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Whether you’re planning a late-summer road trip or looking ahead to fall and winter travels, it’s a great time to open a new credit card and earn cash back, airline miles, or hotel points to use to offset your expenses.
We’re currently seeing elevated bonuses from Chase, American Express, and Citi, and there are dozens of other lucrative offers currently available. These include increased bonuses and even brand-new cards from major card issuers.
Many of these credit cards are offering record-high welcome bonuses of 100,000 points or more — but some are only available for a limited time.
Credit card news this week
Wells Fargo launched the much-awaited Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card last week, and it’s a great deal for folks who want a no-annual-fee card with strong rewards categories and a good welcome offer. New cardholders can earn Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card (worth $300 in rewards). Plus, the card earns 3x points on dining, travel, gas, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans.
Meanwhile, American Express rolled out a surprise refresh on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. New cardholders can still earn a Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, and the card has improved its bonus categories: 3% cash back at US supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1%), 3% cash back on US gas stations (up to $6,000 per year, then 1%), 3% cash back on US online retail purchases (up to $6,000 per year, then 1%), and 1% cash back on all purchases.
The card now offers statement credits toward The Disney Bundle ($7 per month)** and Home Chef ($15 per month)**, which is a solid deal considering the card has no annual fee.
Here are some of the best credit card offers to consider this week.
Flexible rewards credit card bonuses
Transferable credit card points are best if you value flexibility because there are so many ways to redeem them. With programs like American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Capital One Rewards, you’ve got options that include:
Transferring points to airline and hotel partnersRedeeming points directly for travel at a fixed rateTurning points into cash back or statement creditsCashing in points for gift cards, merchandise, and more
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has long been one of the most popular travel rewards cards. New cardholders can earn Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — an excellent value for a modest Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card annual fee.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with outstanding travel and purchase protections, along with useful perks that include up to $50 in annual credits toward hotels booked through Chase and a 10% points bonus on your account anniversary. Here’s our full Chase Sapphire Preferred review for all the details.
However, if you’re looking for a premium card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is worth considering with its lucrative new offer to earn Chase Sapphire Reserve®. You can find out more in our Chase Sapphire Reserve review.
If you missed out on the 100,000-mile Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card bonus that ended recently, there’s still good reason to consider the card. The new offer to earn Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is worth Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card in travel when you redeem miles at a rate of 1 cent each to erase eligible travel bookings. But you could potentially get even more value when you transfer Capital One miles to airline and hotel partners for award travel.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium card with a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card annual fee and loads of benefits. But if you’re a more casual traveler, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card-annual-fee Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is offering a similar bonus of Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Here’s our comparison of the Venture cards to help you decide which is a better fit for you.
Our favorite under-the-radar card is the Citi Premier® Card. It offers excellent earnings in categories that fit well whether you’re sticking close to home or on the road — 3x points on air travel, gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets, and hotels, and 1 point per dollar on everything else. Right now it’s offering a record-high bonus of Citi Premier® Card (worth Citi Premier® Card based on Insider’s valuations).
Another excellent deal is one of the best cards with premium travel and shopping benefits, The Platinum Card® from American Express. You can currently earn The Platinum Card® from American Express — here’s our Amex Platinum card review to learn more.
Small-business credit card bonuses
If you’re a small-business owner, opening a small-business credit card can offer a lot of benefits. Keeping your business and personal expenses separate makes it easier to keep track of expenses, and many cards offer bonus points, miles, or cash back in popular business spending categories.
You don’t have to own a full-time business or make millions to be eligible to apply — even if you’re a freelancer or have a side gig, you could qualify for a small-business card. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card are both offering six-figure bonuses after meeting minimum spending requirements, and, depending on how you redeem them, you could get a value of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card for the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
Amex Membership Rewards points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth, on average, 1.8 cents each based on Insider’s points and miles valuations.
Cash-back credit card bonuses
Our top pick for the best cash-back credit card overall, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, is a good pick if you prefer a strong 2% cash rewards rate on your purchases. Other excellent options, like the Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, and the Citi Custom Cash℠ Card, aren’t exclusively cash-back cards (though they’re marketed that way) — and they, too, are worth considering.
But right now, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has an elevated welcome bonus offer that can help you offset some of your upcoming expenses. New cardholders can earn a Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
You’ll also earn 6% cash back on your first $6,000 in U.S. supermarket spending each year (then 1% back), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services, 3% back on U.S. gas stations and transit, and 1% back on all other eligible purchases (cash back is earned in the form of Rewards Dollars).
Read Insider’s points and miles valuations to find out how much your credit card rewards are worth.
Airline credit card bonuses
A whopping six Delta credit cards are offering excellent elevated welcome bonus offers for a limited time. Delta miles don’t expire, so even if you don’t have immediate travel plans, it’s a good time to stock up:
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card — Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card — Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card — Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card — Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card — Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card — Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
If you fly United often, the new offer on the United Quest℠ Card is worth considering: United Quest℠ Card. The United℠ Explorer Card and its elevated welcome bonus offer are also great deal for casual and frequent United travelers. This card comes with a free checked bag on United flights (when you use the card to pay for your ticket), priority boarding, two one-time United Club passes each year, and excellent travel and purchase protections.
The new Chase Aeroplan® Credit Card isn’t just for Air Canada flyers — along with a hefty welcome bonus offer, it comes with great bonus categories, spending bonuses, and will soon offer the unique ability to redeem up to 50,000 Aeroplan points per year at a rate of 1.25 cents apiece toward any travel purchase through Chase Pay Yourself Back.
Hotel credit card bonuses
IHG fans now have three co-branded credit cards to choose from, and they’re all offering excellent bonuses:
IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card — IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card (elevated offer)IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card — IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit CardIHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card — IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (new card)
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card currently offers a welcome bonus offer of Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. Insider estimates that Marriott points are worth 0.7 cents each, making this bonus potentially worth Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. Plus, now that Marriott allows members to top-up reward certificates with up to 15,000 points, these certificates are much more versatile — and therefore valuable.
If you prefer a no-annual-fee card, the new Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card offer is worth a look. New cardholders can earn Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card — worth Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card based on Insider’s valuations.
Keep in mind that most hotel chains, including Marriott and Hilton, have temporarily paused points expiration due to the pandemic, so there’s no harm in earning points now for a vacation down the road. Additionally, Hilton permanently extended its points expiration window to 24 months (from 15 months).