Best credit card sign-up bonuses for August 2022

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One of the best perks of signing up for a credit card is the sign-up bonus. As an incentive for opening an account, eligible cardholders can earn a lump-sum of cash back, points or miles after spending a certain amount in a short period of time. The best sign-up bonuses can be worth hundreds (or thousands) of dollars with the right redemption option, but to find the right one for you, there’s more to consider than the size of the bonus. The spending requirements and deadline may not fit your budget, and you’ll have to make sure the credit card will provide you the best value long after you’ve spent your sign-up bonus.

To help you out, we’ve analyzed the best rewards credit cards with top-of-the-line sign-up bonus offers. Below, you’ll find our top picks along with some tips to help you choose the right credit card sign-up bonus for you.

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BEST FOR CUSTOMIZABLE REWARDS

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card

Reward rate
5

5% cash back on your first $2,000 in eligible net purchases each quarter on the combined two categories you choose.

3

5% cash back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center.

-1

1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

1

1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

Intro offer

$200 bonus

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

16.74% - 26.74% (Variable)

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 - 850)

The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card is packed full of bonus rewards categories. It will take more than a little effort to track them all, but people who don’t mind strategizing to earn high rewards for all their purchases will enjoy having this card in their collection.
Pros
  • Multiple rotating and fixed bonus categories, which can make it easier to earn rewards quickly
  • The $200 sign-up bonus (after spending $1,000 within the first 120 days of account opening) increases the card’s first-year value
Cons
  • The $2,000 combined spending cap each quarter for your chosen 5% categories limits your ability to rake in rewards
  • Having to track and enroll in rotating categories can be a hassle for some
  • New! $200 bonus after spending $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening.
  • 5% cash back on your first $2,000 in combined eligible purchases each quarter on two categories you choose
  • 5% cash back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center
  • 2% cash back on one everyday category, like Gas Stations/EV Charging Stations, Grocery Stores or Restaurants
  • 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases
  • 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles. After that, a variable APR currently 16.74% – 26.74%
  • No Annual Fee
  • Pay over time by splitting eligible purchases of $100+ into equal monthly payments with U.S. Bank ExtendPay™ Plan.
  • Terms and conditions apply.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Purchase intro APR
0% Intro APR on purchases for the first 15 billing cycles.

Balance transfer intro APR
0% Intro APR on balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles.

BEST FOR PERSONAL LOAN ALTERNATIVE

Upgrade Cash Rewards Elite Visa®

Reward rate
2.2

Earn 2.2% unlimited cash back on card purchases every time you make a payment

Intro offer

$200

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

8.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 - 850)

If you value having an incentive for making your credit card payments, you will find a lot to love with this card option. You’ll earn a competitive rate of 2.2 percent cash back on your purchases each time you make a payment. The card is also fairly affordable, skipping the annual fee, foreign transaction fees and many other common maintenance fees.
Pros
  • You won’t need to use your reward earnings to offset any maintenance fees.
  • You’ll earn a bonus after you open a Rewards Checking account and make three purchases with the card in your first 60 days.
Cons
  • The high end APR range is well above average. That could prove costly if you don’t have the credit needed to qualify for the lower range and you end up carrying a balance.
  • You won’t get a break on interest if you carry a balance since there are no intro APR offers on purchases or balance transfers.
  • $200 bonus on your Upgrade Card after opening a Rewards Checking account and making 3 debit card transactions within 60 days.*
  • New Feature: Pay your balance in full early each month and avoid interest with EarlyPay.
  • Earn 2.2% unlimited cash back on card purchases every time you make a payment
  • See if you qualify in seconds with no impact to your credit score
  • No Fees – $0 annual fees, $0 activation fees, $0 maintenance fees
  • Combine the flexibility of a card with the low cost and predictability of a loan
  • Access to a virtual card, so you can start earning while you wait for your card to arrive in the mail.
  • Contactless payments with Apple Pay® and Google Pay™
  • Mobile app to access your account anytime, anywhere
  • Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud liability
  • *To qualify for the $200 welcome bonus, you must open and fund a new Upgrade Rewards Checking Account and make 3 debit card transactions within 60 days of your Upgrade Card account opening. The bonus credit will be posted to your Upgrade Card as a rewards credit within 1-2 billing periods following the third debit transaction on your Rewards Checking account. Your Upgrade Card must be in good standing to receive the bonus.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Purchase intro APR
N/A

Balance transfer intro APR
N/A

BEST FOR GROCERIES

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Reward rate
6

6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).

1

6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.

