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Capital One Spark Miles for Business Review 2024

Author Deepti Nickam
A close-up of a customer giving a credit card to the salesperson.

I reviewed the Capital One Spark Cash Select Card recently—an excellent pick if you’re looking for flat-rate rewards for your business purchases.

But if your business involves extensive travel (conferences, client meetings, trade shows, and all)—you may be better off with Spark Cash’s sister credit card—the card_name.

Rack up 2 miles for every buck you spend. There’s also no need to stress about bonus categories or hitting limits. Plus, you have zero blackout dates, no travel restrictions, and the option to shoot your miles over to Capital One’s travel partners.

Of course, there are some limitations to this card’s features, which I’ll deep-dive into in this review. Stick around for all the nitty-gritty details.

This article will include:

  • The pros and cons of using Capital One Spark Miles for Business.
  • How it compares to other Capital One business cards.
  • Tips to maximize the miles you’ll make on this card.

Read more:

 

Our Verdict

4.4
Welcome Bonus
N/A (can't find this in QMP)
Annual Fee
annual_fees
Regular APR
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Credit Score
credit_score_needed

 

Capital One Spark Miles for Business: On FIRE Score

Annual Fee annual_fees 5/5
APR  reg_apr,reg_apr_type 3/5
Intro Offer  bonus_miles_full 4/5
Maximum Rewards Earn 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. 5/5
Everyday Rewards Earn unlimited 2x miles on every purchase for your business. 5/5
On FIRE Score 4.4/5

 

What is the Capital One Spark Miles for Business Card?

 

If you’re a frequent business traveler, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business Card could be your go-to choice. With a reasonable $95 annual fee (waived in the first year), this card gives you double miles on all business purchases. Plus, you get two lounge passes every year to enhance your travel experience.

 

I've got my 2 acres of non-leveraged, crop-producing, cashflowing farmland via AcreTrader. Get yours.

 

But what truly makes this card stand out is its flexibility in redeeming miles, which are easily transferable to Capital One’s 18 airline and hotel partners. And here’s a plus—currently, Capital One is running a sign-up offer of 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,500 in the first three months.

Now the annual fee in year two can be a disappointment. But if you maximize the miles on this card, you’ll see that it can easily offset the $95 fee (I’ve outlined this in detail further below.)

 

How Does the Capital One Spark Miles for Business Card Work?

 

Here’s a detailed breakdown of how this Capital One business card works:

 

Sign-up bonus and valuation

As I mentioned, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business Card currently runs an enticing sign-up offer of 50,000 bonus miles. Based on the average one-cent per mile conversion rate, this bonus adds up to $500 toward travel. 

But that’s just the average—these miles can add up to much more based on how you use them. In fact, The Points Guy (TPG) values Capital One Miles at 1.85 cents each, making the bonus potentially worth around $925.

How to get Capital One Spark Miles

The beauty of the Spark Miles Card lies in its straightforward earning structure. For every dollar spent, you earn two miles with no annual cap.

Plus, you can boost your earnings to five miles per dollar when booking hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel.

Keep in mind that these straightforward rewards can be a blessing or a curse—depending on your business spending habits. If you’re spending isn’t diversified and concentrated in a few categories, you’re better off with another card.

How to use Capital One Spark Miles

Flexibility is the name of the game with Spark Miles. This card hooks you up with Capital One’s 18 airline and hotel partners to transfer your points. Depending on redemption values, you’re pocketing 1–2 miles or points with these partners for every dollar using your Spark Miles Card.

Now, the fun part—shifting your miles to partners like Avianca LifeMiles or Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles can score you some serious perks. For instance, you can swap your Capital One Miles for a swanky Lufthansa first-class ticket from the US to Europe.

If you’re more of a keep-it-simple traveler, cash in your miles at a flat rate of 1 cent each. Use them for flights, hotels, or even Uber rides and Airbnb stays. Plus, there’s no need to stress about a minimum redemption amount as long as you’re erasing an entire purchase made within the last 90 days.

Get more rewards with the best cash-back credit cards.

