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LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appears on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.
LendingTree is an advertising-supported comparison service. The site features products from our partners as well as institutions which are not advertising partners. While we make an effort to include the best deals available to the general public, we make no warranty that such information represents all available products.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
August 1, 2022
*Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through a credit card issuer partnership.
This article was last updated August 1, 2022 . Terms and conditions may have changed. For the most accurate information, please consult the issuer website.
While there are numerous sign-up bonus offers to choose from, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card card consistently remains one of our top picks due to the generous value it offers. Points have 25% more value when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Credit card issuers regularly compete for potential customers by offering lucrative sign-up bonuses. These bonus offers allow new card members to earn a large influx of rewards in a short period of time, which can later be redeemed for cash back, travel, merchandise and more.
When deciding which credit card offer is right for you, in addition to looking at the amount and value of the sign-up bonus, you should also consider the amount you’d have to spend to obtain the bonus, the card’s annual fee and the card’s redemption options.
Based on our research of cards available through LendingTree, as well as top cards offered by major issuers, we highlight several credit cards that offer some of the most valuable sign-up bonuses currently available.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a lucrative sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Each point is valued at 1 cent — but when you redeem those points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, they’re worth 1.25 cents each.
In addition to redeeming rewards for travel, cash, gift cards and merchandise, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to 11 airline partners and three hotel partners at a rate of 1:1. The travel partners are as follows: Aer Lingus AerClub, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Flying Blue Air France KLM, Iberia Plus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, United MileagePlus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is ideal for those wanting a travel rewards card that isn’t tied to a specific airline or hotel brand. Points can be redeemed for a variety of travel needs, including airfare, hotels, rental cars and more. The card does come with a $95 annual fee, though the value of the sign-up bonus more than makes up for the annual fee in the first year.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a lucrative sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Each point is valued at 1 cent — but when you redeem those points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, they’re worth 1.25 cents each.
In addition to redeeming rewards for travel, cash, gift cards and merchandise, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to 11 airline partners and three hotel partners at a rate of 1:1. The travel partners are as follows: Aer Lingus AerClub, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Flying Blue Air France KLM, Iberia Plus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, United MileagePlus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is ideal for those wanting a travel rewards card that isn’t tied to a specific airline or hotel brand. Points can be redeemed for a variety of travel needs, including airfare, hotels, rental cars and more. The card does come with a $95 annual fee, though the value of the sign-up bonus more than makes up for the annual fee in the first year.
Check out our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review.
Chase announced the addition of the new United Quest℠ Card to its lineup of United Airlines cards in April 2021 with a tempting sign-up bonus, as well as a generous list of travel benefits. The United Quest℠ Card comes with a hefty sign-up bonus that lets cardholders earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
In addition to a $125 annual statement credit for a United purchase, the United Quest℠ Card also offers a credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA Precheck applications and two 5,000-mile credits every year when you redeem award miles for a United or United Express flight.
The United Quest℠ Card is a mid-tier United card, as its $250 annual fee is less than that of the United Club℠ Infinite Card ($525 annual fee), but more than the United℠ Explorer Card ($0 intro for the first year, then $95 annual fee).
It’s ideal for frequent United flyers who are also seeking a way to work toward earning Silver status through spending on the card by awarding 500 PQPs (Premier Qualifying Points) for every $12,000 spent on the card up to 3,000 PQPs. To qualify for Silver Elite, United MileagePlus members have to earn 3,000 PQPs plus 8 PQFs (Premier Qualifying Flights) or 3,500 PQPs.
Chase announced the addition of the new United Quest℠ Card to its lineup of United Airlines cards in April 2021 with a tempting sign-up bonus, as well as a generous list of travel benefits. The United Quest℠ Card comes with a hefty sign-up bonus that lets cardholders earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
In addition to a $125 annual statement credit for a United purchase, the United Quest℠ Card also offers a credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA Precheck applications and two 5,000-mile credits every year when you redeem award miles for a United or United Express flight.
The United Quest℠ Card is a mid-tier United card, as its $250 annual fee is less than that of the United Club℠ Infinite Card ($525 annual fee), but more than the United℠ Explorer Card ($0 intro for the first year, then $95 annual fee).
It’s ideal for frequent United flyers who are also seeking a way to work toward earning Silver status through spending on the card by awarding 500 PQPs (Premier Qualifying Points) for every $12,000 spent on the card up to 3,000 PQPs. To qualify for Silver Elite, United MileagePlus members have to earn 3,000 PQPs plus 8 PQFs (Premier Qualifying Flights) or 3,500 PQPs.
