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If you want to earn lots of points, miles, or cash back quickly, the best strategy is to apply for a rewards credit card and earn its welcome bonus offer. You’ll usually have to meet a minimum spending requirement in a specified time frame (typically a few months), and it’s well worth the effort to unlock a big bonus.
Even better, many top travel rewards cards are currently offering record-high welcome bonuses. Some of these offers are only available for a limited time, so you shouldn’t wait long to apply.
We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Amex Platinum
Amex Business Platinum
Amex Gold Card
Amex Blue Cash Preferred
Amex Business Gold Card
Capital One Venture X
Citi Premier Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Ink Business Preferred
Chase Ink Cash
Chase Ink Business Unlimited
Compare the best current credit card offers
Amex Platinum
The Platinum Card® from American Express is offering one of the most lucrative bonuses we’ve seen in recent months: The Platinum Card® from American Express.
You can get hundreds of dollars in value from perks like up to $200 in Uber (including Uber Eats) credits** per year and up to $100 in annual Saks Fifth Avenue credits**. The Platinum Card also comes with excellent shopping and purchase benefits, including return protection, extended warranty, and targeted discounts and bonuses through Amex Offers**.
The Platinum Card recently added new benefits, including up to $300 annually in Equinox credits**, $189 per year in credits for CLEAR® membership**, up to $200 per year in credits toward eligible prepaid hotel bookings, up to $240 in annual credits toward eligible digital subscriptions**, a monthly credit for Walmart+ membership**, and up to $300 back for purchasing a SoulCycle At-Home Bike through Equinox+.
Travelers can take advantage of up to $200 in airline fee credits** each calendar year, airport lounge access, complimentary hotel elite status with Hilton and Marriott**, travel insurance, and Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts. You can use the Amex Membership Rewards points you’ll earn with the card to book flights, hotels, and more through Amex Travel, or transfer points to airline and hotel partners like Delta, British Airways, and Marriott.
The annual fee is $550. However, if you can put these new perks to use, you can get thousands of dollars worth of value from the Platinum Card.
Amex Business Platinum card
Small-business owners have a big opportunity to earn a massive amount of points with the limited-time welcome bonus offer on The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Like the personal Platinum Card, there’s a hefty annual fee — $595 — but it’s more than worth it if you can maximize the card’s perks.
Amex Business Platinum Card members get some of the same perks as personal cardholders, including airline fee credits, hotel elite status, and airport lounge access. You can also receive statement credits for Dell Technologies, Indeed, Adobe, and U.S. wireless service providers***, and get a 35% points rebate when you redeem points for first- or business-class tickets, or for any fare with your selected airline, through Amex Travel (up to 500,000 points back per calendar year).
If you’re not sure which version of the card is best for you, our comparison of the Amex Platinum and Business Platinum can help narrow down your choice.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express offers new 1.5x earning categories on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. and statement credits for wireless, Indeed, and Adobe purchases, and Dell.
Amex Gold card
The Amex Gold Card is sometimes overlooked as the “kid brother” to its Platinum siblings, but it’s actually one of our favorite rewards cards, especially for dining. You’ll earn 4x points at restaurants up to $25,000 per year (then 1x) and up to $120 in annual dining credits** that you can use at select restaurants and on Grubhub and Seamless. It also offers up to $120 Uber Cash ($10 per month credit) each calendar year (this is only applicable to U.S. Eats orders and Rides, and the Gold Card needs to be added to the Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit).
The card didn’t always come with an attention-grabbing welcome bonus offer, but it’s now increased its intro offer to American Express® Gold Card. Considering you can transfer your Amex points to nearly two dozen travel partners, these points can unlock lots of options for flights or hotel stays.
Amex Blue Cash Preferred card
If you like earning cash back and spend a lot on groceries and streaming services, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is tough to beat. It’s now offering a Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, and earns 6% back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending per calendar year (then 1%).
You’ll also earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis, rideshares, parking, tolls, trains, and buses), and 1% cash back on everything else (cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars). If you max out the $6,000 limit at U.S. supermarkets, you could earn $360 in cash back each year just from that category alone — that’s more than enough to offset the annual fee of Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
Amex Business Gold card
The American Express® Business Gold Card normally offers 35,000 points after meeting minimum spending requirements, so this limited-time bonus is double the usual points. If you can maximize the credits you’ll do even better, because they can more than offset the card’s American Express® Business Gold Card annual fee.
One reason the Amex Business Gold card has remained popular with small-business owners is the ability to earn 4x Amex Membership Rewards points in the top two categories you spend the most in each month, on up to $150,000 in combined purchases each year (then 1x).
These categories include airfare purchased directly from airlines, US gas stations, US restaurants, US shipping providers, US computer hardware, software, and cloud systems from select technology providers, and US purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio).
Capital One Venture X card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was launched last year, and it offers a massive welcome bonus of Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card — worth at least Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card in travel, based on Insider’s valuations.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is packed with upscale benefits that can more than offset the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card annual fee — which is lower than other premium travel cards.
Cardholders receive up to $300 per year in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One, Priority Pass and Capital One airport lounge access (even for authorized users), a 10,000-mile bonus on each account anniversary (worth $100 in travel), and Visa Infinite travel and purchase benefits.
Like other cards that earn Capital One miles, you can transfer rewards to over a dozen airline and hotel partners to book award travel.
Citi Premier card
The Citi Premier® Card is another card that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. It earns flexible Citi ThankYou Rewards points that you can redeem for travel, transfer to airline and hotel partners, cash in for statement credits, gift cards, or merchandise.
