The Best Travel Credit Card Welcome Bonus Offers Right Now
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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.
» Learn more: Should I get more than one travel credit card?
Limited Time Offer! Earn up to 175,000 Bonus Points. Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn 35,000 Bonus Points after spending a total of $7,000 in the first 6 months from account opening.
Annual fee: $99.
Value of welcome offer: $1,320. NerdWallet values IHG points at 0.8 cent each.
Why you should get it: You'll get 30,000 more points than the previous offer, plus automatic Platinum elite status as long as you remain a cardholder and an Anniversary Free Night.
Who should get it: Business owners who stay regularly at IHG properties, and can take advantage of the fourth night free benefit when you book a consecutive four-night stay at IHG hotels on points.
Who should skip: IHG is also a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards®, so occasional IHG guests might opt to get a more general travel credit card instead.
Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 6/5. Terms Apply.
Annual fee: $195.
Value of welcome offer: $875. NerdWallet values Hilton points at 0.5 cent each.
Why you should get it: This card just got a refresh. The welcome offer is 45,000 points more than the previous offer, but the annual fee also increased by $100. Still, it might be worth it to apply for the card now before some of the longtime benefits disappear this summer. For example, if you are approved for this card and enroll in Priority Pass by June 30, 2024, you'll still get 10 complimentary Priority Pass visits valid through March 31, 2025.
Who should get it: Business owners who want to earn bonus Hilton Honors points on more than just business-related expenses. This card now earns 5 points per $1 on the first $100,000 in purchases made on the card in a calendar year, and 3 points per $1 thereafter.
Who should skip it: People who don't qualify for a business credit card might check out the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, which has a slightly lower annual fee and comes with automatic Hilton Honors™ Gold Status, similar to the The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.
Terms apply.
Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Annual fee: $650.
Value of welcome offer: $1,480. NerdWallet values Marriott points at 0.8 cent each.
Why you should get it: This welcome offer is 90,000 points (nearly double!) the previous offer. If you've been thinking about getting a high-end Marriott card, now would be a good time.
Who should get it: Marriott regulars who can afford the annual fee and make use of the luxury perks like automatic Platinum elite status, a $100 property credit on qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® and an annual Free Night Award worth up to 85,000 points.
Who should skip: If you want more flexibility to use your points at properties other than Marriotts, you might want to look at other premium travel cards with transferrable points.
Terms apply.
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 Travel℠.
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's travel portal, but points could be worth even more if you take advantage of travel transfer partners.
Why you should get it: This welcome offer has been around for a while, 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 Chase's 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 Chase's 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.
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:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
on Chase's website
1x-5x
Points60,000
Pointson Chase's website
1.5%-6.5%
Cashback$300
2x-5x
Miles75,000
Miles