Capital One Spark Miles for Business credit card review
Editor’s Note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Overview of Capital One Spark Miles for Business
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business (see rates and fees) is a solid business credit card that offers double miles on everything as well as two lounge passes a year. Miles can be transferred to any of Capital One’s 18 airlines and hotels, and you’ll pay a low annual fee of $95 (waived for the first year). Tag Rating*:⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Tag ratings are based on the opinions of TPG editors and are not influenced by the card issuer.
My mother has owned and operated a small business as an accountant and tax preparer since I was a child. However, until recently, her small business – now grown to five employees – didn’t earn any points or miles on their business credit card.
They wanted one card for all their spending and opted in Capital One Spark Cash Plus (see rates and fees) – which earn cash back instead of miles – because they like the ease of earning cash.
But if your small business is travel-related — or you want to offer travel privileges to yourself or your employees using miles earned from business spending — Spark Cash has a sister card. em, Capital One Spark Miles for Business, will deliver even more value.
Here we cover what you need to know about Capital One Spark Miles for Business and how it can help your business, earning a flat fee of 2 miles for every dollar spent on all purchases.
Spark Miles For Business Welcome Offer
Spark Miles for Business Cards is currently offering a signup bonus of 50,000 bonus miles after spending $4,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
You can go crazy redeem your miles for a fixed value 1 cent per person, in which case the 50,000 miles bonus would be worth $500 in travel. But the valuation of TPG fixed the value of Capital One mile at 1.85 cents, which makes 50,000 miles worth about $925. You can get even more value depending on the transfer partner you use (bonus value is based on TPG valuation and not provided by the issuer).
Related: Step by Step: How to Complete the Capital One Business Credit Card Application
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Earn miles on Spark Miles For Business
The beauty of Spark Miles is its simple monetization structure. You’ll earn 2 miles per dollar spent with no annual cap, plus 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
factoring in our pricing is 1.85 cents per mile, this means you will get 3.7% return on daily purchases, a great return.
While it keeps things simple, having only one rewards category means there can be more reward options for some purchases. If a large portion of your credit card spending is concentrated in one category such as gas or stationery, other cards offer significantly higher returns. Consider having several business cards and using them for different types of expenses.
Related: These are the Capital One credit cards that earn transfer miles
Redeem miles on Spark Miles For Business
Capital One Yes 18 airline and hotel transfer partners to choose. Since this card earns 2 miles for every dollar spent, that is essentially the equivalent of 1-2 miles or points with an airline or hotel transfer partner for every dollar spent with the card.
You can take advantage of Capital One’s transfer partners in exchange, such as First class Lufthansa award seats between the US and Europe for 116,000 Capital One mile when booked through Avianca Life Miles. Among other transfer partners, Turkish Airlines miles and smiles program offers a surprising number of sweet spots that help enhance the value of your Capital One mile.
If you’re unsure how to transfer your Capital One miles and redeem them for award flights or hotel nights, check out these instructions:
While transferring your mileage will earn you the most money, if it’s simplicity you’re after, you can redeem your miles with a fixed value of 1 cent per person for travel purchases. You can use your mileage when booking new travel through Capital One, or you can use your mileage to clear any eligible travel purchases you’ve made with the card in the 90 days via.
Eligible travel purchases are not limited to flight and hotel bookings, but also include things like Uber rides and stay in Airbnb. And there is no minimum redemption amount as long as you are clearing the entire purchase.
Related: Redeem One Mile for maximum value
Spark Miles For Business Benefits
Spark Miles doesn’t offer as many perks and benefits as some of the more expensive business cards, but it does offer a surprising amount for a card with an annual fee of $95 (free for the first year).
A useful benefit is a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck registration fees every four years (up to $100). Both programs can make commuting easierand you just pay the subscription fee with your Spark Miles card. You can even use it for an employee if you want.
You will receive two items to Capital One Lounge every year you have the card.
When you purchase eligible items with your card, you will receive purchase protection for insured loss occurring within the first 90 days of purchase as well as extended warranty may extend the original manufacturer’s warranty on eligible items.
The Spark Miles Card also offers the following benefits that can be especially helpful for small businesses:
- No foreign transaction fees — Buy goods abroad at no extra cost just because you are abroad.
- Free employee card — Add employees as authorized users and set spending limits on their cards.
- easy accounting — Download your purchase records quickly and securely in multiple formats, including Quicken, Quickbooks, and Excel.
- Travel and emergency assistance services — A variety of emergency services, including legal or medical referrals and ticket replacement.
- Business and account management tools — Choose your own monthly due dates, set up Automatic Payments, and download itemized spending reports at the end of the year.
- Designate an employee as an account manager — The employee can then make purchases and payments, review transactions, and resolve any issues.
Related: 5 Little-Known Perks of Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Which card competes with Spark Miles For Business?
Since Capital One mile can be transfer to airline and hotel partnersSpark Miles are comparable to other cards earned transferable currency.
- If you like Amex: Blue Business® Plus credit card from American Express no annual fee (see rates and fees) and earn 2 points for every dollar of purchases. However, 2 points for every dollar earned is only for the first $50,000 spent each calendar year (you’ll earn one point for every dollar spent after that) and the card charges 2.7% for foreign transactions (see rates and fees). For more information, read our Blue Business Plus full review.
- If you like Chase: The closest competitor would be Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card. Cards earn 1.5% cash back on purchases, but you can convert these earnings into Ultimate Rewards points if you also have a premium Chase card. For more information, read our full review of Ink Business Unlimited.
- If you don’t want an annual fee: consider Capital One Spark Miles Choose for Business. This lightweight version of the card earns 1.5 miles per dollar on all spending, comes with a smaller sign-up bonus, and offers the same benefits, including no foreign transaction fees, but no annual fee. For more information, read our full review of Spark Miles Select.
Information about Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
For additional options, check out ours Full list of the best travel cards.
Related: Your Guide to the Chase Ink Business Credit Card
Is Spark Miles For Business Worth It?
If you’re looking for simplicity, the Spark Miles card can be a good card for all your business spending as the card earns two miles for every dollar spent on all purchases. But even if you already have one or more bonus miles cards in certain categories, the Spark Miles card can increase your earnings on purchases that aren’t in your current rewards categories. You’ll also get two free Capital One lounge access per year.
bottom line
Spark Miles offers a surprising amount for a card with such a low annual fee. If you’re a business owner looking for value-for-money returns and want a simple rate of return on an easy-to-understand card, then Spark Miles might be the card for you.
Official app link: Capital One Spark Miles for Business
For the Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Benefits Guide for details, where the terms and exclusions apply.
Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox and Stella Shon.
For Blue Business Plus Card prices and fees, please click This.