The Best Travel Credit Card Welcome Bonus Offers Right Now

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.

This is the shortlist of the best travel card deals of 2023.

New travel card offers

» Learn more: Should I get more than one travel credit card?

A closer look

Here are some of the best travel credit card offers rights now:

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome offer: $780. NerdWallet values Hilton points at 0.6 cent each.

• Why you should get it: The welcome offers a sizeable welcome bonus. For a relatively low annual fee, the card comes with excellent rewards rates on bonus categories and automatic Gold elite status, plus the ability to earn Diamond status or additional Free Night Rewards if you meet spending requirements. Terms apply.

• Who should get it: Business owners who can put $15,000 on this card per year. If you spend $3,000 in the first three months of opening the card, you'll qualify for the welcome offer. Put another $12,000 on it after that, and you'll have a Free Night Reward to redeem, not to mention tons of Hilton points for additional award nights after all that spending. Terms apply.

• Who should skip it: The The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is an excellent $95-annual-fee hotel card, but if you're willing to shell out a bit more for the annual fee, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has more benefits and a higher welcome offer. Terms apply.

• Learn more: Find out whether the The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is worth its annual fee.

Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card

Get 2 reward nights worth $250 total (max $125 per night)*, when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. *Excludes taxes and fees. If a night costs less than $125, you won’t get the difference.

• Annual fee: $0.

• Value of welcome bonus: $375.

• Why you should get it: This bonus has one extra reward night, making it perfect for a long weekend stay.

• Who should get it: People who prefer booking through Hotels.com and know their loyalty program well. Since the annual fee is $0, it won't cost you anything to take advantage of the welcome bonus and hold it in your wallet.

• Who should skip it: This is the lowest value bonus on the list, so you might be better off with a more flexible travel card and an easier-to-use loyalty program.

• Learn more: Find out whether the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card is worth its annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

• Annual fee: $550.

• Value of welcome bonus: $1,200 - $1,520. You can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards® earned on this card for about 1.5 cents each when you book travel through the Chase travel portal, but points could be worth even more if you take advantage of travel transfer partners.

• Why you should get it: This is one of the highest welcome offers we've ever seen on this card, and while it might not be the most exciting premium travel card out there, there are a few key ways it still stands out. The 1.5 cent value in the travel portal still beats its AmEx and Capital One competitors, which usually only offer a value of 1 cent if you book in the issuer's travel portal. Also, there are fewer restrictions on how to use the $300 annual travel statement credit, which can be applied to any travel even if you didn't book through the portal or you didn't pay for "airline fees" like checked bags.

• Who should get it: People who collect Chase Ultimate Rewards® points and want premium travel card benefits, like lounge access. Some travelers can get the most value transferring the points to favorable transfer partners, but if redeeming the points in the Chase travel portal also isn't a bad option.

• Who should skip it: If you've already got a premium travel card, there's probably no need to get overlapping benefits. People with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently are also ineligible to hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

• Learn more: Find out whether the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is worth its annual fee.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

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!

• Annual fee: $0.

• Value of welcome bonus: $300. But it could be as much as $570 based on the other Chase Sapphire cards you might have and whether you take advantage of your the Sapphire card's transfer partners. More on how that works below.

• Why you should get it: With this welcome offer, you'll get an excellent rewards rate on your everyday spending: 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 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). Compare that to the usual 1% people get back on most purchases.

• Who should get it: If you have a Sapphire card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a must-have, especially while this offer is available. The secret is the Chase Freedom Unlimited® actually rewards Chase Ultimate Rewards® points that you can redeem for cash back at a rate of 1 cent per point. But if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can transfer your points from your Chase Freedom Unlimited® to your Sapphire card to be able to redeem them at a rate of 1.25 cents or 1.5 cents each in the travel portal. Or better yet, you could transfer those points to airline and hotel partners where you might find even more value.

• Who should skip it: If you're looking to add a huge chunk of points to your reserves for an upcoming trip, this card probably won't do the trick since it's based on spending for an entire year (or the first $20,000 you spend, whatever comes first). Look into some of the other best travel cards to top off your account instead.

• Learn more: Find out whether the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is worth its annual fee.

IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card

Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

• Annual fee: $99.

• Value of welcome bonus offer: $1,260. NerdWallet values IHG points at 0.7 cent each.

• Why you should get it: This sign-up bonus added a free night worth up to 40,000 points. Plus, this card just got an entire revamp earlier this year. You'll now earn higher rewards rate on all purchases, including up to 26x on IHG spending, 5x on travel, gas stations and restaurants, and 3x on everything else. Plus, it comes with an anniversary night worth up to 40,000 points each year.

