Updated with new limited-time offers. American Express and Delta Airlines have various credit cards that offer special perks like free checked bags, priority boarding, and the ability to earn Delta Skymiles with card purchases. However, as you can only get the welcome bonuses once on each of these cards per person per lifetime (each card is considered different!), I recommend waiting until a limited-time offer to maximize your benefit. Here are the latest such offers:

Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card

• Limited-time offer: 60,000 bonus Skymiles after $2,000 in purchases in your first 3 months AND a $50 statement credit after you make any Delta purchase within your first 3 months. Offer expires 10/30/2019.
• First checked bag free on Delta flights – that’s a savings of up to $240 per round trip for a family of four ($30 each way, per person).
• Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding.
• $0 annual fee for the first year, then $95.

Delta now offers a minimum value out of your Skymiles via the “Pay with Miles” option. That means 60,000 Skymiles can reduce the price of your Delta ticket by $600 at the very least. (5,000 mile = $50 minimum redemption.) You can still book the traditional award tickets and possibly get better value. That makes this offer a $650 estimated value in the first year, even ignoring the free checked bags.

Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card

• Limited-time offer: 75,000 bonus Skymiles and 5,000 Medallion(R) Qualification Miles (MQMs) after $3,000 in purchases in your first 3 months AND a $100 statement credit after you make any Delta purchase within your first 3 months. Offer expires 10/30/2019.
• First checked bag free on Delta flights – that’s a savings of up to $240 per round trip for a family of four ($30 each way, per person).
• Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card.
• Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding.
• $195 annual fee.

Delta now offers a minimum value out of your Skymiles via the “Pay with Miles” option. 75,000 Skymiles can reduce the price of your Delta ticket by $750 at the very least. (5,000 mile = $50 minimum redemption.) You can still book the traditional award tickets and possibly get better value. Plus the $100 statement credit and minus the $195 annual fee, that makes this offer a $650 estimated net value in the first year, even ignoring the status miles, free companion certificate (which I have used many times), and free checked bags.

BUSINESS Card Versions

Gold Delta SkyMiles® BUSINESS Credit Card from American Express

• 30,000 bonus Skymiles after $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months and a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 3 months.
• First checked bag free on Delta flights – that’s a savings of up to $240 per round trip for a family of four ($30 each way, per person).
• Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding.
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.

Platinum Delta SkyMiles® BUSINESS Credit Card from American Express

• 35,000 bonus Skymiles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles after you make $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within your first 3 months. In addition, earn a $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 3 months.
• First checked bag free on Delta flights – that’s a savings of up to $240 per round trip for a family of four ($30 each way, per person).
• Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card.
• Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding.
• $195 Annual Fee. ($250 if application is received on or after 1/30/2020)

Delta Reserve for BUSINESS Credit Card

• 40,000 Bonus Miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.
• 15,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and 15,000 bonus miles after you reach $30,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in the calendar year.
• Limited-time offer: Additional 15,000 bonus miles and 15,000 MQMs after spending $60,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year for a total of 30,000 bonus miles and 30,000 MQMs. Starting January 30, 2020, you will no longer earn bonus miles with this benefit.
• Complimentary Delta Sky Club® access. Enter Delta Sky Club® at no cost and bring up to two guests for an exclusive rate of $29 per person per visit.
• First checked bag free on Delta flights – that’s a savings of up to $240 per round trip for a family of four ($30 each way, per person).
• Domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+® or Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card.
• Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding.
• $450 Annual Fee. ($550 if application is received on or after 1/30/2020)

Every card above also offers 2X miles on direct Delta purchases and 1X miles on all other purchases. You get 2 miles for every dollar spent directly with Delta. This includes flights booked on Delta.com, seat upgrades, Sky Club membership or day passes, Delta Vacations packages, or in-flight food/entertainment purchases like food, beverages, and entertainment.

Starting January 30th, 2020, there will be some changes to the Delta cards. You can review the planned changes here. For the Gold Delta card, the notable changes are:

• 2X miles at restaurants starting 1/30/20.
• 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets starting 1/30/20.
• $100 Delta Flight Credit for future travel after you spend $10,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year starting 1/30/20.
• If you earn an MQD Waiver in 2019, it will still count toward your 2020 Medallion® Status. Starting January 1, 2020, you can no longer earn an MQD waiver with the Delta Gold Card.
• Starting January 30, 2020, you will no longer be able to purchase discounted Delta Sky Club access with the Delta Gold Card.
• Effective January 30, 2020, the annual fee will increase from $95 to $99 (charged at account opening or your Card’s renewal date).

