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Credit Cards With Bigger Than Usual Sign-Up Bonuses

Erik Van Dootingh

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July 1, 2020

Credit card sign-up bonuses are the fastest way to accumulate tons of points and miles. It’s important to be strategic to maximize opportunities. The best way to do that is to jump on offers when they are elevated above the standard sign-up bonus, especially when they are at or near all-time highs.

There are currently several cards with increased sign-up bonuses. Here is a list of them along with a description of the sign-up bonus and key benefits of each card.

There are increased sign-up bonuses available on both the personal and business versions of the Delta Gold and Platinum cards. If you can’t get these offers to show up, try searching in incognito/private mode.

1. Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: 70K miles plus 10K MQMs after spending $4K in the first four months. Also receive a $100 statement credit after making a Delta purchase within the first three months.
Offer Expiration: 7/5/17
Annual Fee: $195

This bonus is the highest known offer ever made publicly available for this card. The standard offer is 35K miles and 5k MQMs, so this is doubling of what is typically available. If your home airport has a decent number of Delta operated flights, we highly recommend jumping on this offer. While award flight costs for Delta can be quite volatile, 70K miles is enough for approximately 3 round-trip domestic economy awards, or 1 long haul international economy award. Also, the statement credit effectively reduces the first year annual fee to $95.

This card can also help you achieve elite status. You receive 10K Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) as part of the sign-up bonus. The card also offers one of the best annual spending bonuses of any travel rewards card. You can earn 10K miles and 10K MQMs if you spend $25K in a calendar year plus an additional 10k of each if you hit $50k spend in a year. The 30k MQMs that can be earned with this card are 5K more than required for Silver status, and 60% of the way to Gold status.

Each year upon account renewal, you receive a domestic economy companion certificate. If you can make use of this benefit, you should be able to recoup enough value to more than make up for the annual fee each year. Other benefits include first checked bag free, priority boarding, and Medallion Qualification Dollar waiver if you spend $25K in a calendar year.

2. Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express

The sign-up bonus and key benefits of the business version are identical to those detailed above for the personal version. However, since these are considered separate products by Amex, this card does present an additional opportunity to earn a sign-up bonus. The spending requirement is a bit higher at $5k in the first four months.

3. Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express

Sign-up bonus: 60K miles after spending $3K in the first four months. Also receive a $50 statement credit after making a Delta purchase within the first three months.
Offer Expiration: 7/5/17
Annual Fee: $0 for the first year, then $95

The benefits of the Gold SkyMiles card aren’t as good as those of the Platinum card, but it also comes with a lower annual fee. This card is good for those who are primarily interested in collecting SkyMiles and don’t have use for a companion pass or elite status. Also, the annual fee is waived for the first year, so this card could be a cheap way to rack up some miles. The 60K mile sign-up bonus should be enough to get two round-trip domestic economy tickets. It also comes with some of the lower-end benefits such as first checked bag free and priority boarding.

4. Gold delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card

As with the Platinum card, the Gold card has a business version that has the same sign-up bonus and benefits, which represents another opportunity to earn a bonus. The spending requirement is slightly higher at $4K in the first four months.

5. AAdvantage Aviator Red Card from Barclaycard

Sign-up Bonus: 50K AAdvantage miles after your first purchase
Offer Expiration: Date not announced
Annual Fee: $95

This is the first time Barclaycard has had an increased sign-up bonus since it made the Aviator Red card available to new applicants. The standard sign-up bonus has been 40K miles. This card also comes first free checked bag, 10% rebate of redeemed miles, and preferred boarding. It’s a good alternative for American Airlines fliers who are not currently eligible for sign-up bonuses on Citi’s AA cards.

6. Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

Sign-up Bonus: 60K points after spending $2K in the first three months
Offer Expiration: Date not announced
Annual Fee: $69

The best part about the sign-up bonus on Southwest cards is that the points count toward qualification for the companion pass, one of the most coveted benefits in the travel industry. This requires earning 110K points in a calendar year, so by signing up for two Southwest credit cards and earnings the sign-up bonuses, you would already have earned the companion pass, entitling you to unlimited buy one, get one free pass for the year. Unfortunately,the cards are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule and therefore not everyone will be able to sign-up for these cards.

7. Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

Sign-up Bonus: 60K points after spending $2K in the first three months
Offer Expiration: Date not announced
Annual Fee: $99

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier credit card offers 60,000 points — The Premier card also offers 6,000 anniversary points

This is a slightly more premium version of the Plus card. The Premier card carries a higher annual fee in exchange for a higher anniversary bonus of 6K points. The most important thing is that with multiple Southwest cards offering increased sign-up bonuses at the same time, the companion pass is within reach.

8. Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

Sign-up Bonus: 60K points after spending $2K in the first three months
Offer Expiration: Date not announced
Annual Fee: $99

This card is essentially identical to the personal version of the Premier card, but offers another sign-up bonus opportunity.

Conclusion

If you have been thinking about getting any of the cards on this list, now is a good time to go for it since none of these offers will likely last more than a couple of months.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

UGC Disclosure: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Best Co-Branded Airline Credit Cards

RewardExpert

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June 29, 2020

Whether you’re getting your first travel rewards credit card or adding a new card to your wallet, there are many things you need to consider before applying.

