Capital One Spark Miles Review: Rewards That Are Easy to Earn, Redeem

Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on most everything, with no bonus categories, no limits on how much you can earn and no blackout dates or restrictions on when or how you travel. You can also transfer miles to travel partners.
Paul Soucy
Kimberly Palmer
By Kimberly Palmer and  Paul Soucy 
Edited by Kenley Young

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Our Take

4.8

NerdWallet rating 
The bottom line:

A great option for small-business operators who prize simplicity in a travel rewards program, or whose spending doesn't fit neatly into the bonus categories of other travel cards.

Jump to: Full review
Capital One Spark Miles Credit Card
Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95
Regular APR
26.24% Variable APR
Intro APR
N/A
Rec. credit score
690-850 (Good - Excellent)
Apply now

on Capital One's website

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • High rewards rate

  • No minimum redemption amount

Cons

  • Has annual fee

  • No Intro APR period

  • High APR

Alternate Pick: 2% back up to a cap, no annual fee
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
NerdWallet rating 
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
0% intro APR period, too

The $0-annual-fee The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card offers 2% cash back on eligible purchases on up to $50,000 in spending per year (1% back after that). Terms apply. It also offers an intro 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%-26.49% Variable APR. The annual fee is $0. Terms apply.

Read our review

Compare to Other Cards

NerdWallet rating 
NerdWallet rating 
Annual fee

$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Annual fee

$95

Regular APR

26.24% Variable APR

Regular APR

21.24%-26.24% Variable APR

Intro APR

N/A

Intro APR

N/A

Recommended Credit Score
Recommended Credit Score
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Full Review

For business owners who travel frequently, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business is a simple but valuable choice.

You'll earn double miles on your purchases, and that rate increases for hotel and rental car bookings made via Capital One Travel. Those miles are easy to redeem, too. You can use them toward various kinds of travel purchases — flights, hotels, vacation packages and more — or you can opt to transfer your miles to more than a dozen travel partners.

The card also comes with useful perks, including a Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit.

There is an annual fee, however. And if it's cash back you're interested in, you'll want to look elsewhere.

Key features of the Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Card type: Small business.

Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95.

Sign-up bonus: Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

Ongoing rewards: Earn double miles on every purchase.

Redemption options:

Miles are worth a penny apiece when you:

  • Use Capital One's travel portal to book travel.

  • Book travel with your card elsewhere, then use your miles to get reimbursed via a statement credit against your travel purchase. Unlike the points or miles in programs tied to a specific airline or hotel chain, these rewards allow you to book how you want, with no blackout dates or exclusions. You can redeem miles for all or just part of a travel expense within 90 days of it posting to your account.

You can also transfer miles to one of more than a dozen airline and hotel programs, but not always at a 1:1 ratio. (More on that below.)

🤓Nerdy Tip

You can redeem miles for gift cards, cash back and more, but usually at a lower value per point, and we don't recommend it. If you expect you'll want cash back, consider a cash-back credit card.

APR: The ongoing APR is 26.24% Variable APR.

Foreign transaction fees: None.

Other benefits:

  • Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee credit.

  • Employees receive free cards and earn rewards from their purchases; you can customize spending limits on employee cards and see all transactions.

  • Year-end itemized report of spending and easy to download purchase record.

Why you might want the Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Simple, generous rewards

Unlike some other travel rewards cards with a tiered points system, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business card is much less complex. Its flat rewards rate — double miles on everything — makes it ideal for a business whose expenses are all over the map or don't easily fit into the typical bonus categories for business credit cards. And if you use the card for working capital, it can really supercharge your earning. Put $10,000 a month in inventory purchases on the card, for example, and you're looking at 240,000 miles at the end of the year — good for $2,400 worth of travel.

Flexibility in redemption

You can redeem miles for any airline, hotel or vacation package purchase at a rate of a penny per mile, and there are no blackout dates or restrictions on when or how you travel. But you can also transfer miles to one of more than a dozen travel partners. This can be especially useful for international travelers, although it's important to note that the transfer ratio is not always 1:1.

Airlines

  • Aeromexico (1:1 ratio).

  • Air Canada (1:1 ratio).

  • Air France-KLM (1:1 ratio).

  • Avianca (1:1 ratio).

  • British Airways (1:1 ratio).

  • Cathay Pacific (1:1 ratio).

  • Emirates (1:1 ratio).

  • Etihad (1:1 ratio).

  • EVA (2:1.5 ratio).

  • Finnair (1:1 ratio).

  • Qantas (1:1 ratio).

  • Singapore Airlines (1:1 ratio).

  • TAP Air Portugal (1:1 ratio).

  • Turkish Airlines (1:1 ratio).

Hotels

  • Accor (2:1 ratio).

  • Choice Privileges Hotels (1:1 ratio).

  • Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio).

A HEFTY sign-up bonus

The introductory offer can potentially take a chunk out of your travel budget if you spend enough to earn it. Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

No foreign transaction fee

Many credit cards tack on a fee of 3% on every overseas purchase. If you frequently travel internationally with your business, or if you buy inventory while abroad, that could get expensive for both yourself and your employees. But like all Capital One cards, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business doesn't charge this fee.

Capital One Spark Miles for Business vs. other Spark cards

Capital One business credit cards are split into two categories: cash back and travel. Among the two travel cards, Spark Miles offers higher rewards than Spark Miles Select, along with an annual fee after one year. (See rates and fees.) Among the three cash-back cards, Spark Cash is the most premium, followed by Spark Cash Select.

To view rates and fees of Capital One Spark Cash Plus, see this page.
To view rates and fees of Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit, see this page.
To view rates and fees of Capital One Spark Cash Select for Good Credit, see this page.
To view rates and fees of Capital One Spark Miles for Business, see this page.

Why you might want a different card

There's an annual fee

At an effective rewards rate of 2% for most purchases, this card will pay for its annual fee with $4,750 a year in purchases. If you just can't stomach an annual fee, however, consider the no-fee "Select" version of this card — the Capital One® Spark® Miles Select for Business. It earns only 1.5 miles back on all purchases, but its annual fee is $0. Looking for the break-even point between the two cards? If you spend above $19,000 a year, the rewards you'd earn at a 2X rate would top a 1.5X rate, even taking into account the annual fee on the Capital One Spark Miles for Business. (See rates and fees.)

You could also consider The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card. It earns 2% cash back on eligible purchases, but only up to $50,000 in spending per calendar year (1% back after that). The annual fee is $0. Terms apply (see rates and fees).

You can find Higher rewards

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card comes with an annual fee, but it has a tiered rewards structure: You earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. Those business categories include shipping; internet, cable and telephone services; and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines. If your spending aligns with those categories, your points could add up quickly. Points are worth a penny each when redeemed for cash, and 25% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

There's no 0% intro APR period

If you’re looking to finance business purchases upfront, you’ll also want to turn to another card. The aforementioned The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card could be a good pick. It offers an intro 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%-26.49% Variable APR. Terms apply.

To learn more about business credit card options, see NerdWallet's list of the best credit cards to have.

Should you get the Capital One Spark Miles for Business?

If you’re a small-business owner looking for a flexible and straightforward travel rewards card, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business could be a great fit. But if you routinely spend more in specific categories, other cards can be more rewarding. And if you're more interested in cash back, this is not the right pick for you.

To view rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, see this page.

on Capital One's website

Methodology

NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.