Credit Cards — My Money Blog

American Express “Member Week” March 17-21 (Limited-Time Offers)

Posted on March 16, 2025 // 1 Comment

American Express is celebrating their 175th birthday (!) with a “Member Week” from March 17-21. They are touting various special offers. I honestly don’t know if they will be awesome or disappointing, but I figure that it’s worth logging into your AmEx account/app and checking your AmEx Offer. Here is the press release and the official Member Week page.

Besides a chance at tickets to see Gracie Abrams and a free martini at “participating restaurants in New York, Washington D.C., Miami, Atlanta and Chicago”, here’s their teaser on the retail offers:

In honor of its 175th year, American Express will introduce new, limited-time Amex Offers for eligible U.S. Consumer and Business Card Members. Eligible Consumer Card Members can access more than $290 in statement credits when they make qualifying purchases from brands like Kiehl’s, Levi’s, barnesandnoble.com, Brooks Brothers and Shiseido; eligible Business Card Members can access more than $500 in statement credits on qualifying purchases from HP, Lowe’s and more. More information about Amex Offers and redemption deadlines can be found here (terms apply).

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: March 14, 2025

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Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card Review: 185,000 Bonus Points Offer

Posted on March 13, 2025 // 8 Comments

Improved offer (nearly double the previous bonus). The card_name is the premium co-branded rewards card for Marriott hotels. This card has a hefty annual fee, but a closer look reveals it’s not as bad as it looks initially due to perks like flexible dining credits, airport lounge access, and elite status. Here are the highlights:

185,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
$300 in Annual Dining Credits, valid at restaurants worldwide. Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 each month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant(R) American Express(R) Card at restaurants worldwide.
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status. This level includes better free room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge membership. Enroll and get unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. Enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location. Enrollment required.
6X Points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® for each dollar of eligible purchases.
3X Points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines.
2X points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant(R) American Express(R) Card.
$100 Marriott Bonvoy(R) Property Credit: Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton(R) or St. Regis(R) when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy(R). Certain hotels have resort fees.
Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant(R) American Express(R) Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Brilliant Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
25 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
No Foreign Transaction Fees.
$650 Annual Fee.
See Rates and Fees

Keep in mind the following:

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card or the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.

Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had The Ritz-Carlton® Credit Card from JPMorgan or the J.P. Morgan Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card in the last 30 days, (ii) have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a new Card Member bonus or upgrade offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase in the last 24 months.

This is why you should be looking to get the best possible bonus (like a limited-time offer) if you do apply.

$300 Dining Statement Credit. As long as you make $25 in restaurant purchases on this card each month, they $300 in annual dining statement credits should be easily obtainable. This knocks down the scary $650 annual fee down to effectively $350 net. My first read of this perk was that you had to spend it at a Marriott hotel restaurant, but in fact you can make the purchase at any restaurant worldwide.

You can receive up to $300 in statement credits issued to your Card Account for eligible purchases charged to your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide. Purchases by both the Basic Card Member and Additional Card Members on an eligible Card Account are eligible for statement credits. Each Card Account is eligible for up to $25 in statement credits per month, for a total of up to $300 per calendar year in statement credits across all Cards on the Account.

Priority Pass Select. Includes access at over 1,200 airport lounges for the cardholder plus two guests free. Enrollment required. I’m not sure how I’d value this perk, but I’ve definitely enjoyed it in the past.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card Members must enroll in the Priority Pass™ Select program through the benefits section of their americanexpress.com account or by calling the number on the back of their Card to receive the benefit. Priority Pass is an independent airport lounge access program. At any visit to a Priority Pass Select lounge that admits guests, you may bring in two guests for no charge.

What is a reasonable estimate for the value of a Marriott Bonvoy point? As of April 2022, Marriott no longer has a fixed hotel category chart for booking points. You can still use these points at either long-time Marriott brands (Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites) or former Starwood brands (Westin, Sheraton, The Luxury Collection, Four Points by Sheraton, W Hotels, St. Regis, Le Méridien, Aloft), but now it is “dynamic” awards where the points required are more linked to the actual cash cost than before.

Based on multiple real-world searches of redeemable properties, I choose to use a conservative estimate of 0.70 cents per Bonvoy point. That means 95,000 Bonvoy points = estimated $665 redeemable value, and 185,000 Bonvoy points = estimated $1,295 redeemable hotel night value. Remember to compare the full price of the hotel price with all taxes, as that is what you would have to pay instead of just points. With the flexibility of points, you could book a week stay at a modest hotel or a couple nights at a luxury resort.

You can use the Marriott free night search tool to price out some sample hotels for yourself.

Free Night Award (85K) with Card Renewal. At your card anniversary (when you pay the annual fee), you will receive a Free Night Award that is good for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at a participating hotel. This is a much better perk than the other 35K and 50K free night awards out there. It’s definitely not hard to get $350 of value out of this award. Here are some sample hotels that I have tried to book in the past that came in at or under 85,000 points for selected dates:

The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Hawaii
JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa
Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris
The St. Regis Deer Valley
The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Washington, DC
The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Colorado.
The Ritz-Carlton, Koh Samui (Thailand)
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (Big Island, Hawaii)
The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort
Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, Maui

NEW: Certificates can be combined with up to 15,000 points for nicer hotels. Marriott now allows you to supplement your free night certificates with up to 15,000 points of your own. In other words, if your certificate is worth 85,000 points, the maximum hotel value you can redeem for is 100,000 points after adding 15,000 points of your own. Here are details on the Free Night Award Top Off option.

Bonvoy Points can also be transferred to airline miles with a bonus. You can convert your Bonvoy points to miles at 39 participating airlines. The standard ratio with most programs is 3:1 (60,000 Bonvoy: 20,000 airlines) miles. Most programs will add on a bonus 5,000 miles for every 60,000 points you transfer to frequent flyer miles (does not apply to American Airlines AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, Delta SkyMiles and Korean Air SKYPASS.) If you’re a United MileagePlus® member, you’ll get 10,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points you transfer. More information here.

Finally, Marriott points are also convertible to gift cards, but it takes 60,000 points to redeem for a $200 gift card for Marriott or retailers like Best Buy, Home Depot, or Nordstrom. That ratio isn’t all that great, so you’ll definitely get the most value via hotel night redemptions or airline miles transfer.

