The Best Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses of 2024

All information about the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card, the Chase Freedom Flex, the World of Hyatt Credit Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

Comparing the best credit card bonus offers

After looking at all of the credit cards with sign-up bonus offers, here are our selections for the top offers on the market right now:

Editor’s picks: A closer look at our top-rated sign-up bonus credit cards

Best for welcome offer + referral bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• Bonus offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel.
• Best features: You can earn the bonus after spending $4,000 within the first three months of card membership. You’ll also earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3X points on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2X points on other travel purchases and a $50 annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit.
• Biggest drawbacks: The $95 annual fee may be more than some individuals are willing to pay, but frequent travelers will find that the benefits and rewards give the Chase Sapphire Preferred a strong long-term value. However, those perks are not quite on par with the sort of premium offerings you’d get with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, such as a $300 travel credit and lounge access.
• Alternatives: For people seeking a premium travel card with a high-end suite of perks, the Chase Sapphire Reserve could be a very rewarding option – despite its $550 annual fee.
• Bottom line: With its extensive list of top-notch travel benefits, an excellent rewards rate and substantial welcome offer and referral bonus, it’s easy to see why the Chase Sapphire Preferred is at the top of its class.

Read our full Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for cash back: Chase Freedom Unlimited®

• Bonus offer: Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back.
• Best features: The Chase Freedom Unlimited has a competitive base rewards program: 1.5% cash back on general purchases, plus 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 5% cash back on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025), 3% on dining (including takeout and eligible food delivery services) and 3% on drugstore purchases. Plus, there’s no annual fee.
• Biggest drawbacks: The Freedom Unlimited is a flat-rate cash back card, so if you tend to spend a lot in one or a few specific spending categories, you could possibly earn more with a rotating or tiered cash back credit card.
• Alternatives: Chase customers seeking bonus rewards will want to check out the Chase Freedom Flex®, as it awards cardholders 5% cash back in rotating bonus categories that they must enroll in each quarter (on up to $1,500 in purchase per quarter, then 1%).
• Bottom line: The Chase Freedom Unlimited also offers a generous sign-up bonus. There are not too many no-annual-fee cards that exceed the value of this card.

Read our full Chase Freedom Unlimited review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for Marriott guests: Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card

• Bonus offer: Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Best features: This card rewards Marriott guests with incredibly generous rewards rates for Marriott hotel stays. You can earn up to 14X Bonvoy points (up to 10X from being a Marriott Bonvoy Member, 3X on participating hotels and 1X from Marriott along with Silver Elite status, which comes as a benefit of being a cardmember) at more than 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy and receive 5 Elite Night Credits annually and complimentary Silver Elite Status. (Restrictions apply.)
• Biggest drawbacks: This card’s rewards are tailored to loyal Marriott customers, so if you don’t frequent the hotel chain, a different credit card (and sign-up bonus) is likely warranted.
• Alternatives: If you want to earn points toward travel, you may be best off skipping a hotel card altogether and going with a flexible points card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred. In addition to a sign-up bonus, the Sapphire Preferred card offers a higher earning rate than the Bonvoy Bold card: 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through the Chase Travel portal, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2 points per dollar on other travel and 1 point per dollar on everything else.
• Bottom line: We estimate the value of the total current welcome offer is worth up to $240 in Marriott stays, given Marriott points are worth about 0.8 cent each. That welcome offer is on par with other no annual fee hotel credit cards.

Read our full Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for welcome offer + travel credits: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

• Bonus offer: Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within your first three months. You’ll also get a free one-year membership to Lyft Pink (through March 31, 2025) and DoorDash’s DashPass (activate by December 31, 2027).
• Best features: As part of the card’s base rewards program, you earn 10X total points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠, 5X total points on air travel through Chase Travel℠ and 3X points on all other travel purchases (after you earn the card’s annual $300 travel credit). You can also earn 3X points on dining at restaurants and receive up to a $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every four years.
• Biggest drawbacks: The travel benefits come at a price, specifically the card’s $550 annual fee, so make sure you travel enough to justify that cost before applying.
• Alternatives: The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a strong alternative to the Chase Sapphire Reserve because it has a much more reasonable $95 annual fee but still earns lucrative rewards: 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3X points on dining and 2X points on all other travel expenses.
• Bottom line: That sign-up bonus has a $900 value when booking travel through Chase Travel, where you get a 50% redemption boost.