 

Capital One Spark Miles Details

  • For a limited time, earn up to a $3,000 cash bonus: $1,500 once you spend $20,000 in the first 3 months, and an additional $1,500 once you spend $100,000 in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere with no limits or category restrictions
  • This card has no preset spending limit, so you get purchasing power that adapts to your spending needs
  • Get your $150 annual fee refunded every year you spend at least $150,000
  • Rewards won’t expire for the life of the account, and you can redeem your cash back for any amount
  • Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
  • $150 annual fee
  • Spark Cash Plus has no APR because your balance is due in full every month

Capital One benefits for business travel

There’s more in store for businesses who can book travel with this card through Capital One Travel.

Apart from higher rewards on spending, you benefit from Capital One’s price protection policies on travel that will reimburse you up to $50 in travel credit if the price drops after you book.

 

Capital One Spark Miles for Business Fees

 

Details Metric
Annual fee annual_fees
Sign-up bonus bonus_miles_full
Intro APR intro_apr_rate,intro_apr_duration
Purchase APR reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Balance transfer APR balance_transfer_rate
Cash advance fee cash_advance_fee
Balance transfer fee balance_transfer_fees
Foreign transaction fee foreign_transaction_fee
Late fee late_payment_fee

Capital One Spark Card for Business: Pros and Cons

 

Here’s a glance at all the pros and cons of getting this Capital One business credit card:

Pros

  • Generous 2x flat-rate rewards.
  • Flexible redemption options.
  • A big initial bonus of 50,000 miles.
  • Travel benefits like Global Entry and TSA credits and lounge access.
  • Business benefits, including free employee cards and purchase protection.

Cons

  • $95 annual fee in your second year.
  • No travel protections.
  • High APR.
  • No 0% APR period.

Why I like it

Simple and generous rewards

Spark Miles keeps things simple with a flat rewards rate—double miles on everything. This makes it perfect for businesses with diverse expenses that may not neatly fall into typical bonus categories.

Plus, if you use it for working capital, your earnings can skyrocket. Put $10,000 a month into inventory purchases, and by year-end, you’ll have 240,000 miles—equivalent to $2,400 in travel.

Flexibility in redemption

Experience great flexibility in redeeming your miles. You can use them for any airline, hotel, or vacation package purchase at a straightforward rate of a cent per mile.

The best part? You won’t deal with any blackout dates or restrictions on when or how you travel. Plus, you can transfer miles to over a dozen travel partners, which can be particularly handy for international journeys.

Keep in mind that the transfer ratio may vary and isn’t always 1:1.

Big initial bonus

The Capital One Spark Miles for Business Card offers an impressive 50,000 miles (equivalent to $500 in travel) when you spend $4,500 within the first three months of opening your account.

To put this into perspective, the average card with an initial rewards bonus typically offers 30,719 points or miles.

 

Travel benefits

The Miles Card offers a range of travel perks that make your journeys smoother, including a statement credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four years (up to $100).

Your Spark Miles card grants you two entries to Capital One Lounges each year. Plus, there’s a $0 foreign transaction fee, so you can also say goodbye to the average 3% fee you’d pay on overseas purchases.

Looking for more travel perks? Check out the top travel cards with cash back.

Capital One Business Rewards

The Spark Miles card provides substantial business benefits. Here’s a quick look:

  • Purchase protection: Safeguard your purchases with coverage for losses within the first 90 days.
  • Extended warranties: Enjoy extended warranty protection for eligible items.
  • Free employee cards: Small businesses can benefit from free employee cards with customizable spending limits.
  • Accounting features: Easily manage your finances with accounting features compatible with Quicken, Quickbooks, and Excel.
  • Travel and emergency assistance: Access services for legal or medical referrals and ticket replacements.
  • Efficient account management: Streamline account management with customizable monthly due dates, AutoPay, and downloadable year-end spending reports.
  • Designated account manager: Designate an employee as an account manager for simplified purchases, payments, transaction reviews, and issue resolution.

Explore the best business credit cards for more work-related rewards.

 

Why you may want a different card

 

Our Verdict

4.4
Welcome Bonus
N/A (can't find this in QMP)
Annual Fee
annual_fees
Regular APR
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Credit Score
credit_score_needed

 

There’s an annual fee

Hesitant about the annual fee?

Here’s my take: This card makes it worthwhile with a solid 2% rewards rate on most purchases. If you spend around $4,750 annually, you’ve covered the cost of the fee.