Bottom line. The card_name is the premium co-branded card between Marriott hotels and American Express. There is a long list of perks, including a flexible dining credit on restaurant purchases and a valuable free night award each card anniversary. As with all hotel cards, the value is dependent on your unique travel preferences.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

(See Rates and Fees)

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //

Last updated: March 13, 2025

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card Review: 3 Free Night Awards Welcome Offer

Posted on March 13, 2025 // 2 Comments

New offer. The card_name is the re-branded business credit card of the Marriott Bonvoy program. This card offers unique perks for Marriott customers, along with a generous new customer incentive. Here are the highlights:

Welcome Offer: 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Free Night Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) points, for a total potential value of up to 150,000 points, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy(R). Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms apply.
New award night top-off option: Marriott now allows you to supplement your free night certificates with up to 15,000 points of your own. For example, the 50k Award can be used to book a hotel at 65,000 points level if you spend 15,000 points of your own. This opens up the number of potential hotels available in expensive areas.
Room rate discount: 7% discount on eligible Marriott Bonvoy hotel bookings as a benefit of being both a Marriott Bonvoy(R) member & a Marriott Bonvoy Business(R) American Express(R) Card Member when you book directly with Marriott through an eligible channel for a participating property under the Amex Business Card Rate.
6X Marriott Bonvoy points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy(R) program.
4X Marriott Bonvoy points at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
2X points on all other eligible purchases.
Receive a Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60k in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy(R). Certain hotels have resort fees.
Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with this card.
Elite Night Credits: Receive credit for 15 nights towards the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status, each calendar year.
Annual fee is $125.
See Rates and Fees

Keep in mind the following terms and conditions:

Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Rewards® Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days, (ii) have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a new Card Member bonus offer in the last 24 months on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase.

This is more specific than before, note the different 30-day, 90-day, and 24-month waiting periods that may now include consumer cards. American Express usually gives you a pop-up warning during the application process if you are ineligible based on their records. This is why you should be looking to get the best possible bonus (like a limited-time offer) when you do apply.

Many people aren’t aware of the fact that they can apply for business credit cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. The business type is called a sole proprietorship, and these days many people are full-time or part-time consultants, freelancers, eBay/Amazon/Etsy sellers, Uber/Lyft drivers, or other one-person business owners. This is the simplest business entity, but it is fully legit and recognized by the IRS. On a business credit card application, you should use your own legal name as the business name, and your Social Security Number as the Tax ID.

NEW: Certificates can be combined with up to 15,000 points for nicer hotels. Marriott now allows you to supplement your free night certificates with up to 15,000 points of your own. In other words, if your certificate is worth 35,000 points, the maximum hotel value you can redeem for is 50,000 points after adding 15,000 points of your own. if your certificate is worth 50,000 points, the maximum hotel value you can redeem for is 65,000 points after adding 15,000 points of your own.

You can use the Marriott free night search tool to price out some sample hotels for yourself. Also, here are details on the Free Night Award Top Off option.

What is a reasonable estimate for the value of a Marriott Bonvoy point? Based on multiple real-world searches of redeemable properties, I choose to use a conservative estimate of 0.70 cents per Bonvoy point. That means 50,000 Bonvoy points = estimated $350 redeemable value, and 100,000 Bonvoy points = estimated $700 redeemable hotel night value. However, I almost always get closer to 1 cent per point value when I actually choose to redeem. Remember to compare the full price of the hotel price with all taxes, as that is what you would have to pay instead of just points.

50k Free Night Award (Welcome Offer). Based on a few quick searches (log in and try to book with points), the following premium hotels can potentially be booked for 65,000 points or less. (* Marriott no longer publishes a fixed point award chart):

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, Big Island, Hawaii
The Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
The Ritz-Carlton, Bali
Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa
JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa
Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®
Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes

35k Free Night Award (Anniversary). At your card anniversary, you will receive a Free Night Award that is good for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at a participating hotel. This excludes the very top properties, but for regular travelers it will be very easy to get your $95 or even $125 value. Many W Hotels, Westin, and even some Ritz-Carltons worldwide are included. Here are some sample hotels that may qualify under the 35,000 point limit (* Marriott no longer publishes a fixed point award chart):

Sheraton Kona Resort (Big Island, Hawaii)
Courtyard Waikiki Beach (Honolulu, Oahu)
Sheraton Kauai Resort (Kauai, Hawaii)
W Atlanta
New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge
Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
W Chicago
The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing, China
The S. Regis Bangkok, Thailand

You can expand this even further if you use the top-off option and look for hotels at up to 50,000 Bonvoy points.

Bottom line. The card_name is the co-branded business card between Marriott hotels and American Express. You also get a Free Night Award at card anniversary, which can be worth much more than the annual fee. Check out the current welcome offer, which can be redeemed for multiple free nights at hotels around the world.

Also see: Top 10 Best Small Business Card Bonus Offers.

(See Rates and Fees)

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //

Last updated: March 13, 2025

Southwest Becomes Just Another Commodity Airline (Basic Economy, No Checked Bags, Less Legroom, Paid Seating)

Posted on March 13, 2025 // 10 Comments

The big news in travel is that Southwest Airlines has basically given up their unique “We are different!” corporate identity and become just another commodity airline that tries to look as cheap as possible upfront (only $200!) while adding multiple fees on the backend for all the things that used to be included (want to sit next to each other? checked bags? decent legroom? ok sure it’s really $500). As educated consumers, our job is to understand the changes to their value proposition and adjust accordingly. Here’s a list of the new Southwest realities:

Basic Economy has arrived to Southwest. The cheapest fare tier is now called “Basic”, not “Wanna Get Away”. You can no longer make free changes; you only get a non-transferrable credit that expires after only 6 months. Earns only 2X points, down from 6X points (elite status-holders get a little more). They are stripping everything possible because Southwest believes that people just pick the lowest fare regardless of features when listed on a comparison site like Google Flights or Expedia.
No more free bags. Starting 5/29, on most fares you’ll no longer get two free bags included and they’ll start charging you like everyone else. Business Select fares and A-List Preferred elites will get 2 free checked bags. A-List elites and co-branded credit cardholders will get 1 free checked bag.
No more open seating. Must pay for seat choice. Southwest is moving to assigned seats as well, which means Basic fares will have to pay up to pick their seats or be stuck in the worst middle seats or in the back.
No more reasonable legroom for everyone. Southwest used to be known for decent seat width and legroom in all its seats. Southwest is now adding “premium” extra-legroom seats if you pay extra $$$. This usually means the rest of Economy loses a few inches in return (right now it looks like seat pitch will go down to 31″ from 32″, similar to Basic Economy for other major airlines).
Changes to Rapid Rewards points redemptions. When redeeming Rapid Rewards points for flights, it will not longer be directly linked to the current cash fare. Basically, they want to be able to charge whatever amount they want, and limit the number of award tickets available on certain flights.

