Credit Card Bonuses Up to $1,600 for New Cardholders

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Amex Platinum: $1,600
Earn three night awards
Alaska Airlines: $660 + free ticket
Blue Cash Preferred: $250
Other bonus offers
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last updated 12 November 2024

Disclaimer

This article reviews our picks of the best rewards credit cards. We may get compensation if you visit partner links on our site. We may not cover every available offer. Our relationship with advertisers may impact how an offer is presented on our website. However, our selection of products is made independently of our relationship with advertisers. Rates and bonuses checked as of November 19, 2024.

Credit card bonuses really can get you a free airline ticket or line your pocket with some extra cash. But as is the case with many rewards credit cards, the devil is in the details. Since you want to keep your credit cards active and avoid having them closed by the issuer, you should only sign up for credit cards that you want for the long term.

Here are the personal cards that will land you the biggest sign-up bonuses as measured by cash back or the value of miles or points (as calculated by Bankrate). Each card offers the top value in the categories of general travel credit cards, hotel cards, airline cards and cash back cards.

Some cards have low annual fees, while others have high fees that we have deemed worth the cost.

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Best General Travel Card Bonus: $1,600 for Amex Platinum

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Annual fee: $695.

Intro bonus: Worth $1,600. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in the first six months.

Frequent travelers can offset the card’s hefty annual fee by taking advantage of its bountiful perks and valuable points structure. For example, you can get yearly credits of up to $200 for incidental fees with one airline you choose, $200 for select hotel bookings through Amex, $199 for membership with the CLEAR airport security screening program, $200 in Uber Cash (effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit. You can also get $155 for a Walmart+ membership (which provides free shipping from Walmart, among other benefits).

Travelers enjoy access to airport lounges, including Amex’s Centurion lounges, Airspace, Delta Sky Club, Escape, Plaza Premium, and Priority Pass Select networks.

Cardholders earn five Membership Rewards points per dollar for flights booked with airlines or through American Express (on up to $500,000 per year spent) and on prepaid hotel bookings through Amex; two points per dollar spent on other qualifying Amex Travel reservations (such as cruises); and one point per dollar on other spending.

Interest rates: Pay over time 20.49% to 28.49% variable APR, based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening. Terms Apply. See rates and fees.

For more on this and other general travel cards, read Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards.

Best Free Stays: Earn Three Nights with Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

Annual fee: $95

Intro bonus: Earn three free night awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 within the first three months of opening your account. You'll also enjoy a Free Night Award every year after your account anniversary.

Frequent guests of Marriott hotels can get good value from this card from Chase; redeem points for Marriott stays or transfer them to the frequent-flier programs of nearly 40 airlines. You can also transfer Ultimate Rewards points earned on other Chase cards to your Bonvoy account.

You can rack up points quickly on this card. Earn up to a total of 17x bonus points by layering reward categories. Earn six Marriott points per dollar spent at Marriott properties, ten points for being a Marriott Bonvoy member, three points per dollar on up to $6,000 spent yearly at grocery stores, gas stations and dining, and two points per dollar on all other spending.

Interest rate: 20.74% to 27.74% variable.

Read the full review: Marriott Bonvoy three nights free offer

Best Airline Card Bonus: $660 + free ticket from Alaska Air

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card

Annual fee: $95.

Sign-up bonus: For a limited time, new cardholders get a free companion pass and 50,000 Bonus Miles (worth about $550) after spending $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of opening the account. Some consumers will be offered 60,000 points (worth $660); it all depends on how the company's algorithm scores your application.

This card offers three points for every dollar spent on Alaska Airlines travel, two points on gas, cable, streaming and local transit, and one point on all other purchases.

Interest rates: 20.74% to 28.74% variable APR for purchases and balance transfers.

Read our article detailing the Alaska Airlines credit card for more details.

Best Cash Back Card Bonus: $250 from Amex Blue Cash Preferred

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.

Intro bonus: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first six months.

This intro bonus is high when compared to other cash back cards, most of which offer $0 to $200 as a welcome offer.

Many consumers could benefit from this card's exceptional 6% cash back on up to $6,000 of supermarket spending annually. (Big-box stores such as Walmart and Costco are excluded.)

The card also offers 6% cash back on select streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at gas stations and on transit (such as ride-sharing services and tolls), and 1% cash back on other spending. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.

The Card has a 2.7% foreign transaction fee, so select another credit card for travel abroad. See rates and fees.

Interest rate: Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the account opening date. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 18.24% to 29.24%. See rates and fees. Terms apply.

For more on this and other general travel cards, read Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards.

Rewards Cards Dos and Don'ts

As with any rewards credit card, be sure to weigh these benefits against fees and ensure you understand how to use the card effectively. That said, cardholders who max out a card's reward benefits may offset the annual fee.

In addition, while reward credit cards are great if you use them wisely, always pay them off in full and on time each month to avoid interest, which can dwarf any rewards you earn. Don't change your spending habits to earn extra points. That's a slippery slope that can lead to overspending.

If this is your first foray into credit cards, or you just want a refresher, make sure you know how to choose a credit card. And ensure you are familiar with what counts as a good credit score.

Disclaimer

All information about the Platinum Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express has been collected independently by Kiplinger. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. As an independent publication dedicated to helping you make the most of your money, the article above is our view of the best deals and is not the opinion of any entity mentioned such as a card issuer, hotel, airline etc. Similarly, the content has not been reviewed or endorsed by any of those entities.

Ellen writes and edits retirement stories. She joined Kiplinger in 2021 as an investment and personal finance writer, focusing on retirement, credit cards and related topics. She worked in the mutual fund industry for 15 years as a manager and sustainability analyst at Calvert Investments. She earned a master’s from U.C. Berkeley in international relations and Latin America and a B.A. from Haverford College.