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Our take: With the Capital One Spark Miles for Business, you’ll earn an unlimited 2x miles on your business expenses, including purchases on employee cards. Flexible redemption options help business owners maximize the value of their rewards, making this a set-it-and-forget business credit card.
Pros
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase
- Generous welcome bonus
- Free employee cards with customized spending limits and reporting
Cons
- Charges a $0 intro for the first year, $95 after
- Limited travel benefits or protections
- Business credit card reports on your personal credit report
Overview
Small business owners are focused on building their businesses and growing their bottom line. By using the Capital One Spark Miles for Business credit card to make purchases, they’ll earn an unlimited 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases. It’s an easy way to maximize rewards without the distraction of bonus categories or limited-time offers.
The card offers a generous welcome bonus and waives the annual fee during the first year. Although it has a $95 annual fee, employee cards can be added at no additional charge. Its rewards have flexible redemption options, including travel, statement credits, transfer partners and more.
Who is Capital One Spark Miles for Business good for?
The Capital One Spark Miles Card is ideal for business owners who want to maximize rewards on every purchase. This card earns a flat 2x miles on every purchase, so you don't miss out on extra rewards on purchases that don't fall within limited bonus categories. Plus, you can earn 5x miles when booking hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars through the Capital One travel portal. It also comes with free employee cards, which allow you to earn rewards on their purchases and track their expenses more easily.
This business rewards credit card is also a good choice for business owners who want flexibility when redeeming rewards. Capital One Spark miles have numerous redemption options, including statement credits, travel, gift cards and more. The miles can also be transferred to 15+ airline and hotel partners to book award travel through those loyalty programs.
Who shouldn’t get Capital One Spark Miles for Business?
Small business owners on a budget want to earn rewards but may balk at the Spark Miles card's annual fee, even if the fee is waived for the first year. There are numerous business credit cards that earn cash back, miles or points without an annual fee that reduces the value of rewards you earn each year.
While the Spark Miles card's rewards focus on travel, the card offers very few travel protections and benefits. Cardholders enjoy benefits when booking travel through Capital One, and there are no foreign transaction fees. However, the card doesn't include travel protections for delays, cancellation, interruption, lost bags or rental car damage.
Capital One Spark Miles for Business: How to earn rewards
Welcome bonus
As a new cardholder, you can earn a welcome bonus of 50,000 miles if you spend $4,500 in first 3 months.
Business purchases
Business owners using the Capital One Spark Miles credit card for their purchases earn 2x miles on every dollar they spend. There are no category bonuses to remember, nor do you have to activate any special promotions. While some business rewards cards offer higher bonus categories, they earn just 1x points on all non-bonus purchases, which is only half what you can earn with this card.
Rewards are unlimited, so businesses with larger expenses don't have to worry about hitting a cap on how much they can earn.
Employee purchases
When you add employee cards to your account, you'll earn 2X miles on their purchases as well. Unlike some business credit cards, there are no fees for adding employee cards to the Capital One Spark Miles card. This business credit card allows business owners to set individual spending limits and track purchases as they post to the account.
Capital One Travel
You'll earn 5X miles on eligible reservations booked through Capital One Travel. Hotel rooms and rental cars earn 5X miles, while flights and other travel reservations earn 2X miles.
How to redeem Capital One Spark Miles for Business miles
Spark Miles cardholders have several options available when redeeming rewards. The highest value tends to be travel, but rewards can also be redeemed for cash back, gift cards, online shopping and more.
Booking travel directly
Don't worry about blackout dates or other restrictions when using your Capital One Spark Miles card. Go to your preferred airline, hotel, rental car company or other travel vendor and use your card to pay for the trip. You'll have 90 days to use your Spark Miles to offset some or all of the cost at a value of 1 cent per mile.
Capital One Travel reservations
Cardholders can book travel through the Capital One Travel portal at a value of 1 cent per mile. Booking through Capital One Travel also unlocks additional benefits, like fare predictions, free price drop protection, lowest hotel guarantees, price matching and more.
Transfer miles to partners
Capital One partners with 15+ airlines and hotels so cardholders can transfer rewards to those loyalty programs. In most cases, miles transfer on a 1:1 basis, and all rewards transferred combine with your existing loyalty balances. This way, you can accelerate your path to earning enough rewards to book an award trip.
Occasionally, Capital One offers transfer bonuses, where you'll receive additional miles or points with participating programs. These promotions are available for a limited time, but it's generally recommended not to transfer your miles unless you have a reservation you want to book. Once you transfer miles to a partner, they cannot be transferred back to Capital One.