In addition to offering a bonus of 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening, the Citi Premier Card stands out for its wide range of bonus categories, including 3 points per dollar at restaurants and supermarkets. This makes the card a great option for maximizing your everyday purchases — because everyone has to eat.
The Citi Premier® Card also comes with a hotel savings benefit that can offset its entire $95 annual fee. This perk will save you $100 once per calendar year when you book a hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through ThankYou.com. Here’s our Citi Premier card review for all the details.
Chase Sapphire Preferred card
You can’t go wrong with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — it’s one of the best to start with if you’re new to credit card rewards (or if you don’t want to pay the Chase Sapphire Reserve® annual fee on its premium sibling, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®).
The card currently offers an elevated welcome bonus of 60,000 points. You can find out more about the card in our full Chase Sapphire Preferred review.
Recent updates to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card include the addition of a 10% anniversary points bonus and up to $50 per year in statement credits for hotels booked through Chase. If you maximize this credit, you can shave off more than half of the card’s annual fee.
The great thing about Chase Ultimate Rewards® points is their flexibility — redemption options include booking travel directly through the Chase Travel Portal, transferring points to travel partners like United and Marriott, or cashing in rewards for statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise.
Chase Sapphire Reserve card
The more premium sibling of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is offering Chase Sapphire Reserve®. It also earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, allows transfers to Chase airline and hotel partners, and offers the same variety of options for points redemption as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a Chase Sapphire Reserve® annual fee — substantially higher than the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. However, if you can make use of the card’s additional benefits — especially if you’re traveling — the annual fee is certainly worth it.
Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® recently got a refresh, with improved or new bonus categories and benefits like access to the new Chase Sapphire Lounges (when open) at New York-LaGuardia (LGA), Boston (BOS), San Diego (SAN), Phoenix (PHX), Las Vegas (LAS), and Hong Kong (HKG).
Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders receive up to $300 in statement credits toward travel purchases each cardholder year — effectively reducing the net annual cost to $250. Chase also recently added $5 per month in DoorDash in-app credits for cardholders from April 2022 through December 2024. Here’s our Chase Sapphire Reserve review.
Ink Business Preferred card
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers the highest welcome bonus among Chase cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points: 100,000 points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Plus, it has generous bonus categories — you’ll earn 3 points per dollar in the first $150,000 in combined purchases you make on categories including travel, shipping, and advertising (and 1 point per dollar on everything else). This card has a Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card annual fee, and it offers benefits like primary rental car insurance when you’re renting a car for business purposes and cell phone protection.
Ink Business Cash card
If you’re looking for Chase small-business card but don’t want to meet the hefty spending requirement on the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, the no-annual-fee Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a great alternative. You’ll earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening — awarded as 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a good pick if you spend a lot in the card’s bonus categories: 5% cash back (5x points) on the first $25,000 spent (then 1x) in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services each account anniversary year, 2% back (2x points) on the first $25,000 spent (then 1x) in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year, and 1% back (1x points) on all other purchases with no cap. Find out more in our Ink Business Cash card review.
Ink Business Unlimited card
Some small-business owners don’t want to fuss with bonus categories or spending limits. If that’s your style, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is an easy pick — it earns 1.5% cash back (1.5x points) on all eligible purchases with no caps.
It’s also offering a bonus of $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) and has no annual fee. Although you won’t have the opportunity to earn bonus points in popular business categories, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is a good fit if you value simplicity and straightforward earning.
Best credit card offers frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is a welcome bonus?
A welcome bonus, also known as a welcome bonus or intro offer, is a reward of points, miles, or cash back for new cardholders who meet designated requirements. Usually, these requirements involve meeting a minimum spending threshold within the first few months after you open your new credit card account.
Do credit card welcome bonuses change?
Some credit cards almost always have the exact same welcome bonus, while others change frequently. If you’re considering opening a new rewards credit card, do your research to see whether the card you want has previously offered a higher bonus. If it has, it could be worth waiting until that elevated offer returns, or you may even be able to find that higher offer through the credit card issuer’s website.
What is the best credit card welcome bonus?
There isn’t one single best welcome bonus, because even if one card offers more points, not all points and miles are valued equally. There are also different types of credit card rewards: points, miles, and cash back, so the best welcome bonus for you depends on the rewards you value most.
How can I use a credit card welcome bonus?
There are typically several options for using a credit card welcome bonus.
If you earn a cash-back welcome bonus, you could be able to use it toward a statement credit to reduce your credit card bill, or you could receive the money in check form. With a travel rewards card, you could use your points or miles to book an award trip, or cash them out for gift cards, money back, or merchandise.
The exact options depend on the credit card you have and its specific rewards program, but the bottom line is that there are several possibilities for using your welcome bonus.
Is a credit card without a welcome bonus still worth it?
The short answer is yes. A credit card welcome bonus can be a great incentive to apply, especially if you’re looking at a card that has an annual fee, but not every good credit card offers an intro bonus. For example, the Citi® Double Cash Card is one of our favorite cash-back credit cards, but it doesn’t offer a welcome bonus. It could be worth forgoing an intro bonus if that card’s 2% cash back (1% back when you make a purchase, and another 1% back when you pay your bill) appeals to you.
Should I earn credit card rewards if I don’t plan to travel yet?
With travel still challenging due to the pandemic, now may seem like an odd time to open a travel rewards credit card, but earning a welcome bonus now can put you in a great position to use points and miles for your next vacation, whenever that may be.
Before you apply for a new credit card, make sure you understand how credit card applications affect your credit score. Also make sure you treat your credit cards like debit cards, only spending what you can afford to pay back each month. If you carry a balance to earn rewards, you’ll be putting yourself in a bad financial position — and the interest fees you’ll rack up will easily outweigh any points or miles you earn.