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Erika's Picks for Best Sign-up Bonuses
- Best overall:
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card - Best for travel:
Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Best for everyday spending:
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express - Best for attainable welcome offer:
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card - Best for businesses:
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Sign-up bonuses are a common credit card incentive — and plenty of cards offer them.
The best sign-up bonuses have achievable spending requirements, offer a valuable haul of points, and provide flexible redemption options so you can use your rewards in a way that works for you.
Best Overall
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- Earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a top card for travel rewards but with a low annual fee.
If you travel frequently (or you plan to start), every purchase with Capital One Venture Rewards earns double miles, and Capital One Travel purchases earn 5x miles.
Rewards miles don’t expire as long as you keep the account open.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a lucrative welcome bonus, with an annual fee that’s extremely reasonable for the card’s rewards-earning potential.
Plus, you have numerous options for redeeming miles. You can use your points to book flights, hotels, train tickets, car rentals, cruises, and more through Capital One Travel. Redemptions for cash and gift cards are also available.
There’s also the option to cover past travel purchases with your Capital One miles. If you book travel with the card through another website or travel agency, you can use the Cover Your Travel Purchases feature to request reimbursement through rewards miles — but you must do it within 90 days of the purchase.
Best for Travel
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Rewards Rate
- 10x points on hotel stays and car rentals through Chase Travel℠
- 5x points on dining purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards and on Lyft purchases (through March 2025)
- 5x points on flights booked through Chase Travel℠ (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
- 3x points on restaurants and travel
- 1x points on everything else
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$550
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is an outstanding rewards card if you’re a big traveler. You’ll maximize rewards by spending on travel, plus your rewards redemptions go farther when used for travel.
While the annual fee is steep, you can quickly recoup it with your welcome bonus, which doesn’t require a huge minimum spend.
It’s honestly kind of mind-boggling to consider the long list of travel benefits with this card:
- Enjoy a $300 travel credit annually
- Get reimbursed for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry fees
- Have complimentary lounge access at over 1,300 airports
- Be covered with trip cancellation/interruption insurance, lost luggage insurance, and auto collision damage waiver
If you fly and travel quite a bit, you can easily get value that far outweighs the annual fee.
It’s not only the hefty welcome offer that makes the Chase Sapphire Reserve® stand out. Most of the card’s features and rewards revolve around travel, from faster security lines to a robust set of travel insurance protections.
One of the biggest selling features is that rewards points are worth 50% more when used to book flights and hotels through Chase Travel℠. So while 10,000 points equals $100 in cashback, it’s worth $150 in travel.
Finally, you not only save money on travel, but experience a more relaxing journey thanks to the card’s perks.
Best for Everyday Spending
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Rewards Rate
- 6% cashback on purchases at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1%) and on select streaming services
- 3% on U.S. gas station and transit purchases
- 1% on all other spending (cashback is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or on Amazon.com at checkout)
Welcome Offer
Earn $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in the first six months
Annual Fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (rates and fees)
Looking for a card with a sweet welcome offer as well as ongoing rewards for typical purchases? The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express from American Express is a great option.
The highest rewards potential comes from spending at supermarkets, streaming platforms, and gas stations. Since most of us have to eat and fuel up our vehicles, it’s easy value.
Travel may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but earning bonus rewards on grocery or gas purchases makes sense for almost everyone.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has no annual fee for your first year and a very reasonable spending requirement for the welcome offer.
Your rewards accrue at a very competitive rate, especially on those everyday purchases at the grocery store or gas station.
This card also provides a lot of value if entertainment is a high priority, given its high rate for U.S. streaming subscriptions. Plus, you can access entertainment presales and special ticket options.
Best for Attainable Welcome Offer
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- 5% cashback on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 1.5% on everything else
Welcome Offer
Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after spending $500 in the first three months
Annual Fee
$0
There’s nothing quite so disappointing as seeing an amazing credit card welcome offer, then discovering your spending won’t enable you to earn it.
But the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card offers valuable welcome cash without an onerous spending requirement.
This is an excellent card for simple unlimited cashback rewards on all purchases, plus a bumped-up earning rate on Capital One Travel spending.
It’s great if you don’t want to monitor different spending categories and want to just earn cashback on every dollar you spend.
Earning rewards can get complicated with certain credit cards, but the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card makes it easy. The sign-up bonus is excellent, and you can earn a slightly higher earning rate across all spending categories, instead of a limited few.
Not only that, but you get these benefits for no annual fee. It’s an easy card to keep in your wallet even if you later open cards with annual fees and more robust benefits.
Best for Businesses
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- 3x points on every dollar spent on shipping, advertising with social media and search engines, internet, cable, phone, and travel — up to the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in these categories
- 1x per dollar spent everywhere else
Welcome Offer
Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
A good rewards card can help you grow your business. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a favorite because of the higher rewards rates on typical business expenses and a relatively low annual fee.
It earns high rewards on common small business expenses, like shipping, social media and search engine advertising, and internet, phone, and cable.
