Limited-time offer boost. The relatively new United Quest Card is a new premium travel card that offers a lot of added perks on United Airlines for a higher annual fee. Here are the highlights:

• Earn 70,000 bonus miles + 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• First AND second checked bags are free for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $320 per roundtrip) when you use your Card to purchase your ticket.
• Each year, receive up to a $125 United(R) purchase credit and two 5K-mile anniversary award flight credits. Terms apply.
• Earn 500 Premier qualifying points for every $12K you spend on purchases, up to 6,000 PQP in a calendar year.
• Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit.
• Priority boarding.
• Expanded award availability and free upgrades. Having this card makes it easier to find that saver award economy ticket. No blackout dates for MileagePlus members booking award flights on United.
• $250 annual fee.

Here are the ongoing rewards on purchases:

• 3X miles on United(R) purchases
• 2X miles on all other travel.
• 2X miles on dining.
• 2X miles on select streaming services.
• 1X mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• 25% Back on United inflight purchases (Wi-Fi, Food and Drinks).

The United Quest card is considered a new product, which means you can get this new bonus even if you’ve had other United card flavors in the past 24 months:

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 card is very focused on making it a better experience for regular United customers. You have the first and second checked bag for free on United flights, both for your and a companion traveling on the same reservation. The bag fees are $35 + $45 per person, each way, so that adds up to $320 each roundtrip.

After each card anniversary, you automatically get $125 back on United purchases charged to your card, which already covers half the $250 annual fee. You save another 5,000 points (up to twice a year) when you book an award ticket with miles. You also get Priority Boarding, and while onboard, you get 25% back on your inflight purchases of WiFi, food, and drinks.

If you are trying to make Premier status on United, this card offers the ability to earn up to 3,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) per year by just spending on your card.

Expanded award seat availability. You earn United miles for all your purchases, but then they also make it easier for you to redeem those miles on Saver level tickets with no blackout dates. No blackout dates for MileagePlus members booking award flights on United. Expanded award seat availability is another of the top perks from this card, and I’ve found a very significant difference when searching. If you’re constantly trying to find economy tickets for the entire family like me, this is a big deal. Saver Award ticket redemptions start at 12,500 miles one-way within the continental U.S. and Canada.

If you are a Premier® status member and traveling on an award ticket, with this card you can take advantage of Premier Upgrades on United-operated flights.

Another unique feature of this card is that it offers primary coverage on the Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver. On most other consumer 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 Quest Card offers a long list of special perks for folks that fly United on a regular basis. For the right person, the benefits can be worth much more than the annual fee.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

Improved offer. The United Explorer Card is a Chase-issued credit card that offers unique perks on United Airlines including free checked bags and expanded award seat availability for redeeming miles. Here are the highlights:

• Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• Free first checked bag for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip) when you use your Card to purchase your ticket. Terms Apply.
• Expanded award availability. Having this card makes it easier to find that saver award economy ticket.
• Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
• Priority boarding + 2 United Club(SM) one-time passes every year for your anniversary.
• 2X miles on dining, on hotel stays, and on United(R) purchases.
• 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Explorer Card
• 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.
• Use your miles for any seat, any time, on any United flight.
• $0 introductory 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.

This card is very focused on making it a better experience to fly on United. You have the first checked bag for free on United flights, both for your and a companion traveling on the same reservation. The bag fee is usually $35 per person, each way, so that adds up to $140 each roundtrip. Before you board, you might use one of your free United Club lounge passes. You also get Priority Boarding, which helps you find space for your carry-on. While onboard, you get 25% back on your inflight purchases of WiFi, food, and drinks.

Expanded award seat 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 I’ve found a very significant difference when searching. If you’re constantly trying to find economy tickets for the entire family like me, this is a big deal. 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 most other consumer 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 Card offers great 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.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

Southwest Airlines lets you use points to book basically any seat that they sell for cash. A very reasonable approximation from my experience is 1.3 cents in Wanna Get Away airfare in per point. That works out to roughly $780+ in Wanna Get Away airfare for 60,000 Rapid Rewards points. Plus, they still offer two free checked bags on all flights.