I wouldn’t actually read this Southwest press release because it has so much PR-spin that it is quite trifficult to understand what they are actually doing, but this attached graphic is useful:

It’s almost funny because you can still look up their old talking points and interviews on why open seating is better, why keeping free checked bags is better, why the fact that Southwest treats everyone well is important, but now it’s just the exact opposite. Your unique brand was around for 50 years, but now you’ve traded it all for a temporary bump in share price.

Well, Southwest, if you want us to just judge you on price, that’s fine with me. Selling a commodity product is usually a tough business, though. Prediction: The next step is to be merged away with another major airline soon.

In the meantime, I’m not sure if this makes their co-branded credit card more desirable or not. The card has basically added a free checked bag benefit that can be valuable, and some of them offer seating choice perks, but if you were a loyal Southwest flier, these new changes may cause you to not fly them as much anymore and now try out other airlines.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: March 13, 2025

Wyndham Rewards Earner Cards: Up to 90,000 Bonus Points (Valid at Vacasa Home Rentals)

Posted on March 10, 2025 // 3 Comments

Updated with limited-time offers. The Wyndham Rewards Earner credit cards currently all have increased bonuses of up to 90,000 points. While these are not the highest amounts offered ever, they are above the normal bonuses. This hotel-chain co-branded card earns rewards that redeemable towards the Wyndham chain of hotels and Vacasa-managed vacation home rentals.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Card highlights:

60,000 bonus points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 90 days.
5X points per $1 spent on Hotels by Wyndham and qualifying gas purchases.
2X points per $1 spent on dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®).
1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Timeshare resort down payments).
Automatic upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Gold status.
10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points required for go free® awards.
7,500 bonus points each anniversary year if you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases.
No annual fee.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card highlights:

90,000 bonus points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 90 days.
6X points per $1 spent on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchasess.
4X points per $1 spent on dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart).
1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Timeshare resort down payments).
Automatic upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Platinum status.
10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points required for go free® awards.
7,500 bonus points each anniversary year after annual fee renewal.
$75 annual fee.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card highlights:

75,000 bonus points total. 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. Also, earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases within the first 365 days.
8X points per $1 spent on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchasess.
5X points per $1 spent on eligible marketing, advertising, and utilities purchases.
1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Timeshare resort down payments).
Automatic upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Diamond status.
10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points required for go free® awards.
15,000 bonus points each anniversary year after annual fee renewal.
$95 annual fee.

Wyndham hotels have a relatively simple system that charges 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points for a “Go Free” award hotel night with no blackout dates (as long as a standard room is available for cash, you can book it with points). You can also redeem toward a discounted “Go Fast” cash and points rate. Resort fees may apply and cannot be paid with points. Note that when you have one of these credit cards, you get a 10% discount, so for example the 15,000 points tier would be actually be reduced down to 13,500 points.

You can also use the points for Vacasa vacation home rentals (like Airbnb or VRBO). Starting 3/26/24, it will cost 15,000 points *per bedroom* per night if the cash cost (including all taxes and fees!) is up to $250 *per bedroom* per night, or 30,000 points per bedroom per night if the cash cost is up to $500 per bedroom per night. More details at here and here.

That means your family likes to stay at Airbnbs, then 90,000 points can get you 3 nights at a 1-bedroom Vacasa-managed property that would otherwise cost up to $500 per night when including all taxes and fees, or at a 2-bedroom Vacasa property that would otherwise cost up to $250 *per bedroom* per night when including all taxes and fees. You can browse Vacasa properties here and book by calling 800-441-1034.

Wyndham points expiration – Important!

Wyndham Rewards points will expire if you have no activity on your account for a period of 18 months.
In addition, all Wyndham Rewards points expire 4 years after being earned — regardless of account activity.

From the official Terms & Conditions:

Except as may otherwise be required under applicable law, Wyndham Rewards points expire four (4) years after the checkout date of the stay for which the applicable points are posted to the Member’s account (the “Four Year Rule”), unless the points are forfeited or cancelled earlier due to membership inactivity (as more particularly described below), or otherwise in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. All accrued points in a Member’s Wyndham Rewards account may be cancelled or forfeited if the Member has no Account Activity (as defined below) for a period of approximately, but never less than, eighteen (18) consecutive months. For purposes of these Terms and Conditions, “Account Activity” means any (i) point earning, (ii) stay posted to a Member’s Wyndham Rewards account, regardless of whether or not such stay earns Wyndham Rewards points, and (iii) redemption or transfer activity involving a change in the Member’s Wyndham Rewards point balance, in each case, conducted in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.

For example, earning points via this credit card will only reset the 18-month inactivity clock. Look for the exact date in your online account page.

Wyndham Rewards includes over 9,000 hotels worldwide – from Days Inn motels to Wyndham Grand hotels. You can use this link to filter locations easily by country, state, and/or point level. Participating hotel chains include:

AmericInn by Wyndham®
Dolce Hotels and Resorts® by Wyndham
Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham®
Howard Johnson by Wyndham®
La Quinta by Wyndham®
Ramada by Wyndham®
Days Inn by Wyndham®
Super 8 by Wyndham®
Travelodge by Wyndham®
Wingate by Wyndham®
Wyndham Grand®
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®
Wyndham Garden®

Depending on the hotel, you might get over 1 cent per point value (i.e. $300 cash hotel night for 30,000 points), but you might also get closer to 0.5 cent per point value (i.e. a $75 hotel night might require 15,000 points).

Bottom line. The Wyndham Rewards Earner credit cards earns rewards that can get you free nights at Wyndham hotels and Vacasa vacation home rentals. However, know that you must redeem the points within 4 years at the longest, even with regular account activity. This is somewhat of a niche card, but if you’ve got all the popular ones, there is still good potential value here if you put in some legwork.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers and Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: March 10, 2025

Top 10 Best Small Business Credit Card Bonus Offers – March 2025

Posted on March 7, 2025 // 23 Comments

Updated March 2025. Do you have small business income or work as an independent contractor? Freelance, Uber/Lyft, DoorDash, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Airbnb? A small business credit card separates your personal and business expenses and can build up your business credit profile. If you are not a corporation or LLC, you can apply as a sole proprietorship, with your name as the business name and your Social Security number as the Tax ID number. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now (or have already). Recent changes:

Added Marriott 3FreeNights, Hilton 175k, Delta Gold 90k, United 100k, Alaska 70k, Spark $2,000, Amex Gold 100k, Platinum 150k.
Removed Marriott 125k, Hyatt 60k+FreeNightAward, JetBlue 60k, Citi AA 75k, Ink Unlimited $900

This is a companion post to my Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers for personal cards. Notice that small business bonuses are on average even higher than those on consumer cards.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card

$2,000 cash bonus after $30,000 in the first 3 months. Additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. See link for details.
Unlimited 2% cash back spent on all purchases with no limit.
$150 annual fee; Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year.