I will still be adding the Delta Gold Skymiles limited-time offer with the 60k bonus miles and annual fee waiver to my list of the Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card emerged after the merger of Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott (formerly the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus card). This card offers unique perks for regular Marriott customers, and right now there is a limited-time offer bump to 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (a 25k increase to their previous 75k offer). Here are the highlights:

• Limited time offer: 100,000 bonus points after $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Additional Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
• Earn 6X Bonvoy points per $1 spent at over 6,700 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
• 2X Bonvoy points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year. Path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year.
• 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
• $95 annual fee.

Keep in mind the following:

The bonus is not available to you if you:

(1) are a current cardmember, or were a previous cardmember within the last 30 days, of Marriott BonvoyTM American Express® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express);

(2) are a current or previous cardmember of either Marriott Bonvoy BusinessTM American Express® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express) or Marriott Bonvoy BrilliantTM American Express® Card (also known as the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card), and received a new cardmember bonus or upgrade bonus in the last 24 months; or

(3) applied and were approved for Marriott Bonvoy BusinessTM American Express® Card (also known as The Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express) or Marriott Bonvoy BrilliantTM American Express® Card (also known as the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card) within the last 90 days.

That’s a lot of long card names, but note the different 30-day, 90-day, and 24-month waiting periods that may now include Marriott business cards. (See my Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card Review.) This is why you should be looking to get the best possible bonus (like a limited-time offer) if you do apply.

The Marriott and Starwood merger is now complete, and you can use these points at either Marriott properties (Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites) or former Starwood Properties (Westin, Sheraton, The Luxury Collection, Four Points by Sheraton, W Hotels, St. Regis, Le Méridien, Aloft).

Here’s the new award chart information:

You could use 70,000 points on two free nights at a Category 5 hotel like the Courtyard Waikiki Beach in Hawaii on a standard date, or you could get 4 free nights at a Category 3 hotel like the Residence Inn Austin Arboretum.

You can still turn your points into airline miles with a bonus. 60,000 Marriott points = 25,000 airline miles. Similar to the old Starwood bonus structure, they will add 15,000 points for every 60,000 points you transfer to airline miles.

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.

Free Night Award. 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 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 value. Many W Hotels, Westin, and even some Ritz-Carltons worldwide are included. Here are some sample hotels that qualify under the 35,000 point limit:

• Sheraton Kona Resort (Big Island, Hawaii)
• Westin Hapuna Beach 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

Bottom line. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card (formerly the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card) has been refreshed with a new limited-time offer of 100,000 bonus Marriott points. Previously the standard offer was 75,000 points, so you may consider this a good time to apply. As with all hotel cards, the value is dependent on your unique travel preferences. If you stay at Marriott/Starwood properties regularly, the free annual night award should easily cover the annual fee.

New companion pass rules. Southwest Airlines offers a unique feature called the Companion Pass, which lets you pick one person to fly with free when you book either paid or award flights (including to Hawaii!). If you either fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 110,000 qualifying points in 2019, you’ll earn the Companion Pass for the remainder of 2019 and all of 2020. You can change your designated companion up to three times each calendar year.

Change for 2020: Starting on 1/1/2020, you must earn 125,000 miles (or 100 one-way flights) within a calendar year to earn the Companion Pass for the remainder of 2020 and all of 2021. In addition, Southwest Rapid Rewards points no longer expire as of 10/17/19.

Points earned from credit cards count toward that 110,000/125,000 point requirement, including sign-up bonuses. You can often get very close to that magic number when you add up the potential miles from these Southwest credit cards:

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus credit card

• 40,000 Rapid Rewards points. Earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• 3,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
• 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases and Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• $69 annual fee.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier card

• 40,000 Rapid Rewards points. Earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• 6,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
• 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases and Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• $99 annual fee.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business card

• 60,000 Rapid Rewards points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
• 6,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
• 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases and Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• $99 annual fee.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card

• 70,000 Rapid Rewards points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
• 9,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
• 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines® purchases.
• 2 points per $1 spent 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 of up to 365 x $8 credits.
• Global Entry or TSA Pre?® Fee credit in the form of a statement credit of up to $100 every four years.
• $199 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 1.5 cents in Wanna Get Away airfare in per point. That works out to $600+ in Wanna Get Away airfare from 40,000 points or $900+ in Wanna Get Away airfare for 60,000 points or $1,200+ in Wanna Get Away airfare from 80,000 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, 110,000 Rapid Rewards, would usually get you $1,700 in Wanna Get Away airfare, but with the Companion Pass you’d get an extra companion ticket for every flight booked.

