It’s a peculiarity of post-pandemic travel: companies prices of air tickets and hotels increase due to pent-up demand, but they also offer record-setting sign-up bonuses for their loyalty credit cards. Since these bonuses can offset increased travel costs, you may want to consider an airfare or hotel credit card before booking your next flight or hotel. Below we present some of the best welcome offers available right now.
Cardholders can win 65,000 points (worth $975, according to The Points Guy) after spending $2,000 on purchases within three months of getting the Priority, Premier, or Plus versions of the card (Priority is the high-end card with a $149 annual fee, but it comes with additional benefits like four free seat upgrades per year).
This is just 35,000 points before you earn the Companion Pass, which allows you to bring a companion on your flights for free (plus taxes and fees), and is valid for the rest of the calendar year and all of the following year.
“IHG” is short for International Hotel Group, which includes the Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Regent Hotels and Kimpton hotel chains. You can earn a welcome bonus of 150,000 points (worth $750, according to The Points Guy) if you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months. Plus, you’ll get a free night at IHG hotels every year on the anniversary of your account opening. The other big advantage of this card is that you earn a total of 25 points for every dollar spent at IHG hotels, so it’s ideal if you’re a regular business traveler.
Earn up 200,000 points total ($1200 value, according to The Points Guy), spending $2,000 within the first three months (150,000 points) and then spending $8,000 within the first six months (50,000 points). If you spend more than $15,000 within a calendar, you also get a free weekend night redeemable at any Hilton hotel (like the Waldorf Astoria in New York). The card earns 12 points per dollar spent at Hilton hotels and resorts, and also has a nice multiplier of six points per dollar for gas and dining. Again, with hotel cards you will only want to register if you are a regular customer of the hotel chain. The annual fee is $95.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a new record welcome offer 80,000 points ($1,000 value, according to The Points Guy), which can be used to book airfare and hotels through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards portal. To claim the offer, you must spend $4,000 within the first three months of account opening. The card comes with a variety of perks, including two points per dollar spent on travel and restaurants. The annual fee is $95.
Sign up only to receive bonuses that you can pay in full
Welcome bonuses are a great way to get discounted airfares and hotels, but it’s generally recommended that you only spend what you can afford right away; Otherwise, high interest on a debt balance totaling thousands of dollars will quickly void the welcome bonus.