Michael Pruser

Credit cards now offer cash promotions for new card members. We’ve assembled the best credit card signup bonuses for 2018. One pays up to $625!

Credit card signup bonuses. There’s no greater allure to owning a credit card than the free things you can get right away.

When I signed up for my first credit card, I was promised a T-shirt and duffel bag. After completing my application outside the University of Miami library, I walked away Mr. Big Shot with my new swag. Today, I know better than to sign up for a credit card because of a free T-shirt. But what if I were offered $100? What if I was offered $500? What if I was offered more?

Dishing out a big bonus is one of the best ways a credit card company can acquire your business. Offering you a few hundred dollars for decades of credit card transaction is an easy sacrifice to make. As a result, more and more issuers are bumping up their bonuses. Which bonuses to take advantage of and which ones to avoid can be tricky based on personal preference. But I’m confident the below credit card signup bonuses are all great cards. They provide consumers with excellent credit a great way to quickly add a touch of wealth to their portfolio.

The Best Credit Card Signup Bonuses of 2018

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: What I consider to be the one of the best overall credit cards on the market today (top 2) is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. The initial selling point is it’s 50,000 bonus point offer, which is actually worth $625 in travel if you book through Ultimate Rewards. The 50,000 bonus points can be acquired after spending $4,000 in the first three months of card ownership. An additional 5,000 bonus points can be acquired after adding an authorized cardholder and they make a purchase inside of the first three months.

All travel and restaurant purchases receive double points and everything else receives single points per dollar spent. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card does not charge foreign transaction fees and does not charge an annual fee for the first year. After the first year, the annual fee becomes $95. If you’re a big spender and don’t mind a big annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card is also an option with the same intro bonus offer; but the annual fee is $450 (and it’s not waived for year #1).

• Signup Bonus: 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months + 5,000 bonus points after adding an authorized cardholder that makes a purchase within 3 months
• Annual Fee: $95 (waived for the first year)

Learn more about this card HERE.

Learn More

The Platinum Card® from American Express: 60,000 Membership Rewards Points are yours after spending $5,000 in the first three months with your Platinum Card® from American Express. It might be strange to say, but those 60,000 points are one of the lowest reasons on the totem pole that makes this card fantastic. When you book through AMEX, airline and hotel purchases earn 5 Membership Points per dollar spent. Every year, you’ll also earn a $200 airline fee credit. This credit is applied toward things like baggage fees, meals and other airline costs.

You’ll also receive a $100 fee credit every five years for your application into Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. One additional big benefit to mention; the Platinum Card® from American Express allows you access to over 1,000 airport lounges spanning 120 countries. For everything you see above (and more), the annual fee hits hard at $550.

Remember, the Platinum Card® from American Express is not a credit card. It’s a charge card which means all of the purchases made the previous cycle must be paid off in full. No interest rate, no grace period. American Express might let you slide one month if you’re behind but if you’re not consistently making on time, full card payments, the account will be closed.

• Welcome Bonus: 60,000 bonus Membership Points after spending $5,000 in the first three months
• Annual Fee: $550

Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card: We’re continuing to climb the bonus ladder, as the Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card offers 75,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. Five points per $1 spent is earned when you use your card to pay for Starwood and Marriott hotels. Two points per $1 spent is earned when you use your card to purchase airline tickets directly from the airline, at car rental agencies and at restaurants. One point per $1 spent is earned on all other purchases.

When you sign up for the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card, you’ll immediately earn 15 Elite credits which automatically gives you Silver Elite Status. Every $3,000 you spend earns you 1 additional Elite credit toward Gold or Platinum. A big added benefit of this card is that every anniversary, you’ll earn a free night stay at any category 1-5 hotel. There is no introductory annual fee, but after year one, the fee becomes $85.

• Signup Bonus: 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months
• Annual Fee: $85 (waived for the first year)

Learn more about this card HERE.

Learn More

Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card: 50,000 bonus miles are earned after spending $3,000 in the first three months with the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card. Those miles are good for $500 in travel, or $500 in cash. All purchases earn double miles per dollar spent, with no category or tier level to consider. Take the amount you spend annually on this card, double it, and that is the total miles you’ll earn. There is no limit to the amount of miles you can earn, and no expiration of those miles.