But if an annual fee doesn’t sit well with you, check out the fee-free “Select” version—the card_name. It earns a slightly lower 1.5 miles on all purchases, but the annual fee is $0.

Wondering when the scales tip? If your yearly spending exceeds $19,000, the 2x rewards rate will outshine the 1.5x rate, even factoring in the annual fee on the Capital One Spark Miles for Business.

You can also consider card_name for a different approach. It offers 2% cash back on eligible purchases, up to $50,000 annually (1% thereafter), and comes with no annual fee.

No travel protections

The Capital One Spark Miles card, although a travel rewards powerhouse, lacks common travel protections found in other business travel cards. 

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Think trip cancellation, trip interruption, and lost baggage—all usually bundled with competing cards at no extra cost.

Utilizing these perks can be a smart way for business travelers to save, eliminating the need for separate travel insurance policies.

High APR

The Capital One Spark Miles for Business Card has an APR above the average for those with good credit and significantly higher for those with excellent credit. 

Issuers can increase rates on existing balances, so you don’t want to carry a balance from month to month with the Spark Miles Card.

There’s no 0% intro APR period

If you plan to finance business purchases upfront, look elsewhere.

card_name, for instance, provides a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months.

 

How to Maximize Capital One Spark Miles

 

The first thing you’ll want to check off of your list is the $4,500 minimum spending requirement within three months to qualify for the 50,000 bonus miles.

Next, you’ll want to book your hotel and car rentals through the Capital One Travel portal. This will give you five miles for every dollar you spend.

Here’s a hypothetical breakdown of the miles you can earn using the Spark Miles Card:

Spending category Spending amount per year Miles per dollar spent Miles earned
Hotels booked through Capital One $1000 5 miles 5,000 miles
Rental cars booked through Capital One $800 5 miles 4,000 miles
Other $22,000 2 miles 44,000 miles
TOTAL $23,800 53,000 miles

Transfer Spark Miles to loyalty partners

We’ve covered the basics—and the basics are good. But if you want to milk your miles, you’ll have to play the points game. The best way to get started is to convert your Spark Miles to airline miles in a variety of programs.

A majority of transfers are at a 1:1 ratio, giving you incredible flexibility.

Here’s a list of the current Capital One Spark Miles transfer partners:

Airline partners Hotel partners
Aeromexico Club Premier Accor Live Limitless (ALL)
Air Canada Aeroplan Choice Privileges
Air France-KLM Flying Blue Wyndham Rewards
Avianca LifeMiles
British Airways Executive Club
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Guest
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
Finnair Plus
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Virgin Red (parent of Virgin Atlantic)

Capital One sometimes throws in extra transfer bonuses, making the transfer ratio even sweeter.

When it comes to redeeming Spark Miles for airfare, you’ll maximize their worth, particularly for international first and business-class tickets, by transferring miles to an airline partner.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to redeem Spark Miles for economy airfare, especially when it’s reasonably priced, your best bet is to use them at one cent each to offset the cost of your purchase.

Combining Capital One Miles

The Capital One Spark Miles and card_name both let you earn miles, and you can cash them in at one cent each for a travel buy or transfer them to an airline or hotel partner.

Even though they’re branded as “Venture Miles” and “Spark Miles”, they pretty much work the same in real-life situations.

The cool part? You can pool the miles from both cards, giving your mileage account a nice boost from both personal and business spending. Plus, you’ve got the option to share your miles with others, making these points super flexible.

Learn more about how to score cheap flights.

Best Credit Cards to Pair With the Capital One Spark Miles for Business Card

 

Combining the Capital One Spark Miles Card with a co-branded airline credit card is a smart move to enhance your business travel advantages and compensate for the Spark Miles’ modest flight bonus rewards.

It also comes with features like a free first-checked bag for both you and a companion, two annual complimentary United Club lounge passes, and a generous welcome offer.

You could also pair the Spark Miles card with a cash back business card that would earn rewards for your biggest business expenses outside of travel.

For instance, the card_name offers 3 points per $1 on travel and select business categories (up to $150,000 annually) and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. The high-earning categories include shipping, internet services, and advertising.