A backup option is gift card redemptions. You can still redeem 5,000 points for a $50 a Amazon.com or Wal-Mart gift certificate. That makes 60,000 points still worth $600 in Amazon or Walmart gift cards.

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.

Extending 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. The idea is is to book an award flight with those Southwest points while you have the Companion Pass, thus doubling the value of your Ultimate Rewards points as well.

Bottom line. Right now, you can earn up to 70,000 Southwest points from qualifying for a single credit card sign-up, which in itself can be redeemed for a lot of free Southwest flights (including to Hawaii!). However, if you can qualify for two (one personal and one business), you can surpass the 110,000 (2019) or 125,000 (2020) points needed for the Southwest Companion pass, which provides a free companion ticket on every flight bought with cash or points for the rest of the current year and all of the next year. Finally, Southwest still includes two free checked bags per person on every flight.

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

Updated with new Reward Flight Statement Credit. The British Airways Visa Signature Card is a co-branded travel card (issued by Chase) has brought back their bonus offer of up to 100,000 total Avios points with a split spending hurdle. Here are the highlights:

• Learn more about this card HERE

• 50,000 bonus Avios after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
• 50,000 additional bonus Avios after you spend $20,000 on your purchases within your first year of account opening.
• Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.
• Earn 3 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways purchases and 1 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• NEW: Reward flight statement credit. Get up to $100 (economy) to $200 (business/first) statement credit against taxes and fees when you book an award flight with Avios. Up to 3x per calendar year.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• $95 annual fee.

The Avios reward chart is now based on how far you want to travel in terms of miles. So what can you do with all those points?

Redeem awards domestically on partner American Airlines. Within the US, it’s usually easiest to find flights on partner American Airlines. There are no fuel surcharges when booking with American. Seating availability will be limited, but if you are flexible there is decent inventory.

• Los Angeles to Honolulu, Hawaii using only 26,000 Avios points roundtrip. I ran a quote in Fall and it cost $659 broken down to $621 fare and only $38 in taxes. So in this case you could save $621 in exchange for 26,000 points, which is 2.4 cents per point. You can also do JFK to LAX for 25k points roundtrip. (Avios chart updated 5/30/19.)
• Shorter-distance flights can be a good deal as well. Roundtrip from Chicago to New York City is only 18,000 Avios points + about $30 in taxes. Charlotte, NC to New York City is only 12,000 Avios roundtrip. Los Angeles to Las Vegas is also 12,000 Avios roundtrip. Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon is 18,000 Avios roundtrip.

Finding partner awards on BA.com is better than is was in the past, so try it first. Type in your to/from cities within the US, choose to book flights with Avios points, and then click to include partners:

If you have the flexibility, you can also search for additional dates for more available seats. You may find more space going business class in the US.

Use the American Airlines AA.com website and look for “MileSAAver” awards. Record the exact flight dates and numbers, and then call at British Airways at 1-800-452-1201 to book them. If you can’t find the same flight on BA.com, they should waive the phone book fee (they did for me). Don’t be discouraged if you have to use this method, especially if you aren’t flying nonstop. Also, call back and talk with a different agent if they aren’t helpful initially.

Beware of fuel surcharges on British Airways flights. Don’t use Avios for a economy British Airways flight from USA to Europe, because you’ll still be subject to taxes and fees on award redemptions, which are often half the entire cost of the ticket. I ran a quick search for a random New York City (JFK) to London (LHR) flight that cost $1,050, the taxes and fees alone were $650. You can get the $400 “fare” for 40,000 Avios points, but that’s only 1 cent a point value. This can be mitigated with the…

Reward flight statement credit. Pay for your reward flight taxes and fees using your Chase British Airways card and you will automatically receive a statement credit of $100 for an economy or premium economy booking or $200 for a business or first class booking. You can receive one statement credit per reservation, up to 3 times per calendar year ($600 total limit per calendar year). Details here.

Note the following language:

This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.

Bottom line. The British Airways Visa credit card has a new bonus structure of up to 100,000 Avios, split into two spending requirements for 50,000 each. 100,000 Avios is nearly enough for 4 economy tickets from the West Coast to Hawaii (or West Coast to NYC) roundtrip on American or Alaska Airlines (104,000 Avios). In addition, for every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you’ll also earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.

