Capital One Spark Miles Credit Card Review
Key Takeaways
We recommend beginning your Capital One journey by first applying for the personal Capital One Venture X card or the Capital One Venture card. However, if you don't have either of these cards and you've reached your Chase 5/24 limit, the Capital One Spark Miles Business card is worth considering — especially if you feel Capital One is the next-best points system for you. The current welcome offer of 50,000 miles is decent, particularly since the $95 annual fee is waived for the first year. After that initial year, though, there aren’t notable benefits that justify paying the annual fee. Before canceling or downgrading, make sure you've used or transferred your rewards.
Why This Card Could Be Right For You
If you're interested in earning Capital One miles but have already hit your Chase 5/24 limit, the Capital One Spark Miles Business card can be a solid alternative. The sign-up bonus of 50,000 miles is decent, though not exceptional, and requires $4,500 in spending within the first 3 months.
Key reasons to consider this card include:
- Straightforward Earning: Earn 2x miles on all purchases, making it simple to accumulate miles quickly toward your bonus.
- Annual Fee Waiver: The $95 annual fee is waived for the first year, giving you time to evaluate the card’s value before the fee kicks in.
- TSA PreCheck or Global Entry Credit: Receive a credit (up to a $120 value) toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. However, if you follow typical rewards advice, you might already have this perk from another card. Since these memberships last four years, this benefit might not hold significant value if you already have it.
- Transfer Flexibility: Capital One offers over 15 airline and hotel transfer partners, providing numerous redemption options.
- Purchase Eraser Feature: Capital One’s unique "purchase eraser" function allows you to use miles to offset travel-related expenses — including Airbnb rentals, which typically don’t have direct credit card partnerships.
- Chase 5/24 Consideration: As a business card, it doesn't add to your Chase 5/24 count, helping preserve eligibility for other valuable cards.
Despite these advantages, you’ll probably want to downgrade or cancel the card after the first year unless you find continued value beyond the annual fee. Additionally, be mindful of Capital One's application rules: you're limited to approval for just one new Capital One card every six months, so planning is essential.
When The Usual Advice Doesn't Apply
This card may not be right for you if:
- You're new to points and miles, and a personal Capital One card would be more beneficial.
- Other business cards provide better benefits or higher sign-up bonuses that better align with your business needs.
What to Know About Capital One Miles
Capital One is a flexible point system we use for travel items that other systems don't cover
- Car Rentals, cruises, and vacation home rentals top our list of uses for Capital One Miles
- Partner transfers are niche airlines and hotel brands, making the points less attractive
- Point redemptions are so similar to cash that they can be less satisfying for the hobbyist
- Capital One is particularly attractive to businesses with large spends
How The Capital One Spark Miles Credit Card Fits In The Capital One Miles Ecosystem
We always recommend applying for cards that earn transferable miles rather than cash back because utilizing transfer partners typically offers the highest value. With Capital One, if you have a cash back card, you can convert your rewards into miles — provided you also hold a miles-earning card, like the Venture X Business or any Spark Miles card. Remember, however, Capital One limits approvals to one new card every six months, so plan your applications strategically.
Capital One offers six Spark Business cards. Five of these cards are similar, differing slightly in their sign-up bonuses, spending multipliers, and reward types (cash or miles):
- Capital One Spark 2% Cash: Higher welcome offer ($750 cash back) but requires a higher spending threshold ($7,500). It has a $95 annual fee, waived the first year.
- Capital One Spark 2X Miles: Offers 50,000 miles as a welcome bonus after $4,500 in spending, also with a $95 annual fee waived the first year.
- Capital Spark 1.5X Miles Select & Capital One Spark 1.5% Cash Select: Both have identical welcome offers (50,000 miles or $500), spending multipliers, and no annual fees. The only difference is whether rewards are in cash or miles.
- Capital One Spark 1% Classic: No welcome offer and no annual fee. We recommend this card only if your business is new, trying to build credit, and unable to qualify for better cards.
The sixth Spark card, the Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus for Business, stands apart with substantial rewards but high spending requirements ($2,000 cash back after spending $30,000, and an additional $2,000 bonus for every $500,000 spent in the first year).
Finally, the Capital One Venture X Business card offers another premium option. Its welcome bonus of 150,000 miles matches the $30,000 spending requirement of the Spark Cash Plus. However, the Venture X Business includes additional perks and benefits not found with the Spark cards. If you're considering a premium business card, compare the options carefully and choose the one that best suits your needs.
Card Information
| Bonus Points | Minimum Spend | Point Value | Annual Value | Annual Fee |
1st Year Value
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50,000 | $4,500 | 1.1 ¢ | $0 | $0 |
$600
|
Spend Categories
2X points
2.2¢ Per Dollar Spent
5X points
5.5¢ Per Dollar Spent
5X points
5.5¢ Per Dollar Spent
Card Benefits
Get up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry, or TSA PreCheck.
You will pay no foreign transaction fees when you use your card for purchases made outside the United States.
You can double the warranty up to 1 additional year on eligible purchases with warranties of 3 years or less.
Point Transfer Options
Transfer To Spouse/Partner Yes
Transfer To Friends Yes
Travel Partner Transfers
Capital One Miles Outside Point System
Transfers Out To
1:1 127% value retained
1:1 127% value retained
1:1 91% value retained
1:1 91% value retained
2:1.5 82% value retained
1:1 109% value retained
1:1 109% value retained
1:1 109% value retained
1:1 118% value retained
1:1 109% value retained
1:1 127% value retained
1:1 91% value retained
Capital One Spark Miles Application Rules
Ranking of Cards Offering Capital One Miles
Best for Series
Below is a snapshot of where this card performs best compared to the other cards in our database: