In a past Frequent Miler on the Air episode, Nick and I discussed an amazing Marriott Bonvoy Boundless 5 free nights offer (now expired). By many measures, this was one of the best credit card offers we’ve ever seen. But we agreed that we wouldn’t recommend it to most people. It was a great credit card offer for those who knew they would be traveling within the next year, but terrible for everyone else. We also discussed the likelihood that other great offers would appear. For example, we argued that we’d likely soon see improved offers for the Bonvoy Brilliant and World of Hyatt cards. In both cases, time proved us right.
Our Best Credit Card Offers page always shows the best offers sorted by estimated first year value. This is a great non-biased way to compare credit card offers, but it misses nuances like those described above. That’s why I introduced this monthly series where I list my favorite credit card offers, but with a dash of analysis. With each offer, I point out who should care about it and who shouldn’t. I also include a “Wait for better” section with the cards that I think may soon have better offers.
Greg’s Top Picks: Showstopping credit card offers
Amex Platinum: 10X AND 75K + $300, 100K, or 125K
These offers are astoundingly good! There are several versions that are possible to get:
- 125K + 10X: Very rare, but some people find this one by browsing to the Amex prequalification tool from a clean browser.
- 100K + 10X: This one is also targeted but most people have been able to find this offer by repeatedly browsing to this Amex Platinum card page from different clean browsers.
- 75K + 10X + $300 restaurant rebate: This is a public offer, found here.
Who should get it: Pretty much anyone who hasn’t been the primary cardholder of the Amex Platinum card in the past 7 years should at least consider one of these offers in my opinion. This is especially good for those who will spend a lot at US gas stations and supermarkets in the first 6 months.
Who shouldn’t get it: The Amex Platinum card will add to your 5/24 count (but I think this one is worth it anyway).
Timing your application: To snag $80 worth of streaming and wireless credits (up to $40 in November and $40 in December), you’ll need to apply right away.
See also:
- Incredible Amex Plat Offers! 125K + 10x [targeted], 100K + 10x, 75K + 10X + $300
- My plan for maximizing the incredible Amex Platinum offer
- Amex Membership Rewards Points Complete Guide
- Amex Platinum Complete Guide
Ink Business Cash: 75K + great 5X categories
This fee-free card belongs in every point collector’s wallet. It offers 5X for office supplies and 5X for phone service, cable TV, and internet (on up to $25,000 in total purchases in 5X categories annually). Many families would do well to setup their phone, TV, and internet bills to autopay from the Ink Business Cash card in order to earn 5X rewards without any effort whatsoever. Those willing to do a little bit of work will find that stores like Staples and Office Depot sell lots of gift cards in-store; and Staples.com sells them online. In both cases, you’ll earn 5X buying gift cards so that you can ultimately buy what you really want.
The 75K offer does require $7,500 spend, but imagine if you spent all of that within 5X categories… you would earn 37,500 points to add to the 75K for a total of 112,500!
Who should get it: Anyone with a premium Ultimate Rewards card (Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred) in the household should consider getting the Chase Ink Business Cash. The Ink Cash makes it easy to earn points quickly and the premium cards (especially the Sapphire Reserve) make your points more valuable.
More:
You must have a business (but you probably do): In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort.When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website.
Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: Don’t apply if you don’t have a business or if you’re over 5/24.
Timing your application: Sign up soon as we don’t know how long this will last. The usual offer is 50K.
See also: Chase Ink Business Cash Complete Guide
Ink Business Unlimited: 75K + 1.5X everywhere
This isn’t as much of a “must have” card as the Ink Cash, but the welcome bonus is similarly awesome. It is possible to get both cards even if you have only one business.
Who should get it: Anyone with a business who can qualify for this offer should consider it.
More:
You must have a business (but you probably do): In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort.When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website.
Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: Don’t apply if you don’t have a business or if you’re over 5/24.
Timing your application: Sign up soon as we don’t know how long this will last. The usual offer is 50K.
See also: Chase Ink Business Unlimited Complete Guide
Amex Gold Card: 60K + $250 + last chance $100 double-dip
The Amex Gold Card has been a favorite of ours since it debuted with its 4X dining and grocery categories (see above for details), but until recently the best offer for this card topped out at 45K points. Obviously 60K points is much better. And now, the ability to earn $250 back at restaurants (where you’ll also earn 4X) is better still! Consider that you’ll likely use this card at restaurants and food delivery services anyway (for 4X rewards), so you should be able to earn the full $250 rebate through regular dining spend over the next 12 months.
