Updated and checked March 2023. That space in your wallet or purse is valuable, and you should be the one to get that value. By being smart and picky, you can find offers worth $500+ for a single card, all to encourage you to apply and try it out. This adds up to thousands of dollars in extra income (over $5,000 in 2021). These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now (or have already). Notable recent changes:
Added Marriott 100k, Hilton 100k, Aeroplan 100k, Delta 70k, IHG 120k w/ no AF, Alaska 70k+$100 
Removed Southwest CP+30k, Premier 80k, JetBlue 80k.
This is a companion post to my Top 10 Best Business Card Offers. Small business bonuses are on average even higher than those on consumer cards.
- Up to 100,000 points: 60,000 points after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months, plus 40,000 points after $20,000 in purchases in the first 12 months. See link for details.
- 100,000 points is worth $1,250 in travel value with Pay Yourself Back®.
- Free first checked bags on Air Canada flights: one free checked bag for the primary cardmember and up to eight other travelers on the same itinerary.
- Aeroplan 25K Elite Status benefits for the remainder of the first calendar year, plus the following calendar year.
- $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit.
- $95 annual fee.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.
Gold Delta Skymiles Card from American Express
- 70,000 Delta Skymiles after $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. Limited-time offer. See link for details.
- 70,000 Skymiles are worth at least $700 in Delta airfare with “Pay with Miles” option.
- First checked bag free on Delta flights ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
- $100 Delta flight credit after $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year.
- $0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- There is also a 90k bonus miles offer on the Platinum version.
Hilton Honors American Express Card
- 100,000 Hilton Honors points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. Offer ends 04/05/2023. See link for details.
- Free Honors Silver status (5th standard reward night free, 2 bottles of water in your room).
- No annual fee.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card
- 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. Limited-time offer. See link for details.
- Free Night after each account anniversary year (valued up to 35,000 Bonvoy points).
- $95 annual fee.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.
Alaska Airlines Visa Card (Bank of America)
- 70,000 bonus miles + $100 statement credit + Companion Fare voucher after $3,000 in purchases within first 90 days. See link for details.
- Companion fare voucher is “Buy one ticket, get one from $121” ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $22).
- Free checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six other passengers on the same reservation (worth $60 roundtrip per person).
- $95 annual fee.
- Compare with alternative offer.
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard
- 60,000 American Airlines miles after any purchase in the first 90 days. See link for details.
- First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
- $0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- 60,000 points (worth $600 in gift cards, or transferrable to miles) after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
- 3X points for every $1 spent on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.
- Must not have gotten bonus from or closed a Citi Rewards+, ThankYou Preferred, Premier, or Prestige card in the past 24 months.
- $95 annual fee.
IHG Rewards Club Traveler Card
- 120,000 IHG Rewards club points after $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
- 4th Award Night Free (Book 3 nights in a row with points, 4th is free)
- No annual fee.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.
- 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points (worth $750 minimum towards travel and more) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
- $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards(R), 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases.
- $95 annual fee.
- Subject to 5/24 rule.*
- Upgrade pick: Chase Sapphire Reserve Card. Higher travel perks including airport lounge access, higher annual fee.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card
- 75,000 miles (worth $750 towards travel, or transferrable to miles) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
- $300 annual travel credit. Get up to $300 in statement credits when booking through Capital One Travel.
- Priority Pass airport lounge access. Additional cardholders are free, and also get their own Priority Pass!
- Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
- $395 annual fee.
Capital One Venture Rewards Card
- 75,000 miles (worth $500 towards travel, or transferrable to miles) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
- 2% cash back on ALL purchases.
- Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
- $95 annual fee.
The Platinum Card from American Express
- 80,000 Membership Rewards(R) points after $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.
- $200 Hotel Credits, $240 Streaming Credits, $200 Airline Fee Credits, $200 Uber Cash, $189 CLEAR Credit, $300 Equinox credit, $155 Walmart+ credit and more annually!
- $100 Global Entry or $85 TSA PreCheck fee credit.
- Premium airport lounge access through the American Express Global Lounge Collection®.
- $695 annual fee.
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Mastercard
- 60,000 American Airlines miles after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
- First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
- $0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.
U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card
- 50,000 bonus points (worth $500 in statement credits) after $2,000 in purchases within 120 days. See link for details.
- 4X points on travel and gas stations, 2X points on dining and grocery stores.
- Up to $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
- $30 annual streaming bonus.
- $0 annual fee the first year, $95/year thereafter.
- 70,000 Hawaiian miles after first purchase (any amount) within the first 90 days. Any 6 digit promo code works. See link for details.
- Free first checked bag for primary cardmember.
- One-time 50% off companion discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and The Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines.
- $99 annual fee.
- 60,000 Membership Rewards points after $4,000 in purchases in first 6 months. Limited-time offer. See link for details.
