Spark Miles Select for Business From Capital One Credit Card Review

Who Is the Spark Miles Select for Business Card Good For?

If you’re looking for a no-annual-fee rewards business card, it’s hard to go wrong with the Spark Miles Select card from Capital One. Despite the fact that it’s a no-fee card, it comes with a decent sign-up bonus and a generous earning scheme. You’ll get 20,000 miles after spending $3,000 and earn 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all purchases. You have to be a small business owner or an independent contractor to qualify for the card.

Capital One also offers a standard Spark Miles business card. It comes with a better sign-up bonus and earning scheme, but it’ll also costs $59 a year. Which Spark card is better for you depends on your spending habits and your willingness to pay an annual fee.

Like Capital One’s Venture Rewards cards, the miles you earn with either of the Spark cards cannot be transferred to frequent flyer programs. This is definitely a drawback for experienced travel hackers who want to maximize the value of their miles, but it’s hard to argue with the flexibility and ease of using what is essentially a cashback card.

Sign-Up Bonus:

The Spark Miles Select card comes with a 20,000-mile sign-up bonus. You’ll have to spend $3,000 within the first three months to get the bonus.

Miles Earned:

• 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all purchases

What Do Your Miles Get You?

With Capital One’s Purchase Eraser you simply buy the travel you want from any airline and redeem miles for statement credits toward those purchases. You won’t have to worry about finding award seat availability or dealing with blackout dates.

You can also use your miles for any expenses categorized as travel, including airfare, car rentals, train tickets, taxis, buses, cruises and travel agents.

If you book directly through Capital One’s online travel center, you can pay with miles and your purchases won’t even appear on your monthly statement.

Usage Perks:

• No annual fee
• Sign-up bonus with a no-fee card
• Bonus miles earned on every purchase
• No foreign transaction fees
• Miles don’t expire with an open account

Usage Quirks:

• No airline transfer partners
• Miles accrued during billing cycle lost if payment is late

How Far Do Your Miles Go?

Since the Spark Miles Select card works like a cashback card for travel purchases, the value of your miles is fixed at one cent per mile. The 20,000-mile sign-up bonus is worth $200 in travel. How far that goes is determined by the current market rate of the travel you’re purchasing. There are no award sweet spots or spectacular deals, but you’ll always get reasonable redemption rates. Look for airfare sales to make the most of your points.

You can see the variety of destinations you can get to with your Spark Miles by registering your card with RewardWallet and plugging in different destinations in the free service to see how far your miles will get you. You might even find another card that will help you figure out your next destination!

If you don’t want to redeem for travel, you can get cash back or a statement credit toward any purchase. This is not recommended, though, as those redemption rates vary and may be valued at less than a cent per mile. Capital One offers a variety of cashback cards, including the Spark Cash series of business cards, which would be a better option if you don’t want to redeem for travel.

Additional Cardholder Benefits:

• Zero liability fraud coverage
• Quarterly and year-end summaries
• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Extended purchase protection
• Travel and emergency assistance
• Free employee cards