Check out our United Quest℠ Card review.
The Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card currently has one of the highest cash back sign-up bonuses available for a consumer cash back credit card. Cardholders earn a one-time $300 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening .
In addition, cardholders earn unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services, 3% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases.
The annual fee is $95, so if you spend $2,375 a year on purchases earning 4% cash back, you’ll recoup what you spend on the annual fee.
If you spend a large amount on dining, entertainment and groceries each month, you’ll come out on top with the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card — thanks to the card’s generous cash back rate on those purchases.
However, if the majority of your spending goes towards gas, travel, transit or other purchases, you may be better off with a card that offers an elevated rewards rate in those categories. Plus, having to spend $3,000 on the card in three months can be a high requirement to earn $300 — so you’ll need to determine if can meet that threshold before you apply.
The Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card currently has one of the highest cash back sign-up bonuses available for a consumer cash back credit card. Cardholders earn a one-time $300 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening .
In addition, cardholders earn unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services, 3% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases.
The annual fee is $95, so if you spend $2,375 a year on purchases earning 4% cash back, you’ll recoup what you spend on the annual fee.
If you spend a large amount on dining, entertainment and groceries each month, you’ll come out on top with the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card — thanks to the card’s generous cash back rate on those purchases.
However, if the majority of your spending goes towards gas, travel, transit or other purchases, you may be better off with a card that offers an elevated rewards rate in those categories. Plus, having to spend $3,000 on the card in three months can be a high requirement to earn $300 — so you’ll need to determine if can meet that threshold before you apply.
The Discover it® Cash Back card offers a unique sign-up bonus for new card members only: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
By contrast, most rewards credit cards require you to charge a certain amount on your new card within a specified time frame to earn the sign-up bonus — typically $500 to $3,000 in the first three months of card membership.
The $0-annual-fee Discover it® Cash Back card also offers 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically. If you max out the spending cap by making $1,500 in purchases in the 5% bonus category each quarter, you’ll earn $300 cash back in one year. Once you factor in the cash back match sign-up bonus, that amount will jump to $600 in the first year of card membership.
If you want to earn a high cash back rate in everyday spending categories — and you don’t mind opting into categories that rotate each quarter — the Discover it® Cash Back is a great option.
In addition, the card offers a 0% Intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers, which allows you to transfer high-interest credit card debt to your Discover it® Cash Back without incurring interest charges for more than a year. After that, a 13.49% - 24.49% Variable APR applies. The Discover it® Cash Back also offers an 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases, then a 13.49% - 24.49% Variable APR applies.
Although you can earn unlimited cash back with the Discover it® Cash Back card, you can only earn the 5% rate on the first $1,500 spent in the bonus categories each quarter you activate; all other purchases will earn 1% back.
Here is Discover’s 2022 cash back calendar:
Jan-March: Grocery stores and fitness club & gym memberships
April-June: Gas stations and Target
July-Sept: Restaurants and PayPal
Oct-Dec: Amazon.com and digital wallets
If you don’t think you’ll be able to maximize your spending in these higher rewards earning categories throughout the year, then you may be better off with a flat-rate cash back card that awards you for all your spending, although at a much lower earning rate, like 2%.
The Discover it® Cash Back card offers a unique sign-up bonus for new card members only: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
By contrast, most rewards credit cards require you to charge a certain amount on your new card within a specified time frame to earn the sign-up bonus — typically $500 to $3,000 in the first three months of card membership.
The $0-annual-fee Discover it® Cash Back card also offers 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically. If you max out the spending cap by making $1,500 in purchases in the 5% bonus category each quarter, you’ll earn $300 cash back in one year. Once you factor in the cash back match sign-up bonus, that amount will jump to $600 in the first year of card membership.
If you want to earn a high cash back rate in everyday spending categories — and you don’t mind opting into categories that rotate each quarter — the Discover it® Cash Back is a great option.
In addition, the card offers a 0% Intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers, which allows you to transfer high-interest credit card debt to your Discover it® Cash Back without incurring interest charges for more than a year. After that, a 13.49% - 24.49% Variable APR applies. The Discover it® Cash Back also offers an 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases, then a 13.49% - 24.49% Variable APR applies.
