Capital One Venture X Business Card vs. Capital One Spark Miles for Business [Detailed Comparison]

As a business owner, managing your business well can mean prioritization. If one of those priorities is simplifying expense management, securing the right business credit card could help you reach that objective.

Some of the best business credit cards designed to assist business owners in keeping expense management simple are issued by Capital One.

Capital One has a broad collection of card choices, including the Capital One Venture X Business Card (Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.) and Capital One Spark Miles for Business (Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.). These are 2 business credit cards that offer solid earning structures you won’t have to memorize, flexible redemption options, and benefits your business can use.

The 2 cards share similar earning and redemption options but have differences that can result in 1 card being a better fit than the other for your business situation.

Here’s how the Capital One Venture X Business card and Capital One Spark Miles card compare.

Capital One Venture X Business Card vs. Capital One Spark Miles Card — Overview

Before we expand on the attributes of the Capital One Venture X Business card and the Capital One Spark Miles card, let’s compare a high-level summary of the cards side-by-side.

Here’s how our featured cards stack up when comparing key features and benefits:

Feature or Benefit	Capital One Venture X Business Card	Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Welcome Offer	Earn 150,000 miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.	Earn 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months.
Earning	10x miles on rental cars and hotels via Capital One Travel 5x miles on flights via Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other purchases 10,000 anniversary bonus miles (starting with your first renewal)	5x miles on rental cars and hotels via Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other purchases
Top Redemption Options	Redeem for travel via Capital One Travel Transfer miles to airline or hotel partners Redeem for a statement credit for travel (within 90 days of purchase)
Top Travel Protections and Benefits	Primary car rental insurance $300 annual travel credit via Capital One Travel Unlimited worldwide lounge access Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement	Primary car rental insurance 2 yearly lounge passes  Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement
Top Shopping Protections and Benefits	Purchase security and extended warranty protection Cell phone protection	Purchase security and extended warranty protection
Annual Fee and Authorized Users	$395  No additional fee to add employee cards	$0 intro for the first year, $95 after that No additional fee to add employee cards

The Value of a Welcome Bonus Offer

Immediately after you’re approved for either the Capital One Venture X Business card or Capital One Spark Miles card, you’ll have the opportunity to earn a welcome bonus offer.

The bonus is earned by meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period after approval and will consist of a generous number of Capital One miles.

While the Capital One Venture X Business card comes with a very generous welcome bonus, the minimum spending requirement can also be high. Keep this in mind when comparing these 2 business cards. Earning the welcome bonus can be a key overall value proposition for cardholders.

Welcome offers fluctuate, so we’ve provided a snapshot of each of our featured cards, which includes the most current offer available:

Bottom Line:

Both the Capital One Venture X Business card and Capital One Spark Miles card come with generous welcome bonuses that can be earned by meeting minimum spending requirements in the period immediately after card approval.

Earning Potential

Capital One miles can be earned by spending on either the Capital One Venture X Business card or the Capital One Spark Miles card.

Additional miles can be earned on the Capital One Spark Miles card by referring family or friends or on the Capital One Venture X Business card by renewing your card each year.

Referral Opportunities

While all Capital One cards do not offer the opportunity to earn referral bonuses, the Capital One Spark Miles card does. You can earn up to 20,000 miles for each approved referral, up to 100,000 miles yearly.

While the Capital One Venture X Business card does not currently have a referral bonus, it could in the future.

Spending on the Card

Earning Capital One miles on either the Capital One Venture X Business card or the Capital One Spark Miles card is simple. You can earn up to 10x miles via select purchases on Capital One Travel or 2x miles on all other spending.

Here’s how you’ll earn rewards on our featured cards:

Earning Category	Capital One Venture X Business Card	Capital One Spark Miles Card
Travel	10x miles spent on rental cars and hotels via Capital One Travel 5x miles on flights via Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other travel purchases	5x miles on rental cars and hotels via Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other travel purchases
All Other Purchases	2x miles

The Capital One Venture X Business card has a slight earning edge if you spend a large amount on rental cars and hotels via Capital One Travel. Otherwise, earning on both cards is the same.

Earning 2x miles on all your business expenses without having to keep track of bonus-earning spending categories is a positive for any business owner.

Even paying business taxes with your card can make sense with these Capital One cards.

Renewal Bonus Miles

When you renew your Capital One Venture X Business card each year, you’ll receive 10,000 bonus Capital One miles.

The Capital One Spark Miles card does not have a renewal bonus.

Bottom Line:

While the majority of earned miles may come from spending on our featured cards, you could earn additional miles for approved referrals on the Capital One Spark Miles card or at renewal on the Capital One Venture X Business card.

Redemption Options

The miles earned on the Capital One Venture X Business card and the Capital One Spark Miles card are different from frequent flyer miles. The miles function more like flexible rewards that can offer you several options at redemption time.