Amex recently announced that they were adding new perks to the Gold card: $10 per month Uber / Uber Eats credit plus 12 months complementary Uber Eats Pass Membership (the latter is also available to Amex Platinum and Green cardholders). That’s the good news. The bad news is that 2021 is the last year that they’ll rebate up to $100 per year in airline incidental fees.
Who should get it: The 60K offer is a great one and the $250 restaurant rebate makes the deal really awesome. As long as you haven’t had this card or the old Premier Rewards Gold card in the past 7 years, you should qualify for this one.
Who shouldn’t get it: The Amex Gold card will add to your 5/24 count, so if you’re trying to stay under 5/24 you won’t want this one.
Timing your application: Those who know how to take advantage of Amex’s airline fee rebates (see: Amex Airline Fee Reimbursements. What still works?) would do well to sign up now. You could earn $100 back this year (2020) and another $100 next year while also taking advantage of the new monthly Uber credits.
See also: Amex Membership Rewards Points Complete Guide.
JetBlue: 100K Offers
We’ve never before seen offers anywhere close to this good for JetBlue cards.
Who should get it: If you’re interested in flying JetBlue, either offer is a great way to rack up a small fortune in points towards future flights.
Who shouldn’t get it:Â If you’re trying to get or stay under 5/24 so that you can apply for Chase cards, then skip the JetBlue Plus offer and look only at the business card offer.
Timing your application: I don’t know how long these offers will last so if you’re interested I recommend going for it soon.
Marriott Bonvoy: Platinum + Points
There are currently two best-ever offers for Marriott credit cards available from American Express. The bonuses offer a combination of points plus a year of Platinum elite status. One unique aspect to these offers is that it’s possible to get in on both of them. Most Marriott card offers have strict rules preventing consumers from getting more than one welcome bonus in a short amount of time, but the rules allow for both of these cards as long as you haven’t received a bonus on a Chase Marriott card in the past 24 months. See this post for details: Are you eligible for a new Marriott card?
Another cool aspect to signing up for both cards is the fact that you’ll then get 30 nights towards elite status every year automatically. This means that once your free Platinum status runs out, you’ll be able to earn Platinum status again with only 20 additional nights in Marriott hotels (Platinum status requires 50 nights total). Marriott Platinum status offers perks like free breakfast, lounge access, 4Pm late check out, and more.
Who should get it: These are great offers for anyone interested in getting lots of Marriott points and/or interested in earning Marriott elite status.
Who shouldn’t get it: If you’re not interested in staying at Marriott hotels then you should skip these offers. If you’re trying to get or stay under 5/24 so that you can apply for Chase cards, then skip the Bonvoy Brilliant offer and look only at the business card offer.
Timing your application: These offers are scheduled to stick around until January 13th.
See also: Marriott Bonvoy Complete Guide
Greg’s Top Picks: More great credit card offers
Sapphire Preferred: 60K
The Sapphire Preferred card’s 60K offer is consistently one of the best consumer card offers available.
Who should get it: If it’s been more than 48 months since you last received a welcome bonus for the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve card and if you’re under 5/24, then this is a great choice. If you currently have the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve card, you’ll have to first product change it to a Freedom card then wait a day or two before signing up for this one.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: If you’re close to going over 5/24 and have your heart set on other Chase cards (see: “Must have” Chase cards), then you may want to skip this one. Also if you love the Sapphire Reserve card’s features and don’t want to go without that card for a year (you have to wait a year before upgrading the Sapphire Preferred), then skip the Sapphire Preferred.
Timing your application: Sign up before going over 5/24.
See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide
Wyndham Business Card: 45K points + Diamond
It’s not just the 45K welcome bonus that excites me about this new Wyndham card, but rather a combination of cool things:
- 15K annual point bonus: The annual point bonus alone is worth the card’s $95 annual fee.
- Wyndham Diamond status: With this status you can get suite upgrades (including on free nights), welcome amenity, and ability to gift Gold status to others. Even better, Wyndham Diamond status freely matches to Caesar’s Diamond which offers perks like waived resort fees, free $100 Celebration dinner (read Nick’s Celebration Dinner trip report here), and much more.