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 2023 + all of 2024). 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. Many times if you get both a personal and a business card in the same year, you can meet this requirement with the new cardmember bonuses alone.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus credit card

• Earn 60,000 bonus points plus a 30% off promo code after spending $3,000 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.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier card

• Earn 60,000 bonus points plus a 30% off promo code after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Receive 6,000 anniversary points each year.
• 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
• 3X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
• 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
• 2X points on internet, cable, 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).
• $99 annual fee.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority card

• Earn 60,000 bonus points plus a 30% off promo code after spending $3,000 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(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
• 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points towards A-List Status for every $10,000 in spend
• 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
• $75 Southwest annual travel credit.
• $149 annual fee.

The following are business credit cards:

Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card

• 80,000 points after $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
• 9,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
• NEW: 4X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
• 3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car 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).
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Fee Credit in the form of a statement credit of up to $100 every four years.
• $199 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.
• NEW: 3X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
• 2X points and Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
• NEW: 2X points on rideshare.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• NEW: 2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
• $99 annual fee.

30% Off promo code details. The 30% off promo code will appear directly in the cardmember Southwest.com account after meeting the qualifications. The 30% promo code discount is on base fare applied before taxes and fees and available for use until October 31, 2024.

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 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.

The British Airways Visa Signature Card is a Chase co-branded travel card with a bonus offer of 75,000 Avios points. The Avios program offers a distance-based award system in the US (including Hawaii), allowing you to fly for less points than you might think. You can also book partner awards on American Airlines. Another good use of Avios can be to fly business class to Europe. Here are the highlights:

• Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months 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.
• 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
• Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL.
• Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel. Plus earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• 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 13,000 Avios one-way and 26,000 Avios points roundtrip. I ran a quote 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. This also works from Hawaii to Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. You can also do JFK to LAX for 25k points roundtrip.
• 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 (“Book” then “Book a flight with Avios”). As usual, it helps to book far ahead (or last-minute) and to be flexible with dates. Here’s a quick screenshot of a one-way flight booking from LAX to HNL for 13,000 points and $5.60 in taxes. Families can take note that there were 7 seats available at this price on the flight when I looked.

Use the American Airlines AA.com website and look the cheapest level 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.

Bottom line. The British Airways Visa credit card has an updated bonus that offers enough Avios for two roundtrip tickets from the mainland US to Hawaii. It’s a keeper card if you can take advantage of their companion ticket.

The card_name is one of AmEx’s classic cards, and they have improved the welcome offer to an all-time best, revamped the rewards structure, and added new travel perks. The current welcome offer includes 60,000 Membership Rewards points plus 20% back on eligible travel purchases (up to $200). Here the the highlights:

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards(R) Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit.
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards(R) points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals.
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards(R) Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways.
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards(R) points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US.
• $189 CLEAR Plus Credit: Receive up to $189 per calendar year in statement credits when you pay for your CLEAR Plus membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the American Express(R) Green Card.
• $100 LoungeBuddy Credit: No airport lounge membership? No problem! Purchase lounge access through the LoungeBuddy app using the American Express(R) Green Card and receive up to $100 in statement credits annually.
• Trip Delay Insurance: If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 12 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses purchased on the same Eligible Card, up to $300 per trip, maximum 2 claims per eligible account per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• $150 annual fee. (card_name)

Note the following language:

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card or previous versions of this Card. 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.

This card has not been heavily marketed in the past, so many people (including myself) are still eligible for the welcome offer. The application will tell you if they detect that you are not eligible for the bonus based on their records. Given that you can only get the welcome offer once time per lifetime, it is best to apply during a limited-time offer.