Here are the choices you’ll have when it’s time to redeem your rewards:

Redemption Option	Capital One Venture X Business Card	Capital One Spark Miles Card
Travel	Redeem for travel via Capital One Travel Transfer to airline or hotel partners for greater potential value Redeem for a statement credit for travel purchases made within the past 90 days
Statement Credits	Redeem for a general statement credit at 0.5 cents per mile
Additional Redemption Options	Gift cards, Amazon shopping, checkout with PayPal, experiences

The best potential value for miles earned on the Capital One Venture X Business card and the Capital One Spark Miles card is to transfer the miles to airline or hotel programs and redeem them for award flights or free hotel nights.

Hot Tip:

If you have a personal Capital One consumer card that earns miles, you can transfer miles earned on the Capital One Venture X Business card or Capital One Spark Miles card (or vice versa) and combine miles. This can make it easier to redeem all your miles for that annual family vacation!

One example of utilizing your Capital One miles for elevated experiences is to transfer them to Air France and book Delta One Suites for just 110,000 miles. We have a lot of other great ideas for your miles and share some of the best in our article on the best ways to redeem Capital One miles.

You will have additional redemption options including redeeming miles for gift cards, shopping on Amazon, at checkout via PayPal, or on Capital One Experiences. You can also redeem miles for a general statement credit but this option can result in very poor value for your rewards.

Bottom Line:

You’ll have several options to redeem miles earned on the Capital One Venture X Business card and the Capital One Spark Miles card including purchasing travel via Capital One Travel and redeeming for a statement credit against previous travel purchases. The best potential value is to transfer the miles to airline or hotel programs and redeem them for award flights or free hotel nights.

Travel Protections and Benefits

Travel protections and benefits are complimentary additions to the Capital One Venture X Business card and the Capital One Spark Miles card.

Travel protections can provide coverage if something goes wrong during your trip and travel benefits can save you money or provide elevated travel experiences.

Here are the travel protections and benefits you’ll find on both of our featured cards:

Car Rental Insurance

Reserve and pay for your car rental with your card, decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW insurance, and receive coverage for damage, theft, associated towing, and appropriate loss of use charges. The Capital One Venture X Business card has primary car rental coverage. Primary coverage means you do not have to first file a claim with other auto insurance before card coverage applies.

The Capital One Spark Miles card comes with secondary car rental coverage for personal domestic use. However, primary coverage applies if you rent internationally on business.

Roadside Dispatch

Never worry when you’re stranded roadside with either of these cards. With just 1 call 24/7 and for 1 pre-negotiated service fee, you’ll receive limited towing, standard winching, lockout service, tire changing of an inflated spare, jumpstart service, and emergency fuel delivery.

Worldwide Lounge Access

The Capital One Venture X Business card offers primary cardholders unlimited worldwide lounge access to over 1,400 airport lounges plus lounge-alternative restaurants, and more, with complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. In addition, cardholders can access Capital One Lounges and Plaza Premium Lounges.

Capital One Spark Miles card members receive 2 passes each year that can be used to visit Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges.

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Fee Reimbursement

Pay for the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application or renewal fee with your card and receive reimbursement, up to $100, as a statement credit.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

Rest assured when traveling with either of our featured cards, as neither the Capital One Venture X Business card nor the Capital One Spark Miles card charges foreign transaction fees. Foreign transaction fees are typically 3% of the transaction.

Premier Collection and Lifestyle Collection Hotel Benefits

Book your hotel stay for Premier Collection or Lifestyle Collection properties via Capital One Travel and enjoy daily breakfast for 2, an upgraded room (when available), complimentary Wi-Fi, early check-in/late checkout, and up to $100 in onsite credit for dining or other special experiences during your stay.

Capital One Venture X Business Card

Capital One Travel Portal Credit

The Capital One Venture X Business card comes with a $300 annual travel credit for purchasing travel via the Capital One Travel portal.

Car Rental Program Benefits

Capital One Venture X Business card members can enjoy complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status, Avis Preferred Plus discounts and free weekend rentals, National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive level status, and discounts at Audi on demand (formally Silvercar).

Note that Capital One Spark Miles card members may find car rental program discounts and benefits via Mastercard Travel & Lifestyle Services by registering their card.

Bottom Line:

Both the Capital One Venture X Business card and Capital One Spark Miles card come with several travel protections and benefits, including car rental insurance, trip cancellation, interruption, and delay coverage, worldwide lounge access, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement, no foreign transaction fees, and hotel elite-style perks. The Capital One Venture X Business card also comes with an annual $300 Capital One Travel credit.

Just a note that we have not included every feature and benefit that comes on our featured cards, only key ones for comparison purposes. We’ve also abbreviated the descriptions.

