4 Best Credit Cards with Anniversary Bonuses

If you renew your card year after year, you could get bonuses like free nights or a companion flight certificate.
Dustin Waller
By Dustin Waller 
Updated
Edited by June Casagrande

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Travel rewards credit cards offer all kinds of perks to attract your business. But only some reward you for sticking around by giving you a specific perk every year on your cardholder anniversary. In a lot of cases, these anniversary bonuses are more valuable than you might guess.

Here are the top credit cards with anniversary bonuses.

Top credit cards with anniversary perks

1. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is loaded with benefits, including Priority Pass lounge access, a $250 airline fee credit and a $100 resort credit. And while this card has a $550 annual fee, it also gives customers a valuable weekend night certificate each year after you renew your credit card. Terms apply.

You can use your weekend night certificate at almost any property in the Hilton portfolio, including ultra-luxe Waldorf Astorias and Conrads. This is far more generous than other hotel loyalty programs that don’t let you use a free night certificate at their top-tier luxury hotels.

Normally, these weekend night certificates are good for Friday, Saturday or Sunday stays only. But in response to the pandemic, Hilton adjusted the weekend certificate issued in two key ways: It can now be used any day of the week, and the perks' expiration dates have been extended until the end of Dec. 2022. This offers even more flexibility and value for customers.

2. World of Hyatt Credit Card

World Of Hyatt Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 

With the anniversary bonuses from the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you get a certificate to use at hotel Categories 1 through 4 every year when you pay the $95 annual fee. Plus, you can get another free night if you charge $15,000 in a calendar year.

Use this certificate at a Category 4 World of Hyatt property to get the most value. For example, depending on when you stay, the Andaz in Savannah, Georgia, would cost $255 for the night. So by paying the $95 annual fee on the World of Hyatt credit card and using your anniversary certificate at this hotel, you would come out $160 ahead.

Couple this with Hyatt Discoverist or higher status, and you may get extra benefits like a room upgrade, making that certificate even more valuable.

3. Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card

Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 

The Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card gives you the chance to earn a Companion Fare every year when renewing your card, paying the $95 annual fee, assuming the cardholder has spent $6,000 on the card that year.

🤓Nerdy Tip

Alaska consumer credit cardholders prior to Jan. 18, 2023, earn the Companion Fare annually without the minimum spend requirement.

With this benefit, a companion can accompany you on a paid round-trip or one-way Alaska Airlines flight for $99 plus taxes — usually for a total of about $121. There are no blackout dates, and the fare can be used on any Alaska Airlines flight as long as you’re traveling on the same reservation, it is a paid ticket (not an award flight) and you used your Alaska Airlines credit card to pay.

You can even use this companion fare on a flight to Hawaii, which is excluded with some other airline certificates.

4. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers 7,500 Southwest points when you renew your credit card and pay the $149 annual fee.

NerdWallet values Southwest points at 1.5 cents per point, which means those 7,500 points would offer $112 in value for Southwest flights, offsetting most of the annual fee.

The bottom line

While there are many credit cards that offer anniversary bonuses, these are some of the best. A credit card anniversary perk can, in many cases, easily justify paying the card’s annual fee. If these airlines or hotels align with your travel destinations, then having these travel credit cards for the long term could really benefit you.

To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, see this page.
All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024, including those best for:

Travel Cards from Our Partners
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-5x

5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Points
Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Freedom Unlimited®
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1.5%-6.5%

Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Cashback

Intro offer

$300

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
4.7
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

2x-5x

Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

Miles

Intro offer

75,000

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Miles
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