- $120 in Uber Cash annually (good towards Uber Eats or Uber rides in the US).
- $120 in annual dining credit at Grubhub, Seamless, and more.
- 4X points at at restaurants.
- 4X points at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 per year.
- $250 annual fee.
Bank of America Premium Rewards Card
- 50,000 points (worth $500 towards travel) after $3,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. See link for details.
- 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- $100 annual Airline Incidental Statement Credit.
- Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
- $95 annual fee.
If you pay off your balances every month, then you can join me and many others in funding a huge chunk of your annual travel budget with cash credits, points, and miles. I mostly use my rewards points on family trips – domestic economy flights, mid-range hotels, and cheap car rentals. If you have credit card debt, you should focus on paying that off first as the interest charges could offset most of the perks.
* 5/24 Rule? Certain Chase cards have a “5/24 rule” which is an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 24 months (2 years). This rule applies on a per-person basis, so if you are new, you might want to start with those Chase cards.
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Hi Jonathan,
Thanks so much for sharing! I haven’t researched credit card bonuses in a while, but we have always enjoyed getting a combination of cash-back or points. We don’t carry a balance and have to spend money anyway, so we choose to get cash-back or points every month.
I really will look into the IHG Rewards Club Premier Card because it looks like they are having an amazing deal right now! Thanks again for the tip 🙂
hi—-can thee be redeemed for cash back or statement credit ?
IHG Hotels 140k/75k – 140k still highest ever, new 75k traveler offer.
The best redemption is definitely IHG hotel stays. See linked post for details. There are other options, just not nearly as good value. For example, you can redeem 140k points for $350 in Home Depot gift cards or $300+ in Amazon gift cards.
Couple months ago I used the credit card match to get 100k signup bonus for AMEX Platinum….was nice. I think signup is usually 60k points.
https://www.creditcards.com/cardmatch/?aid=1046404&tid=6ff26a4833ca43cba76cb82c3ee25bdc
It seems that the metric for best value is travel (though maybe I’m missing something). In these Covid times, I’m not that eager to build up more skymiles or hotel rewards. I suppose cash back is the other option. Any posts on which are the best cash back cards? Thanks!
I definitely understand the cash preference, and they do exist just at lower values. One suggestion right now is the AmEx Blue Cash Preferred which offers 6% cash back on groceries ($6k per year) and a $250 sign-up bonus:
https://www.mymoneyblog.com/blue-cash-preferred-american-express-review-groceries.html
Do you leave the credit cards open after you’ve gotten and used the sign up rewards for cards with annual fees or close them?
I always look at new credit cards as trials. I will try them out, keep it for a full year, and see how I like it. I give them a chance – that what I feel that I owe them. For example, I kept the expensive Sapphire Reserve because I feel it offers enough value. If I don’t like it, then I cancel after the next annual fee hits and they always remove the annual fee and close the card.
hank you, Jonathan.
These are hefty spend requirements in 3 months…$5,000 to $7,000. In what ways could an ordinary/frugal person spend on necessities this much ?
Yes, some of the biggest bonuses do require bigger spending. If you look carefully, there are still many bonuses that have lower spending requirements. The bonuses may be somewhat smaller, but still worthwhile.
That’s my problem as well – even $2k-$3k is a stretch for me (I still have to pay my rent with a check, no electronic option). Considering the Wyndham card though!
Many of the offers require about $1,000 a month average spending hurdle, and my strategy is to first move over my insurance bill which is charged on credit card on monthly installments. I have homeowners, 2 cars, term life, and umbrella insurance bundled and it is roughly $500 a month. So half of the spending is right there. Healthcare expenses that are later can be reimbursed by FSA are usually another couple hundred per month. Add in food, groceries, household products, etc. So we have a base amount of expenses that can be shifted.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Looks like you’ve got a typo. I believe the Venture X bonus requiries $10,000 in purchases within the first 6 months, not 3 months.
Fixed, thanks!
This is goldmine information! I’m definitely going after the Chase cards first, looking forward to take the most advantage of those points and miles!
FYI, I just reapplied for US Connect after calling to confirm I can have the card again without and T&C on timeframe. I closed this card this year and was recently approved again. Sweet deal!
Citi Aadvantage card shows only 60K mile bonus when I click on the link.
Thanks, will update.
I always find the spends for these comical. I live so frugally, I don’t spend even a fraction of the spend amount in 3 months! Like, $16k a year in non-rent/non-mortgage/non-auto loan card spendable expenses? Wow.
Same here. This worked for a couple of new cards I had when I bought a car but that was maybe six years ago. Probably should just be thankful I don’t have expenses that big I guess 🙂
Hi Jonathan, curious if you have a recent article on your strategy with these cards. i.e. which cards you are participating in (or have), rotation into the deals, etc.
I learned this from you a long time ago but haven’t’ seen it for a while (or maybe I missed it)