The Business Platinum® Card from American Express

150,000 Membership Rewards points after $20,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
American Express Global Lounge Collection® provides complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, including their exclusive Centurion lounges.
$1,000+ in value per year via statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless. Enrollment required.
$695 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card

90,000 Bonus Miles after $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. Limited-time offer ends 4/2/25. See link for details.
60,000 Skymiles are worth at least $600 in Delta airfare with “Pay with Miles” option.
First checked bag free on Delta flights ($70 value per roundtrip, per person).
$200 Delta flight credit. Get a $200 credit to use toward future Delta travel after $10,000 in purchases within a calendar year.
$0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $150.
See Rates and Fees

American Express® Business Gold Card

100,000 Membership Rewards points after $15,000 in eligible purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Up to $240 Annual Flexible Business Credit. Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. Enrollment is required.
Up to $155 Annual Walmart+ Credit. Get up to $12.95 back in statement credits each month when you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. Enrollment is required.
Annual fee is $375.
See Rates and Fees

United^SM Business Card

100,000 bonus United miles after $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Limited-time offer. See link for details.
Free first checked bag for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip).
5,000-mile “better together” bonus each anniversary when you have both the United^SM Business Card and personal Chase United credit card.
Primary rental car coverage when renting for business purposes.
$99 Annual Fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

Capital One Venture X Business Card

150,000 Miles (worth $1,500 towards travel) after spending $30,000 in 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.
Additional 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass(TM) and Plaza Premium Group lounges access.
Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
$395 annual fee.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

90,000 Ultimate Rewards points (worth $900 straight cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel) after $8,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
3X points on the first $150,000 spent on travel, shipping purchases, internet/cable/phone services, and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines.
Primary rental car coverage when renting for business purposes.
$95 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

$750 bonus cash back. (75,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after $6,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases with no limit.
No annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after $8,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Limited-time offer ends 4/29/2025. See link for details.
Up to $240 in Annual Hilton Credits. Get up to $240 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases made on your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, with up to $60 in statement credits per quarter.
$195 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card

60,000 Bonus Points after $5,000 in purchases in first 3 months.
Up to $100 in Hyatt statement credits – spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property and earn $50 statement credits up to two times each anniversary year.
$199 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.

CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard

65,000 American Airlines miles after $4,000 in purchases in first the 4 months. Limited-time offer. See link for details.
First checked bag free on domestic AA flights for you and up to 4 companions (Up to $80 value per roundtrip, per person).
$0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

3 Free Night Awards after $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months. Each Free Night Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) points, for a total potential value of up to 150,000 points, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy(R). Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms apply. See link for details.
New award night top-off option: Marriott now allows you to supplement your free night certificates with up to 15,000 points of your own. For example, the 50k Award can be used to book a hotel at 65,000 points level if you spend 15,000 points of your own. This opens up the number of potential hotels available in expensive areas.
Additional Free Night Award upon card anniversary (worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points). Earn another additional Free Night Award after spending $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
Annual fee is $125.
See Rates and Fees

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Up to $750 bonus cash back total (75,000 Ultimate Rewards points). Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months. See link for details.
5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year.
No annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

Hawaiian Airlines Business MasterCard

50,000 Hawaiian miles after $4,000 in purchases in first 90 days. See link for details.
Receive a one-time 50% off companion discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and The Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines.
$99 annual fee.

BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards card

$500 statement credit after $5,000 in purchases in the first 90 days. See link for details.
1.5% cash back on all purchases, which can be increased to 2.62% cash back when combined with the Preferred Rewards program.
No annual fee.

US Bank Business Leverage Card

75,000 bonus points after $7,500 in purchases (on the Account Owner’s Card only) in first the 120 days. 75,000 bonus points can be redeemed for $750 in cash back. See link for details.
Availability may be restricted to certain states.
$0 annual fee for the first year, then $95.

JetBlue Business Card

50,000 TrueBlue points total. 50,000 points after $4,000 in purchases in first 90 days. See link for details.
First checked bag free for the primary cardmember and up to 3 companions when tickets are purchased with your JetBlue Plus Card.
$99 annual fee.

Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card (Bank of America)

70,000 Alaska miles + Companion Fare Voucher after $4,000 in purchase within 90 days. See link for details.
Companion fare voucher is “Buy one ticket, get one for $122” ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $23).
Free checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six other passengers on the same reservation (worth $70 roundtrip per person).
$70 annual fee for company, plus $25 per card.

Capital One Spark Cash Select Card

$500 cash bonus after $4,500 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Unlimited 1.5% cash back spent on all purchases with no limit.
No annual fee.

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

60,000 Southwest points after $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Southwest still gives everyone two free checked bags.
$99 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

* Note: 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 on your credit report within the past 2 years. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so if you are new, you might want to start with those Chase cards.

American Express(R) Business Gold Card: See Rates and Fees. The Business Platinum(R) Card from American Express: See Rates and Fees. The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: See Rates and Fees. Marriott Bonvoy Business(TM) Card from American Express(R): See Rates and Fees. Delta SkyMiles(R) Gold Business American Express Card: See Rates and Fees

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: March 13, 2025

Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers – March 2025 (Updated)

Posted on March 6, 2025 // 45 Comments

Updated March 2025. 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 2023). These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now (or have already). Notable recent changes:

Added Marriott 185k, Hilton 70k+FreeNight, JetBlue 70k, Venture 75k+$250, Southwest Companion Pass, CitiAA 75k, Delta 80k, IHG 100k/170k, Air Canada 70k, BarcAA 70k, Alaska 75k
Removed United 60k, British Airways 85k, CitiAA 75k, Sapphire 60k+$300, Amex Gold 60k+$100

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.

185,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) bonus points after $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. See link for details.
$300 in Annual Dining Credits, valid at restaurants worldwide.
Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge membership.
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status.
Free Night Award upon card anniversary (worth up to 85,000 Bonvoy points).
$650 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

Hilton Honors American Express Card

70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. Limited-time offer ends 4/29/2025. See link for details.
No annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Limited-time offer bonus of $1,000 value towards travel. 75,000 Miles after $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months (worth $750 to offset travel purchases, or transferrable to miles), plus a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit valid towards hotels and flights booked through Capital One Travel. See link for details.
2 Miles per dollar on all purchases.
Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
$95 annual fee.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

80,000 Bonus Miles after $3,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. See link for details.
80,000 Skymiles are worth at least $800 in Delta airfare with “Pay with Miles” option.
$200 Delta flight credit after $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year.
First checked bag free on Delta flights ($70 value per roundtrip, per person).
$0 annual fee for the first year, then $150.
See Rates and Fees

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

Limited-time offer: Earn a Companion Pass(R) good through 2/28/26 plus 30,000 points after $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Southwest still gives everyone two free checked bags.
Timing for Companion Pass. If you can sign up for this one and perhaps also the small business version, and time the points to post in 2025, you can qualify for a Companion Pass for 2025 and 2026.
$69 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.*

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

60,000 Ultimate Rewards points (worth $750 towards travel or transferrable to miles/points) 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 Travel^SM, 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.