• Learn more about this card HERE

Limited-time offer + new perks added. The Business Platinum® Card from American Express is the ultra-premium AmEx business card with a big annual fee and a very long list of perks, including the best airline lounge access program (Delta Sky Club + their own Centurion lounges) and a year of WeWork co-working space membership. Right now, they are running a limited-time offer of up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points. Here are the details:

• Learn more about this card HERE

• Limited-time offer: Up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points. Earn 50,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $10,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $15,000 all on qualifying purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
• 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked at amextravel.com.
• 1.5X points per dollar on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more. (Up to 1 million additional points per year.) 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
• Get 35% back when you redeem points for flights. Use their “Pay with Points” option for all or part of a flight with your selected qualifying airline, and you can get 35% of the points back, up to 500,000 bonus points per calendar year. See details below.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit. Up to $200 a calendar year in baggage fees and more at one airline that you pick.
• $100 Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
• Free Unlimited Boingo WiFi access + 10 Free Gogo inflight internet passes annually.
• NEW – Free year of Platinum Global Access from WeWork ($2,700 value). With this membership, you can access 300+ premium, inspiring workspaces in 75+ cities and 22+ countries. This includes access to open workspace and premium amenities, including Wi-Fi, phone booths, and refreshments, like coffee, tea, and fruit water. Enroll by 12/31/2019.
• NEW – $200 in statement credits at Dell (up to $100 semi-annually for U.S. purchases with Dell). Details here.
• $595 annual fee.

Note the following language: “Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product.” You can only get the welcome offer on the Platinum Business AmEx once time per lifetime, so it is best to apply during a limited-time offer.

American Express Global Lounge Collection. Some other travel cards give you Priority Pass Select, which is nice but not as inclusive as the Platinum card’s list of 1,200+ airport lounges across 130 countries. Domestically, you get Delta Skyclub access (an individual Skyclub membership costs $495 from Delta alone) as well as the new Centurion Lounge network built specifically for American Express cardholders.

• The Centurion® Lounge
• The International American Express Lounges
• Delta SkyClub®
• Priority Pass Select
• Airspace Lounge
• Escape Lounges

Other benefits:

• Automatic Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott) Gold status.
• Automatic Hilton Honors Gold status.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.

35% Airline Bonus details. Let’s say your selected airline is Delta, and you want to buy a couple economy Delta tickets for $1,000 using their Pay with Points features. This means that $1,000 ticket booked through AmEx Travel will only cost you 65,000 Membership Rewards points net (100,000 points and then 35,000 point rebated back). This improves the 1 cent per point value to 1.54 cents per point value. This means that 100,000 Membership Rewards points can be worth $1,540 in airfare on your selected airline.

Transfer partners. You can transfer Membership Rewards points to 16 airline and 3 hotel partners including Delta, British Airways, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Air Canada, Hilton, Starwood Preferred Guest, and Choice Hotels. If you’re good at snagging award tickets, you can get even better value this way.

Doing some math with the perks vs. annual fee. Spending $25,000 within 3 months is a relatively high spending hurdle. (Given the 5X bonus category, it would be perfect if you needed to book some business flights/hotels soon. You could also charge your income taxes and pay the 1.87% fee, hopefully offset by the 1.5X points on a $5,000+ purchase.) If you can swing that, then this card can offer a lot of value in a year.

In the perks, column, you would have the 100,000 Membership Rewards points worth $1,540 towards airfare (see above). WeWork Global co-working space membership (they say $2,700 value, but even the most basic WeWork membership runs $45/month). The best lounge access program, with the included Delta Sky Club membership costing $495 on its own. $200 annual airline fee credit. $100 TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit. Unlimited Boingo WiFi access + 10 Free Gogo inflight internet passes annually. All this against a $595 annual fee.

Bottom line. The Business Platinum Card from American Express card tries to make your air travel more pleasant by addressing things like baggage fees, economy plus upgrade fees, TSA PreCheck security lines, Global Entry customs lines, inflight WiFi, free snacks and drinks at airline lounges, and finding a work center (WeWork membership). Right now, they have a 100,000 point limited-time offer, which makes it the best time to apply since you can only get the bonus for this card once per lifetime.

• Learn more about this card HERE

I will be adding this limited-time offer to my list of the Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

Updated. The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card is the IHG hotel co-branded card that includes special IHG perks like a free night award every year you keep the card. Here are the highlights:

• 80,000 bonus IHG points after $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
• Free Night award after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide. Valid at IHG Hotels with a current point redemption level of 40,000 points or less. An additional free reward night when you redeem points for any stay of 4 or more nights.
• Earn 25 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel.
• Earn 2X points at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
• Platinum Elite status included as a Premier card member.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® fee credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• $89 annual fee.

This is a relatively new card, but please note the following:

This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.

This offer is for the new “IHG Club Premier” card, so this language means that if you have the older and different “IHG Club Select” card, you can still apply for this card and get the sign-up bonus.