For a limited time, the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is offering a promotion tied to Hotels.com. When you visit Hotels.com/Venture, search for and pay for a hotel stay, you’ll earn 10x miles for every dollar spent. There are no foreign transaction fees associated with this card and the $95 annual fee is waived for all first year cardholders. As this card is a Visa, you’ll be provided all of the Visa Signature benefits.

• Signup Bonus: 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months
• Annual Fee: $95 (waived for the first year)

Learn More

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Admittedly, the bonus on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express doesn’t really compare to the others on this list, but a $200 statement credit after spending $1,000 in three months is strong for two reasons. First, it’s the lowest spend hurdle of any card on our list, so it’s likely open to more consumers. Second and perhaps more importantly, it’s the best bonus offer from any cashback credit card. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a card I use more than any other in my wallet and the $200 up front bonus was a nice touch to get me started.

This card offers a tremendous cashback opportunity in the following amounts:

• 6% cash back on all US Supermarket purchases (on up to $6,000 in purchases each year).
• 3% cash back at gas stations and select department stores
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Also included with this card is a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months. Not only do they offer a little cash up front, but a year’s worth of interest free purchases. The one detraction the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has is that the $95 annual fee is not waived for year number one.

• Welcome Bonus: $200 statement credit after spending $1,000 in the first three months
• Annual Fee: $95

{ 0 comments }

Comment Policy: We love comments! However, the comments below are not provided or commissioned by this site or its advertisers. Comments have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by this site or its advertisers. It is not this site or its advertisers' responsibility to ensure all comments and/or questions are answered.

Enjoy free travel with this list of the best travel rewards credit cards of 2018. I’ve personally used several of these credit cards for free flights and hotel stays.

It’s time to plan your holiday travel. That may mean cashing in the travel rewards you’ve accumulated on credit cards–or it may mean starting to use a travel rewards credit card. Chances are you spend money on some necessities, and when you do, tailoring the rewards you receive to your travel needs could end up financially benefiting you and your family even more than a cash back credit card might. Keep in mind, of course, that increasing your spending just to earn rewards doesn’t make sense, and it would be worse if you had to pay interest on your balances.

When you have controlled spending that you can afford, and you pay your credit card bill in full and on time every month, you can offset your costs of travel by earning rewards. Using the travel rewards credit card that best matches your travel needs for the spending you would be doing anyway could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime. For example, some cards offer free flights and hotels while others can soften the blow of foreign transaction fees.

Listed below are the best travel rewards credit cards available today. If you’ve got a card you think deserves to be on this list, let us know and we’ll add it. These offers are subject to change so be sure to check the issuers application page and website for the most current information.

Editor’s Pick

Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is one of the best travel rewards credit cards available today, as evidenced by the current offering:

• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 40,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months, equal to $400 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
• Fly any airline, stay at any hotel, anytime
• Travel when you want with no blackout dates

Plus, miles don’t expire and there’s no limit to how many you can earn. The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card also has:

• No foreign transaction fees
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year; $59 after that

From our perspective, not being charged the typical 1% to 3% foreign transaction fee can be a great benefit all on its own if you spend money on purchases outside the U.S.

Learn more about this card and other travel credit cards here.

List of the Best Travel Reward Credit Card Offers

In addition to the Editor’s Pick, here are some additional top choices.

Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express continues to be one of the best travel reward credit cards you can find. You can earn 25,000 bonus Starpoints® after you use your new Card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first three months. That’s enough for a few nights at a category two or three hotel (or one night at a category four hotel if you’re thrifty)

With this card you can earn up to five Starpoints for every dollar of eligible purchases charged directly at hotels and resorts participating in the Starwood Preferred Guest® program–that’s two Starpoints for which you may be eligible as a Card Member in addition to the two or three Starpoints for which you may be eligible as an SPG member. Earn one Starpoint for all other purchases. When redeeming your points, you can select from over 1,200 hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries with no blackout dates. As a new perk, they have added free in-room, premium Internet access. Booking requirements apply and some hotels may have mandatory service and resort charges.

The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, $95 thereafter.

Learn more about this card and other travel credit cards here.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

When this travel card hit the market years ago, it forced every issuer to do better. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card includes a 50,000 point bonus after spending $4,000 in the first three months of card ownership. Those 50,000 points are good for $500 in cash value (like a statement credit, or gift cards) OR $625 in travel value. When you use your points to book though the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, they’re worth 25% more. I own the big brother of this card (Sapphire Reserve) and those points are actually worth 50% more.

