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The Best Travel Credit Card Welcome Bonus Offers Right Now
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Table of Contents
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
Alaska airlines visa signature® credit card, marriott bonvoy boundless® credit card, the business platinum card® from american express, world of hyatt credit card, aeroplan® credit card, british airways visa signature® card, citi strata premier℠ card, hilton honors american express surpass® card.
There are a number of travel rewards credit cards with boosted welcome bonus offers to have on your radar.
Here’s a look at some of the best travel credit card offers out there right now, based on the value of the welcome bonus offers, which were calculated using NerdWallet's valuations of credit card and loyalty program points.
» Learn more: Should I get more than one travel credit card?
Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.
Annual fee: $95 .
Value of sign-up bonus: Up to $1,050 in Chase's travel portal, but could be worth more if you transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards® to high-value travel partners.
Why you should get it: This is the biggest sign-up bonus we've seen on this card in three years. The low annual fee, access to transfer partners, rental car coverage and a decent redemption value in the travel portal makes this card great value for beginners and advanced points collectors alike.
Who should get it: People who want to start or build their stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards® to redeem with Chase Travel or transfer to partners like Hyatt, Southwest, Flying Blue, United and more.
Who should skip it: People who want lounge access or TSA PreCheck application fee credit might want to look at the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or another premium travel card instead.
Learn more: Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card worth its annual fee?
Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Annual fee: $0 .
Value of welcome offer: $1,120. NerdWallet values IHG points at 0.5 cent each.
Why you should get it: This is 20,000 points more than the previous offer — not bad for a hotel card with a $0 annual fee.
Who should get it: People who want to earn IHG points through credit card spending to redeem for stays at brands like Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton and Intercontinental.
Who should skip it: Travelers who don't frequent IHG properties could get more value out of a travel card that earns transferable points or a different hotel card .
Get 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
Value of welcome offer: $780. NerdWallet values Alaska miles at 1.3 cents each.
Why you should get it: This offer is 10,000 points more than the previous offer. Plus, it gets you a companion pass right off the bat.
Who should get it: West Coast-based flyers should consider this card if they want to fly Alaska or its partners, especially since Alaska merged with Hawaiian Airlines and recently made it easier to earn elite status on Alaska in 2025.
Who should skip it: East Coast folks will likely get less use out of this card since the airline primarily serves the West Coast.
Learn more: Is an Alaska card worth it?
Our best points offer! Earn 125,000 Bonus Points after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card!
Value of welcome offer: $1,125. NerdWallet values Marriott Bonvoy® points at 0.9 cent each.
Why you should get it: This card usually offers Free Night Awards as part of the welcome offer, but the bonus points are easier to use and this is the best offer we've seen on this card with points.
Who should get it: People who want to dabble in Marriott loyalty with a low-annual-fee card.
Who should skip it: Marriott fans would likely benefit more from a Marriott card with a higher annual fee and elevated perks, like a higher level of automatic elite status and annual Free Night Awards.
Learn more: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card worth its annual fee?
Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Annual fee: $695 (see rates and fees ).
Value of welcome offer: At least $1,500, or more if you transfer your AmEx Membership Rewards to high-value transfer partners.
Why you should get it: This welcome offer is 30,000 points more than the previous offer. If you've been thinking about getting a high-end AmEx card, now would be a good time.
Who should get it: Business owners who can take advantage of the travel perks, like AmEx's impressive lounge collection and the credit for a Clear Plus membership.
Who should skip: If the annual fee is too high, check out some of the other premium travel cards.
Terms apply.
Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
Value of welcome offer: $1,320. NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 2.2 cents each.
Why you should get it: The bonus points on spending in the first six months makes this offer incredibly valuable for Hyatt enthusiasts.
Who should get it: Travelers who can make use of the the annual free night award that comes with the card after renewal. Hyatt has some of the lowest-priced award nights, so cardholders will appreciate how quickly the Hyatt points accumulate with spending on this card.
Who should skip it: People who want to redeem points for Hyatts and other hotels or airlines might want to consider on the Chase Sapphire cards instead, which earn points that can transfer to World of Hyatt.
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 25,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months.
Value of welcome bonus: $1,400. NerdWallet values Aeroplan points at 1.4 cents each.
Why you should get it: This two-part bonus could earn you more than $1,000 in award flights. Air Canada is in the Star Alliance, so the airline's points are an excellent way to save points on partner airlines' flights. You could use Air Canada miles to book United, ANA, Air New Zealand and others.
Who should get it: People who fly Air Canada or its partners regularly.
Who should skip it: Travelers who won't be able to use the Air Canada-specific perks like free bags and automatic elite status should opt for a travel credit card with points that transfers to Air Canada instead.
Learn more: Is the Aeroplan® Credit Card worth its annual fee?
Earn 85,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Value of welcome offer: $850. NerdWallet values British Airways Avios at 1 cent each.
Why you should get it: This sign-up bonus is 10,000 more Avios than the previous offer, but that's not what's important here. It's easy to transfer points to British Airways Avios from other credit card rewards programs, but redeeming those Avios can often come with high fees and surcharges. One of the best benefits of this card is the up to $600 in statement credit toward taxes, fees and charges on award flights.
Who should get it: People who fly British Airways on their trips to Europe.
Who should skip it: If you don't fly British Airways or its Oneworld partners often, you can skip this card and transfer points to British Airways only as needed from your credit card with transferable points. If you usually fly Aer Lingus or Iberia instead, you could also opt for those airlines' co-branded credit cards, which also have boosted bonuses right now.
Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
Value of welcome offer: $700 - $1,050. Citi ThankYou points can be redeemed for 1 cent each when booking travel directly, but NerdWallet values Citi ThankYou points at 1.5 cents each if you take advantage of transfer partners.
Why you should get it: The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is one of the few options if you'd like to start collecting Citi ThankYou points.
Who should get it: Travel rewards enthusiasts who want access to some of the best transfer partners around. Citi is one of the only transferable currencies to partner with Turkish Airlines' Miles&Smiles program , which has some great sweet spots in the U.S. and beyond.
Who should skip it: If you're more of a travel rewards beginner that'll mostly book travel in the travel portal, you'll get more value out of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , which earns points that worth more when booking through the travel portal (about 1.25 cents each). The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns bonus points on more purchases, too, because it has a wider definition of travel.
Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025. Terms Apply.
Annual fee: $150 . ( see rates and fees )
Value of welcome offer: $990. NerdWallet values Hilton points at 0.6 cent each.
Why you should get it: This bonus is 35,000 points more than the previous offer. If you're loyal to Hilton, this is a decent card for people who want to collect more Hilton points through credit card spending, but don't want to commit to a higher annual fee.
Who should get it: People who spend at Hilton properties at least once per quarter and want automatic Hilton Gold elite status, without paying the annual fee of the The Platinum Card® from American Express .
Who should skip it: People who are loyal to Hilton and can afford a higher annual fee could get much more value out of one of the other Hilton cards .
To view rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card , see this page . To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card , see this page . To view rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express , see this page .
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
ENDING SOON: Bonus worth up to $1,050
✈️ Our Nerds say it's "nearly a must-have for travelers " because of its big sign-up bonus, high-value points and money-saving perks like hotel credit and rental car insurance.
🤑 Better yet, it's offering one of the best bonuses ever right now, only for a limited time...