Membership Rewards points can be converted to the following airline and hotel programs (there are more, this is just a selection):

• Delta SkyMiles
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JetBlue
• ANA Mileage Club (partner of United Airlines)
• Air Canada (partner of United Airlines)
• British Airways (partner of American Airlines)
• FlyingBlue (Air France/KLM)
• Singapore Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• Emirates
• Etihad Guest
• Qantas
• Virgin Atlantic
• Choice Privileges
• Hilton Honors
• Marriott Bonvoy

They also run limited-time 25% to 40% bonuses on points transfers. You can also transfer to gift cards many retailers at varying rates, but many available at the rate of 10,000 MR points = $100 gift card. My most recent redemption was a $100 Home Depot card for 10,000 points, sometimes less when they run special discount. However, don’t expect the cash-equivalent prepaid credit cards at that rate, it’s usually closer to a 0.6 cent/point ratio.

60,000 Membership Rewards points, worth an estimated $600. Some folks value these points much more highly, but I prefer to stick to a simple and conservative 1 cent per point.

20% Back on Eligible Travel and Transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit. Here’s what counts:

Eligible travel purchases include purchases of: airfare for scheduled flights on passenger carrier, chartered flights, and private jets; hotel stays, timeshare rentals, and vacation rentals; car rentals; and cruises, tours, vacation packages, and other purchases made through tour operators and travel agencies. Eligible travel purchases do not include purchases of timeshare properties, banquets or events held at a hotel, meeting rooms booked at a hotel, truck rentals, and moving van rentals. Eligible transit purchases include purchases with train, taxicab, rideshare service, ferry, toll, parking, bus, and subway merchants.

Airfare, hotels, vacation rentals, car rentals, cruises, that’s all pretty broad in my opinion. As long as you spend $1,000 total on eligible travel and transit purchases during the first 6 months of having the card, you will max out the $200 in statement credits. For the target customer of this card, I feel that should not be difficult. That puts the total welcome offer worth $800. Add in the $189 Clear Plus credit and $100 in LoungeBuddy credits, and then you are at $1,089 in first-year value against a $150 annual fee.

CLEAR Plus membership gets you through airport security significantly faster at 50+ airports nationwide via designated lanes at TSA checkpoints. (CLEAR offers separate and short ID check lines, getting you to the x-ray machines faster. But you should also have TSA PreCheck for optimal speed.) If you value this service, then the recurring $189 value can offset the $150 annual fee at renewal time.

Compared with its siblings at American Express, this card has a tighter focus on frequent fliers (3X on travel, CLEAR Plus membership) and the lowest annual fee:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• American Express® Gold Card

Bottom line. The card_name is a premium travel card with an improved welcome offer, revamped 3X rewards categories, and new travel perks. The first-year value proposition is very strong, and after that you’ll have to see if your travel habits match up to the perks that this card offers. (card_name)

I will be adding this improved offer on my list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by MyMoneyBlog.com.

New limited-time offers that include a free reward night. 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.

Hilton Honors American Express Card

• Limited Time Offer: Earn 70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points and a Free Night Reward after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer expires 7/19/2023.
• 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. (See Rates and Fees)
• Terms Apply.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

• Limited Time Offer: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $4,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first three months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/19/23.
• Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Earn another Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend an additional $45,000 in purchases on your Card in the same calendar year.
• Earn Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card: 12X at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio, 6X at U.S. gas stations, on U.S. purchases for shipping, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel, on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants, 3X on all other eligible purchases.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors(TM) Gold Status with your Hilton Honors Business Card (free breakfast, room upgrades based on availability, 5th standard reward night free).
• $95 annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)
• Terms Apply.

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. The free night is valid any night of the week, includes resort fees and taxes, and does not come with a points limit, but there are some excluded hotels that are not bookable. (Often the timeshare/condo side of a resort is not bookable, but the hotel side is still eligible, such as with the Grand Wailea.) Here is the fine print behind the Free Night Award:

The Free Night Reward can be redeemed for one standard accommodation, double occupancy, subject to availability at properties in the Hilton portfolio, excluding those listed at HiltonHonors.com/freenightreward. To redeem the Free Night Reward, you must call 1-800-446-6677. The Free Night Reward expire 12 months from date of issuance. […] The Free Night Reward includes all applicable resort fees and taxes on the cost of the room for the redeemed night.