- Strong earnings for gas station purchases (8X), Wyndham hotels (8X), and utilities (5X)
- Won’t add to your 5/24 Count: Business cards from most issuers (including Barclays) do not show as accounts on your personal credit reports and therefore do not add to your Chase 5/24 count.
Who should get it: I think this one makes sense for pretty much anyone who is eligible to apply for business cards.
More:
You must have a business (but you probably do): In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort.When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website.
Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.
Who shouldn’t get it: Anyone who doesn’t foresee any good use for Wyndham points should stay away. Wyndham points expire 4 years after they’re earned.
Timing your application: The 45K offer is probably temporary. My bet is that the offer will drop down to 30K at some point in the future, but I don’t know when. If it’s important to you to get the 45K bonus then sign up soon.
See also: New Wyndham Earner credit cards review: Surprisingly strong
Freedom Unlimited or Flex: Up to 80K + great new category bonuses
Now that Chase has added valuable new bonus categories to these cards, it’s definitely worth adding at least one of the two to your arsenal. Both cards offer 5X Ultimate Rewards for travel booked through Chase; 3X for dining; and 3X drugstores. The Freedom Unlimited rounds this out with 1.5X everywhere else whereas the Freedom Flex offers 5X in categories that change each quarter. If you don’t already have a great “everywhere else” card, then the Freedom Unlimited is the better choice, otherwise go for the Freedom Flex.
It’s nice too that Chase has greatly improved the Freedom welcome bonus. The old bonus was for 20K points after $500 spend. Now, you get the same 20K points but also earn 5X at grocery stores for 12 months on up to $12K in purchases. If you spend $1K per month at grocery stores and nothing else on these cards, you’ll end up with 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points (20K from the initial bonus + 60K from 5X spend at grocery stores).
Who should get it: Anyone with a premium Ultimate Rewards card (Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred) in the household should consider getting one of these cards. The Freedom cards make it easy to earn points quickly and the premium cards (especially the Sapphire Reserve) make your points more valuable.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: Anyone trying to stay under 5/24.
Timing your application: I don’t think these offers are likely to change anytime soon so it’s fine to wait until it’s convenient.
See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide
United Business: 75K
An offer like this for a United business card comes and goes over time. Right now it’s at a high watermark, so it’s a good time to grab it. United miles are useful not just for flying United, but also for flying any Star Alliance airline or United partner. One nice thing about using United miles is that United doesn’t pass along fuel surcharges even when the flying carrier otherwise imposes them (yes, I’m looking at you Lufthansa and Swiss). The downside is that United’s award prices are fairly high compared to some alternatives like ANA or Turkish.
Who should get it: Anyone with a business who is under 5/24.
More:
You must have a business (but you probably do): In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort.When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website.
Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: Anyone who doesn’t have a business or has no use for United miles.
Timing your application: I don’t think this offer will last long. Either grab it now or wait until it comes around again.
United Explorer: 70K
An offer like this for the United Explorer card comes and goes over time. Right now it’s at a high watermark, so it’s a good time to grab it. United miles are useful not just for flying United, but also for flying any Star Alliance airline or United partner. One nice thing about using United miles is that United doesn’t pass along fuel surcharges even when the flying carrier otherwise imposes them (yes, I’m looking at you Lufthansa and Swiss). The downside is that United’s award prices are fairly high compared to some alternatives like ANA or Turkish.
Another reason to go for this offer is that you can later downgrade to a fee free United card and preserve access to expanded economy saver awards and last seat standard awards.
Who should get it: Anyone under 5/24 who does not yet have a consumer United card may find this one worth getting.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: Anyone who has no use for United miles or is trying to get or stay under 5/24.
Timing your application: I don’t think this offer will last long. Either grab it now or wait until it comes around again.
Virgin Atlantic: 65K
Bank of America advertises this as an 80K offer, but they’re counting 15K from big spend that you can get every year. To me, that shouldn’t be advertised as part of the welcome bonus. Still, this is a solid offer that comes and goes over time. Plus, this is a solid card to keep long term. See: Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard Deep Dive: Maximize Earnings and Status.
Who should get it: This is a good choice for anyone interested in accumulating Virgin Atlantic miles. Note that Virgin Atlantic miles are especially valuable for booking Delta non-stop, Air France premium economy, and ANA first class.
Who shouldn’t get it: This card will add to your 5/24 count, so if you’re trying to stay under 5/24 you won’t want this one.