Which airline or rewards program is best for you? How big is the sign-up bonus? Is there an annual fee? What perks come with the card?

While these are important considerations, Let’s look at one specific aspect of rewards cards: their earning potential. By that we simply mean the number of points or miles you earn per dollar spent on the card. Most cards give you one point or mile per dollar for most purchases, but many will also offer extra points for purchases that fall into certain categories.

To take full advantage of those bonus categories, you’ll want to figure out which card best fits your personal spending habits. If you spend a lot on airfare, for example, you’ll want a card that offers a lot of points or miles per dollar spent on plane tickets. And if you usually fly on one carrier, you may want to go with that airline’s co-branded credit card.

On the other hand, if you’re saving for a special vacation and you’re not a frequent flyer, you should consider a card that earns a lot on everyday purchases, like groceries or gas. Bonus points or miles for recurring bills, like phone bills or cable, can add up fast, too.

earn_miles — Savings on Co-branded airline cards can help get you to your dream destination

There are many options out there. This post focuses on co-branded airline cards that have the best earning potential. We tackle cards that are part of credit card rewards programs, particularly those that allow you to transfer points to various airlines, in another post.

Co-Branded Airline Cards

If you’re considering a co-branded credit card, you’ll probably want a card that’s associated with the carrier you most frequently fly on. But if you fly on several carriers with equal regularity, or if you could change your flying habits, you’ll want to take a closer look at what various cards have to offer. Whatever your circumstance, here’s a rundown of the earning potential of many of the co-branded airline credit cards that are available to U.S. residents.

All three of the major U.S. legacy airlines—Delta, United and American—offer different levels of cards, as well as at least one business card. Generally speaking, the more you spend on annual fees, the more perks you get, such as companion tickets and lounge access. All of the cards offered by these carriers give you double miles per dollar spent on their respective airlines and one dollar for non-bonus categories.

Delta’s cards, including the Gold and Platinum SkyMiles personal and business cards, as well as the top-of-the-line Reserve personal and business cards, offer no other bonus categories. Delta purchases get two miles per dollar, and all other purchases get the standard one mile per dollar.

That’s typical for many co-branded cards, including the Lufthansa Miles & More World Elite MasterCard, Starwood Preferred Guest Amex, LAN LANPASS Visa Signature, Avianca LifeMiles Visa Signature and Air Canada’s TD Aeroplan Visa Signature, among others.

All of American’s personal cards, including the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard, Citi AAdvantage Gold MasterCard and Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select MasterCard, also offer the basic earning scheme of double miles on American purchases and one mile for everything else.

If you qualify for a business card, though, you can earn more with the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World MasterCard. Not only will you earn double miles with American, but you’ll also get two miles for telecommunications, car rentals and gas. Recurring bills, like your cell phone, can add up fast and really boost your miles balance.

Like American and Delta, United’s base card, the personal MileagePlus Explorer card, gives you the standard double miles on United and one mile on other purchases. But United also has a business card with an earning scheme similar to American’s. The MileagePlus Explorer Business card gives you double miles for United purchases, as well as on gas, office supplies and dining out.

United’s premium cards, the MileagePlus Club personal and business cards, are good earners too. They are unique among co-branded airline cards because they offer 1.5 miles on all non-United purchases. They also come with many great perks, like free lounge access, and a steep $450 annual fee.

	Bonus Earning Categories	Sign-Up Bonus	Annual Fee
United MileagePlus Club personal and business cards	2x United; 1.5x all other purchases	None	$450

There are a few co-branded cards out there that offer very little. The ANA Card U.S.A. Visa and the JAL U.S.A. MasterCard, for example, offer only one mile per dollar spent on all purchases, including airfare.

There are also a few cards that give you more. The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature and Visa Business cards, as well as British Airways Visa Signature, give you a generous three miles per dollar spent on their respective airlines. That’s the most you can earn on airfare with a co-branded airline card.

	Bonus Earning Categories	Sign-Up Bonus	Annual Fee
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature	3x Alaska Airlines	30,000 miles	$75
British Airways Visa Signature	3x British Airways	50,000 Avios	$95

The Cards That Earn the Most

If you can justify the hefty annual fee, it’s hard to beat the solid 1.5 miles per dollar you earn on every purchase with United’s premium cards. With Alaska and British Airlines you get 3X miles for airfare only, which means you’d have to spend a lot on plane tickets to earn a decent number of miles.

	Bonus Earning Categories	Sign-Up Bonus	Annual Fee
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®	2x American, telecommunications, car rentals and gas	60,000 miles	$99, waived for first 12 months
Chase United MileagePlus® Explorer Business Card	2x United, restaurants, gas and office supplies	50,000 miles	$0 first year $95, after that

If you’re a small business owner or an independent contractor, both United’s MileagePlus Explorer Business and American’s CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select are excellent and come with much smaller annual fees. Those cards give you double miles in several categories, some of which include recurring costs, such as gas and phone bills, that can add up fast.

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