Although you can earn unlimited cash back with the Discover it® Cash Back card, you can only earn the 5% rate on the first $1,500 spent in the bonus categories each quarter you activate; all other purchases will earn 1% back.
Here is Discover’s 2022 cash back calendar:
Jan-March: Grocery stores and fitness club & gym memberships
April-June: Gas stations and Target
July-Sept: Restaurants and PayPal
Oct-Dec: Amazon.com and digital wallets
If you don’t think you’ll be able to maximize your spending in these higher rewards earning categories throughout the year, then you may be better off with a flat-rate cash back card that awards you for all your spending, although at a much lower earning rate, like 2%.
Check out our Discover it® Cash Back review.
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ card offers a generous cash back bonus with a very low spend requirement: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening!
Similar to the Discover it® Cash Back card, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has a cash back program with quarterly rotating categories; however, the card also offers an elevated cash back rate on eligible travel, dining and drugstore purchases.
With this card, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases. As is standard for cards with rotating 5% categories, you must activate a new category each quarter. If you neglect to do so, you’ll earn just 1% back in those categories.
So far, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ bonus categories for 2022 include:
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is ideal for those who want a generous and tiered rewards earning structure, a solid sign-up bonus and an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for more than a year.
The card offers a 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months, after which an APR of 16.49% - 25.24% variable applies.
There is also a 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months. After that, the regular APR will be 16.49% - 25.24% variable. The balance transfer fee is either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater in the first 60 days. Then, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, you can squeeze even more value from the Chase Freedom Flex℠ as you can transfer your rewards to those cards and redeem them for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards (25% more value with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and 50% more value with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®).
Like the Discover it® Cash Back card, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ card limits the amount of bonus cash back you can earn each quarter. You can only earn the 5% cashback rate the first $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter you activate; all other purchases will earn 1% back. Still, if you max out the $1,500 quarterly spend, you can earn $75 cash back on those purchases alone each quarter.
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ card offers a generous cash back bonus with a very low spend requirement: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening!
Similar to the Discover it® Cash Back card, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has a cash back program with quarterly rotating categories; however, the card also offers an elevated cash back rate on eligible travel, dining and drugstore purchases.
With this card, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases. As is standard for cards with rotating 5% categories, you must activate a new category each quarter. If you neglect to do so, you’ll earn just 1% back in those categories.
So far, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ bonus categories for 2022 include:
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is ideal for those who want a generous and tiered rewards earning structure, a solid sign-up bonus and an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for more than a year.
The card offers a 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months, after which an APR of 16.49% - 25.24% variable applies.
There is also a 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months. After that, the regular APR will be 16.49% - 25.24% variable. The balance transfer fee is either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater in the first 60 days. Then, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, you can squeeze even more value from the Chase Freedom Flex℠ as you can transfer your rewards to those cards and redeem them for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards (25% more value with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and 50% more value with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®).
Like the Discover it® Cash Back card, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ card limits the amount of bonus cash back you can earn each quarter. You can only earn the 5% cashback rate the first $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter you activate; all other purchases will earn 1% back. Still, if you max out the $1,500 quarterly spend, you can earn $75 cash back on those purchases alone each quarter.
Check out our Chase Freedom Flex℠ review.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card lets small business owners earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Plus, earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn.
If you redeem those points for cash or gift cards, the sign-up bonus will be worth $1,000. Or, if you redeem them for airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, activities or cruises through Chase’s travel portal, they are worth 25% more, or $1,250.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card charges an annual fee of $95. However, the value you can get from the card’s sign-up bonus more than covers that amount during the first year of card membership.
If you’re a small business owner looking to earn a huge influx of rewards on company expenses that can be redeemed for travel and more, you should look at the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card points you earn from the sign-up bonus can be used in a variety of ways to suit your business’s unique spending. For example, if you and your employees travel often, you can increase the value of your points by 25% by redeeming them for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. That means points are worth 1.25 cents each instead of 1 cent each. Or, if you often make purchases from Amazon.com, points can conveniently be redeemed to cover all or part of your eligible Amazon.com order — including tax and shipping. You can also redeem points for cash back or gift cards to help incentivize employees.
The travel category includes airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, taxis, toll bridges, parking lots and more.
The shipping category is defined as merchants that specialize in mailing packages, hauling freight and transporting goods or documents, such as couriers, postal and freight shipping companies, express shipping services and mailbox stores.
The internet, cable and phone services category includes internet, cable, satellite television and radio, cellular, wireless data and landline services purchases.