Theoretically, this free night award could be used to book a room night that would otherwise require 95,000 Hilton points. Indeed, I have redeemed my award for a night at the Grand Wailea in Maui, which is worth 95,000 points a night. Amazing hotel, and very happy the resort fees were covered as well. However, you may need to book early enough that standard rooms are still available.

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.

During the limited-time offer, I will be adding this to the Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers and Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Card and Hilton Honors American Express Business Card has been collected independently by MyMoneyBlog.com.

Offer updated. Chase and Air Canada have partnered to create the Chase Aeroplan World Elite Mastercard for US customers. Using the new Pay Yourself Back feature, 50,000 Aeroplan points can be redeemed for $625 back toward eligible travel purchases including flights on any airline (details below). Here are the highlights on the sign-up bonus and Air Canada perks:

• Earn 50,000 points – that’s $625 in travel value when redeemed with Pay Yourself Back(R).
• Earn 50,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
• 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.
• Automatically receive Aeroplan 25K Elite Status for the remainder of the first calendar year, plus the following calendar year, allowing primary cardmembers to enjoy benefits such as priority check-in, early boarding, upgrades and more on Air Canada flights.
• Each calendar year in which you spend at least $15,000 in purchases you earn Aeroplan 25K Status through the following calendar year.
• $100 credit toward Global Entry, TSA Precheck or NEXUS every four years (as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card)
• No foreign transaction fees.
• $95 annual fee.

Here is the rewards structure on credit card spending:

• 3X points on dining, takeout, and eligible delivery services
• 3X points at grocery stores
• 3X points on direct purchases at Air Canada
• 1 point for each dollar spent on all other purchases
• +500 bonus points for every $2,000 spent in a calendar month (up to a maximum of 1,500 points per calendar month)

Redeeming Aeroplan points for flights. It is very easy to redeem Aeroplan points on Air Canada, Air Canada Express, or Air Canada Rouge flights because “every Air Canada seat available to buy for cash is also available for points, no restrictions.” You simply run a search like normal on the Air Canada website, and it will tell you upfront the cost in Aeroplan points. It’s quite easy to compare the cash cost side-by-side. In addition, when you have this credit card, you get even better preferred pricing on flights when redeeming points.

Here is an example flight from San Francisco to Vancouver during our March Spring Break period:

At 8,300 miles + CAD$8 for a one-way flight, that means I could get 4 of these SFO-YVR roundtrip flights for 70,000 with some 3,000+ points left over. This means an entire family of four could get their flights covered. The cash cost for the one way was CAD$207 or US$161 at this writing, for a total redemption value of CAD$1,656 or US$1,288.

For a more general idea, here is a link to the Aeroplan rewards chart (PDF). The points required are based on distance.

You can also get excellent value by redeeming your points on a partner airline.

Redeem towards any travel at 1.25 cents per points. Chase allows an alternative option to redeem Aeroplan points at a rate of 1.25 cents per point to cover travel purchases including airline flights, hotels, cruises, car rentals, rideshares, parking lots, and more. This provides a nice minimum floor on the value of an Aeroplan point. You can redeem unlimited points for 2023 as an introductory offer; in the future it will be capped at 50,000 points redeemed per year in this way.

Here’s all of what counts as “Travel”:

Merchants in this category include airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages. Some merchants that provide transportation and travel-related services are not included in this category; for example, real estate agents, educational merchants arranging travel, in-flight goods and services, on-board cruise line goods and services, sightseeing activities, excursions, tourist attractions, RV and boat rentals, merchants within hotels and airports, public campgrounds and merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling. Purchases from gift card merchants or merchants that sell points or miles will not qualify in the travel category.

Bottom line. The Chase Aeroplan World Elite Mastercard offers a 50,000 point sign-up bonus (redeemable for multiple Air Canada flights or use the Pay Yourself Back feature to offset $625 of travel on ANY airline) and Air Canada flight perks (including free first checked bag and elite status).