Plus, you get a host of travel protections like rental car protection, trip cancellation insurance, and roadside dispatch. Cellphone protection and purchase protection are other great benefits.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers an excellent sign-up bonus along with ongoing rewards potential.
For example, 90,000 bonus points are worth at least $900, but when redeemed through Chase Travel℠, that value jumps to $1,125. Not too shabby for a modest annual fee.
You can also transfer points to travel partners without losing value and enjoy excellent purchase and travel protection. Plus, get free employee cards so you can build up rewards faster.
How Do Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses Work?
To earn a sign-up bonus, you’ll usually have to hit a minimum spending threshold in the first three to six months after opening your account. The requirements vary and can range from $500 to $4,000 or more.
Read the fine print to make sure you know what you need to do to earn the sign-up bonus. It’s never worth it to spend beyond your means just to earn a sign-up bonus — if you end up carrying that balance from month to month, the interest will quickly offset your bonus.
Once you hit the minimum spending requirement and your card provider validates you’ve met any additional requirements, your sign-up bonus will be credited to your account.
Some issuers note that it could take several weeks for the bonus to be finalized, or that you’ll need to wait until the end of the eligibility period. But it’s not uncommon for your bonus to be reflected in your account within a week or so of hitting the threshold.
What To Look for in a Sign-up Bonus
When you’re ready to start shopping for a credit card, here are a few things to look for:
Does it fit within your budget?
If you need to spend more than you normally would in order to qualify, think carefully about whether it fits your budget. Overspending can lead to debt, and interest can diminish the value of your earned points.
Is the annual fee worth it?
Some of the best sign-up bonuses are tied to cards with expensive annual fees. If you’re eyeing a premium card, look at the benefits and figure out if (and how) you’ll actually use them.
Are there any restrictions?
Some issuers won’t allow you to claim a bonus if you’ve earned one with the same family of cards before, or if you’ve earned a bonus with one of their cards within the last few years.
Other credit cards might have limitations on how points can be redeemed. Review any restrictions to determine if they’ll affect your ability to earn rewards.
How will you use the card?
Will it be used to cover personal expenses or for your business? Will you use the card for daily expenses or a big purchase, like a new sofa?
Develop a plan for how you'll use the card to see which sign-up bonus makes sense for you.
Do the points expire?
Some cards come with points that have to be used within a specific window. Check the fine print and ensure you can use earned points before they expire.
Will you even be able to use the points you earn?
Many travel rewards credit cards offer great sign-up bonuses, but if you aren’t able to use them, earning the bonus might be a moot point.
For example, if your airport isn’t served by the issuer’s travel partner network, you may not be able to get the best value from points.
Pros and Cons of Sign-up Bonuses
Credit card sign-up bonuses can be very enticing — that’s kind of the point. Issuers offer them as an incentive for you to sign up for their card over another issuer’s.
But it’s important to consider the implications of pursuing a credit card sign-up bonus.
Pros
- Extra cash: Cards that offer a sign-up bonus without charging an annual fee are basically handing out free cash. Plus, points you accrue can be used as statement credits, helping offset your monthly bill.
- Free vacations: When you’re strategic with sign-up bonuses, you can score a free — or at the very least, heavily discounted — vacation. Combine that with many other perks travel credit cards offer, like airport lounge access, and you've got a premium travel experience.
- Build credit: New credit accounts for 10% of your credit score. Just be careful: Opening too many cards in a short time can also hurt your score.
Cons
- Risk of overspending: Trying to meet a spending requirement that's beyond your means could lead to credit card debt.
- Damage credit: Making a lot of purchases in a short time just to get the sign-up bonus can impact your credit utilization. High utilization signals to potential lenders that you may be a risky borrower.
- Unable to use the sign-up bonus: The sign-up bonus is only good if you can use it. This is especially true if the card has restrictions on how you can redeem your points or if they expire.
Bottom Line: Are Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses Worth It?
Yes! But only if the spending requirement is within your budget. To decide if a sign-up bonus makes sense, calculate whether you can meet the minimum spending requirement without changing your spending habits.
When selecting a card, it's smart to start with an end goal, like a two-week hike in New Zealand or a week at a luxury resort in Hawaii. This can help you pick a card with the right points, transfer partners, and rewards to make your dream a reality!
Frequently Asked Questions
There’s technically no limit to how many credit cards you can hold. Many issuers will even allow you to earn a sign-up bonus more than once. But read the fine print.
Chase, for example, has a 48-month rule: If you’ve previously earned a sign-up bonus from any Sapphire card, you’ll have to wait 48 months until you can earn it again.
One loophole you might consider is strategically working toward credit card sign-up bonuses in tandem with your partner. You can individually sign up for the same credit card, making both of you eligible for the same sign-up bonus.
Most bonuses require you to meet the spending requirement in the first three to six months. After meeting the requirements, your issuer will verify and credit your account.
Bonus posting varies; it may take a few days or a billing cycle or two.