Social media and search engine advertising covers social media websites (such as Facebook and Twitter) and search engines (such as Google AdWords and Microsoft Bing Ads) that advertise a business, brand, products or services.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card lets small business owners earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Plus, earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn.
If you redeem those points for cash or gift cards, the sign-up bonus will be worth $1,000. Or, if you redeem them for airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, activities or cruises through Chase’s travel portal, they are worth 25% more, or $1,250.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card charges an annual fee of $95. However, the value you can get from the card’s sign-up bonus more than covers that amount during the first year of card membership.
If you’re a small business owner looking to earn a huge influx of rewards on company expenses that can be redeemed for travel and more, you should look at the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card points you earn from the sign-up bonus can be used in a variety of ways to suit your business’s unique spending. For example, if you and your employees travel often, you can increase the value of your points by 25% by redeeming them for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. That means points are worth 1.25 cents each instead of 1 cent each. Or, if you often make purchases from Amazon.com, points can conveniently be redeemed to cover all or part of your eligible Amazon.com order — including tax and shipping. You can also redeem points for cash back or gift cards to help incentivize employees.
The travel category includes airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, taxis, toll bridges, parking lots and more.
The shipping category is defined as merchants that specialize in mailing packages, hauling freight and transporting goods or documents, such as couriers, postal and freight shipping companies, express shipping services and mailbox stores.
The internet, cable and phone services category includes internet, cable, satellite television and radio, cellular, wireless data and landline services purchases.
Social media and search engine advertising covers social media websites (such as Facebook and Twitter) and search engines (such as Google AdWords and Microsoft Bing Ads) that advertise a business, brand, products or services.
Check out our Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card review.
Along with luxurious travel benefits, including a $200 annual hotel credit, a $200 annual airline fee credit and a Global Entry/TSA Precheck fee credit (enrollment required), The Platinum Card® from American Express offers a valuable welcome offer: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. If you use your points to book a flight through American Express Travel, that’s a $1,000 value.
You can also transfer your Membership Rewards points to a number of travel transfer partners, including Air France KLM, British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Marriott Bonvoy, mostly at a rate of 1 to 1.
In addition, The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply.
However, you should also note that The Platinum Card® from American Express’s premium welcome offer and perks come with a hefty price tag: a $695 annual fee. Still, the value of the card’s welcome offer and travel benefits more than covers that amount each year.
To see rates & fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please click here.
If you’re a frequent traveler who enjoys luxurious travel benefits, like airport lounge access and hotel elite status, The Platinum Card® from American Express may be a good fit.
Beware, though, that American Express has a once-per-lifetime card bonus policy. This means, if you’ve ever received a welcome bonus for The Platinum card — even if you canceled the card years ago — you won’t be able to qualify for the current welcome offer.
You should also know that if you cancel or downgrade your card account within 12 months of acquiring it, American Express reserves the right to not credit membership rewards points to your account, freeze points or remove points that you already have.
Along with luxurious travel benefits, including a $200 annual hotel credit, a $200 annual airline fee credit and a Global Entry/TSA Precheck fee credit (enrollment required), The Platinum Card® from American Express offers a valuable welcome offer: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. If you use your points to book a flight through American Express Travel, that’s a $1,000 value.
You can also transfer your Membership Rewards points to a number of travel transfer partners, including Air France KLM, British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Marriott Bonvoy, mostly at a rate of 1 to 1.
In addition, The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply.
However, you should also note that The Platinum Card® from American Express’s premium welcome offer and perks come with a hefty price tag: a $695 annual fee. Still, the value of the card’s welcome offer and travel benefits more than covers that amount each year.
To see rates & fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please click here.
If you’re a frequent traveler who enjoys luxurious travel benefits, like airport lounge access and hotel elite status, The Platinum Card® from American Express may be a good fit.
Beware, though, that American Express has a once-per-lifetime card bonus policy. This means, if you’ve ever received a welcome bonus for The Platinum card — even if you canceled the card years ago — you won’t be able to qualify for the current welcome offer.
You should also know that if you cancel or downgrade your card account within 12 months of acquiring it, American Express reserves the right to not credit membership rewards points to your account, freeze points or remove points that you already have.
Check out our The Platinum Card® from American Express review.
With the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, cardholders earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership. Additionally, get earn 14X per $1 of eligible purchases on your card directly with a participating Hilton hotel or resort, 7X for eligible purchases: on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com; on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies; & at U.S. restaurants, and 3X for other purchases on your card.
