A credit card that offers reward miles and travel-specific benefits makes your business trips peaceful and affordable. This Capital One Spark 2X Miles review highlights the benefits it can provide you and your team as a mid-tier travel card.
Capital One Spark 2X Miles Review
The Capital One Spark 2X Miles Card offers straightforward rewards for business travelers. Even though it is a bit pricey, you can maximize its value through additional perks and benefits.
Pros
- You earn unlimited flat-rate miles on routine purchases without any categories to keep track of.
- You get a one-time bonus of miles if you spend the required amount in the time necessary. The bonus miles increase your reward pool significantly.
- Exemption from the foreign transaction fee makes it an excellent option for international travel.
- Businesses can get free cards for their employees, which also accumulate miles.
- You get year-end summaries with this card. These are useful for expense reporting and tracking business spending.
Cons
- You pay an annual fee on this card, making it somewhat expensive.
- Unlike some other cards, you don’t get a 0% introductory APR for purchases or balance transfers.
- This card has fewer luxury travel perks than premium travel credit cards.
Feature and Benefits
Features | Benefits |
---|---|
Fees and APR | You don’t pay an annual fee for the first year you get this card. Also, you can avoid APR if you clear statement dues on time. |
Rewards | A simple rewards system lets you focus more on your business. |
Rewards redemption | You can redeem rewards through different methods as per your needs. |
Travel benefits | This card offers assistance during your flights or road trips. |
Card security | You are not liable for card fraud. |
Card management | Capital One provides tools so you can monitor and control your card’s usage easily. |
Card perks | Added value allows you to maximize the card’s benefits. |
Fees and APR
You don’t have to pay a foreign transaction fee on the Capital One Spark 2X Miles card. However, you do incur:
- $95 annual fee. You don’t have to pay for it in the first year.
- 26.24% variable APR on purchases.
Rewards
This card is tailored for business owners looking for travel rewards. You can earn unlimited on every purchase, with no categories to track. Also, you get 5x miles per dollar for booking flights and rental cars through the Capital One Travel portal.
Rewards Redemption
Capital One Spark 2X Miles cardholders have the flexibility to redeem their miles in a variety of ways:
- They can apply miles as a statement credit for past travel purchases made with the card using Purchase Eraser. The redemption rate is straightforward – 1 mile equals 1 cent.
- Cardholders can also use their miles to book new flights, hotels, and rental cars through the Capital One travel portal. This offers the convenience of finding travel options directly through Capital One.
- Miles can be transferred to over 10+ travel loyalty programs, often at a 1:1 ratio. We find it offers the best redemption value.
- While generally offering less value than travel redemptions, you can redeem miles for gift cards or cash back.
- Customers can set up automatic redemption preferences for added convenience, such as applying miles towards travel purchases once they hit a certain threshold or at a set time each calendar year.
Miles never expire as long as the account is open. Also, you don’t have to accumulate a minimum of miles before redemption. You can redeem them whenever you want.
Travel Benefits
This card offers valuable travel benefits that cater to frequent travelers’ needs:
- Users are provided with insurance coverage for accidental death or dismemberment during travel when they purchase fares with the card.
- The auto rental collision waiver offers secondary insurance coverage for theft or collision damage.
- Cardholders may receive a credit for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓, enhancing their travel experience with expedited security screening.
- Emergency assistance services provide cardholders with 24-hour travel assistance services. It includes lost card replacement and emergency cash advances.
- We suggest you call Visa if you get into a minor accident on the road. You may get towing, jump-starting, and tire-changing services.
Card Security
Capital One incorporates advanced security features in its cards to protect cardholders from unauthorized transactions and identity theft:
- Cardholders can immediately lock their card through the mobile app if it gets lost or stolen, preventing new purchases and any financial losses.
- Capital One provides $0 fraud liability if the card is used for unauthorized transactions.
- The card offers custom transaction alerts via text, email, or push notifications to monitor suspicious activity.
- For online shopping, users can generate virtual card numbers to keep their actual card numbers secure.
- Capital One monitors accounts for potential security threats and swiftly alerts cardholders of unusual activity.
Furthermore, this card has an EMV chip that provides additional security during transactions. This makes it more difficult for fraudsters to replicate the card’s information.
Card Management
The bank provides cardholders with various tools to manage their cars easily:
- You can access your account online through Capital One’s website. You can check your balance, view statements, monitor recent transactions, and pay your bill.
- A comprehensive mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices. It offers real-time purchase notifications, card lock/unlock, and spending summaries.
- You can set up autopay to make sure you never miss a payment. We recommend you activate customizable alerts for payment due dates, spending limits, and unusual activity.
- Businesses can provide employees with their own cards linked to the Spark 2% Cash Plus. You can set individual spending limits while maintaining control over the main account.
- An organized year-end summary is provided for cardholders, which simplifies accounting and tax preparation.
- Capital One offers 24/7 customer support to assist with any issues or inquiries related to card management.
Card Perks
The Capital One Spark 2X Miles card offers several benefits designed to appeal to business owners. Most of them are perks of the Visa network. These include:
- Year-end summary: Detailed report of the year’s transactions. It helps in deciding on a budget and cutting tax time.
- Purchase records: Simplifies accounting with downloadable purchase records in multiple formats (Quicken, QuickBooks, and Excel).
- Account managers: You can assign an account manager to handle payments to and from your account.
- Extended warranty: You can claim an extended warranty on selected items. The items must have an original warranty of up to three years. Visa does not cover more than that.
- Purchase security: You get coverage of up to $10,000 per claim on eligible items in case of theft or damage.
Related Questions
Does Capital One Spark Card Have Foreign Transaction Fees?
The Capital One Spark 2X Miles card does not incur a foreign transaction fee, allowing you to make purchases abroad without paying additional charges. This makes it an economical choice for international travelers.
How Do You Qualify for Capital One Spark?
You should have a good to excellent credit score to qualify for the Capital One Spark 2X Miles card. You must also meet Capital One’s specific income and creditworthiness criteria. Additionally, your financial records should reflect stability and reliability.
Is Spark a Visa or MasterCard?
The Capital One Spark 2X Miles is available on the Visa network. You can benefit from the wide acceptance of Visa cards worldwide, alongside additional perks provided by Visa to its users.
Conclusion
The Capital One Spark 2X Miles card is best for businesses that require travel. It offers travel miles as rewards that you can transfer to the bank’s travel partners. You can afford this card even with an annual fee if you avoid accumulating debt.