Bottom Line

If you're stuck in 5/24 purgatory, but you have some sizable business spends coming up -- this might be a solid no-hassle business card for you. You don't have to keep track of much, but you'll have to wait on the 200,000 point bonus special offer. The 50,000 point sign-up bonus might be attractive enough for smaller spenders due to Capital One Miles flexibility.

Why You Might Want This Card

Potential 300,000 Point Bonus

The sign-up bonus is an uninspiring 50,000 points after requiring a hefty $4,500 spend in the first 3 months. But if you want to swing for the fences, you can get a 200,000 point bonus by spending $50,000 in the first 6 months (it's a special offer that comes around annually). This isn't attractive to most people. But for people with big business spends, this can be a good option. When combined with the 2x miles, you'll earn 300,000 points total, meaning you'll earn 6 cents plus back on spends in virtually every category. On the other hand, if your goal is to keep earning, this card will make that happen. Earn unlimited 2x miles per $1 on every purchase. If you book hotels or travel, you'll get 5x points. That's a nice boost to your point total. Once you're ready to redeem your points, you have two choices: You can either "erase" a travel purchase at 1 cent per point, or transfer to one of their numerous airline partners to book your travel.

Check out our Capital One Miles page for more details on how to best use Capital One Points.

Exceptions To The Rule

About Capital One Miles

Capital One Miles fall more into the niche category. The points are extremely flexible, able to be used to reimburse you for any travel charges (Purchase Eraser). This makes their points most valuable for items like rental cars and cruises, which are not typically bookable with points.

Capital One also recently added partner airlines. The most valuable partner is Avianca, where you can book relatively cheap business class flights (30-55K each way) on Star Alliance partner flights like Lufthansa, Swiss Air, United and ANA to name just a few. Etihad Guest, Air Canada and Air France transfers may also be worth checking out -- in that order in terms of value.

The challenge is that it’s difficult to make the $50,000 spend to qualify for their bonus of 200,000 points with the Spark Miles for Business offer. Plus it’s tough to earn enough points for a full trip for two people with Capital One because of the limited number of cards and their approval restrictions. But if you have a business with a very high annual spend, grab this special offer when you see it for an easy 6x return on $50,000.

We call these points niche, not because they don’t have flexibility. It’s just more difficult to earn a high number of points, and Capital One lacks mainstream partners. If you’re under 5/24 and have already gotten all of our highest recommended cards, it might be worth a look at a Capital One card.

Where Capital One Spark Miles Fits In This Point Ecosystem

Personal Experience