Rewards can be redeemed for free night stays, experiences, Lyft rides, merchandise and car rentals, and can also be transferred to airline transfer partners.
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express charges an annual fee of $450 and an APR of 17.24% to 26.24% variable. As for foreign transaction fees? There are none.
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express is ideal if you regularly stay at Hilton properties — it offers a large influx of rewards from the welcome offer, which can be used to help offset the cost of future travel.
The does charge a high annual fee of $450. However, the card’s benefits — including a $250 airline fee credit, a $250 Hilton resort credit, a $100 hotel on-property credit and Priority Pass™ Select membership (enrollment required) — can more than cover that amount each year.
With the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, cardholders earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership. Additionally, get earn 14X per $1 of eligible purchases on your card directly with a participating Hilton hotel or resort, 7X for eligible purchases: on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com; on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies; & at U.S. restaurants, and 3X for other purchases on your card.
Rewards can be redeemed for free night stays, experiences, Lyft rides, merchandise and car rentals, and can also be transferred to airline transfer partners.
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express charges an annual fee of $450 and an APR of 17.24% to 26.24% variable. As for foreign transaction fees? There are none.
The Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express is ideal if you regularly stay at Hilton properties — it offers a large influx of rewards from the welcome offer, which can be used to help offset the cost of future travel.
The does charge a high annual fee of $450. However, the card’s benefits — including a $250 airline fee credit, a $250 Hilton resort credit, a $100 hotel on-property credit and Priority Pass™ Select membership (enrollment required) — can more than cover that amount each year.
Along with a simple approach to earning rewards, the Capital One Spark Cash Select - $500 Cash Bonus also offers one of the highest cash back sign-up bonuses currently available for a business card.
Cardholders can earn $500 cash back once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase; 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through capital one travel.
Rewards, which do not expire as long as your account remains open, can be redeemed for statement credits, checks, credits for previous purchases, gift cards and more.
If you’re a small business owner who doesn’t want the hassle of keeping track of bonus spending categories or spending caps, the Capital One Spark Cash Select - $500 Cash Bonus could be a good fit, since it offers a flat cash back rate on every purchase. The card is also ideal if you tend to spend above your credit limit, as it doesn’t charge over-limit fees.
Just know that if you spend a large amount in specific categories, like office supplies, travel or phone services, you may be better off with a business credit card that offers an elevated rewards rate on those purchases, like the Ink Business Cash card or the Ink Business Preferred.
In addition, note that when applying for the Capital One Spark Cash Select - $500 Cash Bonus, you’ll need to provide the legal names, addresses and Social Security numbers for all business owners, as well as the legal business name, address and business tax ID number (TIN).
Along with a simple approach to earning rewards, the Capital One Spark Cash Select - $500 Cash Bonus also offers one of the highest cash back sign-up bonuses currently available for a business card.
Cardholders can earn $500 cash back once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase; 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through capital one travel.
Rewards, which do not expire as long as your account remains open, can be redeemed for statement credits, checks, credits for previous purchases, gift cards and more.
If you’re a small business owner who doesn’t want the hassle of keeping track of bonus spending categories or spending caps, the Capital One Spark Cash Select - $500 Cash Bonus could be a good fit, since it offers a flat cash back rate on every purchase. The card is also ideal if you tend to spend above your credit limit, as it doesn’t charge over-limit fees.
Just know that if you spend a large amount in specific categories, like office supplies, travel or phone services, you may be better off with a business credit card that offers an elevated rewards rate on those purchases, like the Ink Business Cash card or the Ink Business Preferred.
In addition, note that when applying for the Capital One Spark Cash Select - $500 Cash Bonus, you’ll need to provide the legal names, addresses and Social Security numbers for all business owners, as well as the legal business name, address and business tax ID number (TIN).
Check out our Capital One Spark Cash Select - $500 Cash Bonus review.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express lets cardholders earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
In addition, earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com. Get 50% more Membership Rewards® points. That's an extra half point per dollar, on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
Points can be used to cover eligible charges on the card. They can also be used to make purchases at American Express Travel, Amazon.com, Ticketmaster, Best Buy and other retailers, as well as used for taxi fares in certain parts of New York City, or redeemed for gift certificates and gift cards.
Just know that The Business Platinum Card® from American Express charges an annual fee of $695.
