Total | $850 | $3,150 | $4,150 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $2,500 |
Why should you get the Capital One Spark Cash Plus?
In addition to its generous welcome bonus, potential annual bonus, unlimited cash back and lack of foreign transaction fees, there are more features and benefits that make this card popular with business owners.
-
Capital One Spark Cash Plus benefits include account and business management features that can come in handy for businesses, including:
- Payment flexibility, where you choose a payment due date that works for you.
- A flexible credit limit that adapts to your needs.
- Record keeping, like year-end summary reports and purchase records to help with your business accounting.
- Free employee cards, plus customized access and spending limits.
- Fraud and security alerts for unusual account activity.
- Virtual card numbers that allow you to pay online without exposing your card number.
-
Another plus of this card is flexible redemption options. Capital One cards allow for access to the Capital One Travel portal, where you can redeem your rewards through the portal at a 1:1 ratio — or 1 cent per point.
Also, after your Capital One Spark rewards balance reaches a specific threshold — $25, $50, $200, $500 or $1,500 — or a selected yearly date, you can receive your rewards as:
- Statement credit
- Check
- Credit on prior purchases
- Gift cards
- Checkout payments through Amazon.com and PayPal
-
Bankrate recommends good to excellent credit, or a FICO credit score between 670 and 850, to increase your approval odds for this card.
Why should you get the American Express Blue Business Cash?
Whether this card is right for your business depends on whether you’re likely to spend more than $50,000 per year and your redemption option preferences. But for a no annual fee card, there’s still enough here for business owners who want a lower-risk entry into an Amex business credit card account.
-
In addition to its zero-interest offer on purchases, Amex Blue Business Cash Card benefits include:
- Standard Amex perks, like car rental coverage, extended warranty and purchase protection.
- Access to special deals and additional rewards through Amex Offers.
-
With the Blue Business Cash, you can only receive cash back as an automatic statement credit up to two billing cycles after the fact.
-
Similar to the Spark Cash Plus, good to excellent credit will increase your approval odds for this card.
The bottom line
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus and American Express Blue Business Cash are formidable contenders in the business credit card space, both offering rewards and flexible credit limits.
But the similarities stop there: If you plan to spend more than $50,000 each year, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus could give you the chance to earn even more rewards. Even with the $150 annual fee, the bells and whistles offered with the Spark Cash Plus can make it well worth it.
Still, if you’re just starting out and plan to spend under $50,000 annually, the Amex Blue Business Cash is a respectable no-fee option. Just don’t be surprised if you end up outgrowing it.
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