Additionally, the Capital One Venture X Business card is issued as a Visa Signature card, and the Capital One Spark Miles card can be issued as a Mastercard or World Elite Mastercard. As a result, similar benefits can have different terms/conditions, and benefits will differ by card. Some benefits are not included when the Capital One Spark Miles card is issued as a Mastercard vs. a World Elite Mastercard. Complete information can be found in each card’s Guide to Benefits.

Shopping Protections

When you use either the Capital One Venture X Business card or the Capital One Spark Miles card to purchase an eligible item, you could receive coverage if something goes wrong with that purchase.

Here are the shopping protections that come with our featured cards:

Purchase Security and Extended Warranty Protection

Purchase an eligible item with either of our featured cards and receive coverage for damage or theft for up to 90 days from the purchase date. You could receive up to $10,000 per claim, up to $50,000 per account.

Eligible purchased items with manufacturer’s warranties of 3 years or less will have the warranty doubled, up to 1 additional year with Extended Warranty Protection coverage.

Capital One Venture X Business Card

Cell Phone Protection

When your monthly cell phone bill is paid with your Capital One Venture X Business card, you’ll receive up to $600 if the phone listed on the bill is damaged or stolen. A deductible of $50 per claim applies and there is a limit of 2 claims per rolling 12-month period.

Hot Tip:

Download the Capital One Shopping browser extension and enjoy cash-back in the form of Capital One Shopping Rewards. The browser extension automatically searches for coupons and discounts whenever you shop online.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

The Capital One Venture X Business card has an annual fee of $395, and the Capital One Spark Miles card has an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, $95 after that.

Neither card charges a fee to add employee cards.

Qualifying for Capital One Cards

You’ll generally need an excellent credit score to be considered for the Capital One Venture X Business card. An excellent credit score is generally considered 800 or better.

To qualify for the Capital One Spark Miles card, a good to excellent score of 670 or better is recommended. You will, however, have a better chance for approval if your score is 700 or above.

In addition to an appropriate credit score, Capital One will look at your credit history. If excellent credit is required, Capital One also asks if this description fits the applicant: “I’ve never declared bankruptcy or defaulted on a loan; I haven’t been more than 60 days late on any credit card, medical bill, or loan in the last year; I’ve had a loan or credit card for 3 years or more with a credit limit above $5,000.”

If good credit is a requirement, Capital One asks if this statement defines you as an applicant: “I have not declared bankruptcy or defaulted on a loan in the past 5 years. I have a credit card or loan and have not been more than 30 days late on any payment in the last year.“

Additionally, Capital One will consider the number of credit cards you’ve applied for in recent years. The card issuer is also known to pull hard inquiries from all 3 major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

Finally, at Capital One’s discretion, based on their assessment of your creditworthiness, the Capital One Spark Miles card could be issued as either a Mastercard or a World Elite Mastercard.

Learn more about Capital One card requirements and tips for applying in our article on the topic.

Hot Tip:

For a risk-free way to find out if you have credit card offers waiting for you, you can use the CardMatch tool or Capital One’s preapproval tool. Using either tool will not create a hard inquiry on your credit report. Not all Capital One cards are included with these tools.

Alternative Business Cards

The Capital One Venture X Business card and Capital One Spark Miles card could each make an excellent choice for a business credit card.

Here are 2 additional business credit cards you may also want to consider:

Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

Our pick for the best overall business credit card is the Ink Business Preferred card. You’ll earn big on common business purchases with 3x points on up to $150,000 in eligible travel and business purchases each card account year. At redemption time, you’ll also receive good value with points worth up to 25% more when redeemed via Chase Travel or transferred to airline/hotel partners for even greater potential value.

Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card

With the objective of simplifying your business expense management, you’ll appreciate the flat rate of 1.5% cash-back earnings on the Ink Business Unlimited card. The card works well if you have heavy expenses that do not fall into normal bonus-earning categories, such as large equipment purchases, paying business taxes, or major repair expenses. We also like that the card has a $0 annual fee yet comes with a generous welcome bonus offer.

Final Thoughts

One obvious feature of the Capital One Venture X Business card is that it has a much higher annual fee than the Capital One Spark Miles card. This may be considered a negative, especially when both cards have nearly identical earning potential and redemption options.

You’ll want to look beyond the earning and redemption options to uncover the additional value the Capital One Venture X Business card offers. First, the yearly $300 Capital One Travel credit adds significant value if you can use it. Plus, you’ll earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel. Additionally, the card comes with cell phone protection that can cover multiple cell phones as long as the monthly bill is paid for with the card. Finally, if you can utilize the unlimited worldwide lounge access, you’ll find more than enough value to consider the Capital One Venture X Business card.

If you prefer a lower annual fee or do not find value in the additional benefits the Capital One Venture X Business card offers, the Capital One Spark Miles card is an excellent choice. And, you’ll earn double miles on every purchase your business makes.

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For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa^® or Mastercard^® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Enrollment required through Capital One website or mobile app. Upon enrollment, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024.  Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier.  Additional terms apply.