Capital One Spark Miles Card Useful Links

 

 

Capital One Spark Miles for Business Reviews

 

These customer reviews will give you a better insight into this Spark business credit card:

“My Capital One Sparks card does everything I need it to do. My business charges go through effortlessly, even when being used at different locations around the US and Europe. My favorite aspect of the Sparks card is the flexibility I have with my points. The app is also very easy to use and covers everything from reviewing charges, applying points, making payments, disputing charges to much more.”

“I took this card for its huge bonus points. I have high expenses for my business, so the large spending requirement suited my needs. I accumulated 300,000+ points and the card performed exactly as advertised.”

“This is an okay card. I hardly use it though because it reports to my personal credit score. This punishes a person who is trying to keep their personal and business expenses separate.”

 

Is the Capital One Spark Miles for Business Card Good for Me?

 

If you’re still mulling over whether the Capital One Spark Miles for Business Card is for you, here’s a quick checklist.

Go for this card, if you:

  • Will spend over $4,500 in the first three months to earn the 50,000 bonus miles.
  • Find yourself jet-setting around for work quite a bit.
  • Don’t care for a 0% introductory APR.

On the contrary, if your business spends are mainly locked into specific categories, other cards may offer more bullseye rewards. Plus, if you’re more into cold, hard cash back rather than racking up travel miles, the Spark Miles Card isn’t for you.

Apply for the Capital One Spark Miles for Business Card here.

 

FAQ

How much are Spark points worth?

Capital One Spark Miles are worth one cent per mile when you redeem them for travel or use them to cover eligible travel purchases. However, other redemption options, like cash back or gift cards, may provide lower value.

When you transfer miles to airline and hotel partners, you may get a much higher value, depending on the specific redemption.

But TPG’s valuations peg the value of Capital One Miles at 1.85 cents, which makes 50,000 miles worth about $925.

What does 100,000 Capital One Miles get you?

If you’ve got 100,000 Capital One miles, you’ve hit the jackpot for unlocking a world of travel and financial perks. Here’s the lowdown on maximizing your miles:

Flexible Redemption:

  • Capital One Travel: Score about $1,000 for travel bookings.
  • Amazon.com: Trade them for $1,000 on Amazon.
  • PayPal: Convert for around $800 cash.
  • Gift cards: Get $500 to $1,000 in value.
  • Cash back: Pocket around $500 in cash.

Travel Adventures:

  • Avianca Lifemiles: Transfer 116,000 miles for a luxe Lufthansa first-class flight to Europe, worth over $5,000.
  • Air Canada Aeroplan: Shift 17,000 miles for a US one-way flight on United.
  • Flying Blue: Transfer 24,000 miles to Flying Blue for a one-way coach flight to Hawaii on Delta.
  • Etihad: Enjoy unique experiences with 17,000 miles for domestic coach flights or go big with 74,000 miles for American Airlines’ flagship business class to Asia.
  • Emirates: Invest 80,000 miles with Qantas for a round-trip from the Eastern US to Dubai, a steal for a top-notch flight.

On which airlines can I use my Capital One Spark Miles?

 

You can transfer your miles to 15 different airline partners, including Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Air France-KLM.

Check out the full list of Capital One transfer partners here.

 

Do Capital One Spark Miles expire?

No, Capital One Spark Miles won’t expire as long as your account remains open.

Our Methodology

 

Our credit card reviews aim to provide a comprehensive assessment of both quantitative and qualitative factors. The quantitative analysis focuses on the financial costs and benefits associated with each card, including interest rates, fees, rewards programs, cash back offers, and other monetary perks. However, we also consider qualitative aspects that impact the everyday use and value of the card. These include the simplicity of the application process, the structure of the rewards program, the likelihood of utilizing certain card features, and the suitability of the card for frequent or infrequent use. Our On FIRE rating system allows for quick comparisons between cards within a particular category. When choosing a new credit card, consumers should weigh the quantitative dollar amounts along with qualitative ease-of-use factors to select the best overall option for their needs.

 



 

Terms and Restrictions Apply
Physician on FIRE has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Physician on FIRE and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. POF does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Credit Card Providers determine the underwriting criteria necessary for approval, you should review each Provider's terms and conditions to determine which card works for you and your personal financial situation.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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