I will be adding this offer to the Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

New limited-time 25k offer w/ no annual fee. The Citi Rewards+® Card has improved their sign-up bonus while keeping its 0% introductory APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, round-ups rewards on small purchases, and no annual fee. Here are the highlights:

• Improved: 25,000 bonus points after $1,500 in purchases in the first 3 months. 25,000 ThankYou points = $250 in gift cards at ThankYou.com.
• For a limited time, earn 5 ThankYou(R) Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel(SM) Portal through June 30, 2024.
• 2X ThankYou(R) Points at Supermarkets and Gas Stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter. Plus, earn 1X ThankYou(R) Points on All Other Purchases.
• 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months from date of first transfer and on purchases from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 18.49% – 28.49%, based on your creditworthiness. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
• Minimum 10 points earned on every purchase. The card automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase, so for example a $1 parking charge or $2 cup of coffee can earn 10 points. This happens on every purchase with no cap.
• 10% of your points rebated back on the first 100,000 ThankYou® Points redeemed per year.
• No annual fee.

Note the following:

Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you have received a new account bonus for a Citi Rewards+® account in the past 48 months.

The lockout period is longer, but no longer lumps this card together with other Citi ThankYou cards like the Premier and Prestige.

25,000 ThankYou points = $250 in gift cards. You can view your redemption options at ThankYou.com. I took a quick look and it takes 10,000 ThankYou (TY) points to redeem for a $100 gift card to retailers like Target, Starbucks, TJ Maxx, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Gap, Banana Republic, Barnes & Noble, Bath and Body Works, Bed Bath & Beyond, Cabelas, Kohl’s, Land’s End, LL Bean, Sears, and Zappos. So with 25,000 TY points, you could get 10 x $25 gift cards) from different stores (handy for gifts), or all from the same store. You may also be able to find options to send a check towards your mortgage payment and/or student loan payment.

Personally, my default redemption is for Home Depot and/or Lowe’s. As an owner of an older house, there is always an appliance or home-improvement purchase around the corner. Target is another useful option.

0% introductory APR on purchases for 15 months. This is one of the longest 0% intro periods on purchases, which means that you can keep charging all your purchases on this card for 15 months and not have to pay any interest. Carrying a credit card balance is obviously not ideal, but in extreme times such an offer can help with short-term cashflow issues and defer your monthly expenses until later. You will still need to keep making the minimum payments each month to keep the 0% rate. There is also 0% intro APR for 15 months for balance transfers, but that comes with a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

Round up rewards, helpful on small purchases. The default rewards on this card is 1 point per $1 spent, which is rather common these days. They try to mix things up by making it round up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase. For example, a $1 purchase would earn 10 points, not 1 point. A $2 purchase would earn 10 points, not 2 points. A $11 purchase would earn 20 points, not 11 points. This makes the effective rewards percentage much higher on small purchases. If you make a lot of small purchases, this card is well-suited for you.

If you have a high monthly spend amount, I would recommend the Citi Double Cash card instead, as it earns 2% cash back on purchases.

10% Points Back for the first 100,000 ThankYou® Points you redeem per year. Let’s say you get that 15,000 points bonus and earn another 5,000 points from your purchases. When you redeem your 20,000 ThankYou points for a $200 gift card, you’ll also get 2,000 points rebated back to your account.

Thank You points in combination with other Citi cards. You may also combine and transfer your ThankYou points earned with this card to other Citi cards that earn ThankYou points:

• Citi Premier Card has a big upfront bonus and earns 3X ThankYou points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels. It also allows you to convert ThankYou points to participating airline mileage programs on a 1:1 basis including JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Etihad, Flying Blue by Air France and KLM, and Thai Airways.
• Citi Custom Cash Card earns 5X ThankYou points on your top eligible spending category up to $500 spent each monthly billing cycle./li>
• Citi Double Cash earns 2X ThankYou points on ALL purchases.

Bottom line. The Citi Rewards+® Card offers a long 15-month 0% introductory APR period on purchases on top of a 25,000 point sign-up bonus worth $250 in gift cards at ThankYou.com. You may also be able to transfer your ThankYou points to hotel and airlines if you also hold other eligible Citi credit cards. There is also a unique rewards structure for those that make a lot of small purchases. No annual fee.

