It's true that some cards
offer big bonus points, airline miles or statement credits in exchange for a modest spend in the first few months of membership.
Not exact matches
However, the fastest and easiest way to earn a lot of
points quickly — whether you're planning a
big trip but don't have enough
points yet, or you're just looking to build up your stores — is to open a new credit card that
offers a lucrative sign - up
bonus.
We think its
big selling
point is a cash back rewards program that
offers Cardmembers 5 % cash back on up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in
bonus categories each quarter you activate, new 5 % categories each quarter, unlimited 1 % cash back on all other purchases.
Some programs even
offer big points bonuses for opening an account and meeting some purchase requirements.
The Premier card
offers a
bigger sign - up
bonus of 50,000 ThankYou
points after spending $ 4,000 in the first three months.
A
big draw for the Bank of America ® Travel Rewards Credit Card is how it
offers an extra 10 % customer
points bonus on purchases to Bank of America customers.
Chase has been making
big changes to their Ultimate Rewards - earning credit cards in order to attract new customers, so be sure to visit a Chase branch to take advantage of the Chase Sapphire Reserve ℠ Card's introductory 100,000 -
point sign - up
bonus offer on or before March 11 if this card sounds right for you.
Some travel loyalty programs
offer big point bonuses if you click through from their websites or e-stores to certain brands and retailers» online shops.
The
biggest draw here is the 100,000
points you'll earn for meeting the spending requirement — a significant increase both over the standard
offer of 50,000
points and the previous increased sign - up
bonuses 80,000
points (with a lower minimum spend).
With a
big points bonus and lots of additional perks for travel, this
offer is fantastic.
The Premier card
offers a
bigger sign - up
bonus of 50,000 ThankYou
points after spending $ 4,000 in the first three months.
The Platinum Card from American Express
offers the
biggest sign - up
bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards
points, but it also charges the highest annual fee of $ 550 that is not waived for the first year.
Recall when Chase started
offering their premium card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, they not only
offered a
bonus but one of the
biggest bonuses ever at 100k
points.
While they
offer big sign - up
bonuses and
big payoffs, they require customers to track quarterly categories and jump through hoops to earn and spend
points.
After months of
offering generous sign - up
bonuses, credit card issuers have started dialing back on the reward
points they're including with new cards — or making
big points bonanzas harder to earn.
If you're planning a wedding, buying a houseful of furniture or expecting a baby, instead of using your old credit card on which you just get one
point per dollar spent, sign up for a card
offering a
big sign - up
bonus.
Chase has been making
big changes to their Ultimate Rewards - earning credit cards in order to attract new customers, so be sure to visit a Chase branch to take advantage of the Chase Sapphire Reserve ℠ Card's introductory 100,000 -
point sign - up
bonus offer on or before March 11 if this card sounds right for you.
And, when it comes to looking for new cards
offering big sign - up
bonuses, the rule of thumb is: «Not less than 50 thousand
points, that's what I'm hearing,» Miller says.
That means you'll get 1.6 cents per
point for American and 1.33 cents per
point for other carriers, which is the
biggest bonus Citi
offers on any of its ThankYou cards.
The Reserve's 3x
points on a wide variety of travel - related purchases and valuable 50,000 -
point bonus offer great value for the frequent, mid-range traveler looking to occasionally splurge on a
big trip, as well as the luxury traveler looking to save money on their vacations.
A
big part of the travel game revolves around signing up for credit cards that
offer large miles /
points bonuses.
Right off the bat, Chase Sapphire gets a
big plus for
offering a generous sign - up
bonus of 50,000 Ultimate Rewards
points.
These
bonus offers don't last long, but because the
points count toward the Southwest Companion Pass, it's worth waiting or the
bigger reward if possible.
Whether it's free travel, cash back, or rewards
points, there are credit cards that
offer big sign - up
bonus for new customers.
But the
biggest problems with American Express Membership Rewards ® is that its credit cards don't
offer as many
bonus points as Chase's cards do.