The process for redeeming and booking travel through Chase is just as easy as it is with sites like Travelocity or Expedia. All cardholders will earn 2x points on travel and dining purchases with 1x points earned on all other purchases. There are no foreign transactions fees to own the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card but there is a $95 annual fee. That fee is waived during the first year of membership.

You can also earn an additional 5,000 bonus points after adding an authorized user that makes a purchase inside of the first three months.

Learn more about this card and other travel credit cards here.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is one of the highest level cards Chase has to offer. Yes, it comes with a $450 annual fee (and $75 annual fee for added cardholders) but the immediate benefits almost reduce that annual fee to nothing, making the card extremely attractive.

To open up, this card offers 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of card ownership. Those points are good for $500 in cash or $750 in travel. Points are worth 50% more when you use them to book through Chase Ultimate Rewards and the process is a snap. 3x points are earned on all travel purchases, all restaurant purchases and 1x points are earned on everything else.

Consider if you spend $5,000 at Restaurants every year. You’ll earn 15,000 points with this card which can then be used for $225 in travel. Effectively, that would make this a 4.5% rewards rebate credit card. But there’s more.

Every year, you’ll receive a $300 travel credit against any travel purchases you make. So if you use this card to purchase airfare, book a hotel, or rent a car the first $300 annually will be refunded. In addition, you will receive a $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre Check. Signing up for that program can help you avoid the long TSA lines if you’re always in a rush to make your flight.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve does not charge foreign transaction fees and includes elite travel benefits like world class travel protection and access to over 1,000 airport lounges across the world. Keep in mind however, there is a hefty $450 annual fee.

Learn more about this card and other travel credit card here.

Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card

For those who hate to pay an annual fee on a credit card, the Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card is a slightly watered down version of the Venture card above. The opening bonus is 20,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first three months and the everyday rewards program 1.25 miles per dollar spent on everything.

One of the big benefits is 12 months of interest free purchases. Included is a 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and after that, the card transitions to a variable interest rate. There are no foreign transaction fees and no blackout dates for flights or hotels. Fly any airline, stay in any hotel. Miles never expire for the life of the account.

There is no annual fee to own the Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card

Learn more about this card and other travel credit cards here.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

New cardmembers of the The Platinum Card® from American Express can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. This is where the fun just begins.

Every year, you’ll also receive a $200 airline fee credit. This includes checked baggage, meals, in flight Wi-fi or a variety of other fees. If you ride with Uber, you’ll be provided $15 in Uber credits every month and a $20 Uber credit in December, for a total of $200 in annual credits. Yet another fee refund comes in the form of $100 for admission into Global Entry or TSA Pre Check. This statement credit is provided every four years.

When making purchases through American Express Travel (either for airfare or hotels), five points per dollar spent are earned. Single points per dollar spent are earned on everything else. Please remember that this is a CHARGE card, not a credit card. So all purchases must be paid in full every month to keep the account in good standing. This is literally the last card in the world you wan’t to roll interest over with month to month.

Perhaps the most glamorous part of being a Platinum Card® from American Express member are the perks. Too many to name but some of the highlights:

• Platinum Concierge service available 24/7/365
• RSVP to invitation only events
• iPhone purchase protection
• Preferred seating at events
• Advance dining reservations
• Access to over 1,000 airport lounges
• No foreign transaction fees

No credit card can compare with the benefits that the Platinum Card from American Express can provide. And it’s not close. But in order to earn these rewards and perks, you must be willing to pony up a $550 annual fee.

Learn more about this card and other travel credit cards here.

More Options: You can see more travel rewards credit cards here.

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.

{ 16 comments }

Comment Policy: We love comments! However, the comments below are not provided or commissioned by this site or its advertisers. Comments have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by this site or its advertisers. It is not this site or its advertisers' responsibility to ensure all comments and/or questions are answered.

In our 2018 Capital One Venture Rewards credit card review, we look at its 50,000 mile bonus and 2x rewards structure. Is it too good to be true?

I use four primary credit cards to buy just about everything. One for my purchases at the grocery store. One for purchases at the pump. Another to make all of my travel purchases (flights, hotels, etc.) and finally, a card for everything else. Yet when I look into my wallet, I see 11 credit cards. Why so many?!

