Running a business is not easy. You have to take care of financial tasks such as budgeting, accounting, and tax preparation. And as a business owner, you don’t want to get a business credit card that’ll add more tasks to that list.
Fortunately, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business lets business owners earn a solid flat rate of 2x miles per dollar on all purchases. This card can give you the peace of mind that every dollar you spend is maximized without having to keep track of confusing rewards categories.
The Spark Miles business card earns miles, not cashback, giving you the flexibility to redeem your miles through Capital One or its transfer partners. Additionally, the card comes with several travel benefits, statement credits, and insurance.
Don’t worry, we’ll explain everything that you need to know in this Capital One Spark Miles business review, and eventually help you decide whether it’s the right card for you.
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- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x Miles On Every Purchase
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the First Year, $95 Thereafter
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
Welcome Bonus
The Spark Miles currently offers the following welcome bonus:
bonus_miles_full
Earning Miles
The Spark Miles has a simple earning structure of:
- 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere.
There is no limit to the miles you can earn, and the miles won’t expire for the life of the account.
Annual Fee
The Spark Miles has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $95 after that.
This allows you to try the card out risk-free to see if the extra points and benefits are worth the reasonable annual fee.
Spark Miles Card Benefits
The Capital One Spark Miles Credit Card for Business comes with several travel and business benefits that are worth hundreds of dollars in value. Have a look!
Global Entry & TSA PreCheck Statement Credit
This card offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit like many other travel cards.
TSA PreCheck is a membership program offering dedicated airport security lines and faster security screening (typically 5 minutes or less) at more than 200 airports across the United States and includes over 81 airlines.
Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck and expedited immigration upon arrival from an international trip back to the United States.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
This card has no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the U.S., which is helpful if you travel internationally to help you avoid paying a 3% fee on those international purchases.
Primary Rental Car Insurance
This card offers primary rental car insurance when you rent either (1) for business purposes in almost every country worldwide, (2) renting outside your country of residence for personal reasons, or (3) if you don’t have automobile collision insurance.
Primary rental car insurance covers any damage to a rental car when you pay for the rental using this card.
But you still need to maintain liability car insurance to cover damage to another person or property.
Extended Warranty
Credit card extended warranty protection adds up to an additional year of coverage for eligible purchases on manufacturer’s warranties up to 3 years.
Coverage matches the protection provided by the original warranty so that damage or defect would have to be covered by the original warranty for extended warranty coverage.
Purchase Protection
Purchase protection can save you a lot of money if you bought an eligible item that is damaged or stolen within 90-days.
For example, if accidentally dropped your new phone or laptop and broke the screen, you could file a claim to get it replaced if it was purchased within the last 90 days.
Account Management Tools
- Free Employee Cards – Add employees as authorized users for free. You can also set spending limits for each card to monitor their transactions.
- Easy Accounting – Monitor all of your transactions and download them in different formats such as Quicken, Quickbooks, and Excel.
- Account And Business Management Tools – Automate your payments, set alerts, and create detailed financial reports. You can even authorize an employee as an account manager.
How to Redeem Miles
The best thing about Capital One Miles is you can redeem them through the Capital One portal or transfer and redeem them through other loyalty programs. You have the flexibility on how you want to use your miles!
You can redeem them for a fixed rate of 1.0 cents per point for travel purchases or via the Capital One Travel Portal.
Travel purchases are broadly defined and include things like Airbnbs and Uber/Lyft.
Or you can get maximum value by transferring them to one of Capital One’s 18 transfer partners.
Most transfer partners have a transfer ratio of 1:1, such as Avianca LifeMiles, Air Canada Aeroplan, and British Airways Executive Club.
AeroMexico
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Air Canada (Aeroplan)
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Air France (Flying Blue)
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Avianca (LifeMiles)
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British Airways
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Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles)
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Emirates
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Etihad
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EVA
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Finnair
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Qantas
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Singapore (KrisFlyer)
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TAP Portugal
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Turkish Airlines
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Virgin Red
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Accor (2:1)
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Choice Hotels
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Wyndham Rewards
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Pros & Cons
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros:
- Annual fee is waived for the first year
- Simple rewards rate
- Statement credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Flexible redemption options
Cons:
- No bonus categories
- Some similar business cards have higher welcome bonuses
Alternatives to the Spark Miles
Now that you know about the pros and cons of this card and its benefits, it’s time to review the alternatives.
Or, if you are like me, who loves to maximize my rewards, here are other cards you should add to your wallet in addition to this card:
Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- 2 Points Per Dollar on the First $50,000 in Purchases Each Calendar Year (1x Points thereafter)
- 0.0% Intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months. After that, reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR. APRs will not exceed 29.99%
- No Annual Fee (rates & fees)
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (review) is one of my favorite cards because it has no annual fee and earns 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases every year. After that, you will earn 1 point on all other eligible purchases.
You can transfer Membership Rewards to 18 airlines and three hotel points programs, with several great sweet spots to travel in business class to anywhere in the world.
I put all of my everyday business spending on my Blue Business Plus because it is a quick way to rack up points for my next trip.
Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card
- Earn bonus_miles_full.
- 5% Back on Hotels and Rental Cars Booked Via Capital One Travel
- 2% Cash Back on All Purchases
- Extended Warranty & No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $150 Annual Fee
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus is great for businesses that spend a lot each year.
The card earns 2% cash back on all purchases and comes with no preset spending limit so that it can adapt to your needs based on your spending behavior, payment history, and credit profile.
The card also earns unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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- 3X Points on Travel, Shipping, Advertising (Social Media and Search Engines), Internet, Cable, and Phone on the First $150,000 Each Account Year
- 25% Additional Points Value in Travel Redemption
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
- Cell Phone Protection
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) is an excellent choice for business owners looking for a card that offers valuable rewards and benefits.
With this card, you’ll earn:
- 3 points per $1 spent on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines (up to $150,000 in combined purchases per account anniversary year).
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases, with no limit on the number of points you can earn.
Beyond the rewards, the Ink Business Preferred provides valuable benefits, including:
- Primary rental car insurance (when renting for business purposes).
- Cell phone protection (up to $600 per claim against theft or damage, with a maximum of three claims per year and a $100 deductible per claim).
- Purchase and extended warranty protection.
Is The Capital One Spark Miles Worth It?
The Spark Miles is obviously for business owners who don’t want to deal with complicated rewards categories and for those whose expenses are almost evenly spread out.
However, if most of your expenses are focused on a few specific categories, like gas and phone services, you’re better off with another card that earns higher points.
To choose the best credit card for your business, check which expenses you spend money on the most and look for a credit card that offers the highest rewards on these expenses.
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- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x Miles On Every Purchase
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the First Year, $95 Thereafter
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
For rates and fees of The Blue Business Plus® Credit Card from American Express, please click here.
