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.

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

Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

• Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95.

• Value of welcome offer: $720. NerdWallet values United miles at 1.2 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This sign-up bonus offer is 10,000 miles more than the previous offer, and this card is one of the best airline credit cards at this price point.

• Who should get it: People who fly United Airlines at least a few times a year, and can take advantage of benefits like free checked bags and two United Club day passes.

• Who should skip it: People who already have a credit card that earns points that can be transferred to United (like the Chase Sapphire cards) and don't fly United often.

• Learn more: Is the United℠ Explorer Card worth its annual fee?

Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

• Annual fee: $99.

• Value of welcome offer: $1,125. NerdWallet values Southwest points at 1.5 cents each.

• Why you should get it: Southwest points are easy and straightforward to use, and you'll pretty much always get a consistent value for them. The card also comes with a $75 annual credit for Southwest travel, four free upgraded boardings a year (worth at least $30 apiece) that get you to the front of the boarding line, and a 7,500-point annual bonus.

• Who should get it: People who live near an airport with a lot of Southwest flights and could use the points for domestic flights.

• Who should skip it: Southwest doesn't have a ton of international destinations, so flyers hoping to use points to go abroad might be interested in a credit card with a different airline that has a more robust network.

• Learn more: Is the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card worth its annual fee?

Earn 170,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

• Annual fee: $150. Terms apply.

• Value of welcome offer: $850. NerdWallet values Hilton points at 0.5 cent each.

• Why you should get it: This middle-tier card just got refreshed with some perks, including new 4 points per dollar earning rate on U.S. online retail purchases and up to $200 back annually (up to $50 in statement credits each quarter) on eligible Hilton purchases. Terms apply.

• Who should get it: People who book with Hilton each quarter and can spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year to earn the Free Night Reward. Terms apply.

• Who should skip it: People who want the benefits of elite status might be better off with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which comes with the higher Diamond status. Terms apply.

• Learn more: Is the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card worth its annual fee?

For a limited time, earn 90,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - enough to redeem for up to 11 rewards nights at select Choice Hotels® properties.

• Annual fee: $0 for the first year, then $95 thereafter.

• Value of welcome offer: $900. NerdWallet values Choice points at 1 cent each.

• Why you should get it: Choice added Radisson hotels to its portfolio this past summer, so these points offer more redemption options than ever.

• Who should get it: People who stay regularly at Choice brands and could make use of the automatic Platinum elite status. That's the second-to-highest tier of elite status.

• Who should skip it: For even more redemption options, consider a general travel credit card. Cards that earn American Express Membership Rewards or Citi ThankYou points can also transfer points to the Choice Privileges program.

• Learn more: Is the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® worth its annual fee?

Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

• Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $99.

• Value of welcome offer: $900. NerdWallet values United miles at 1.2 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This sign-up bonus is 25,000 more miles than the previous offer. That's a 50% increase.

• Who should get it: Business owners that frequently fly United Airlines. Check to see whether you might be eligible for a business credit card with your side hustle or freelancing.

• Who should skip it: Business credit cards often have higher sign-up bonuses than their consumer counterparts. Check out our full round-up of the best cards for small businesses.

Earn up to 100,000 bonus points – 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 25,000 points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome offer: Up to $1,400. NerdWallet values Air Canada miles at 1.9 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This is a particularly high-value welcome offer for an airline card. That, plus the 500 bonus points cardholders get for every $2,000 in monthly spending (up to 1,500 points) make this card a free flights powerhouse.

• Who should get it: Aeroplan loyalists who can reliably cover the annual fee through spending and fly Air Canada or its Star Alliance partners with regularity. The automatic Aeroplan 25k elite status that comes with the card means you can enjoy elite benefits on Air Canada and any other airlines in the Star Alliance network.

• Who should skip it: Flyers who don't often fly with Air Canada. While Air Canada has plenty of transfer partners, United is the only U.S. airline it partners with, so this card doesn't offer much flexibility for U.S. travelers.

60,000 Bonus Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

• Annual fee: $199.

• Value of welcome offer: $1,380. NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 2.3 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This card just got a two-part sign-up bonus, and the additional 15,000 points are noteworthy. Not to mention, Hyatt points are the most valuable hotel points by far.

• Who should get it: Big business spenders who have a big purchases coming up. Find out whether you qualify for a business credit card.

• Who should skip it: People who don't own a business can earn Hyatt points with the consumer Hyatt credit card or one of the Chase Sapphire cards (which earn points that can transfer to Hyatt).

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: $900 - $1,560. 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.

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 - $1,050. Capital One miles can be redeemed for 1 cent each in the Capital One Travel portal, but NerdWallet values Capital One miles at 1.4 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.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome bonus offer: $600 - $780. Citi ThankYou points 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.

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.