Before we dive in, if you are ready to apply or want to see the current offer, I keep my best offers page updated with the cards I actually recommend: See current best offers

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I just got approved for the Capital One Venture Business card and I want to walk you through exactly why I applied, what the offer looks like, how I plan to use the points, and whether it might make sense for you too.

I applied through my business, Points and Miles Teachers LLC, but this card is available to a wide range of business owners including sole proprietors, freelancers, tutors, coaches, Airbnb hosts, resellers, and anyone with self-employment income. If you have any income outside of a traditional W-2 job, you likely qualify to apply.

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What is the Capital One Venture Business card?

The Capital One Venture Business card is a business travel rewards card that earns unlimited 2x miles on every purchase, every day. It was rebranded from the Spark Miles family of cards, which have been discontinued for new applicants. This is essentially the upgraded replacement and the current welcome offer is the highest I have seen on this card or its predecessor.

Annual fee: $95

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The welcome offer and how it works

The current welcome offer is tiered, which means you can earn points in two separate stages:

Tier 1: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $7,500 in the first 3 months from account opening.

Tier 2: Earn an additional 75,000 bonus miles after spending $30,000 in the first 6 months.

These bonuses are earned independently. You do not have to hit tier 2 to receive tier 1. If you can hit the $7,500 in 3 months but not the $30,000 in 6 months, you still walk away with 75,000 bonus miles plus all the miles you earned from spending.

I am personally committing to tier 1. The $30,000 tier may or may not happen depending on how our business spending goes, but tier 1 alone makes this card worth opening right now.

The math on tier 1

Here is exactly what you earn by completing just the first tier:

• 75,000 bonus miles from the welcome offer
• 15,000 miles from $7,500 in spending at 2x per dollar
• Total: 90,000 miles from tier 1 alone

That is before a single additional purchase after the minimum spend is complete. And since this card earns 2x on every dollar every day, your miles keep stacking on all ongoing spending.

For context, the previous version of this card — the Spark Miles — had a standard offer of 50,000 miles. This offer is significantly higher and Capital One is calling it a limited time offer, which means we do not know what the standard offer will be once it ends.

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Why this card does not affect your 5/24 count

This is one of the most important details about this card and one that not enough people are talking about.

Capital One has confirmed that the Venture Business card will not report to your personal credit report as a new account. That means it does not add to your 5/24 count.

If you are not familiar with 5/24, it is a rule that limits how many new personal credit cards you can open within a 24-month period before being denied for certain other cards. Business cards that do not report to personal credit reports are valuable because they let you keep earning welcome bonuses without eating into that count.

A few important nuances to know:

• Capital One will still pull all three credit bureaus when you apply, so you will see a hard inquiry on your personal credit report.
• The account itself will not show up as a new account on your personal report.
• Because Capital One pulls all three bureaus, some people freeze their Experian report before applying since Capital One is sensitive to high inquiry counts and Experian tends to have the most inquiries on it. With two of the three bureaus unfrozen, the application can still go through.
• There is currently no required application order for Capital One business cards the way there is for some other issuers.

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Additional card benefits

Beyond the welcome offer and the 2x earning rate, the Venture Business card includes a few other benefits worth knowing about.

TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit: The card includes a credit for the application fee for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. Global Entry is $120 and includes TSA PreCheck. This alone significantly offsets the $95 annual fee in year one.

No foreign transaction fees: If you travel internationally, you will not be charged extra for purchases made outside the United States.

Primary rental car coverage: When you pay for a rental car with this card and decline the rental company’s collision coverage, you have primary coverage for damage to the vehicle. No involving your personal insurance.

Miles pool with other Capital One Venture cards: If you already have a Venture, Venture X, or Venture X Business card, your miles from all of those cards can be combined into one pool. You can also transfer miles to friends and family for free.

No lounge access: This card does not include airport lounge access. The only Capital One cards that include lounge access are the Venture X personal and Venture X Business.