What can you get with IHG points? The best redemption value for IHG points is for free hotel nights. The other options offer significantly less value. While the points don’t translate directly to a dollar value, but overall you should expect around 0.60 cents of value per point, which would make 80,000 IHG points worth an estimated $480 value. You can perform the calculations for hotels that fit your needs. I tried a bunch of other various combinations and got between 0.5 cents and 0.8 cents per point equivalent value.

(IHG points are worth less than other points like Hyatt or Chase Ultimate Rewards points, but you get a lot more of them with this bonus!)

IHG stands for Intercontinental Hotel Group which has over 5,000 hotels including the following brands:

• Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts
• Crowne Plaza
• Kimpton
• Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express
• Staybridge Suites
• Candlewood Suites
• Hotel Indigo
• EVEN Hotels

IHG Rewards Club puts out a new list of PointBreaks hotels every few months where you can redeem a hotel night for only 5,000 to 15,00 points. There are some nice hotels on the list, but the locations are very specific and few people are sufficiently flexible with their travel to constantly take advantage of these deals. However, you could get value of over 1 cent per IHG point with a hotel on this list.

IHG points expire after 24 months of inactivity, so if you keep up your activity then you can save up these free nights for later. Chase Ultimate Rewards points also convert to IHG points.

Total of 25x points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG. Here’s how this breaks down: Earn 10X points per $1 spent as an IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Cardmember + 10X points per $1 spent from IHG® for being an IHG® Rewards Club Member + 5X points per $1 spent from IHG® with Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of this card = total of 25X points total at 5,400+ IHG® hotels & resorts.

I would book my IHG nights on this card, but not my everyday purchases on an ongoing basis.

• 2 IHG points per $1 spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants.
• 1 IHG point per $1 spent on all other card purchases

I would consider keeping this card if you can use the anniversary night certificate with the 40,000 point maximum value. You should be able to get $89 value out of it as long as you need a hotel night. Stay must be completed within 12 months from date of issue.

Bottom line. The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card has a current sign-up bonus boost of 80,000 IHG points. As with most of these co-branded cards, the best value is obtained if you can redeem for IHG hotel nights.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

Updated with 100k limited-time offer. The United Explorer Business Card is the co-branded business credit card between Chase and United Airlines, and it offers unique perks for regular United customers including free checked bags and expanded award seat availability for redeeming miles. Right now, there is also a limited-time offer of up to 100,000 bonus United miles for high spenders:

• 50,000 bonus United miles after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months.
• Additional 50,000 bonus United miles after spending $25,000 total within the first 6 months your account is open.
• Free first checked bag for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $120 per roundtrip) when you use your Card to purchase your ticket.
• Two one-time United Club passes each year ($100+ value)
• Expanded award availability. Having this card makes it easier to redeem for that saver award economy ticket.
• Priority boarding for you and companions on the same reservation on United-operated flights.
• 2X miles at restaurants, gas stations and office supply stores.
• 2X miles on United purchases and 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Your miles don’t expire as long as your credit card account is open, with no limit to the number of miles you can earn.
• Employee cards at no additional cost.
• $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.

Keep in mind the following terms and conditions:

This product is available to you if you do not have this Card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus for this Card in the past 24 months.

However, you CAN get this card if you had the consumer version of the United Explorer in the past 24 months (or have one now).

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.

Note that Chase has an unofficial rule that they will most likely 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 2 years (aka the 5/24 rule). This rule is designed to discourage folks that apply for high numbers of sign-up bonuses. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so in our household one applies to Chase while the other applies at other card issuers.

The good news is that small business cards from Chase hardly ever show up on personal credit reports, so getting this card in itself won’t affect your future 5/24 eligibility. This it makes a “free” application if you are already eligible.

This card is very focused on rewarding you for being a United customer. Before you board, you might use one of your free United Club lounge passes. You have the first checked bag for free on United flights, both for your and a companion traveling on the same reservation. The fee is usually $30 per person, each way, so that this how they get the value of $120 each roundtrip. You also get Priority Boarding, which helps you find space for your carry-on.

Expanded award availability. You earn United miles for all your purchases (double miles on restaurants and hotel stays), but then they also make it easier for you to redeem those miles on Saver level tickets with no blackout dates. Expanded award seat availability is another of the top perks from this card, and it is actually a significant difference. Saver Award ticket redemptions start at 12,500 miles one-way within the continental U.S. and Canada.

Another unique feature of this card is that it offers primary coverage on the Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver. On many other cards, this coverage is offered as secondary coverage, meaning it only kicks in after your personal auto insurance has been exhausted.