3

3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations

0

3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations

1

1% Cash Back on other purchases

Intro offer

$350

Annual fee

$95

Regular APR

16.24%-26.24% Variable

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 - 850)

With generous rewards rates in family-friendly categories including purchases at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, on-the-go families will have a hard time finding a more rewarding credit card.
Pros
  • The base reward program is uber-lucrative, making this card a good choice for people looking for long-term value.
  • You don’t have to keep track of rotating spending categories or enrollment deadlines.
Cons
  • There is no intro APR offer on balance transfers.
  • You won’t earn the extra rewards for grocery shopping at major superstores and wholesale clubs, as those don’t count as U.S. supermarkets.
  • Earn a $350 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
  • Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months after account opening. Plans created after that will have a fixed monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
  • Low intro APR: 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 16.24% to 26.24%.
  • 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
  • 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
  • 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
  • 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
  • Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
  • $95 Annual Fee.
  • Terms Apply.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Purchase intro APR
0% on purchases for 12 months

Balance transfer intro APR
N/A

BEST FOR ROTATING CASH BACK CATEGORIES

Discover it® Cash Back

Reward rate
5

Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.

1

Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Intro offer

Cashback Match™

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

13.49% - 24.49% Variable

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 - 850)

The Discover it Cash Back is a popular choice for cash back rewards because of the rotating bonus categories. It’s an exciting way to earn cash back quarter by quarter and all year-round without committing to a set rewards category.
Pros
  • Discover will match the cash back you earn at the end of the first year.
  • There are a few cash back redemption options, including credit to your account and donations.
Cons
  • You must enroll to take advantage of the bonus categories each quarter.
  • There is a spending limit on your highest cash back category each quarter ($1,500 in combined purchases per quarter).
  • Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
  • Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
  • New! Discover helps remove your personal information from select people-search websites. Activate by mobile app for free.
  • Every $1 you earn in cash back is $1 you can redeem.
  • New Intro APR: Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 13.49% to 24.49% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
  • No annual fee.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Purchase intro APR
0% for 15 months

Balance transfer intro APR
0% for 15 months

BEST FOR UP TO 2% CASH BACK

Citi® Double Cash Card

Reward rate
2

Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.

Intro offer

$200 Cash Back

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

16.24% - 26.24% (Variable)

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 - 850)

If you make your payments on time each month, it’ll be tough to find a better cash back card than the Citi Double Cash Card. With healthy financial habits, this card effectively becomes a 2 percent flat-rate cash back card (1 percent when you make purchases and another 1 percent when you pay your bill), a rare find in the cash back market.
Pros
  • You can convert your cash back earnings to Citi ThankYou points when paired with a card like the Citi Premier® Card, which can be redeemed for travel, gift cards and more.
  • There are no spending category restrictions or rotating categories
Cons
  • Your rewards can expire with this card if you don’t use it for a year.
  • The sign-up bonus spending requirement is higher than you’ll find on many no-annual-fee cash back cards.
  • Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
  • For a limited time, earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.
  • Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 16.24% – 26.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
  • Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
  • If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
  • There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Purchase intro APR
N/A

Balance transfer intro APR
0% intro for 18 months on Balance Transfers

A closer look at the best credit cards for students

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for dining and entertainment

  • What we love about the Capital One SavorOne: It’s rare for a no annual fee card to earn such robust rewards rates in these particular categories in dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery store categories.
  • Who this card is good for: Socialites and social butterflies who will make the most out of the SavorOne’s very generous dining rewards.
  • Alternatives: The Discover it Chrome card is another card that offers competitive rewards rates on dining. It also tacks on gas rewards which is great for people who are often on the go, something that the SavorOne falls a bit short on.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express: Best overall cash back for families

  • What we love about the Blue Cash Preferred: The rewards categories on this card are some of the most popular spending categories for most consumers so if you play your cards right (pun intended), you’ll have a nice stack of rewards in your cash back match in your first year.
  • Who this card is good for: On-the-go people who spend a fair amount of money at gas stations and restaurants. You can earn 2 percent in those categories on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1 percent.
  • Alternatives: The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards card outpaces the Discover it Chrome by a lot if your main squeeze is getting the most out of dining rewards.

Citi Rewards+ Card: Best for rewards on small purchases

  • What we love about the Blue Cash Preferred: Thanks to the Citi Rewards+ Round Up feature, every purchase you make will be rounded up to the nearest 10 points. For example, a $4 coffee would be worth 10 points.
  • Who this card is good for: Frequent supermarket and gas station shoppers who want to earn cash back rewards easily without big spending habits.
  • Alternatives: If you want to expand beyond the Citi ThankYou® Points program, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card offers unlimited flat-rate rewards on all purchases, casting a wide net on your earning opportunities outside of a designated points program.