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What 90,000 Capital One miles can actually do

This is where Capital One miles really shine. They are flexible points, which means they are not locked into one airline or one hotel chain. Here is a look at the different ways you can use them.

Book through the Capital One travel portal

You can use your miles to book flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation rentals, Airbnbs, train tickets, and cruises directly through the Capital One travel portal. Miles typically redeem at around 1 cent per mile through the portal, so 90,000 miles covers approximately $900 in travel purchases.

This is one of my favorite ways to use Capital One miles because there is no award availability to worry about. You book like you are paying cash and use miles to cover the cost.

Erase travel purchases

Capital One also allows you to use miles to erase travel purchases from your statement after the fact. If you book a flight, a hotel, or another travel expense and pay with your card, you can go back and use miles to cover that charge. This gives you the flexibility to book wherever you find the best price and cover it with points later.

Transfer to airline and hotel partners

Capital One has one of the best transfer partner lineups of any flexible points program. You can transfer your miles to airline and hotel loyalty programs, often at a 1:1 ratio, which can unlock significantly more value than redeeming through the portal.

Some of the most useful transfer partners include:

• Air France KLM Flying Blue — excellent for flights to Europe and Africa. We used Flying Blue miles for our flights to and from Nairobi, Kenya for our Africa trip. The value we got from those transfers was significantly higher than booking directly through the portal.
• Wyndham Rewards — one of the largest hotel programs in the world, with properties at many national parks and in destinations worldwide
• Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles
• Avianca LifeMiles
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• TAP Air Portugal Miles and Go
• British Airways Avios
• Emirates Skywards
• Accor Live Limitless
• Choice Privileges
• And many more

For a full breakdown of Capital One transfer partners and how to use them, read my complete Capital One transfer partners guide here: Complete Guide to Capital One Transfer Partners

Real examples of how we have used Capital One miles

I want to give you real examples from our family trips rather than abstract numbers.

Flights to Nairobi for our Africa trip: We transferred Capital One miles to Air France KLM Flying Blue to cover our flights to and from Nairobi, Kenya. Flying Blue is one of the best uses of Capital One miles for international travel because of how their pricing works for routes to Africa. This trip would not have been possible for our family without flexible points. You can read the full story of how we did it here: Our Africa Trip on Points

Train tickets from Venice to Bern, Switzerland: Capital One miles can be used to cover train tickets booked through the travel portal. We used this on our Europe trip to cover the cost of our train from Venice to Bern without touching cash. This is one of the most underrated uses of flexible travel points that most people never think about.

Ferries in Greece this summer: We are planning to use Capital One miles to help cover ferry costs during our upcoming Greece trip. Island hopping by ferry is a significant expense when you are traveling as a family, and being able to offset that with points changes the math completely.

Short flights from Lima to Cusco, Peru: We are also planning to use miles for short domestic flights within Peru for an upcoming trip. Flexible points that work through a travel portal make it easy to cover these shorter regional flights that you often cannot book with airline miles programs.

You can also use these points for vacation rentals on points. I wrote a full guide on how to book vacation rentals using credit card points here: How to Book Vacation Rentals on Points

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Who should apply for this card

This card makes sense if you meet one or more of these criteria:

• You have any business income including tutoring, coaching, content creation, Airbnb hosting, reselling, freelancing, or any self-employment income
• You can comfortably spend $7,500 in 3 months on normal business expenses without stretching your budget
• You already have personal Capital One miles cards and want to stack your earnings into one pool
• You are building toward an international trip and want flexible points with strong transfer partner options
• You want a business card that does not affect your 5/24 count
• You want simple flat-rate earning without worrying about bonus categories

This card does not make sense if:

• You carry a balance month-to-month. Always pay your card in full. This is a non-negotiable rule for making points and miles work for your family.
• You have no qualifying business income at all
• The $7,500 minimum spend in 3 months would require you to change your spending habits or take on expenses you would not otherwise have
• You need lounge access from a business card. For lounge access you would need the Venture X Business instead.

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Do you need a formal business to apply?