Read our full Chase Sapphire Reserve review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for airline travel: United℠ Explorer Card

• Bonus offer: Limited-time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• Best features: The card’s base travel rewards are competitive: You earn 2X miles when spending on hotel stays, dining and United purchases and 1X miles on other purchases. You also get a statement credit of up to $120 on Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, priority boarding privileges and two one-time passes to United Club℠ each anniversary.
• Biggest drawbacks: If you don’t frequently fly United, you might be better served by a different airline credit card, a rewards card with more nuanced rewards categories or one with no annual fee. Although this card’s $95 annual fee is waived the first year, it can eat into your long-term rewards value.
• Alternatives: If you aren’t loyal to a particular airline, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a great option. While it charges a steep annual fee, it offers generous travel credits and perks that easily offset the cost (including Priority Pass lounge access and credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry).
• Bottom line: If you meet the required spend and redeem your miles for Saver Awards, that bonus amounts to around $660 in airfare, (based on Bankrate’s United mile value estimate of 1.1 cents per mile).

Read our full United Explorer Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for sign-up bonus + annual bonus: Citi Rewards+® Card

• Bonus offer: Earn 20,000 ThankYou points if you spend $1,500 in your first three months of account opening, redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com.
• Best features: The card’s base rewards program lets you earn 2X ThankYou points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 spent annually (then 1X points) and 1X points on all other purchases. Plus, the card carries a unique feature in that it automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase. You’ll also get 10% points back on the ThankYou points you redeem, up to 100,000 points redeemed per year. There is no annual fee.
• Biggest drawbacks: There are higher cash back sign-up bonuses out there. There are also a few cards that offer a higher return on similar bonus categories without spending limits. For instance, a flat rate cash back card that earns up to 2% back on all purchases potentially offers more rewards value than the Citi Rewards+.
• Alternatives: For cardholders who prefer a flat rate cash back card, the Citi Double Cash® Card might be a perfect fit for you. It earns 1% cash back on all purchases, then another 1% as you pay off those purchases.
• Bottom line: This card features a decent sign-up bonus and an annual bonus for redeeming rewards: Cardholders receive 10% points back on the ThankYou points they redeem (up to 100,000 points redeemed per year).

Read our full Citi Rewards+ review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for hotel guests: The World of Hyatt Credit Card

• Bonus offer: Earn up to 60,000 bonus points with a tiered sign-up offer that gives you 30,000 points after you spend $3,000 in your first three months and up to 30,000 more points by earning 2X points on purchases that usually earn 1 point on up to $15,000 in your first six months.
• Best features: You earn 2X points on a variety of spending, including at restaurants and on airline tickets purchased directly from airlines. You also receive a free night at a category 1 to 4 Hyatt hotel each year after your cardmember anniversary and can earn a second free night at the same type of hotel each year you spend $15,000.
• Biggest drawbacks: The $95 annual fee isn’t waived the first year. If you don’t frequent Hyatt hotels, you may be better served by a different hotel credit card.
• Alternatives: Since the Chase Sapphire Preferred is not tied to any hotel loyalty program, you can redeem your points for stays at thousands of properties around the world, under many different brands. While you won’t enjoy the elite status benefits that come with sticking to one loyalty program, you’ll have the added flexibility of redeeming your points for all kinds of travel purchases without sacrificing their value.
• Bottom line: If you can meet that high required spend associated with the second tier of the bonus ($15,000 in your first six months), your earned points could be worth up to $1,300 in hotel nights, depending on how you spend them. (We estimate World of Hyatt points, on average, are worth around 2-cents each.)

Read our full World of Hyatt Credit Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for Southwest flyers: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

• Bonus offer: Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening.
• Best features: As base rewards, you’ll earn 2X points on Southwest purchases, Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partner purchases, and 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases. Plus, you’ll receive 3,000 bonus points each year on your account anniversary.
• Biggest drawbacks: The card carries a $69 annual fee, which isn’t quite covered by the anniversary bonus. We estimate the anniversary bonus of 3,000 points is worth around $45, using the 1.5-cent per point value projected by Bankrate. If you don’t fly Southwest, this card isn’t for you.
• Alternatives: Even if Southwest Airlines is your airline of choice, the Chase Sapphire Preferred could still be a rewards card worth considering. Although it charges a higher annual fee, the Sapphire Preferred offers a few benefits that might outweigh the added costs.
• Bottom line: We’ve estimated the points portion of the intro bonus to be worth around $750 in Southwest travel, given that Bankrate currently values Southwest Rapid Rewards points at around 1.5 cents apiece.