What is a sign-up bonus?

A sign-up bonus — also known as a welcome bonus, intro bonus or welcome offer — is an incentive offered by a credit card issuer to sign up for a credit card. A sign-up bonus can come in the form of cash back, points, travel miles or another perk offered by the credit card issuer. To receive a sign-up bonus, a cardholder will usually have to spend a certain dollar amount on purchases within a specified time period (usually three months, but six months or even a year isn’t unusual).

Types of welcome offers

Although sign-up bonuses are most often distributed as additional cash back, points or miles, there are a few other types of welcome offers to watch for that can be just as valuable — if not more so.

These offers are quite common and let you earn a set cash back amount or number of miles or points based on a certain spending requirement, and is usually worth around $150 to upwards of $1,000 based on your annual fee and the required spend. For example, a no annual fee cash back card may offer a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within three months.

A two-stage bonus usually operates like a traditional sign-up bonus, providing a typical bonus value and spending requirement within the first three months. However, you may also be able to double that value by reaching a larger total spend within the first six months. As an example, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus offers an initial $500 cash bonus after spending $5,000 in the first three months, plus another $500 bonus once you’ve spent a total of $50,000 within the first six months.

This style of welcome offer doesn’t state an upfront value but instead matches the rewards you earn within a set period, making it a valuable opportunity for big spenders. The most popular example is Discover’s first-year Cashback Match offered on all of the issuer’s rewards cards.

Rarely, a credit card may provide an upfront bonus the moment you’re approved for the card instead of requiring you to spend a certain amount in a set period of time. An offer like this is more likely among store credit cards, such as the Amazon gift card usually granted with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card.

Some credit cards offer to increase the card’s rewards rates for a limited-time—or until you hit a spending limit. If you apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited® through Bankrate, you’ll earn an additional 1.5 percent cash back on top of your purchase’s original cash back rate for the first year (or on up to $20,000 of purchases).

Like an increased rewards rate offer, a credit card may occasionally offer an additional bonus category to add to your current roster for a set period or until you reach a certain spending threshold. A bonus of this kind may allow you to earn 3 percent cash back on grocery store purchases (usually excluding wholesale clubs and superstores, like Walmart) for six months or until you’ve made $6,000 in category purchases, for instance.

There have been several cases of major credit cards offering a valuable perk like statement credits or complimentary elite loyalty status (such as for a hotel or airline brand) instead of bonus cash back, points or miles.Southwest Airlines credit card’s acclaimed bonus Companion Pass is an excellent example, which comes and goes as a limited-time offer. It’s notably valuable since it has allowed you to skip the qualifying flights and other requirements in the past to allow a travel companion to fly free for a year or more (except for eligible taxes and fees). Since an offer like this could save you thousands, it can be much more valuable than a typical sign-up bonus.

Pros and cons of sign-up bonus credit cards

  • New cardholder incentive: The credit card market is highly competitive. This works in the consumer’s favor, as card issuers are willing to offer sign-up bonuses as incentive to make their credit card more attractive to applicants.
  • Versatile redemptions: Depending on the card, a sign-up bonus can be a lump sum of cash back, points or miles. That means the right card for you can help pay down balances or reduce the costs of future flights or hotel stays.
  • Added value: When used responsibly, a credit card works for you, helping you build or maintain your all-important credit score and credit history. A sign-up bonus takes the value of a credit card even further by rewarding cash back, points or miles that can be worth hundreds of dollars.
  • Spending requirements: To earn the sign-up bonus, you’ll have to use the credit card and spend a certain amount in a limited amount of time. Make sure the spending requirement fits your budget before applying for a card.
  • Higher interest rates: Rewards credit cards typically carry higher interest rates. If you carry a balance over from month to month, the interest you pay will diminish the value of the rewards and sign-up bonuses you earn.
  • Requires good credit: Most credit cards that have sign-up bonuses require good or excellent credit. Not there yet? Making on-time payments and keeping your account balances low are two of the most important ways to build credit fast.

When should you apply for a card and its sign-up bonus?

If you’re already in the market for a credit card, it may be tempting to apply immediately if its welcome offer catches your eye. But it’s better to scope out competing cards’ offers and research whether the current sign-up bonus is the best the card has offered (or when the best offer may return). Rewards cards that generally keep the same terms and features may not cycle out welcome offers much (especially those with no annual fee), but premium cards known for a teeming list of perks tend to increase their sign-up bonuses more often.