British Airways Visa Signature® Card

75,000 Avios after $5,000 in purchases within first 3 months. See link for details and redemption tips.
10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
Free Travel Together companion ticket when you spend $30,000 in a calendar year.
$95 annual fee.

Aeroplan® Credit Card

Up to 70,000 bonus points. 60,000 bonus points after $3,000 on purchases in first 3 months. Plus, 10,000 bonus points after annual fee renewal payment posts and is paid in full. 70,000 points are redeemable for $875 against any travel purchased with Pay Yourself Back. See link for details.
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.
Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit.
$95 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.

Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card

75,000 American Airlines miles after $3,500 in purchases in first 4 months. See link for details.
First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($80 value per roundtrip, per person).
$0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

170,000 Bonus Points after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
Free Night after each account anniversary year (valued up to 40,000 IHG points).
$99 annual fee.
Subject to 5/24 rule.
Don’t like annual fees? The no-annual fee Traveler version also has a competitive offer with no annual fee.

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

100,000 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.*

The Platinum Card® from American Express

80,000 Membership Rewards(R) points after $8,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.
Up to $200 Hotel Credits, up to $240 Streaming Credits, $200 Airline Fee Credits, $200 Uber Cash, $199 CLEAR Plus credit, $300 Equinox credit, up to $155 Walmart+ credit and more annually! Enrollment is required.
Up to $120 Global Entry or $85 TSA PreCheck fee credit.
Premium airport lounge access through the American Express Global Lounge Collection®.
$695 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

Capital One Venture X Rewards Card

75,000 miles (worth $750 to offset travel purchases, 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.
Additional 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
Priority Pass + Capital One airport lounge access. Additional cardholders are free, and also get their own Priority Pass!
Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
$395 annual fee.

Citi Strata Premier Card

75,000 points (worth $750 in gift cards, or transferrable to miles/points) after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
3X points for every $1 spent on Hotel purchases, Air Travel, Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas Stations, EV Charging.
Must not have gotten bonus from or closed a Citi Premier or Strata Premier card in the past 48 months.
$95 annual fee.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Card

60,000 points (worth $600) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. See link for details.
$100 annual Airline Incidental Statement Credit.
Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
$95 annual fee.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

60,000 points (worth $600 towards travel) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. See link for details.
$50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase.
$95 annual fee.

Alaska Airlines Visa Card (Bank of America)

75,000 bonus miles + 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 $23” ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from just $23).
Free first checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six other passengers on the same reservation (worth $70 roundtrip per person).
$95 annual fee.

Hawaiian Airlines MasterCard

70,000 Hawaiian miles after any purchase (of any amount) within the first 90 days. Try various 6-digit codes, like “000111”. The normal offer has a higher spending requirement. See link for details.
Two free checked bags for primary cardmember when you use your card to purchase tickets directly from Hawaiian Airlines.
One-time 50% off companion discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and The Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines.
$99 annual fee.

JetBlue Plus Card

70,000 bonus TrueBlue points after $1,000 on purchases and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. See link for details.
First checked bag free for the primary cardmember and up to 3 companions when tickets are purchased with your JetBlue Plus Card.
$99 annual fee.

American Express® Gold Card

60,000 Membership Rewards(R) points after $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. See link for details.
$84 Dunkin’ Credit. Up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at US Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment is required.
$100 Resy Credit. Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. Broken down into up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment is required.
$120 in Uber Cash annually (good towards Uber Eats or Uber rides in the US).
Up to $120 in annual dining credit at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment is required.
4X points at restaurants on up to $50,000 per calendar year.
4X points at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year.
$325 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard

60,000 American Airlines miles after any single purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. See link for details.
First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($80 value per roundtrip, per person).
$99 annual fee.

United^SM Explorer Card

50,000 miles after $3,000 in purchases within 3 months. See link for details.
Free first checked bag for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip) when you use your Card to purchase your United ticket.
Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit.
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Subject to 5/24 rule.

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.

Delta SkyMiles(R) Gold American Express Card: See Rates and Fees

American Express(R) Gold Card: See Rates and Fees

The Platinum Card(R) from American Express: See Rates and Fees

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant(R) American Express(R) Card: See Rates and Fees

Hilton Honors Card from American Express: See Rates and Fees

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers // Tagged: monthlyccbonusupdate

Last updated: March 13, 2025

Virgin Red Rewards Credit Card: 60,000 Bonus Points (Limited-Time Offer)

Posted on March 3, 2025 // Leave a Comment

The Virgin Red Rewards credit card is the co-branded card for Virgin Red, the loyalty program for Virgin Atlantic flights, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages. In addition, Virgin points can be used for other things like Delta Airlines flights, Legoland tickers, all the way down to a bag of AMC movie popcorn. Right now, there is a limited-time offer, so let’s take a closer look.

60,000 Virgin Points when you open an account between 2/18/25-3/31/25 and spend $3,000 in the first 90 days.
3X Virgin Points per $1 spent on Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages.
2X Virgin Points per $1 spent at grocery stores, on dining out, select streaming services and EV charging.
1 Virgin Point per $1 spent on everything else.
Spend $15,000 in a year to choose one Personal Perk, or $30,000 to?choose two. Options include Flying Club reward voucher for a companion seat or cabin upgrade (Virgin Atlantic), a free night stay or priority upgrade (Virgin Hotel), or a $150/$300 Bar Tab credit or Blue Extras perk package (Virgin Voyages).
Book two nights at a Virgin Hotel, get your third night free with this card.
Add an authorized user and earn 2,500 Virgin Points. Maximum of 10,000 Virgin Points.
Earn Tier Points with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Earn 25 Tier Points for $2,500 of qualifying spend, up to 50 Tier Points a month.
Anniversary bonus: 5,000 Virgin Points every year you renew.
$99 annual fee.

This card is currently a Mastercard issued by Synchrony Bank. While Synchrony is not my favorite issuer, that can actually be a good thing once if you’ve already gotten many of the other popular rewards cards and they start to turn you away…

What can you redeem Virgin Points for? First, a quick reminder that there are both Virgin Red points and Virgin Flying Club points. Although they are separate programs, you can link your accounts together and use your points across both programs.