Keep in mind that Capital One's transfer partners do not include U.S.-based airline programs, so maximizing them will require a learning curve.
Cash back, gift cards and more
Cardholders can redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, online shopping and more. However, these redemption options tend to offer values lower than 1 cent per mile. If you don't have upcoming travel plans, they can be a good way to redeem rewards. Just understand that you're not getting the highest redemption value.
Additional benefits
In addition to earning miles on your purchases, the Capital One Spark Miles credit card includes other benefits that help to justify its annual fee. These benefits include:
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck reimbursement. The Trusted Traveler program expedites travelers through airport security at participating airports. Capital One reimburses cardholders up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.
- Virtual card numbers. Protect your credit card information when shopping online or over the phone with complimentary virtual card numbers.
- Download transaction history. Simplify record keeping by downloading your transaction history to import into your accounting software. Available formats include Quicken, Quickbooks and Excel.
- Recurring transactions list. Easily identify ongoing charges with a list of your recurring transactions.
- Lifestyle Collection benefits. When you book hotels through the Capital One Lifestyle Collection, you’ll receive premium benefits on every stay, such as a $50 experience credit, room upgrades and more.
- Extended warranty protection. Eligible purchases receive an extended warranty for up to one year.
Credit cards similar to Capital One Spark Miles for Business
The Capital One Spark Miles allows business owners to earn rewards on everyday business expenses, but the card's features and benefits don't match everyone's needs. Before applying for this card, consider other options that may be a better fit.
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card vs. Capital One Spark Miles for Business
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card from Chase is a rewards credit card that doesn’t charge an annual fee. It earns an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, and the rewards can be redeemed for cash back, statement credits, travel and more. Its welcome bonus of $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening is much larger than the Spark Miles, but it also requires a higher spending threshold, which may be challenging for some businesses.
New cardholders can also take advantage of a 0% introductory purchase APR for 12 months from account opening (after that, the variable APR will be 18.49%–24.49%), which is a benefit that the Spark Miles card doesn’t offer. The card also includes primary rental car coverage that isn’t available with the Spark Miles. Cardholders can also protect eligible purchases with an extended warranty and purchase protection.
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express vs. Capital One Spark Miles for Business
The The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is another no-annual-fee card that earns 2x rewards on purchases. However, its bonus points are limited to the first $50,000 you spend each year. After that, you’ll earn 1x points on every purchase. Employee cards can be added for free to earn rewards on their spending. These points have flexible redemption options, including travel, statement credits, online shopping and transfers to airline and hotel partners. You can also connect your account to Quickbooks to automatically have your charges tagged with your expense categories.
When you open an account, you’ll earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership. This lower spending requirement may be easier for some businesses to meet within the required timeframe. Additionally, Blue Business Plus offers 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 17.99%–25.99%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APR will not exceed 29.99%. The card also includes secondary rental car protection, purchase protection and extended warranty coverage on eligible purchases.
To view rates and fees of the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, see this page.
Is Capital One Spark Miles for Business right for you?
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business is an excellent rewards credit card for business owners. It offers unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, and free employee cards are included so you can earn rewards on their purchases. Cardholders have numerous redemption options, but the most valuable tend to be booking travel or transferring to airline and hotel partners.
While there are numerous benefits, the card’s annual fee and limited benefits may not meet the needs of some business owners. The annual fee offsets the value of its earnings potential, and you’ll need to spend almost $5,000 just to break even on the cost. While its rewards are focused on travel, the card doesn’t offer travel protections that you’d expect to receive, like trip delay, cancellation or interruption protection, baggage insurance and rental car coverage.
Frequently asked questions
How much are Capital One Spark Miles for Business worth?
The value of Spark Miles depends on how they're used, but the average value is 1.25 cents per mile based on our calculations. The highest value redemptions are booking travel, covering travel purchases or transferring miles to airline and hotel partners. Cash back, gift cards and online shopping tend to offer the lowest value.
How do I use my Capital One Spark Miles for Business?
Cardholders can redeem their miles through the Capital One website or mobile app. Simply log into your account and select your card, then choose how you want to redeem your miles. You can book travel, get statement credits, buy gift cards and more from the comfort of your home or while you're on the go.
How many Capital One Miles do I need for a flight?
The number of miles required to book a flight depends on how much the flight costs. When you book through Capital One Travel, your miles are worth 1 cent each, so a $300 flight would require 30,000 miles. You may be able to find a lower cost by pricing out how many miles are required if you transferred rewards to an airline partner and booked an award ticket.
Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