Limited-time offer. The Chase IHG Rewards Club Traveler card is the IHG hotel card that includes special IHG perks but with no annual fee. Here are the highlights:

• 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening
• Earn 15X points total per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
• Earn 2X points at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Fourth Reward Night Free when you redeem points for any 4+ night stay. That means if you use points to pay for 3 nights in a row, the 4th night is free.
• IHG Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental(R), Crowne Plaza(R), Kimpton(R), EVEN(R) Hotels, Indigo(R) Hotels & Holiday Inn(R).
• No annual fee.

Note the following:

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

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, I would use a conservative estimate of 0.50 cents of value per point, which would make 120,000 IHG points worth an estimated $600 value. Not bad for a no annual fee card. 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 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 points expire after 24 months of inactivity, which is relatively long so with occasional activity you can easily save up these free nights for later. Chase Ultimate Rewards points also convert to IHG points.

The 4th Reward night free perk can be very valuable and nice to see on a card with no annual fee.

Total of 15x points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG. Here’s how this breaks down: Earn 5X points per $1 spent as an IHG® Rewards Club Traveler credit cardmember + 10X points per $1 spent from IHG® for being an IHG® Rewards Club Member, for a total of 15X points total at any of their 5,400+ IHG® hotels & resorts.

Given my 0.5 cent per IHG point valuation, I would book my IHG nights on this card, but not my everyday purchases on an ongoing basis. I would just put a little spending on there to keep my IHG points from expiring.

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

Upgrade to Premier? Downgrade to Traveler? If you can reliably use a anniversary night certificate (40,000 point value) and get $99 value out of it, you should consider going with the IHG Rewards Premier credit card mentioned on the same application page. The Premier card also adds some other small perks like Platinum Elite status and a TSA Precheck fee credit.

If you already have the Premier card and don’t want to pay for those added perks, you may consider asking if you can downgrade to this Traveler now without any annual fee.

Bottom line. The Chase IHG Rewards Club Traveler credit card now comes with no annual fee and a sign-up bonus. 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.

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, Elite status, and every 4th award night free. Here are the highlights:

• 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• Free Award Night after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide. Valid at IHG Hotels with a current point redemption cap of 40,000 points. NEW: You can now also pay the difference over 40,000 points to redeem your Anniversary Night at hotels above the 40,000 point redemption level.
• 4th Award Night Free. Enjoy a reward night when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG(R) hotel stay. That means if you use points to pay for 3 nights in a row, the 4th night is free. You can even book 8 award nights total and get two of them free, and so on. Works on any award level.
• 25X points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel.
• 5X points at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants and 3X points per $1 on all other purchases.
• Platinum Elite status included as a Premier card member. IHG points also don’t expire when you are an Elite member.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® fee credit up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• IHG Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental(R), Crowne Plaza(R), Kimpton(R), EVEN(R) Hotels, Indigo(R) Hotels & Holiday Inn(R).
• $99 annual fee.

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 a conservation valuation is 0.50 cents of value per point, which would make 140,000 IHG points worth an estimated $700 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

Fourth Reward Night Free

For each standard room Reward Night stay of 4 or more nights, every 4th night is free. Applies only to 4 or more consecutive nights within the same Reward Night point redemption room stay at the same property. With this benefit, eligible members will be charged the Reward Night point redemption rate for the first 3 nights, and 0 points for the 4th night of the stay, as applicable. Members can utilize the 4th Reward Night Free benefit on an unlimited number of stays annually.

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.

The rewards on other purchases has improved to the following:

• 5X IHG points per $1 spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants.
• 3X IHG point per $1 spent on all other card purchases

I would keep 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.

Don’t want a card with an annual fee? The no-annual fee Traveler version has a very competitive bonus right now.

Bottom line. The Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card includes special IHG perks like a free night award every year you keep the card, Elite status, and every 4th award night free. New applicants are eligible for a sign-up bonus of 140,000 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.