You can redeem Virgin points for free flights on Virgin Atlantic Airlines, including Economy, Premium Economy, and Upper (First) Class. There is no fixed award chart, but you can use this Reward Seat Checker tool to see what is available. Here are the best case scenarios for a Saver reward, which are very limited. You’ll also have to watch out for carrier-imposed surcharges, which are not included.

The US partner airlines include Delta Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. There are also a variety of international partner airlines including both SkyTeam (Air France/KLM) and non-SkyTeam (like ANA), which I won’t go into detail here.

For Hawaiian Airlines, here are the roundtrip costs, excluding taxes, fees and carrier-imposed surcharges.

For Delta Airlines, here are the one-way costs for domestic flights within the US, excluding taxes, fees and carrier-imposed surcharges. The cost is based on distance, so it can be a relatively better deal for shorter Delta flights within the US.

Lots of incoming transfer partners. Even if you rarely/never fly Virgin, a positive feature is that there are many ways to get Virgin points if you need some extra to meet a redemption. These are all the programs that transfer into Virgin Red points at a 1:1 ratio:

American Express Membership Rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Bilt Rewards
Capital One Miles
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Wells Fargo

You can also transfer from Marriott Bonvoy at a different 3:1 ratio (plus possible 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred).

Like most co-branded credit cards, the value depends a lot on how often you already use Virgin products. As someone who has never used any Virgin product, my plan for this card would be instead to use the bonus points within the first year on economy Delta flights for my entire family. I’d transfer enough points over from another program to top off the account and use them all at once. I’ll have to see if Delta flies to where we want to go and calculate the cost based on distance.

Bottom line. The Virgin Red Rewards credit card is the co-branded card for Virgin Atlantic flights, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages. Right now, there is a limited-time offer of 60,000 bonus Virgin points, which are can be redeemed towards airfare on Virgin Atlantic or Delta Airlines, along with some other partner airlines.

I do believe it is reasonably easy to get $600+ of flight value out of 60,000 Virgin points, so I will be adding this card to my list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

The information for the Virgin Red Rewards credit card has been collected independently by My Money Blog. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: March 3, 2025

5% Cash Back Cards: Restaurants, Grocery Stores, Home Improvement, Streaming – January through March 2025

Posted on March 1, 2025 // 49 Comments

Activation reminder for 2025 1st Quarter. The credit cards below offer 5% cash back and up on specific categories that rotate each quarter. It takes a little extra attention, but it can add up to hundreds of dollars in additional rewards per year without changing your spending habits. You can also buy gift cards at places with 5% back now but spend the gift cards later. (* You can buy gift cards from lots of different places at grocery and drug stores…) New cardmembers may also get an upfront sign-up bonus.

Discover it Card

From January 1st through March 31st, 2025, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:

Restaurants
Home Improvement Stores
Select Streaming Services (Includes Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video, AMC+, Apple Music, Apple TV, Audible, DirecTV Stream, FUBO, Google Play Music and Video, Max, iHeartRadio, MLB.TV, Netflix, Pandora, Paramount Plus, Peacock, Showtime, SiriusXM, Sling TV, Spotify, Starz, Vudu, YouTube Music, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV.)

Enroll after logging into your online account. 5% rewards won’t apply until after you activate your rewards, so it is best to activate now before you forget. No annual fee.

Discover it $100 bonus + Double Cashback Match details. If you are a new applicant and sign up via Discover Card referral link, you will get a ~~$50~~ improved $100 Cashback Bonus after your first purchase within 3 months of being account opening. On top of that, you will also get Cashback Match for an entire year – a dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year, automatically. During those 12 months, your 5% cash back rewards becomes 10% cash back, and your 1% cash back rewards become 2% cash back. You can verify this on the application by looking under “Terms and Conditions” or searching for “cashback match” and “statement credit offer”:

Refer a Friend: You will receive a $100 statement credit after making a purchase within three months of account opening. A Balance Transfer or Cash Advance does not qualify as a purchase. You must apply online through your friend’s digital referral link and be approved by 11:59pm ET, December 31, 2025 in order to be eligible for the $100 statement credit offer. Phone, mail-in, and other digital applications are not eligible for referral rewards. Offer may not be combined with any other introductory offer. Promotional award will be applied within 8 weeks.

Cashback Match: We’ll match all the cash back rewards you’ve earned on your credit card from the day your new account is approved through your first 12 consecutive billing periods or 365 days, whichever is longer, and add it to your rewards account within two billing periods. You’ve earned cash back rewards only when they’re processed, which may be after the transaction date. We will not match: rewards that are processed after your match period ends; statement credits; rewards transfers from Discover checking or other deposit accounts; or rewards for accounts that are closed. This promotional offer may not be available in the future and is exclusively for new cardmembers. No purchase minimums.

Chase Freedom Flex Card

From January 1st through March 31st, 2025, you can earn 5% cash back (or 5X Ultimate Rewards points) on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:

Grocery Stores excluding Walmart & Target
Norwegian Cruise Line
Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships
Hair, Nails, & Spa Services

(The categories are also the same for the old Chase Freedom card, which is no longer available to new applicants.)

Enroll each quarter online in your Chase account or at ChaseBonus.com. As long as you activate by the 14th of the first month in each quarter, the rewards are retroactive. Technically, you earn Ultimate Rewards points which may be worth even more when converted to airline miles or hotel points instead of cash if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card. You could also use the Pay Yourself Back tool to additional value. Currently, the Chase Freedom Flex card is offering new applicants a $200 bonus if you sign up and make $500 in purchases in your first three months. No annual fee.

Citi Custom Cash Card

This card offers 5% cash back on your *single* top eligible spending category up to $500 each month (which effectively adds up to $1,500 a quarter). Eligible categories include broad ones like restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, or select travel, but you only get 5% for the top category that month and 1% on everything else. To simplify things you could, for example, elect to only use this card for 5% cash back on gas all year long (up to $500 per month).

Currently, the Citi Custom Cash card is offering new applicants a $200 bonus after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. You’ll actually get 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. No annual fee.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

6% cash back at US supermarkets all year long (on up to $6,000 per year)
6% cash back at select US streaming subscriptions (includes Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube TV, and more).
Disney Streaming Bundle benefit (worth up to $84/year). Get $7/month back (as a statement credit) after you spend $9.99 or more each month an on auto-renewing Disney Bundle subscription. Valid only at Disneyplus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.Espn.com in the US. You must enroll your card ahead of time.
3% cash back at US gas stations and transit (taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. (See Rates and Fees)
Terms Apply.

I use this card all year long for 6% cash back on groceries up to the limit and put all my streaming services on it (including Disney+ bundle), and then in December use up the $6k annual limit on gift cards bought in the supermarket aisle. New cardholders are also eligible for a $250 welcome offer after $3,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. See details in link.