Bottom line. The United Explorer Business card offers valuable perks for folks that fly United even just once or twice a year. The card provides lounge passes, a free checked bag, priority boarding, and inflight discounts. There are bonus categories to earn more miles, and special expanded award seat inventory for credit card holders to make it easier to actually redeem those miles for flights. Right now, there is a 100,000 mile limited-time offer.

I have added this card to the Top 10 Best Small Business Card Bonus Offers.

Hilton Hotels has two American Express consumer cards, a no annual fee and a $95 annual fee version (with more perks of course). There is also a business card version. Each person can only get one welcome offer, per card in your entire lifetime, so it’s best to apply during one of these temporary bump-ups. (You could get all three of these welcome offers separately, but only one per card per person per lifetime.)

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 90,000 points = $450 value and 130,000 points = $650 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 good at creating activity, but here’s another tip on how to keep Hilton points active.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

• Learn more about this card HERE

• 125,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after $2,000 in purchases within first 3 months.
• Earn an additional Weekend Night Reward certificate after you spend $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year.
• 12X Hilton Honors points on purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
• 6X Hilton Honors points on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
• 3X Hilton Honors points for all other eligible purchases.
• Free Honors Gold status (free breakfast, room upgrades based on availability, 5th standard reward night free).
• Spend $40,000 in a calendar year on this card and get Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.
• $95 annual fee.

(This offer is for first-time Surpass cardmembers only, and not eligible for those who previously had an Ascend Card.)

Hilton Honors American Express Card

• Learn more about this card HERE

• after $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
• 7X Hilton Honors points on purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
• 5X Hilton Honors points on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
• 3X Hilton Honors points for all other eligible purchases.
• Free Honors Silver status (5th standard reward night free, 2 bottles of water in your room).
• Spend $20,000 in a calendar year on this card and get Honors Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• No annual fee.

Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

• Learn more about this card HERE

• 125,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
• Earn a Weekend Night Reward certificate after you spend $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year.
• Earn another Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend an additional $45,000 in purchases in the same calendar year.
• 12X Hilton Honors points on purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
• 6X Hilton Honors points on Select Business & Travel Purchases (ex. U.S. gas stations, U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines)
• 3X Hilton Honors points for all other eligible purchases.
• Free upgrade to Honors Gold status (free breakfast, room upgrades based on availability, 5th standard reward night free).
• 10 free airport lounge visits each year once enrolled in complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, which offers access to over 1,000 lounges in over 120 countries.
• $95 annual fee.

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 bonus once per card per lifetime.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

The American Express Blue Business Cash Card is a new business rewards card that earns 2% cash back on up to $50,000 of purchases per calendar year (then back down to 1% after that) and no annual fee. There is also a 0% intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months (variable rate after intro period). This card replaces the SimplyCash Plus card, which has been discontinued and is no longer open to new applicants.

• Learn more about this card HERE.

This is a solid offer for small business owners who want a simple-yet-competitive rewards credit card. If your business purchases don’t exceed $50,000 within each calendar year, this card provides flat 2% cash back and no annual fee. (Many other 2% cash back cards charge an annual fee.) In addition, your cash back is automatically credited to your statement as a statement credit, so you don’t have to remember to redeem anything. Easy. Automatic. I would say the only drawback is that there is no welcome offer.

My primary small business card for day-to-day spending is the sibling Blue Business Plus Card from American Express (my review), which offers 2X Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases each year and no annual fee. I prefer earning the double Membership Rewards points per dollar over 2% cash back because I regularly redeem each MR point for more than 1 cent per point of value. I enjoy the flexibility of having some Membership Rewards in my back pocket to convert to miles, points, etc, and I like not having to pay an annual fee.

If you don’t expect to get at least 1 cent per mile value by converting to airline miles or hotel points, then this card is better.

Business credit card eligibility. Many people aren’t aware that they can apply for business credit cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. Any individual can be a small business. Perhaps you sell items on eBay, Craiglist, or Etsy. Maybe you do some graphic design, web design, freelancing and/or consulting. If you received a 1099-MISC tax form and filled out a Schedule C, that means you have business income, you pay self-employment taxes, and you’re a sole proprietorship. 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.

This card will require you to personally guarantee that you’ll pay them back what you charge on the card, which means they’ll check your personal credit score like any other consumer card. However, as the card is a business card, American Express won’t have it show up on your personal credit report, so it won’t change things like your credit limits, average account age, or credit utilization ratio.

Bottom line. The American Express Blue Business Cash Card is a new small business card that earns a flat 2% cash back on ALL purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year with no annual fee. This is a high cash back percentage, and your rewards are automatically credited on the next monthly statement, so you don’t have to remember to redeem anything.