Sometimes an offer is simply too good to pass up. One of the credit cards I signed up for earlier this year is the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card. Right now, this card offers a 50,000 mile bonus for meeting a small spend hurdle, in addition to other benefits which make it very attractive. Let’s dive into the details and see whether or not this should be one of the 11 cards you find in your wallet!

Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card 50,000 Mile Bonus

When you sign up for a Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card, you stand to earn a 50,000 mile bonus. To receive that bonus, you must spend $3,000 in the first three months of card ownership. Those 50,000 miles equal $500 in travel. And you can fly any airline or stay in any hotel, anytime you want.

Spending $3,000 on a credit card in three months may sound like a lot of money. But when you consider all the things you can use a credit card to pay for, it’s not all that challenging. As a homeowner (and an automobile owner), I can use my credit card to pay for gas, groceries, insurance, and a variety of other household and life necessities. Between groceries, gas, and auto insurance, I’m already at $1,000 a month. Over the course of three months, I would meet that bonus threshold.

If you have received this bonus from Capital One in the past (for owning the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card), you are not eligible to receive this one.

Travel Rewards Program

There’s not much to be said about the travel rewards program. Every dollar you spend with the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is worth 2 miles. That’s it. No caps, limits, hurdles, or rules to follow other than double miles for everything, always.

Miles do not expire for the life of the account (open or closed), and there are no blackout dates to speak of. When using your points to book a flight or hotel, every options is available to you. Consider your points as good as cash–no restrictions.

Venture Rewards APR and Fees

Unfortunately, there’s no intro APR with this credit card. The standard purchase and balance transfer APR is 13.99% – 23.99% variable. The APR for cash advances is also 23.99% (with a 3% cash advance fee), and there are a couple of fees to keep your eye on.

• Up to a $35 late payment fee
• $95 annual fee ($0 annual fee for the first year).

The annual fee of $95 is average for a quality travel rewards credit card. In fact, when you compare vs. that of Chase, Citi, and American Express–$95 seems to be the agreed-upon industry standard.

One added pricing perk of the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is that there are no foreign transaction fees. A foreign transaction fee is charged by some issuers when you use your credit card to make international purchases. The issuer must first convert your US dollars into the local currency, then offer those funds to the merchant. Capital One offers this service, free of charge, for their full line of credit card products.

Visa Signature Benefits and Perks

Included with the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card are Visa Signature perks. While the card issuer provides the rewards program and the bonus, it’s the processor that steps up the benefits an extra level. You can expect to receive the following:

• Complimentary Concierge Service–If you need ANYTHING, you can give Visa Concierge a call and they will assist you. Help with changing a reservation; a flat tire; concert tickets–whatever. You’ll have a 24-hour hotline to secure the things you need.
• Auto Rental Damage Collision Waiver Coverage–If you’ve ever rented a car, you know that there’s a damage insurance waiver you’re always asked to sign. In the event the car you rent is damaged, you might be liable for out of pocket expenses if you’re not properly insured. So long as you book with your Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card and rent a standard vehicle (check the terms), you’re always covered for damage.
• Extended Warranties–After making a purchase, you may qualify for an extended warranty of up to one year. Depending on the length of warranty you already received from the manufacturer, Visa is willing to up it between three months and one year.
• Shopping Discounts–When you shop at select online merchants, you’ll earn a discount.

Is This Travel Card Right for You?

So I opened this review by telling you the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card was one of the 11 cards currently in my wallet. But I also want to let you know that as of today, I rarely use it for purchases (if ever). That’s not because this isn’t a great credit card, but because I rarely travel. So it’s easier for me to use my Citi Double Cash Card and earn the 2% cash back, then earn miles.

The bonus is attractive enough where just about anyone can take advantage of 50,000 bonus miles. If you currently don’t own a travel rewards credit card and find yourself making airline and hotel reservations frequently, this card has a lot to offer. And with no annual fee for the first year, you have nothing to lose but a few points on your credit score.

• Learn more about this and other travel rewards credit cards.

{ 0 comments }

Comment Policy: We love comments! However, the comments below are not provided or commissioned by this site or its advertisers. Comments have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by this site or its advertisers. It is not this site or its advertisers' responsibility to ensure all comments and/or questions are answered.