U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card

You must choose the two 5% cash back categories every quarter, out of a preset selection of specific categories:

Fast Food
Cell Phone Providers
Home Utilities
Ground Transportation
Select Clothing Stores
Electronics Stores
Car Rentals
Gyms/Fitness Centers
Sporting Goods Stores
Department Stores
Furniture Stores
Movie Theaters
TV, Internet, and Streaming Services

Unfortunately, you can’t pick a broad category like gas stations, restaurants, or grocery stores. Make sure to choose your categories each and every quarter, even if you want them to stay the same. If you do not choose your categories, all purchases revert to only earning 1% cash back for that quarter. No annual fee. Currently, new applicants are offered a $200 bonus after you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening.

Amazon Prime Rewards Card

Earn 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods all year long. Up to 10% cash back on select items during special promos. Prime membership required. New cardholder bonus varies by account. No annual fee.

Citi Dividend Card. This card has not been available to new applicants for years now, but if you still have the grandfathered card you can view and activate your quarterly 5% category here. Limit of $300 cash back for the calendar year.

Rates and Fees for Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express :Rates and Fees for Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: March 14, 2025

Hilton Honors American Express Cards: 70k Points + Free Night Award (Limited-Time Offer)

Posted on February 27, 2025 // 9 Comments

Hilton Hotels and American Express have co-branded credit cards with special perks for Hilton customers. Each person can only get one welcome offer, per card in your entire lifetime, so it’s best to apply during a temporary bump-up and/or limited-time offer.

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70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/29/2025.
7X Hilton points per dollar on purchases directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
5X Hilton points per dollar on purchases at US restaurants, US supermarkets, and US gas stations.
3X Hilton points for all other eligible purchases.
Hilton Honors(TM) Silver status comes with this card. Spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on this card within a calendar year and upgrade this benefit to Hilton Honors(TM) Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
No foreign transaction fees.
No annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

card_name

Limited Time Offer: 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/29/2025.
12X Hilton points on eligible Hilton purchases.
5X Hilton points on other purchases on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter.
Up to $240 in Hilton credits annually (Up to $60 per quarter). Get up to $60 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made with this card directly with a Hilton portfolio property.
Complimentary Hilton Honors(TM) Gold Status (free breakfast, room upgrades based on availability, 5th standard reward night free).
Upgrade this benefit to Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the calendar year if the total eligible purchases on your Card Account during a calendar year reach $40,000 or more.
Complimentary National Car Rental(R) Emerald Club Executive(R) status. Enrollment is required through the link on your American Express online account. Terms apply.
$195 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

What are Hilton Honor points worth? The best value is from booking free hotel nights or using their “Points & Money” option where you pay with a combination of Hilton points and cash. Hilton has some really nice properties, but the value varies from hotel to hotel. I just ran a search and for the same 60,000 Hilton points, I could book rooms that cost $320 or $532 cash. I’ve seen some valuations around 0.6 cents per point, which I think is fair on average, but I would be more conservative at 0.5 cents a point. That would make 150,000 points = $750 value and 100,000 points = $500 value towards Hilton hotel stays.

The good part of Hilton points is that they have so many different hotel brands, from business-class DoubleTree to luxury Waldorf Astoria. Hilton also lets you transfer and pool points with other with other family or household members. As long as you keep them active (once every 12 months), I do like to keep some around. These credit cards are handy for creating activity.

Free Night Award details. When it is offered (not all the time), the Free Night Award is valid for a one-night standard room at eligible Hilton properties, and also covers resort fees and taxes. There are many great and valuable options to redeem, but importantly read about the property exclusions here. Here are the full terms. To redeem the Free Night Reward, you must call 1-800-446-6677 (1-800-HHONORS). It’s quite easy and I’ve found the agents to be very helpful if you want to combine multiple certificates, combine a paid stay and a Free Night Award, etc. Free Night Rewards will expire 12 months from date of issuance.

I’ve used this Free Night Award at the Grand Wailea in Maui, and that standard room would have cost 110,000 Hilton Points otherwise. Other fancy possibilities include Conrad New York, Conrad London, Waldorf Astoria Park City, and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.

Bottom line. Hilton American Express cards offer regular Hilton customers a good opportunity to earn additional points towards free Hilton hotel stays as well as additional perks like status upgrades. The best time to apply for a Hilton co-branded American Express card is during a limited-time increase to their welcome offers. This is because American Express has changed their policy to only allow each person to get a welcome offer once per card.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers and Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

Hilton Honors Card from American Express: See Rates and Fees

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: See Rates and Fees

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //

Last updated: February 27, 2025

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 75,000 Miles + $250 Travel Credit (Limited-Time Offer)

Posted on February 18, 2025 // 11 Comments

New limited-offer with first year bonus value of $1,000. The card_name is a premium travel rewards card with a flat 2 Miles per dollar on all purchases. 75,000 miles can be redeemed as a $750 credit towards any travel purchase made with the card (any airline website, any hotel website, AirBNB stays, Uber rides, no blackout dates). Right now, there is also a limited-offer with an additional $250 travel credit valid for hotels and flights booked through the Capital One Travel portal. Here are the highlights:

75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, plus receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year – that’s equal to $1,000 in travel.
2X Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
5X Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options. They offer a Price Match Guarantee.
Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.
Enjoy two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges through the Partner Lounge Network. This perk is valid through December 31, 2024.
Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase-or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn.
$50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection.
No foreign transaction fees.
$95 annual fee.

Note the following about existing or previous cardholders:

Existing or previous cardmembers are not eligible for this product if they have received a new cardmember bonus for this product in the past 48 months.

(Capital One’s “ultra-premium” card is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which has more perks including Priority Pass airport lounge access and a $300 annual travel credit through Capital One Travel, but also a higher $395 annual fee. This Venture card is more directly competitive with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, while the Venture X competes more directly with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.)

Redemption details. Capital One “miles” can be redeemed directly for a cash statement credit on a 1 mile = $0.01 basis when offsetting any travel purchase made on the card within the past 90 days. In other words, 50,000 miles = $500 toward travel. That means you can fly on any airline or stay at any hotel, pay with this card, and then “erase” that purchase using your miles balance later. This even includes AirBnB vacation rentals, car rentals, and Uber rides.

This means that earning 2 miles on on every $1 in purchases essentially makes this a 2% back card when applied towards travel. You also have the option of booking travel through their travel portal, similar to Chase Ultimate Rewards, but you are not required to do so. You have the flexibility of booking through them or making the purchase directly through the airline, hotel, car rental counter, etc. This makes it easy to combine and spend all your Capital One miles.