• Who should get it: If you're usually underwhelmed by hotel credit card benefits, this card might change your mind. It comes with an anniversary night that's much easier to use than other reward nights that come with a low points-per-night cap. That's because you can always add IHG points from your account to supplement the 40,000-point value of the anniversary night. Plus the automatic elite status that comes with it is already the second-highest tier, so you'll already eligible for space-upgrades and other sweet perks.

• Who should skip it: People who don't stay often at IHG properties. IHG is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards® so if you only need IHG points occasionally, you'd probably be better served by one of the Chase Sapphire cards.

• Learn more: Find out whether the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card is worth its annual fee.

Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card

Get 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ from $122 ($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.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome bonus offer: $840. NerdWallet values Alaska miles at 1.2 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This card just got some major updates to go along with its highest bonus offer. One perk alone makes it totally worth the annual fee — an annual companion pass benefit that can be especially lucrative if you're using it to fly cross-country or to Hawaii. Keep in mind new cardholders will have to spend $6,000 per year to receive the Companion Fare.

• Who should get it: West Coast-based travelers who can take advantage of the route network and the sweet spots in the Alaska award chart.

• Who should skip it: People who don't live near an Alaska hub, which would make it hard to use the miles. Several other airline cards offers a similar companion pass as a benefit, so you can definitely find alternatives with other airlines if Alaska isn't convenient for you.

• Learn more: Find out whether the Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card is worth its annual fee.

United Club℠ Infinite Card

Earn 100,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

• Annual fee: $525.

• Value of welcome bonus offer: $1,200. NerdWallet values United miles at 1.2 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This is the highest currently available sign-up bonus on any United credit card. It's also rare to see airline card sign-up bonuses over $1,000, and with inflation pushing up flight prices, you'll probably need every mile you can get to book award seats next year.

• Who should get it: For people who want unlimited United Club access, the annual fee on this card is cheaper than an annual United Club membership.

• Who should skip it: If you don't want to be tied to United, consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. It also has lounge access through Priority Pass and the points you earn can be transferred to United Airlines (as well as many other airline and hotel partners). United frequent flyers who want something at a lower price point can also check out the boosted bonuses on the other United cards, like the United℠ Explorer Card or United Quest℠ Card.

• Learn more: Find out whether the United Club℠ Infinite Card is worth its annual fee.

United Quest℠ Card

Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

• Annual fee: $250.

• Value of welcome bonus offer: $960. NerdWallet values United miles at 1.2 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This offer is only 10,000 more miles than the previous offer, but this mid-range card is unique among travel cards. If you've been debating applying for the United Quest℠ Card, then now with its increased sign-up bonus is a good time.

• Who should get it: People who travel on United often, but don't need the lounge access. Notably, there's an annual $125 credit for United purchases, which can effectively cut the annual fee in half (and which makes the Quest card not that much more expensive than the Explorer card).

• Who should skip it: If you've got room in your budget, a premium travel card with lounge access is probably worth the extra cost.

• Learn more: Find out whether the United Quest℠ Card is worth its annual fee.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

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.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome bonus offer: $750 - $1,350. Capital One miles can be redeemed for 1 cent each in the Capital One Travel portal, but NerdWallet values Capital One miles at 1.7 cents each if you take advantage of transfer partners.

• Why you should get it: The welcome offer is 15,000 miles higher than before and now matches the offer on the more expensive Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. If you're just trying to collect Capital One miles, this is a much cheaper entry point.

• Who should get it: Beginner travel credit card users, or really anyone who doesn't want to keep track of a lot of bonus categories and statement credits. This card gets an excellent 2x on all spending, and 5x on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal. More advanced travel credit cardholders will love the access to transfer partners like Turkish Airlines and Finnair, which aren't available through Chase Ultimate Rewards® or American Express Membership Rewards.

• Who should skip it: If you want a lot of lounge access, it's worth spending the extra $300 on the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which can be offset by the $300 back in statement credits annually toward bookings made through Capital One Travel. While this card comes with two complimentary visits to Capital One lounges or more than 100 Plaza Premium lounges per year, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card's lounge access extends further to unlimited visits to those same lounges plus Priority Pass lounges and select Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses. Also, Capital One has limited options if you're trying to transfer your points to hotel programs, so people earning points for award stays might have more options with a different travel or hotel card.

• Learn more: Find out whether the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is worth its annual fee.

Citi Premier® Card

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome bonus offer: $600 - $900. Capital One miles 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: Since the Citi Prestige® Card is no longer taking new applications, the Citi 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 transferrable 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.

• Learn more: Find out how to get the most from the Citi Premier® Card.

To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, see this page.

The information related to Citi Prestige® Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.

All information about Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.