See also: How to book Delta flights with Virgin Atlantic miles and How to book Air France & KLM with Virgin Atlantic Miles.
IHG Premier: 140K
This is a great bonus for a card with decent perks but poor earnings on spend. Those who don’t have the (no longer available) IHG Club card may like the IHG Premier for its annual free night certificate and automatic Platinum Elite status. The Fourth Night Free on award stays is a great feature too, but that’s also available on the fee-free IHG Traveler card. For those who don’t want to pay this card’s annual fee, a great option is to sign up for this bonus and then downgrade to the fee free card a year later.
Southwest Performance Business: 2-Year Companion Pass w/ $25K spend
This is an offer that we haven’t recommended earlier this year because the timing wasn’t right. Now, though, the timing works. Once you earn 125,000 qualifying points in a calendar year, Southwest offers a Companion Pass which is good for an unlimited number of flights (award flights or paid flights) for the rest of that calendar year and all of the next. And it just so happens that points earned from Southwest credit cards, including the welcome bonus, count towards the Companion Pass. The way to maximize this deal is to earn the welcome bonus early in January 2021 so that you’ll have a Companion Pass for the rest of 2021 and all of 2022.
The trick is to sign up for this offer before January, but wait to put spend on the card until after your December statement closes. Then, you’ll have to make sure to spend $25K before the terms of your welcome offer expire (3 months after approval). If you can make all of that happen, then you’ll earn 100,000 points from the welcome offer plus 25K points from the $25K spend. Then, once the 125K points are awarded, you’ll be given a Companion Pass good for nearly two full years.
Who should get it: This is ideal for anyone who can easily spend $25K quickly and who often travels in pairs on Southwest, or wants to do so.
More:
You must have a business (but you probably do): In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort.When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website.
Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: If you don’t think you’ll be flying much in 2021, then you should wait a year before doing this. If you aren’t interested in flying Southwest, in general, then don’t do this. If you can’t easily spend $25K quickly, then definitely don’t do this.
Timing your application: Ideally you’d wait until mid to late November to pull the trigger on this offer so that you’ll have more time to complete the $25K spend after your December statement closes. There is some risk that the offer will disappear before then, but I think that the risk is low.
See also: Southwest Airlines Companion Pass 2020 Complete Guide
Amex Green Card: 50K
This is a solid offer. If you like Amex Membership Rewards points then this is an easy way to pick up more of them.
Who should get it: The 50K offer is very good. It’s a good choice for anyone interested in accumulating Amex Membership Rewards points.
Who shouldn’t get it: The Amex Green card will add to your 5/24 count, so if you’re trying to stay under 5/24 you won’t want this one.
See also: Amex Membership Rewards Points Complete Guide
On the fence
Venture Rewards 100K
I had a hard time deciding where to put this offer. On the one hand, it’s hard to ignore a 100,000 point offer. There’s no doubt that it is a very strong offer. On the other hand, I believe that this offer has a narrow target audience…
In general, I think that the Venture Rewards card is a good pick for someone who only wants a single card, but anyone willing to carry even two cards can do better. For example, the combination of the Chase Freedom Unlimited and either Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred has the same total annual fee and is a better choice for most people in my opinion.
And for those only interested in the welcome bonus, there are a couple of problems: 1) Capital One is notoriously difficult to get approved if you have opened a lot of cards in the recent past. And 2) To get the full 100K bonus, you have to spend a whopping $20K. That’s a big hurdle.
Wait for better
Hilton Aspire
This is a tough one. I almost put this card in the top list. This card already has a great offer. Plus, the free nights earned from this card prior to the end of 2021 will be valid at least until the end of 2022 and for any day of the week, not just weekends (see this post for details).
On the other hand, the Bonvoy Brilliant card’s welcome bonus was recently improved and so I think that Hilton is likely to respond with an increased offer for the Aspire card.
Sapphire Reserve
In the post “Chase Sapphire Reserve 100K Offer – Will it return?” I offered up probabilities of various outcomes:
- Probability of the offer remaining 50K: High
- Probability of a 70K offer: Very Low
- Probability of a 80K offer: High
- Probability of a 100K offer: Low
In sum, I think that a return of the Sapphire Reserve 100K offer is very unlikely. But still, you never know. Update: One person reported receiving a targeted 100K offer for the Sapphire Reserve card. It’s possible that Chase will follow this up later with a similar public offer. We’ll see!