Read our full Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

Best for anniversary bonus: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

• Bonus offer: Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening.
• Best features: For base rewards, you earn 3X points on Southwest purchases, 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partner purchases and 1X points on other purchases. You also receive a $75 Southwest travel credit each year, a unique feature among Southwest cards. Plus, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority’s anniversary bonus is the highest of the Southwest cards: You earn 7,500 bonus points after each card anniversary.
• Biggest drawbacks: The card has a $149 annual fee, not waived the first year, so you’ll need to carefully consider whether you patronize Southwest enough to truly reap this card’s benefits.
• Alternatives: If you are a fan of United Airlines, the United Explorer Card offers a bevy of perks. Unlike the Southwest Priority card, this card offers bonus miles on restaurant purchases, making it much easier to rack up plenty of rewards. While United MileagePlus miles have a slightly lower average value than Rapid Rewards points, United Airlines has a much larger flight network and plenty of international options – making it a potentially better loyalty program for frequent international travelers.
• Bottom line: This bonus, which mirrors the one attached to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, offers a lot of value for frequent Southwest flyers, especially when you factor in the card’s base rewards and additional benefits.

Read our full Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details.

What is a credit card sign-up bonus and how do they work?

A sign-up bonus is a limited-time offer that many rewards credit cards feature (including travel credit cards and cash back credit cards). These promotions, also sometimes called “welcome offers,” give new cardholders a chance to earn extra rewards in the form of cash back, miles, points, free hotel nights or more. To get these rewards, cardholders are generally required to spend a certain amount in a specified period. Although, some offers stipulate a certain number of purchases or activate after just one swipe of the card. Typically, the higher the required spend, the more lucrative the bonus. In recent years, sign-up bonuses have become an increasingly popular way to entice new cardholders.

“A trend I’ve observed is that issuers are competing for consumers’ business based mostly on sign-up bonuses and rewards for ongoing spending,” says Ted Rossman, CreditCards.com industry analyst. “Whether you’re interested in travel or cash back, you can take advantage of offers that can put $500, $750 or even more into your wallet.”

Pros and cons of credit cards with sign-up bonuses

While sign-up bonus offers can be truly valuable, it’s important to evaluate your situation before going after one.

Types of sign-up bonuses

Anything a credit card issuer offers that serves to incentivize new cardholders to sign up can be considered a sign-up bonus, but the most common types of sign-up bonus come in these forms:

• Cash back: Cash back is one of the more common forms of sign-up bonuses and will usually fall between $100 and $500, depending on the credit card. Cash back sign-up bonuses frequently show up as a statement credit on the card account.
• Travel miles: When signing up for a general travel card or a co-branded airline credit card, the best cards typically offer airline miles or travel points redeemable for flights, hotels and more.
• Rewards points: Points are likely the most flexible sign-up bonus option, as they can be redeemed for travel purchases, cash back or statement credits. However, keep in mind that points may not translate to miles or cash back at a 1:1 ratio.

How to choose a sign-up bonus card

Sign-up bonuses are alluring, but not every credit card’s welcome offer may be the right one for you. Here’s how you can choose the best sign-up bonus credit card to add to your wallet.

Choose a card that aligns with your realistic spending habits

Stay away from cards with demanding spending limits and requirements if you don’t spend near the amount that’s asked. If you’re in a position to spend more than you do normally and strain your budget, you risk falling into debt.

If you’re prone to overspending, a sign-up bonus that has a weighty spending requirement might put you in the red just so you can earn a couple hundred dollars back. This puts you at risk to run up a large balance with accrued interest. In the worst case, interest can completely offset your sign-up bonus earnings. This is especially the case on cards with large sign-up bonuses and high APRs.

Double check eligibility with the card issuer

Some issuers won’t allow you to earn more than one sign-up bonus from their card offerings in a set period, so you should be wary of opening a card account for a card with a sign-up bonus you’re ineligible for.

When do choose a card with an annual fee

While no one ever wants to pay annual fees, you shouldn’t automatically nix a card with one. If you do the math, you’ll often find that annual fee cards – due to larger sign-up bonuses and higher rewards redemption rates – offer the best value, even with a fee. Plus, some annual fee cards waive the charge in their first year. Still, you need to be sure you can afford to pay a fee and that you’ll redeem the rewards in a timely manner to make the fee worth it. Ideally, you want to look at ongoing rewards and other perks, such as airport lounge access, extended warranties or cellphone insurance.