To see rates & fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express please click here.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is ideal for small business owners who travel frequently and are willing to pay a high price tag for premium travel benefits.
Along with a generous welcome offer, the card offers a broad range of valuable benefits that can easily make up for the annual fee each year. For example, when you use your points to pay for all or part of an eligible airfare, you’ll get 35% of those points back, up to 500,000 points back per calendar year (enrollment required).
Cardholders also receive up to $400 in a Dell Technologies statement credit each year (enrollment required), access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection — which includes more than 1,300 lounges across 140 countries, a credit of up to $360 for Indeed purchases (enrollment required), a credit of up to $150 for select Adobe subscriptions (enrollment required), a credit of $189 to cover your annual CLEAR membership (enrollment required), a $200 annual airline fee credit (enrollment required), a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee credit (enrollment required), discounts on private jets and much more.
While The Business Platinum Card® from American Express doesn’t offer a 0% introductory APR on purchases, it does come with a Pay Over Time option, which allows you to carry a balance with interest on purchases of $100 or more.
To see rates & fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express please click here.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express lets cardholders earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
In addition, earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com. Get 50% more Membership Rewards® points. That's an extra half point per dollar, on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
Points can be used to cover eligible charges on the card. They can also be used to make purchases at American Express Travel, Amazon.com, Ticketmaster, Best Buy and other retailers, as well as used for taxi fares in certain parts of New York City, or redeemed for gift certificates and gift cards.
Just know that The Business Platinum Card® from American Express charges an annual fee of $695.
To see rates & fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express please click here.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is ideal for small business owners who travel frequently and are willing to pay a high price tag for premium travel benefits.
Along with a generous welcome offer, the card offers a broad range of valuable benefits that can easily make up for the annual fee each year. For example, when you use your points to pay for all or part of an eligible airfare, you’ll get 35% of those points back, up to 500,000 points back per calendar year (enrollment required).
Cardholders also receive up to $400 in a Dell Technologies statement credit each year (enrollment required), access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection — which includes more than 1,300 lounges across 140 countries, a credit of up to $360 for Indeed purchases (enrollment required), a credit of up to $150 for select Adobe subscriptions (enrollment required), a credit of $189 to cover your annual CLEAR membership (enrollment required), a $200 annual airline fee credit (enrollment required), a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee credit (enrollment required), discounts on private jets and much more.
While The Business Platinum Card® from American Express doesn’t offer a 0% introductory APR on purchases, it does come with a Pay Over Time option, which allows you to carry a balance with interest on purchases of $100 or more.
To see rates & fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express please click here.
Check out our The Business Platinum Card® from American Express review.
Credit card | Best for | Welcome offer | Annual fee |
---|---|---|---|
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Overall | Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. | $95 |
United Quest℠ Card | Airline rewards | Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. | $250 |
Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card | Cash back rewards | Earn a one-time $300 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening | $95 |
Discover it® Cash Back | No spend requirement | Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300. | $0 |
Chase Freedom Flex℠ | Low spend threshold | Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening! | $0 |
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card | Business credit card | Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | $95 |
The Platinum Card® from American Express | Luxury travel | Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | $695 |
Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express | Hotel rewards | Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership. | $450 |
Capital One Spark Cash Select - $500 Cash Bonus | Business cash back | $500 Cash Back once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening | $0 |
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | Premium benefits for business owners | Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. | $695 |
To see rates & fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please click here.
To see rates & fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express please click here.
Sign-up bonuses provide a great opportunity to earn a large quantity of points, miles or cash back within the first few months of card membership. When choosing a card — in addition to the size of the sign-up bonus — it’s important to look at the value of the bonus, as well as the amount you have to spend to obtain the bonus.
Keep in mind that issuers can change a card’s sign-up bonus at any time. So if you come across a bonus that you simply can’t resist, you’ll want to apply as soon as possible, as the bonus may not be available the next day.
Also know that issuers sometimes provide targeted offers to individuals based on factors like spending habits, geographical location, credit card history and more. For example, you may be offered a higher sign-up bonus via a mailer than what’s presented on the card’s landing page. Or, you may be offered a higher sign-up bonus for an airline rewards card while on a flight.
A sign-up bonus — also referred to as a welcome bonus or introductory bonus — is a promotion offered by credit card issuers to entice consumers to apply for a credit card.
Sign-up bonuses allow new card members to earn a lump sum of cash back, points or miles once they are approved for a card and spend a specified amount within a given time period.