Miles transfer options. Capital One now allows you to transfer your “miles” into select airline miles programs as well. Here are the airline transfer partners:

Aeromexico
Air France/KLM
Air Canada Aeroplan
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Avianca Lifemiles
British Airways Avios
Emirates Skywards
Etihad
EVA
Finnair
Qantas
Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
TAP Air Portugal
Turkish Airlines
Virgin Red

Hotel partners

Accor Live Limitless
Choice Hotels

If you know how to leverage one of these international airline miles programs (my favorites are Aeroplan and Avios since you can combine family points), this can be a very valuable option. Otherwise, it’s nice to know you can always get a certain level of value by redeeming against any travel purchase.

Bottom line. The card_name earns 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, which you can either redeem against any travel purchase or transfer to one of their airline/hotel partners.

Due to the $900+ potential first-year value, I will be adding this card to my list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //

Last updated: February 21, 2025

Southwest Airlines Credit Cards: New Companion Pass Offer (Good Through February 2026)

Posted on February 11, 2025 // 26 Comments

New limited-time offer on select cards that includes a Companion Pass good through 2/28/26. Southwest Airlines Rapid points are very flexible, as they let you use points to book basically any available seat that could be bought with cash. A conservative approximation from my experience is 1.3 cents in Wanna Get Away airfare in per point. That works out to roughly $520+ in Wanna Get Away airfare for every 40,000 Southwest points. That also means 85,000 points is worth roughly $1,100 in Wanna Get Away airfare. Plus, they still offer two free checked bags on all flights.

In addition, their Companion Pass lets you pick one person to fly with free when you book both paid AND award flights (including to Hawaii!) on Southwest. Once you qualify by earning 135,000 points in a calendar year, you earn the Companion Pass for both the rest of the year in which you earn it AND all of the next year (ex. rest of 2025 + all of 2026). Importantly, all points earned from credit cards count toward the requirement, and each card also offers a 10,000 point boost toward the Companion Pass requirement. Oftentimes if you get both a new personal and a new business card in the same year, you can meet this requirement with the new cardmember bonuses alone (especially if you include the spending required to unlock the bonus).

New limited-time offer: Right now if you apply by 3/31/25, you have an opportunity to earn the Companion Pass much more easily with a reasonable spending hurdle. See details below. This promotional Companion Pass doesn’t last through the end of 2026, but it does last until 2/28/26.

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Limited-time offer: Earn a Companion Pass(R) good through 2/28/26 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Receive 3,000 anniversary points each year.
10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
2X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
25% back on inflight purchases
All points earned count towards Companion Pass(R).
$69 annual fee.

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Limited-time offer: Earn a Companion Pass(R) good through 2/28/26 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Receive 7,500 anniversary points and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year.
10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
3X points on Southwest purchases.
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
25% back on inflight purchases
1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent in purchases annually (no limit on TQP earned).
4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
$149 annual fee.

The following are business credit cards:

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80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
9,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
NEW: 4X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
NEW: 2X points on rideshare.
2X points on social media and search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
Inflight WiFi Credits (up to 365 x $8 credits per year).
Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit. Receive a statement credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS.
$199 annual fee.

card_name

60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
6,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
3X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
2X points and Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
$99 annual fee.

Value of Rapid Rewards points. Redeeming Southwest points for flights varies in a narrow range, but a very reasonable approximation from my experience is 1.3 cents in Wanna Get Away airfare in per point. That works out to $650+ in Wanna Get Away airfare for every 50,000 points or $1,300+ in Wanna Get Away airfare from 100,000 points (you are still liable for taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way). Importantly, Southwest does NOT have blackout dates or seat restrictions when you redeem with points. This means that Southwest points are much easier to use than a “saver award” on traditional airlines.

Now, if you manage to qualify for the the Companion Pass on every trip that you book with those points, that doubles the potential value of each award redemption. In other words, 125,000 Rapid Rewards, would usually get you $1,850 in Wanna Get Away airfare, but with the Companion Pass you’d get an extra companion ticket for every flight booked.

There may be other options like gift cards, but the redemption value is less than half the value you could get from redeeming for flights.

Southwest points expiration policy, per Southwest.com:

Do the points I earn expire?

No, your Rapid Rewards points do not expire. However, if you choose to close your account, the points in your account will be terminated.

Southwest still includes two free checked bags per person. The fees on the other airlines have crept up to $30 per bag, each-way. That adds up.

Our family policy is to not try out a new credit card unless it offers us $500 in total value. Just the free award flights from the points are enough to satisfy that rule, and then you can add on the potential value of the companion tickets.

Card restrictions. All of these Southwest credit cards are subject to “5/24” restrictions, which means that your application will be automatically denied if you have opened 5 or more credit cards in the last 24 months (check your credit reports). Our household strategy is to have one person only apply for Chase 5/24 cards, and the other person applies for everything else. There is also this language on the consumer card:

The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.

Basically, you can get one sign-up bonus from a Southwest consumer card once every 24 months. You can also get one sign-up bonus from a Southwest business card once every 24 months.

Stack your Companion Pass with Chase Ultimate Rewards points. If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest points on a 1:1 basis. If you book an award flight with those Southwest points while you have the Companion Pass, you can double the value of your Ultimate Rewards points as well.

Bottom line. Southwest credit cards offer new cardholders the opportunity to earn hundreds of dollars worth of Wanna Get Away airfare, but if you time things right and maybe combine the welcome offers from a personal and business card, you can also grab the Southwest Companion pass, which provides a free companion ticket on every flight bought with cash OR points booked both during the rest of the year in which you earned it, AND the full next calendar year. Finally, Southwest still includes two free checked bags per person on every flight.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers and the Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //

Last updated: February 11, 2025

American Express “Member Week” March 17-21 (Limited-Time Offers)

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card Review: 185,000 Bonus Points Offer

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card Review: 3 Free Night Awards Welcome Offer

Southwest Becomes Just Another Commodity Airline (Basic Economy, No Checked Bags, Less Legroom, Paid Seating)

Wyndham Rewards Earner Cards: Up to 90,000 Bonus Points (Valid at Vacasa Home Rentals)

Top 10 Best Small Business Credit Card Bonus Offers – March 2025

Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers – March 2025 (Updated)

Virgin Red Rewards Credit Card: 60,000 Bonus Points (Limited-Time Offer)

5% Cash Back Cards: Restaurants, Grocery Stores, Home Improvement, Streaming – January through March 2025

Hilton Honors American Express Cards: 70k Points + Free Night Award (Limited-Time Offer)

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 75,000 Miles + $250 Travel Credit (Limited-Time Offer)

Southwest Airlines Credit Cards: New Companion Pass Offer (Good Through February 2026)

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