“Figure out how you spend your money and what you value most,” says CreditCards.com Industry Analyst Ted Rossman. “Card issuers have grown tired of the sign-up bonus arms race and customers who churn through bonuses,” says Rossman. “They’d rather keep you spending with incentives on dining, transportation and streaming. Sign-up bonuses are great, but don’t lose sight of the big picture. Constantly opening and closing cards can hurt your credit score, too. The best credit card rewards strategies mix introductory bonuses with long-term value.”

Let’s take a look at the value of a no annual fee card versus an annual fee competitor to determine the impact of each over two years. We’ll compare the travel and dining rewards value available from the United Explorer Card ($95 annual fee – waived the first year) and the Wells Fargo Active Cash card, a flat-rate cash back card that earns 2% cash rewards on purchases. The United Explorer Card’s miles are worth 1.1 cents per mile, according to Bankrate’s points valuation. This evaluation looks at each card’s returns based on someone who annually spends $2,000 on travel expenses, $1,800 on dining and $5,000 on other purchases, while hitting their sign-up bonus along the way.

*United Explorer Card earns 60,000 miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months

**Wells Fargo Active Cash earns a $200 cash rewards bonus after you spend $500 in the first 3 months

At first glance, the two-year rewards are lopsided. This large gap is thanks to the United Explorer Card’s sign-up bonus in the first year. As such, when looking at ongoing rewards, the Active Cash card may be the better choice in the long-term. Although the first-year rewards are slightly one-sided, the Active Cash card’s consistent cash rewards at a flat rate and lack of annual fee will bring you more year-to-year value in the future. It may be hard to deny the upfront rewards available with annual fee cards, but consumers hunting for a card for the foreseeable future might want to look towards the best no annual fee options.

How to maximize sign-up bonuses

Signing up for the right bonus at the right time can help you take your sign-up bonus the extra mile. Here are some tips to squeeze more value out of your sign-up bonus:

• Look for special offers: Sometimes issuers offer sign-up bonuses to targeted groups of cardholders that are larger than the offers advertised on their sites. Visit the issuer’s site often, check your mail or call the issuer directly to find out if you qualify for a special offer.
• Keep an eye on the bonus after you sign up: Some issuers will award you the larger bonus amount if the offer increases after you sign up for the card. If the bonus goes up before the promotional period expires, call your issuer to see if you can qualify for the larger bonus.
• Sign your spouse up for the same card: Many issuers will allow couples (married or otherwise) to sign up for the same card separately. Yes, even if your spouse is already an authorized user on your account, you can earn twice the number of bonus points.
• Time your applications carefully: You’ll need to keep issuers’ policies – such as Chase’s 5/24 rule and American Express’s once-in-a-lifetime limit on welcome bonuses – in mind when deciding which cards to apply for. For instance, if you know that an issuer puts a limit on the number of new accounts you can have in a certain time frame, you might want to apply for those cards first.
• Watch out for hidden convenience fees: Avoid using your card to pay for products or services that charge a fee to use credit cards. For example, some utility companies and providers, such as contractors or plumbers, may charge you a convenience fee of 2-4% to pay by card. See if you can meet the minimum spending requirement without paying fees.
• Know what counts toward the minimum spend: If you read the sign-up bonus terms and conditions, you’ll likely find that the annual fee, your balance transfers, and the purchase of travelers checks or other “cash-like” items, don’t count toward your minimum spending total.
• Be careful about returning items: If you return an item that you purchased with your card, be sure to subtract the amount from your total spending. Otherwise, you could accidentally fall short of the spending threshold and miss out on your card’s bonus.
• Don’t get sucked into debt: What good is a few hundred dollars’ worth of bonus points if you also end up thousands of dollars in debt? Before you spring for a sign-up bonus, make sure you can afford the spending threshold. Aim to pay your monthly balances off in full, lest you lose lucrative points, miles or cash back to interest.