And finally, if you're moving heaven and earth to earn as many Hilton Honors
points as possible for a
big upcoming aspirational redemption, then earning a bunch of them through unbonused spend may
offer an advantage over grinding out
bonused spend on a Hilton Honors Surpass American Express.
When you get one of these cards, you can earn a
big chunk of
points thanks to the different sign - up
bonuses offered by each.
If you're a fan of receiving
big bonuses of reward
points, chances are you've noticed some of the generous
offers lately on hotel credit cards.
The typical
bonus is 50,000 Avios after spending $ 2,000 in three months, though there is occasionally an
offer for 50,000 Avios after your first purchase and two additional 25,000
bonuses after spending $ 10,000 in the first year.While $ 10,000 is a
big minimum spend, it might be worth getting the card during the promotional period just to get the 50,000
points right away in case you need to use them soon.
The Citi ThankYou Premier has a $ 95 annual fee, the only card in the group that charges a fee, but it also
offers a relatively
big 50,000
points sign - up
bonus.
Big sign - up
bonuses are only the beginning, as many of the best cards also
offer fantastic perks, such as lounge access and
bonus points for purchases.
Although the sign - up
bonus awards you with many Membership Rewards
points, there are many other cards available that
offer even
bigger sign - up
bonuses which can award cash instead of
points.
Amex has
offered limited - time
bonuses of 50,000 to 75,000
points in the past, so it may be worth waiting for a
bigger bonus.
Choice Hotels, the other
big US budget chain, is currently
offering a «mystery
bonus» of 30 - 50 % when purchasing
points in the Choice Privileges program.
With a
big points bonus and lots of additional perks for travel, this
offer is fantastic.
The Venture Rewards and the Spark Miles Business cards
offer the
biggest sign - up
bonuses at 40,000 and 50,000
points, respectively.
IHG Rewards has launched «The
Big Win» promotion that will send members custom
bonus offers starting at 50,000 Rewards Club
bonus points after their first night's stay, which will earn them 1,000
bonus points.
So if you don't want to jump through any hoops or you won't be specifically spending in a category that
offers big point bonuses or miles
bonuses, then cash back is better overall.
In your case, with Hilton, Citi and American Express both
offer cards that give
big bonuses (10 - 12
points per $ 1) for Hilton spending, plus automatic Hilton Gold status, which gives you perks including late checkout, fifth night free and better rooms.
Chase launched the Ink Business Preferred ℠ Credit Card with one of the
biggest sign - up
bonuses any business credit card has
offered: Earn 80,000
bonus points after you spend $ 5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why it's a great
offer: These are the
biggest sign - up
bonuses we've seen on these cards, which will get you a lot of travel on Southwest (Rapid Rewards
points can be redeemed for up to ~ 1.6 cents each towards the cost of an airfare purchase).
That's not quite as impressive as the 50,000 -
point bonuses offered by some of the Arrival Plus card's
biggest competitors (e.g., the Chase Sapphire Reserve card), but it's pretty generous — worth up to $ 400 in statement credits.
You could also look at cards that
offer big bonuses of Citi Thank You
points, Chase Ultimate Rewards
points or American Express Membership Rewards
points, because those three banks have travel portals that let you book flights on most airlines.
Below is a chart showing the
biggest and smallest sign - up
bonuses offered in 2016 by cards that are part of rewards programs with transferable
points.
A lot of times, we fall into the trap of seeing an appealing
offer — such as a valuable sign - up
bonus or a card with
big bonuses for spending in certain categories — and race ahead to claim the
points without thinking through how we might use them.
A
big draw for the Bank of America ® Travel Rewards Credit Card is how it
offers an extra 10 % customer
points bonus on purchases to Bank of America customers.
These cards
offer a suite of cool abilities, ranging from growing an extra head that grants a
bonus die for the rest of the game to a Skyscraper that gives you extra
points when discarded, translating to your monster basically smashing up something really
big.
One of the
bigger selling
points for this HD rerelease is the pre-order
bonus offering of an exclusive Final Fantasy XV demo.
As an example, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard
offers a
big signup
bonus plus two
points for each dollar you spend.
In addition, researching the company you're looking to join will score you
big bonus points towards landing the job
offer in the first place.