For example, a credit card may offer a sign-up bonus of $500 after you make $3,000 in qualifying purchases (minus returns and credits) within three months of opening your account.
Note, the bonus period usually begins the day you are approved for the card, and not when you actually receive the physical card in the mail.
Generally, the following purchases and transactions won’t count toward the minimum spend amount required to earn a sign-up bonus: balance transfers, cash advances, ATM transactions, travelers checks, foreign currency, money orders, wire transfers or similar cash-like transactions, lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, race track wagers or similar betting transactions, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges and fees of any kind, including annual fees, returned payment fees, late fees and monthly fees.
Once you qualify for the sign-up bonus, the amount of time it takes to post to your account may vary depending on the issuer. For example, Chase states that cardholders should allow six to eight weeks for the bonus to post to your account, while Bank of America may take eight to 10 weeks.
Note, your account must be open and not in default at the time of fulfillment.
In most cases, you cannot earn more than one sign-up bonus offer from the same card. Plus, depending on the issuer, you may not be able to earn a sign-up bonus from more than one card in the same card family. However, if you close the card account and re-apply after a set amount of time, you may be able to receive a sign-up bonus from the new card.
For example, if you are a current cardholder of a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or if you are a previous cardholder of either card who received a new card member bonus within the past 48 months, you wouldn’t be eligible to receive the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s current new cardmember bonus.
Sign-up bonuses that require you to spend a certain amount to earn the bonus are considered rebates instead of income. Therefore, they are not taxable.
But if you receive a bonus without a spend requirement, it may be taxable. If this is the case, you will need to submit a Form 1099-INT or Form 1099-MISC to the IRS.
Major issuers typically put restrictions on earning sign-up bonuses to avoid credit card churning — the practice of repeatedly opening and closing credit cards with the intention of earning sign-up bonus rewards.
American Express has a once-per-lifetime card bonus policy. This rule means that each customer can only get a welcome offer for a specific card once in the customer’s lifetime.
Chase has an unwritten “5/24 rule” that prevents you from being approved for a new Chase card if you have opened five personal credit cards (from any issuer) within the past 24 months. In addition, if you’ve received a new card member bonus for a particular card (or card in the same family) within the past 24 months, you won’t be eligible to receive the current sign-up bonus for that card.
With Citi, a card’s bonus is not available if you received a bonus for the same card within the past 48 months.
If you are an existing or previous account holder for a Capital One card, you may not be eligible for that particular card’s one-time sign-up bonus. You also may not be eligible if you’ve applied for a Capital One credit card two or more times in the past 30 days, or if you have five or more open Capital One credit card accounts.
You may not be eligible for the sign-up bonus if you opened a Wells Fargo card within the past 15 months and received a bonus offer for the card. Also, you may not qualify for an additional Wells Fargo credit card if you have opened a Wells Fargo credit card in the past six months.
Bank of America offers a one-time sign-up bonus to customers opening a new account. You may not be eligible for a card if you currently have or have had the card in the past 24 months.
To select the best card for each of these categories, our credit card experts compared a broad range of credit cards on LendingTree.com and major issuer sites, including cash back cards, travel cards, business cards and more.
We chose our top picks based on a variety of factors, such as the value of the card’s sign-up bonus, the type of rewards offered, the spending threshold required to earn the bonus and the card’s annual fee, as well as the ongoing value of the card once the bonus has been earned.
Other factors that come into play when making our selection can include the variety of benefits the card offers, including insurance protections and travel perks.
With the economy rebounding, the credit card sign-up bonus landscape is once again incredibly competitive as issuers try to attract and gain new customers.
To see rates & fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please click here.
To see rates & fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express please click here.
Tracy Brackman is a senior editor and credit card expert at LendingTree, where she writes and edits educational pieces on credit card-related topics and personal finance using her 12+ years of experience in the field.
Before joining LendingTree in 2019, Tracy worked as a products editor for CreditCards.com, where she developed the credit card products section and created content focused on breaking credit card news.
Prior to that, she worked as a product information manager for Bankrate, where she managed the financial and credit card product details and maintained compliance for two affiliate networks, as well as Bankrate-owned and operated sites.
She began working in the credit card space in 2009 as the editorial department manager for FlexOffers, an affiliate marketing company.
Tracy studied marketing at the Ohio State University and Florida International University.
Read MoreThe above offers and/or promotions may have since changed, expired, or is no longer available. Check the Issuers’ website for more details.