What to know about sign-up bonus offers

Issuer restrictions

Sign-up bonus restrictions are often the most confusing parts of a welcome offer. It’s important to dig into the fine print and identify any limits set in place by the issuer. For example, credit card churning is when consumers frequently open new credit cards to gain a sign-up bonus and do not intend to use the card long-term. To prevent this, many of the major credit card issuers set limits on how often people can sign up for cards and earn sign-up bonuses. Chase does so with their 5/24 rule, which states that cardholders can’t get a new Chase credit card if there are five or more credit card inquiries on their credit report in the past 24 months, and one can only earn a sign-up bonus once every 24 to 48 months.

Some purchases don’t count towards sign-up bonuses

While most everyday purchases can bring you closer to meeting the spending requirement for a sign-up bonus, credit card issuers do have exceptions for certain transactions that don’t qualify. These types of transactions are typically considered ineligible:

• Cash advances
• Balance transfers
• Refunded purchases
• Lottery tickets
• Wire transfers
• Fees, including annual fees

It’s important to consider that in many cases, these purchases don’t allow you to earn rewards either. To get a better understanding of what counts as an eligible purchase in relation to a sign-up bonus as well as other key information about the card, be sure to check the terms and conditions provided by the issuer.

Huge sign-up bonuses aren’t always worth it

A big sign-up bonus, like those that are upwards of 100,000 points, are always tempting. However, a sign-up bonus of this volume should be analyzed a little more closely because a bonus isn’t always worth as much as it seems. You’ll want to determine the value of those points before you get too excited about it. Convert points to cash value is a great way to standardize how you’re comparing cards. This way you won’t get trapped with a 100,000-point offer that is worth as much as some 50,000-point offers.

How we picked the best credit card bonus offers

We evaluated credit cards with welcome offers to identify the top bonuses currently on the market. The major factors we considered include:

• Value of bonus: We looked at the amount of rewards associated with specific welcome offers, how much that amount might be worth within that card’s rewards program and whether the amount stood out among competitors.
• Required spend: Welcome bonuses aren’t usually automatic; In most cases, you’ll need to spend a certain amount of money on the card to get your extra points, miles or cash back. We considered whether the required spend was reasonable for the card’s target audience and whether it was comparable to or better than other cards in its category.
• Base rewards: We considered the amount of points, miles or cash back you could earn beyond a credit card’s welcome offer and whether the base rewards return rate was equally lucrative. In other words, we considered a card’s long-term value.
• Fees: You’ll want to minimize costs, so we evaluated any sign-up bonus against common card fees, including the annual fee, penalty fees and foreign transaction fees. Note: An annual fee isn’t always a deal-breaker. We have more details below on how to calculate whether to opt for an annual fee credit card with a good sign-up bonus.
• Annual percentage rates: You generally want to avoid carrying a balance on a rewards credit card, given they tend to carry higher APRs than, say, a low-interest credit card. However, we still considered where a card’s APR range fell relative to the current credit card industry standard.

Not sure what welcome offers you might qualify for? Our CardMatch tool can show you what credit cards you may qualify for without hurting your credit score.

Additional information on sign-up bonus cards

For more information on sign-up bonus offers, continue reading content from our credit card experts:

• Sign-up bonus rules you should know before applying
• How to use rent payments to score welcome bonuses
• High credit card sign-up bonuses starting to return

About the Author

Ryan Noonan

Ryan Noonan Ryan Noonan is a former writer for Bankrate and CreditCards.com and is a graduate of the School of Journalism at Ohio State University. 

About the Editor

Tracy Stewart

Tracy Stewart is a personal finance writer specializing in credit card loyalty programs, travel benefits, and consumer protections. He previously covered travel rewards credit cards, budget travel, and aviation news at SmarterTravel Media. His money-saving tips have appeared in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports, MarketWatch, Vice, People, the Zoe Report and elsewhere.

About the Reviewer

Erica Sandberg

Erica Sandberg is a prominent personal finance authority and author of "Expecting Money: The Essential Financial Plan for New and Growing Families." Her articles and insights are featured in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Pregnancy, Babytalk, Redbook, Bank Investment Consultant, Prosper.com, MSN Money and Dow Jones MarketWatch. An active television and radio commentator, Sandberg is the credit and money management expert for San Francisco’s KRON-TV, a frequent guest on Forbes Video Network, Fox Business News, Bloomberg TV and all Bay Area networks. Prior to launching her own reporting and consulting business, she was affiliated with Consumer Credit Counseling Services of San Francisco where she counseled individuals, conducted educational workshops and led the media relations department. Sandberg is a member of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and on the advisory committee for Project Money.