Capital One Spark Cash vs Amex Blue Business Cash 2026

Quick answer

Both cards pay 2% at first. Blue Business Cash drops to 1% after $50,000 a year but has no annual fee. Spark Cash keeps paying 2% with no cap but charges $95 after the first year. After the first year, Spark Cash earns more only if you spend about $59,500 or more on the card in a year.

What each issuer says

All figures were read on October 19 and 20, 2026. The Spark Cash figures come from Capital One's Spark Cash page, and the Blue Business Cash figures come from the text of Amex's card page. Terms change, so check them again before you apply.

Capital One Spark Cash. The Capital One Spark Cash page lists an annual fee of $0 for the first year and $95 after that. It pays unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, with no limits or category restrictions. It says you pay zero foreign transaction fees and lists a 24.74% variable purchase APR. Employee cards are described as free. The welcome offer is $1,000 cash back after you spend $10,000 in the first 3 months, and it may not be available to existing or previous Capital One business cardholders. The page does not say whether the balance must be paid in full.

Amex Blue Business Cash. The Amex card page lists an annual fee of $0. It pays 2% cash back on the first $50,000 of eligible purchases per calendar year and 1% after that, credited to your statement. It lists 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months, then a variable APR of 16.99% to 28.74%. The welcome offer is up to a $500 statement credit after $5,000 of purchases in 3 months, and offers vary. Employee cards earn cash back the same way. The page does not state a foreign transaction fee.

Fees and terms side by side

Which card earns more

The table shows yearly cash back after the annual fee. The first-year column treats Spark's fee as $0. The later-years column subtracts the $95 fee.

Here is the math for $80,000. Spark Cash earns 2% of $80,000, which is $1,600, and $1,505 after the $95 fee. Blue Business Cash earns 2% of the first $50,000, which is $1,000, plus 1% of the other $30,000, which is $300. That is $1,300 with no fee.

In Spark's first year the two tie up to $50,000, and Spark Cash earns more above that. In later years Blue Business Cash earns more until about $59,500, where 2% of spending minus $95 equals $500 plus 1% of spending. These are examples, not guarantees, and they leave out welcome offers and any interest.

Where Capital One Spark Cash wins

• You spend well above $50,000 a year on the card, so the 2% with no cap pays off.
• You want a stated zero foreign transaction fee.
• The larger welcome offer matters to you, and you are likely to qualify for it.

Where Amex Blue Business Cash wins

• You spend less than about $59,500 a year on the card.
• You want no annual fee in any year.
• You may finance a purchase in the first year and want the 0% intro APR.

How to choose between them

1. Estimate your yearly card spending.
2. Pick the row in the table closest to it.
3. Check whether you will spend abroad, and read Amex's Rates and Fees page for its foreign fee.
4. Decide whether the 0% intro APR or the larger Spark welcome offer matters more to you.

For another comparison with a card that pays bonus points, see Amex Blue Business Cash vs Chase Ink Business Preferred. To run your own numbers, try the business card fees vs rewards calculator.

Methodology

Reviewed October 19 and 20, 2026: the Capital One Spark Cash page and the Amex Blue Business Cash card page, linked above. The examples use only the stated rates, caps and fees, and leave out welcome offers. Terms an issuer's page does not state are marked as not stated, not guessed. Refresh by November 19, 2026, sooner if either issuer changes terms.

This is educational information, not personalized financial advice.

Sources

• CFPB: Credit cards explains how to compare credit card terms, rewards structures, and fees.