- The Ascent
- Best Credit Cards
- Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business Review
The Ascent is reader-supported: we may earn a commission from offers on this page. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation.
This offer is temporarily unavailable on The Ascent. All information was collected independently from the issuer. Some items may be out of date. Visit our Best Credit Cards page for current offers.
The Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business is a travel card aimed at business owners who value a big intro bonus and earning miles at a speedy clip. However, Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business is a bit of an outlier. The typical travel card tends to weigh its earnings in favor of travel spending; not so with this card, with its flat-rate miles rewards system. Different can be good, of course. In this Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business review, we’ll explore if this card is the better for it.
Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business
What We Like About The Card
One of the best cards for businesses looking to capitalize on a travel reward for their everyday purchases. With a big sign up bonus, 2x miles, and low fees, it is a great choice for jet-setting small businesses.
Credit Rating Requirement:
Rewards
5x miles on hotel and car rentals booked through Capital One, 2x miles on all else, transfer miles to 10+ travel loyalty programs
Annual Fee
$0 intro for first year; $95 after that
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Ongoing APR
20.99%, variable
Welcome Bonus
50,000 bonus miles after spending $4,500 within 3 months
Highlights
2 miles per $1: That's very good for a base rate, which in the rewards card space tends to be the equivalent of 1 mile per $1 spent. The rewards program is also straightforward -- no rotating categories to keep track of here. Another plus: There's no limit to the miles you can earn with this card.
50,000 miles bonus: The issuer will grant 50,000 miles as a one-time bonus to new cardholders that spend $4,500 in qualifying purchases within three months of account opening -- that equates to $500 in travel statement credits.
No foreign transaction fee: This card passes the no foreign transaction fee test, so that’s one less thing to worry about when venturing overseas and using this card to help fund the trip.
Flexible redemption options: This isn't one of those cards that requires customers to redeem their miles through the issuer's dedicated travel portal to get the best rate. Holders of this card have that option, but they're also free to book travel through any means they want. They can then utilize Capital One's Purchase Eraser for a partial or full statement credit on the purchase.
$95 annual fee: Yes, this is waived in the first year of ownership. But $95 is a high price to pay, and a travel card with no annual fee may make sense for people with smaller credit budgets.
This card is for business owners with very good or excellent credit -- a FICO® Score of 670 or higher. The issuer goes on to define a person in this category as one who has:
The issuer takes pains to say that these factors are only guidelines in its decision. It will also weigh select information from the data you provide on the application and of course, your overall credit history.
As with any product that carries a charge, you should be willing to pay an annual fee for a credit card only for two reasons -- you accept this as the cost of that card's conditions and features, and you're going to get enough utility out of the card.
Utilization is the key here. In the case of Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business, right off the bat, will you and your business spend at least $4,500 within the first three months of ownership to reap that 50,000 mile sign-up bonus? Those miles alone are worth $500 in travel statement credit, which is more than enough to cover five years of the annual fee.
Leaving other features of this card -- such as the car insurance benefit or your savings on having the foreign transaction fee waived -- aside, you need to evaluate roughly how much you and your employees will be spending with your chosen plastic.
For Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business, the math works out like this: You and your team will need to hit 9,500 miles per year (equating to $95 in travel redemptions) to reach that $95 annual fee. This breaks down to an annual spend of $4,750, averaging out to just under $396 per month for all cardholders.
![]() |
![]() |
Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card |
Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi |
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5 stars
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. |
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5 stars
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. |
Apply Now
On Citi's Secure Website. |
|
Read Full Review | |
Credit Rating Requirement: |
Credit Rating Requirement: |
Welcome Bonus: 100,000 points after spending $15,000 within 3 months |
Welcome Bonus: N/A |
Rewards Program: 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories, 1 point per $1 on all else. Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase. |
Rewards Program: 4% back on gas ($7,000 annual spending cap), 3% back on restaurants and travel, 2% back on Costco purchases, 1% back on all else |
Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Regular APR: 15.99% - 20.99%, variable |
Regular APR: 15.24%, variable |
Annual Fee: $95 |
Annual Fee: $0 for Costco members |
Highlights:
|
Highlights:
|
Apply Now
On Citi's Secure Website. |
|
Show More
|
The information related to Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card has been collected by The Ascent and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.
Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business is for entrepreneurs seeking a top business credit card and who either want or need to travel. Having several cardholders spend on at least a semi-regular basis will keep the miles tally rising constantly. This, combined with a good flat rate, will rack 'em up in no time, earning enough to redeem for a plane ticket to somewhere interesting.
Travel lovers whose business is a one-person Etsy shop or an Uber car might not reap so many benefits, although this is still a card that earns well. Its intro bonus is quite lucrative.
At the end of the day, the intro bonus and the earnings rate for Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business makes it a fine credit card for any traveler, as long as they don't mind paying that somewhat hefty fee.
We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.
The Ascent is a Motley Fool service that rates and reviews essential products for your everyday money matters.
Copyright © 2018 - 2021 The Ascent. All rights reserved.
By submitting your email address, you consent to us sending you money tips along with products and services that we think might interest you. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please read our Privacy Statement and Terms & Conditions.