This is the most common question I get about business cards and the answer surprises a lot of people.

No. You do not need an LLC, an EIN, or a registered business entity to apply for a business credit card.

Sole proprietors qualify. If you have any income outside of a traditional W-2 job, you can apply as a sole proprietor using your Social Security number as your tax ID. This includes:

• Teachers who sell resources on Teachers Pay Teachers
• Tutors who take private clients
• Coaches or consultants of any kind
• Content creators or bloggers with any income
• Airbnb or short-term rental hosts
• Resellers on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or similar platforms
• Freelancers of any type
• Anyone with a side hustle that generates income

I applied as an LLC because Points and Miles Teachers is a registered business entity, but sole proprietors are absolutely eligible.

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Frequently asked questions

Does this card report to my personal credit report?

The account will not report as a new account to your personal credit report. However, Capital One will pull all three credit bureaus when you apply, so you will see a hard inquiry. Some people keep their Experian credit report frozen during the application because Capital One is sensitive to high inquiry counts and Experian typically carries the most inquiries. As long as two of the three bureaus are unfrozen, your application can still be processed.

Can I earn the first tier bonus without hitting the second tier?

Yes. The two tiers are completely independent. You earn 75,000 miles for completing tier 1 regardless of whether you ever hit tier 2. You can earn one, both, or neither depending on your spending.

Is this card worth it if I can only hit the first spend tier?

Yes. 75,000 miles plus 15,000 miles from spending equals 90,000 flexible miles. That is a strong haul from a $95 annual fee card, especially when those miles do not affect your 5/24 count and can be pooled with your other Capital One miles.

Can I get this card if I already had the Spark Miles?

Yes, you are eligible to apply for the Venture Business even if you previously had a Spark Miles card. Your existing Spark Miles card will not convert to the new product, but you can apply separately. Note that existing or previous accountholders for the same product may not be eligible for the welcome bonus, so check the terms carefully if you previously had a Venture Business card specifically.

Will my points transfer to my Venture X if I close this card later?

Yes. You can combine miles across all your Capital One Venture miles cards. If you close this card after year one, you can transfer the miles to your Venture X or any other Capital One miles card before closing. You can also send miles to friends and family for free.

Does this card have lounge access?

No. The Venture Business does not include airport lounge access. The only Capital One cards with lounge access are the Venture X personal and the Venture X Business.

Can I use Capital One miles for vacation rentals?

Yes. You can book vacation rentals and Airbnbs through the Capital One travel portal and pay with miles. You can also book a vacation rental with cash and then erase the purchase with miles after it posts to your account. I wrote a full guide on how to use points for vacation rentals here: How to Book Vacation Rentals on Points

Is this a limited time offer?

Yes. Capital One has designated this as a limited time offer. The previous version of this card had a standard offer of 50,000 miles. This offer is 75,000 miles just for tier one, which is significantly higher. We do not know what the standard offer will be once this limited time window closes.

What is the difference between primary and secondary rental car coverage?

Primary coverage means your credit card handles any damage claim directly without involving your personal auto insurance. Secondary coverage only kicks in after your personal insurance pays first. The Venture Business card includes primary rental car coverage when you pay for the rental with the card and decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver.

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Bottom line

The Capital One Venture Business card is one of the strongest business card offers I have seen in a long time. 75,000 miles from tier one alone, unlimited 2x on every purchase, no 5/24 impact, a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit, and flexible miles that work for flights, hotels, vacation rentals, train tickets, ferries, and transfers to dozens of airline and hotel partners.

For any small business owner, freelancer, or side hustler who wants to build up a pool of flexible travel points without touching their personal card lineup, this card is worth a serious look right now while the offer is elevated.

If you are ready to apply or want to see the current offer alongside everything else I recommend, my best offers page has it all in one place: See current best offers

And if you have questions about whether this card makes sense for your specific situation, my DMs are open on Instagram at @pointsandmilesteachers. I read every single one.

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The editorial content here is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.