Best Credit Card Bonus Offers for 2023
Written by
Bob Haegele
Edited by
Lindsey Kloosterman
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Credit cards are much more than a convenience — they can be a powerful tool to get more bang for your buck. Some credit cards offer hundreds of dollars worth of rewards, if you can meet the minimum spending requirement.
Advice:
Top 8 Credit Card Bonus Offers
These offerings break down into premium and no-annual-fee credit cards. Premium credit cards have an annual fee, and only some have room for these fees in their budget. The welcome bonuses sometimes more than offset the annual fee, but premium credit cards won’t be worth it for everyone after the first year. That said, here are the top eight offers out there right now.
- American Express® Platinum Card: 80,000 points after spending $8,000 in six months
- American Express® Gold Card: 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in six months
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in three months
- Citi® Premier Card: 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in three months
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Card: 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in three months
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card: Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back
- Chase IHG® Rewards Traveler Card: 120,000 points after spending $2,000 in three months
- Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card: 20,000 miles after spending $500 in three months
Premium Credit Cards
Premium credit cards often have some of the best welcome bonuses in the credit card industry. Their annual fees can also be high, as can their minimum spend to receive the bonus. However, they have the most lucrative welcome bonuses, and often the best rewards structures after the bonus. Take a look.
- Welcome offer: 80,000 points after spending $8,000 in the first six months
The American Express Platinum Card offers one of the best welcome offers if you are a big spender. Beyond the welcome offer, this credit card has several perks, including a $200 hotel credit for a 2-night minimum stay and up to $20 in statement credits each month when you put eligible streaming services on your card. Plus, it earns 5x points on flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel and 1x points on other purchases.
However, it has a high annual fee of to match its generous benefits, and the APR for this card is .
Explore:
- Welcome offer: 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first six months
American Express, Member FDIC, also has the slightly-less-premium Gold Card. This card’s welcome offer is just 25% less than the bonus on the Platinum Card for a significantly lower fee.
The Gold card doesn’t fall short on rewards — you’ll earn 4x points at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per year, 3x points on flights through American Express Travel and 1x points on other purchases.
At , its annual fee is significantly less than the fee for the Platinum. Its APR is .
- Welcome bonus: 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a welcome bonus worth $750 when you redeem them through the Chase travel portal — transferring them to travel partners is also an option. It has other benefits too, like 5x points on travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on dining, online grocery purchases and streaming services, 2x points on other travel and 1x points on everything else.
Despite this, this card has an annual fee of just . It has an APR of .
- Welcome bonus: 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months
The Citi Premier is a premium credit card from Citi®. Once earned, the bonus can be redeemed for $600 in gift cards, or you can use it for travel. This card has other perks too, such as an annual $100 hotel credit and 3x points on gas, groceries, dining and travel and 1x points on other purchases.
At , its annual fee is on the low end, but its APR is on the high end.
Capital One Venture X Rewards
- Welcome bonus: 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months
The Capital One Venture X Rewards card is great for everyday spending, as it earns unlimited 2x miles on every purchase. It also earns 10x miles on hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel and 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel.
The Venture X Rewards has a annual fee and an APR of .
No-Annual-Fee Credit Cards
You still have options if you want a lucrative welcome bonus but don’t want to pay an annual fee. These no-annual-fee credit cards still have great welcome bonuses. Plus, their spending requirements are usually — but not always — lower than on premium cards. However, their low spending requirements also mean their welcome bonuses are not as lucrative.
- Welcome bonus: Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back
The Chase Freedom Unlimited allows you to earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That’s 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. After the first year, you can earn 5% cash back on travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% at restaurants and drugstores and 1.5% on everything else.
The APR for this card is .
Chase IHG Rewards Traveler Card
- Welcome bonus: 120,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months
The Chase IHG Rewards Traveler Card offers a truly impressive welcome bonus that would normally put a credit card in the premium category, but this card has no annual fee.
This card is a no-brainer for those who travel often and prefer IHG hotel brands, like Holiday Inn, InterContinnental and Staybridge Suites — especially because it offers up to 17x points at IHG Hotels and Resorts, if you’re an IHG Rewards member. You’ll also earn 3x points on dining, utilities, qualifying streaming services and gas, as well as 2x points on other purchases.
The APR on this card is .
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card
- Welcome bonus: 20,000 miles after spending $500 in the first three months
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards card is similar to the Venture X Rewards Card, the VentureOne has no annual fee. It earns an unlimited 1.25 miles per dollar on all purchases and 5x miles on hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel.
This card sweetens the deal for new cardmembers with an introductory 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 18 months, followed by a APR. Note that there is a 3% fee on balance transfers during the intro period.
FAQ
If you are considering a new credit card for your wallet, the information below might help you pick a winner.- What cards give you free money for signing up?
- The Chase Freedom Unlimited is one of many cash-back cards that offers bonus cash to new cardmembers, and rewards points can often be converted to cash in the form of statement credits.
- Remember, though, that nothing is truly free. You must spend a certain amount to earn the welcome bonus. Any rewards credit card that offers a bonus for reaching a minimum amount of spending is offering you a form of free funds.
- Is there a credit card that gives 3% cash back?
- Yes, many credit cards offer 3% cash back in specific categories. For example, the Savor Rewards Credit Card from Capital One offers 3% cash back at grocery stores, along with 4% cash back on dining, entertainment and some streaming services.
- Who offers earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening?
- The Chase Freedom Unlimited credit card and Capital One Quicksilver Rewards credit card both offer a $200 bonus when you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months.
- Does Capital One have a 2% back credit card?
- Capital One does not currently offer a card that earns 2% cash back as a baseline or on specific categories, but it does have cards that start at 1.5% cash back with higher rates for qualifying categories, such as the Quicksilver Rewards card.
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Sarah Sharkey contributed to the reporting for this article.
Rates are subject to change; unless otherwise noted, rates are updated periodically. All other information on accounts is accurate as of March 10, 2023.
The information related to the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Freedom Unlimited and IGH Rewards cards was collected by GOBankingRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of these cards. Product details may vary. Please see the issuer’s website for current information. GOBankingRates does not receive commission for this product.
All information about American Express card offers have been collected independently by GOBankingRates and have not been reviewed or approved by American Express. These offers are not available through GOBankingRates.
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