SwitchWize decision guide
A card with no annual fee can still cost you through fees on foreign purchases or a limit on the best reward rate. A card with a fee can still win if it pays more. Compare rewards minus fees at your own spending.
What you can expect
Quick answer
At $5,000 a month, American Express Blue Business Cash pays the most after fees, about $1,100 a year. Its 2% rate drops to 1% after $50,000 of spending. Above about $65,000 a year, Capital One Spark Cash Plus pays more. Spending abroad, bonus-category spending and your point value can change the answer.
See current business cardsIf blue business cash
Best at moderate spending with no annual fee. The 2% rate stops at $50,000 a year.
If ink unlimited
Simple 1.5% on everything with no fee. It pays less than the 2% cards at most spending levels.
If spark cash plus
Best when you spend a lot. The 2% rate has no limit, but the $150 fee needs $150,000 of purchases to be refunded.
If ink preferred
Can win when much of your spending is in its bonus categories, if you value points at about a cent or more.
Key number to watch
Above about $65,000 a year, Spark Cash Plus pays at least as much as Blue Business Cash. Fees on foreign purchases and bonus-category spending are left out of this test.
Test your situation
Change any number below to match your situation. No login is required. Saved decisions stay on this device, and signed-in users can revisit them across devices.
The total you would put on the card each month. Leave out purchases that do not earn rewards.
Travel, shipping, social media and search ads, and internet, cable and phone services. Chase decides which purchases count.
Purchases made outside the United States. Some cards charge an extra fee on these, called a foreign transaction fee.
One cent is a common assumption. Use what you can really get when you redeem points.
Your answer so far
American Express Blue Business Cash pays the most after fees at $60,000 of yearly spending, about $50 more than Capital One Spark Cash Plus. Before you apply, check whether you qualify, read the current terms, and be sure you can pay in full each month.
See the full breakdownAmerican Express Blue Business Cash pays the most after fees at $60,000 of yearly spending, about $50 more than Capital One Spark Cash Plus. Before you apply, check whether you qualify, read the current terms, and be sure you can pay in full each month.
Blue Business Cash
$1,100
rewards minus annual and foreign fees
$200 vs. baseline
Ink Unlimited
$900
rewards minus annual and foreign fees
your baseline
Spark Cash Plus
$1,050
rewards minus annual and foreign fees
$150 vs. baseline
Ink Preferred
$985
rewards minus annual and foreign fees
$85 vs. baseline
Try a scenario
What could change this
Above about $65,000 a year, Spark Cash Plus pays at least as much as Blue Business Cash. Fees on foreign purchases and bonus-category spending are left out of this test.
How certain: high
Ink Business Preferred needs each point to be worth about 1.106 cents to match the best other card at this spending.
How certain: scenario dependent
Check these assumptions
American Express Blue Business Cash pays the most after fees at $60,000 of yearly spending, about $50 more than Capital One Spark Cash Plus. Before you apply, check whether you qualify, read the current terms, and be sure you can pay in full each month.
American Express Blue Business Cash pays the most of the three cards with no categories to track, at this spending level.
You entered no foreign spending. Enter it to see which card costs least abroad.
American Express Blue Business Cash and Chase Ink Business Unlimited both charge no annual fee. Capital One refunds the Spark Cash Plus fee only at $150,000 of yearly purchases.
A card that pays 2% on everything, plus a bonus card for one category, can beat either card alone. It also means two cards to track.
Educational illustration only. The right amount depends on your needs and timing.
Question 1
Yes: A 2% card with no limit, such as Spark Cash Plus, pays more.
No: Blue Business Cash pays more and has no annual fee.
Question 2
Yes: Try Ink Preferred in the calculator, using a point value you can really get.
No: A flat card is simpler and usually pays enough.
Question 3
Yes: Count the fee on foreign purchases. Spark Cash Plus and Ink Preferred list none.
No: Foreign fees do not apply to you.
For each card the calculator applies the reward rate to your spending. The higher rate stops at the cap. Points are valued at the cents you enter. Then it subtracts the annual fee and any foreign fee. Rewards use the same math as other SwitchWize card guides.
Every rate, cap and fee starts at the number the issuer lists, as checked on the dates in the sources. Each one can be changed.
Card terms are checked every quarter and after any announced change. Editorial conclusions do not depend on affiliate availability.
2% on the first $50,000 a year, then 1%. No annual fee.
2.7% foreign fee. Late and returned payment fees up to $39.
1.5% cash back and no annual fee. The page does not state the foreign or late fee.
$95 fee. 3 points on the first $150,000 in set categories, then 1 point. No foreign transaction fees.
2% cash back, $150 fee refunded at $150,000 of net purchases, no foreign fees, 2.99% late fee.
Compare the annual fee, the foreign transaction fee (an extra charge on purchases made abroad) and the late payment fee. Also look at cash advance and balance transfer fees if you use them. Add employee-card charges if you have employee cards. Interest is separate, so leave it out if you pay in full each month.
In this calculator, American Express Blue Business Cash pays the most, about $1,100 a year after fees. That assumes $60,000 of spending a year, $24,000 in Ink Preferred bonus categories and one cent per point.
No. American Express lists 2.7% for Blue Business Cash. Capital One and Chase list none for Spark Cash Plus and Ink Preferred. Chase does not state a fee for Ink Unlimited on its product page. Check your card agreement.
When the extra rewards are worth more than the fee. Spark Cash Plus has a $150 fee and pays 2% with no cap. It pays more than Blue Business Cash above about $65,000 of yearly spending.
No. It pays 2% on the first $50,000 of purchases each year. After that it pays 1%. On $60,000 of spending, that is $1,100 in cash back, not $1,200.
Count it separately. A bonus helps in the first year only. Check the spending you must reach and the deadline. Do not spend more than you planned just to earn it.
Yes. The calculator counts rewards and fees, not interest. If you carry a balance, interest can cost more than the rewards you earn. Compare interest rates before you compare rewards.