For instance, it’s a pretty safe bet that the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card will cling to its $200 cash bonus (after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months), but a premier travel, airline or hotel card is more likely to increase its welcome bonus around peak travel periods or the holiday season. This observation may hold when it comes to store cards as well. Case in point, the Amazon Prime Visa Signature card’s gift card approval bonus usually increases around Amazon Prime Day and the winter holidays each year.

Other than trying to catch the biggest bonus you can, there are a few other times it may be wise to wait to apply so you can maximize your sign-up bonus. Waiting until you have large expenses or bills on the horizon can help you reach the spending requirement without straying from your usual planned spending. That way, you can also take advantage of the card’s intro APR periods to avoid accruing interest if you need more time to pay off your balance.

Similarly, applying for a travel card a few months ahead of a trip you have planned allows you to put your sign-up bonus toward your travel costs—which is especially helpful if you aren’t a frequent traveler. But just be ready to pounce (responsibly, of course) in case your ideal card tacks on a limited-time offer!

How to calculate the value of a sign-up bonus

Calculating a cash back sign-up bonus is pretty straightforward since the dollar amount is already determined. Still, it may help to evaluate the offer based on a value-to-spending requirement ratio if several cards’ bonuses are similar or if you just want the best value (and aren’t worried about the spending requirement). For instance, a $750 bonus requiring a $1,500 spend may technically be a better deal than a $200 bonus with a seemingly lower $500 spending requirement in the same timeframe since the $750 offer has a 0.5 value-to-spend ratio while the $200 offer has as 0.4 value-to-spend ratio.However, the most important factor is to see if the spending requirement and timeline fit your budget. If the spending requirement seems steep, then you shouldn’t stray from your normal spending just to earn a sign-up bonus.

Determining the value of a point- or mile-based sign-up bonus may take a bit more legwork. In the case of a travel card, your points or miles will be worth more toward travel, potentially even more with the right travel transfer partner, and less toward non-travel options.In the best case scenario, your rewards’ value for each redemption option will be mentioned in your rewards program’s terms, or an issuer like American Express releases a rewards value calculator. However, sometimes you’ll have to do your own research and crunch the numbers.Let’s say you earned the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s 60,000-point bonus after spending $4,000 on purchases within your first three months. By reading the terms, you’ll find that Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1 cent apiece toward cash back, 1.25 cents toward travel booked through Chase (thanks to the card’s 25 percent point value boost toward Ultimate Rewards travel) and 0.8 cents each via Pay with Points toward Amazon.com or PayPal purchases.However, your points may become even more valuable when converting to one of Chase’s travel transfer partner programs. The value may change based on each partner and trip, so you’ll want to divide the points required to redeem for your travel booking by the cash value normally needed to cover the cost. According to The Points Guy’s latest estimate, Chase Ultimate Rewards have a 2 cent market value when used this way.By multiplying these point values by your sign-up bonus’ 60,000 points, we can calculate how much it’s worth toward the following redemption options:

  • Optimum transfer partner (2-cent point value): $1,200
  • Chase Ultimate Rewards travel (1.25-cent point value): $750
  • Cash back (1-cent point value): $600
  • Amazon.com or PayPal Pay With Points (0.8-cent point value): $480

While the math for establishing the value of traditional sign-up bonuses is straightforward, it may take a bit more elbow grease to figure out how much other types of welcome offers are worth without a specific point, mile or cash value.The easiest method is to determine a cash value based on other cost variables you may know. Intro bonuses like limited-time rewards categories can be calculated by looking toward your estimated spending or the category’s spending cap. For example, if you have an introductory 3 percent cash back grocery store category that ends in six months or after you’ve made $6,000 in purchases, you can multiply the $6,000 cap by the 3 percent rewards rate to determine the bonus category has a maximum value of $180.However, it may be more helpful to multiply the 3 percent rate by your grocery budget for the next six months. If you know you spend $300 on groceries each month ($1,800 in six months), you’ll end up earning $54 in cash back. If you don’t have a specific estimate in cases like this, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Consumer Expenditures Survey can give you a helpful baseline for the average spender. Based on its average $4,942 yearly grocery spend ($2,471 across six months), the typical cardholder will earn about $74 cash back from this introductory offer.When it comes to certificates and similar bonus offers, you may have to get a bit more creative. Let’s say that you qualified for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card’s past offer that provided a year of Companion Pass and 30,000 Rapid Rewards points (ended Mar. 14, 2022) after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months.Since the Companion Pass saves you the ticket cost for a travel companion on each flight (minus any incurred taxes and fees), and—based on the $275 average domestic round trip cost (Southwest passengers tend to fly domestically) and the historical trend reported by Gallup estimating that the average passenger flies about twice a year, factoring in for round trips—we can multiply the savings from each flight to establish the average person would save $550 with the Companion Pass. Factoring in the $450 value from the 30,000 bonus points (using The Points Guy’s 1.5-cent Rapid Rewards point value), you’ll find this unusual welcome offer is worth up to $1,000 on average.However, if you won’t fly as much, then the Companion Pass welcome offer carries far less value and may not be worth the hassle. With this in mind, the most important factor in calculating a sign-up bonus (especially nontraditional offers) is to assess what the personal value of the reward is first.