• Learn more about this card HERE.

(Existing or new World of Hyatt or the Hyatt Credit cardholders: Register for this promotion to get 10% back of any Hyatt points you redeem between July 1st and September 2nd, 2019. You must register before July 15th and finish your stay by September 2nd. You can already have your stay booked, which works out great for me because I am already set to redeem over 100,000 points in late July. That’s like finding an extra $100 to $200 in my case.)

Chase has launched a new The World of Hyatt credit card, which replaces their previous Hyatt co-branded card. There is a current sign-up bonus of up to 50,000 Hyatt points. Here are the highlights:

• Learn more about this card HERE

• Up to total 50,000 points – 25,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Additional 25,000 bonus points after you spend a total of $6,000 on purchases within the first 6 months of account opening.
• Receive 1 free night every year after your cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort.
• Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort if you spend $15,000 during your cardmember anniversary year.
• Get automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open and 5 qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every year.
• Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards your next tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card.
• $95 annual fee.

If you’ve gotten a bonus from any Hyatt Card within the last 2 years, please note the following:

The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Hyatt Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Hyatt Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months.

If you have the old Chase Hyatt card, you can call them up and ask for upgrade options.

The 5/24 rule applies to this card. On many Chase cards, there 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 2 years (aka the 5/24 rule). This rule is designed to discourage folks that apply for high numbers of sign-up bonuses. This is applied on a per-person basis, so in our household one applies to Chase while the other applies at other card issuers. The 5/24 rule is now believed to apply to this card.

What can you get with 50,000 Hyatt points? Here are all the Hyatt redemption options, but the most popular options are for free hotel nights, points+cash hotel combinations, or room upgrades. Hyatt allows you the flexibility of combining your points with any other World of Hyatt member to redeem an award.

After the recent Marriott/Starwood merger, I believe that Hyatt points are now the most valuable hotel points on a per-point basis. In general, I would rather convert my Chase Ultimate Rewards points into Hyatt points than any other hotel program.

Below is their points award chart, and here is their award search tool. Free rooms start at 5,000 points. A suite upgrade is 6,000 points.

For example, 50,000 points can get you two free nights at the Category 6 properties like the Hyatt Regency Maui or Grand Hyatt Kauai (25,000 pts/night). You also avoid the resort fees of up to $45 per night with an award redemption. Alternatively, 50,000 points would get you 4 nights at a Category 3 like the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando (12,000 pts/night) with some points left over. Finally, you could get 10 nights at 5,000 points per Category 1 night like the Hyatt Place Austin/Round Rock.

If you compare with the cash cost of these hotels, the number varies you are nearly always getting between 1 cent and 2 cents per point value, sometimes more. We are staying at the Grand Hyatt Kauai this summer on Hyatt points from this card, where the cash value is $701 per night when you include all taxes and the $35/night resort fee. That works out to 2.8 cents per Hyatt point.

Annual fee and free anniversary night. This card does have a $95 annual fee, but in exchange you get a Free Night Certificate good at any Category 1-4 hotel or resort. I can easily get $95 of value out of this certificate, so this card is a keeper card for me. Your travel situation may be different.

You can also earn an additional free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 during your cardmember anniversary year. I had to spend $6,000 to reach the sign-up bonus the first year, so I went ahead and reached this hurdle to reach a total of 2 free Cat 1-4 nights + 50,000 points after the first year. I probably won’t go for it in future years, though.

Hyatt points expire after 24 months of inactivity, but earning points via this credit card counts as activity. Chase Ultimate Rewards points also convert to Hyatt points and the transfer counts as activity.

Ongoing rewards structure. I might book my Hyatt nights on this card, but the rest of the rewards aren’t terribly exciting to me.

• 9 points total per $1 spent at Hyatt – 4 Bonus Points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 you can earn as a World of Hyatt member.
• 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other card purchasesoffer details reference link*

The free Discoverist status from this card gets you a free bottle of water daily, a free upgrade to premium WiFi internet, dedicated check-in area, and a 2pm late checkout upon request at participating locations. You are also eligible for a minor room upgrade within your type booked.

Bottom line. The Chase World of Hyatt card is the newer co-branded Hyatt credit card. As with most of these types of card, the best value is obtained by folks like like to stay at Hyatt properties. There is currently a 50,000 point sign-up bonus, an anniversary free night award, and a $95 annual fee. As long as you use the points up for free Hyatt hotel nights, the total net value of this card in the first year is easily over $500. For the two nights we booked at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, the cash cost would have been $1,400.

