The value of Capital One Spark miles range anywhere from 0.5 to 2 cents. The easiest value you can obtain with little to no effort is 1 cent per point towards travel.
How to earn Spark miles
Capital One Spark miles can be earned through welcome bonuses and everyday spending across Spark Rewards credit cards. These cards are a great fit for any business looking to earn flexible rewards at a flat rate across all purchases.
You can earn Spark miles using the following credit cards:
| Credit Card | Highlights | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
Best Business Card For Unlimited 2X Miles
|
$0 the first year, then $95 | |
Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business Card
Best For 1.5X Miles At No Annual Fee
|
$0 |
Spark miles value
Spark miles have a base value of 1 cent per mile when redeemed for travel through Capital One. That's the easiest value you can obtain without any effort.
| Redemption Option | Redemption Value (in cents) |
|---|---|
| Transfers To Capital One Partners | 0.6 - 2 |
| Travel Purchases via Capital One Travel | 1 |
| Using miles to cover recent travel purchases | 1 |
| Gift Cards | 0.5 - 1 |
| Cash Back | 0.5 |
Redeeming Spark miles for travel
Spark miles will have a value of 1 cent each when redeemed towards travel through Capital One and as much as 2 cents in value when transferring to airline and hotel partners.
Capital One Travel Portal
Spark miles can be redeemed for flights, car rentals, and hotel reservations at a fixed value of 1 cent per mile through Capital One Travel. This means that $100 in travel booked through the portal would cost you 10,000 Spark miles.
Redeem Miles Towards Purchases
Spark Miles can be used to wipe away recent travel purchases made to a Spark Rewards credit card at a value of 1 cent per mile. Eligible purchases include:
- Airlines
- Hotels
- Rail lines
- Car rental agencies
- Limousine services
- Bus lines
- Cruise lines
- Taxi cabs
- Travel agents
- Time shares
- Anything else coded as travel by the merchant
While redeeming your Spark miles using this method will give you the same value as redeeming them directly through the Capital One Travel Portal, this method is typically the better route for several reasons:
You can book direct and still redeem miles
Since you're using your using miles to wipe away travel purchases made to your card, you can book your flight or hotel direct. This will earn you airline miles or hotel rewards points as well as credit towards any kind of status you may have with another loyalty program.
Once your flight, hotel, or other form of eligible travel posts to your account, you can use your Spark miles to wipe out the travel charges at a value of 1 cent per point.
You can earn additional miles
When you use your card to make travel purchases, you'll earn Spark miles. You can then turn around and redeem your miles towards any travel purchases you made.
If you book directly thought Capital One Travel, you will not earn those initial miles you would normally get when booking the travel.
You can use cash back portal to double and triple dip
Cash back and shopping portals allow you to earn additional cash back, points, and miles on top of the rewards you normally earn. It's a great way to rake in additional rewards.
Capital One transfer partners
Capital One's transfer partners is the key to getting the most value of your Spark miles. Miles can be transferred to over 15 travel partners with all partners except two being a 1:1 ratio.
While there are Capital One transfer partners that are better than others, transferring your miles to most of these partners will give you higher value than the fixed rate you'll get redeeming Spark miles directly with Capital One. This is because miles earned with most of these airlines have an average value of more than 1 cent each.
When it comes to squeezing value out of your point transfers, the best options are:
- Air Canada Aeroplan - for flights between mainland U.S. and Canada
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue - great redemptions between U.S. and Europe
- British Airways Executive Club - exceptional value when used for short-haul trips with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines
- Singapore KrisFlyer - redeem points for their first class in-air suites or booking first class between U.S destinations and Asia/Europe
You can also get great value booking premium cabins, First, and Business with most of the other airline partners as well.
Example for transferring miles
Let's say that you're trying to get to Sydney, Australia from San Francisco. One of the best airlines for this would be Qantas, which is Australia's flagship airline.
Looking at the Qantas website for flights in the fall, the lowest cash price I found was $1,188. During the same week, the lowest cost for an award flight is 83,000 Qantas Points.
This would be a prime time to transfer miles. You would transfer 83,800 Spark miles to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account and redeem them for the flight to Sydney.
This means you'll end up redeeming 83,800 Spark miles for a $1,188 flight which comes out to an excellent value of 1.4 cents per mile.
If you were to make the purchase through your Spark credit card and use your miles to cover the charge, it would have cost you 118,800 Spark miles at a value of 1 cent each.
So you've not only saved yourself 35,000 Spark miles, you've also redeem your miles for higher value.
Great redemption value requires research
Finding redemptions that give your Spark miles high value through point transfers can take some research and can be challenging at times. If you can't find a solid redemption through point transfers, redeeming your miles to cover travel charges or to book travel through Capital One Travel are still great options.
Other ways to redeem Spark miles
Spark miles can be redeemed for gift cards and cash back. These will give your miles lower value.
Gift cards
Capital One Spark miles can be redeemed for gift cards at a rate of 0.5 to 1 cent per mile. While this is not a bad redemption, gift cards can usually be found for less than their face value or on sale from online retailers like Amazon or Ebay.
If you're big on gift cards, you'll probably want to coast over to Capital One's cash back credit cards as they will offer more value.
Cash back
Capital One Spark miles can be redeemed for cash back at a value of 0.5 cents per mile. This is a redemption I recommend avoiding as you'll be cutting the value of your miles in half when compared to redeeming them for travel through Capital One.
How to convert Spark miles to dollars
Use the Spark Miles Value Calculator to determine the cash value of Spark miles. This will give you an idea of how much your miles are worth on average.
| Redemption | Average Dollar Value |
|---|---|
| Transfers To Capital One Airline Partners | $0 - $0 |
| Capital One Travel | $0 |
| Using miles to cover recent travel purchases | $0 |
| Transfers To Capital One Hotel Partners | $0 - $0 |
| Gift Cards | $0 - $0 |
| Cash Back | $0 |
FAQ
How much are Spark miles worth?
Capital One Spark miles are worth 1 cent each when redeem towards travel. They can also be transferred to airline and hotel partners for increased value.
How many Spark miles do you need for a flight?
It depends on the cost of the flight. Each mile is worth 1 cent each, so you can multiply the cost of the flight by 100 to see how many miles you would need. For example, a flight that costs $200 would require 20,000 Spark miles.
How much is 40,000 Spark miles worth?
40,000 Spark miles are worth $400 towards travel.
How much is 50,000 Spark miles worth?
50,000 Spark miles are worth $500 towards travel.
What airlines can you use Spark miles on?
Spark miles can be redeemed towards purchases made to any airline, with no restrictions or black out dates. You can also transfer your Spark miles directly to several airline and hotel partners.
Can you redeem Spark miles for Cash?
You can redeem Spark miles for cash at a rate of 0.5 cents per mile. So 10,000 Spark miles would be worth $50.