How to choose the best sign-up bonus

When you consider a credit card with a sign-up bonus, be especially mindful of the spending requirement and how it will impact your budget. If you’re looking to snag a welcome offer, there are some questions you should keep top of mind:

  • Can you meet the spending requirement? If a sign-up bonus requires you to spend more than you usually would, it may be wise to think twice before applying. Overspending on a credit card to meet a welcome offer requirement could lead to debt and consequently make the card’s sign-up bonus far less valuable to you by incurring interest payments.
  • Does the card fit into your overall goals? Knowing what type of rewards you want to earn is essential when choosing a card for its sign-up bonus. If you want to earn free nights at a particular hotel or reduced prices on flights with a specific airline, then you should sign up for cards that align with those goals over a card that offers a generous sign-up bonus but only earns cash back rewards.
  • Is the bonus worth it? If you’re earning a cash back bonus, then what you get is fairly straightforward, but if you’re earning points, miles or some other type of offer (like a cash back match, airline companion certificate or limited-time bonus rewards category), it’s key to put them on the same playing field by calculating the likely value you’ll receive from each. For example, if two cards offer a 60,000-point sign-up bonus but Card A’s points are worth 1 cent each and Card B’s points are worth 1.5 cents — but only toward an airline transfer partner you’re not likely to use—then Card A’s bonus may be a better fit for you.
  • What can you redeem the bonus for? While sign-up bonuses are especially handy for helping to cover the cost of an annual fee, it’s important to consider how you’ll be able to use the points, miles or statement credit you receive. With certain issuers, you’ll want to evaluate their list of transfer partners to try extract maximum value when redeeming your bonus. With others, it may be more worthwhile to use the proceeds to cover an existing balance.

How we chose our top American Express credit cards

Creditcard’s uses a 5-star scoring system to evaluate the credit cards available from our partners. To select the cards featured on this page, we further refined the criteria to focus on factors we think make these the best credit card sign-up bonuses, including:
Bonus value

The bonus, whether cash back, travel rewards or multi-purpose points, should be well worth the time and effort of applying for the card. The bonus value should also compare favorably with the card's cost of ownership (annual fees, etc.).

Ease of acquiring the bonus

Two important factors to consider when deciding on a card with a sign-up bonus are the minimum required spend to earn the bonus and the timeframe in which you have to spend that amount of money. The spending requirement to qualify for the bonus should be proportional to its value.

Long-term value

Features outside of the bonus itself, such as annual fees, rewards rates and redemption options are also important to evaluate. Once the sign-up bonus requirements are met, you’ll need to gauge the ongoing value of the card and how it will best suit your lifestyle.

Frequently asked questions about credit cards for excellent credit scores

Your sign-up bonus is not taxable if you have to spend money to earn it. But if there isn’t a spending requirement, the bonus could be considered taxable income.

The best sign-up bonus for you may depend on more than just the size of the bonus. Some people will also have to factor in the spend requirement and whether it fits with their budget. However, here are some of the top intro bonuses for personal cards based on sheer rewards value alone:

  • Chase Sapphire Preferred: 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 50,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
  • The Platinum Card® from American Express: 100,000 points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months.
  • Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.

Business rewards cards typically have larger welcome offers (with steeper spending requirements to match). Here are some of the biggest bonuses available with a new business card:

  • Capital One Spark Cash Plus: Up to a $1,000 cash bonus — $500 after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months, plus another $500 after spending a total of $50,000 on purchases in the first six months.
  • The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: 120,000 points after spending $15,000 on purchases within the first three months.
  • Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: 100,000 points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months.

After you’ve met the issuer’s spending requirements within the specified time limit you’ll receive your sign-up bonus. You can expect to see your sign-up bonus reflected in your account within six to 12 weeks, depending on your particular issuer. If you’ve met the requirements, waited that amount of time and still haven’t received your sign-up bonus contact your issuer.

You could try to open several cards at once to get the sign-up bonuses, but this could be seen as “card churning” and could have negative consequences. Some card issuers have strict eligibility rules for welcome offers and in the process you could temporarily damage your credit with multiple credit applications.

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