• Learn more about this card HERE

I will receive a commission for this card if you sign-up via my link. I have added this offer to my ongoing list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

The Chase Freedom Card is a popular cash back rewards credit card. What makes it unique is the combination having no annual fee and the ability to get 5% Cash Back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter. Here are the highlights:

• Learn more about this card HERE

• $150 cash bonus after $500 in purchases within your first 3 months.
• 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate.
• New 5% categories every 3 months like Gas Stations, Restaurants, and Select Grocery Stores
• Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
• Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back.
• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers. 3% intro balance transfer fee when you transfer a balance during the first 60 days your account is open, with a minimum of $5.
• Free credit score, updated weekly with Credit Journey^SM
• No annual fee.

Note the following text regarding the sign-up bonus eligibility:

This product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.

2019 5% Cash Back Category Calendar

From October 1st through December 31st, 2019 you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:

• Department Stores
• Purchases made with PayPal. Many online stores take PayPal including eBay. You can also pay your taxes online with PayPal and still make money after the 1.87% fee.
• Purchases made with Chase Pay

Activate each quarter at ChaseBonus.com, via your online account page, or call the number on the back of the card.  The categories usually include at least one big-spending area, and seem to go with the seasons (home improvement for spring, gas and travel for the summer). This is another “keeper” card for me, as I can keep it around and use it when the bonus categories fit my spending needs.

If you’d rather have “set it and forget it” rewards, compare with the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card, which offers a flat 1.5% cash back on everything (no special 5% categories) and no annual fee.

Synergy with Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve. Technically, you earn Ultimate Rewards points which can also be converted to airline miles or hotel points instead of cash if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

This turns the 5% cash back categories into 5X Ultimate Rewards categories. That’s like earning 5 United miles per dollar spent, or 5 Hyatt points per dollar spent. With the Sapphire Reserve, 5X Ultimate Rewards = 7.5% back towards travel (flights, hotels) booked through the Chase travel portal.

Bottom line. The Chase Freedom Card is a unique cash back rewards card that lets you earn 5% cash back on select categories each quarter. It’s a little extra work to keep track of things, but it allows me to earn hundreds of dollars in extra cash each year without buying extra stuff I don’t need.

• Learn more about this card HERE

(Updated May 2019: Capital One has added new transfer partners where you can turn their “miles” into real airline miles. The options are somewhat limited, but may be useful for topping off an account to reach an award. Details below.)

The Capital One® Venture® Rewards credit card is their premium travel rewards card with unlimited 2x miles per dollars on all purchases. Right now, there is also a 50,000 miles welcome offer after spending $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. Those 50,000 miles can be redeemed as a $500 credit towards any travel purchase made with the card (any airline, any hotel, no blackout dates). Here are the highlights:

The highlights:

• Learn more about this card HERE

• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles (equal to $500 in travel) once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
• Earn 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Plus earn 10X miles on thousands of hotels, through January 2020; learn more at hotels.com/venture.
• Up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
• Named ‘The Best Travel Card’ by CNBC, 2018.
• Fly any airline, stay at any hotel, anytime; no blackout dates. Plus transfer your miles to over 12 leading travel loyalty programs.
• Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $95 after that.

What does this all mean? 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. 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 offset that purchase using your miles balance later.

This means that earning 2 miles on on every $1 in purchases essentially makes this a 2% back card when applied towards travel.

New: Miles transfer options. Capital One now allows you to transfer your “miles” into select airline miles programs as well, on a 2:1.5 ratio (ex. 20,000 Capital One miles = 15,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles) except where indicated. Here are the 15 transfer partners:

• Aeromexico
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France/KLM
• Alitalia
• Avianca
• Cathay Pacific
• Emirates (2:1)
• Etihad
• EVA
• Finnair
• Hainan
• JetBlue TrueBlue (2:1)
• Qantas
• Qatar
• Singapore Airlines Krisflyer (2:1)

The bolded ones are my favorite. I would use these to top off an account to reach a specific award level. If you know how to leverage one of these international airline miles programs, this can be a good option, but it’s still nice to have the worst-case scenario of effectively earning 2% back towards travel.

Bottom line. The combination of a 50,000 one-time bonus and the annual fee waiver for the first year makes this a good time to apply for the Capital One® Venture® Rewards credit card. You’ll also get 2X miles on your purchases, so after you spend your $3,000 within 3 months to get the bonus, you can redeem 50,000 + 6,000 = 56,000 miles for $560 toward travel on any airline or hotel. That could be a nice discount on your next vacation.

• Learn more about this card HERE

Due to the high first-year value, I have added this card to my list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.