It’s a great year to be points rich, not that any year is a bad year to be points rich.
Credit cards are harnessing the power of their rewards programs, and that means more ways to spend points with greater ease, or even use them like cash. And as the competition heats up to new levels, the amount of points or miles you earn for every dollar spent is heating up too.
As the world looks to emerge from a dreadful few years, juicy new bonuses await, hoping to entice customers to spend their hard earned money with the best cards in this new era of travel and lifestyle rewards.
100,000 point bonuses remain the gold standard for welcome bonuses, and right now there are a few incredible cards offering 100,000 points or more. Here are a few of the very best, which you might want to consider reserving a place for in your wallet.
Hilton Honors Aspire Amex
Why: This isn’t a 100,000 point welcome bonus, it’s a 150,000 point bonus with top-tier Hilton Diamond status from day one. Plus, you get an annual free weekend night.
Who It Makes Sense For: This card doesn’t make sense if you’re not staying in Hiltons with any regularity, but if you are, it gives you the best treatment from the start, and lots of points to unlock the best experiences.
You also benefit from higher earning rates to get you towards points millionaire status, thanks to the combination of points earned via the card, and what you usually get for staying at a Hilton. This is a great way to get more Hilton upgrades!
Annual Fee: $450
Offer: 150,000 Hilton Points and Diamond Status with Hilton Aspire
Capital One Venture X
Why: Capital One Venture X is arguably the most revolutionary card launched in the last 5 years, or more. The premium card comes jam packed with travel friendly perks, like price drop protection on flights, and for a limited time $200 to spend at Airbnb or VRBO, in addition to the 100,000 point bonus.
Who It Makes Sense For: People who want premium benefits like lounge access and stress free travel, without having to work to justify the annual fee. This card can easily pay for itself with just a few trips a year.
Then, of course, there’s 10X earning on hotels and car rentals via Capital One Travel and 5X on flights, with price drop protection, which makes for serious points totals.
Annual Fee: $395
Offer: 100,000 Capital One Venture Miles + $200 Airbnb/VRBO Credit
British Airways Visa Card
Why: There aren’t many cards where you can make your annual fee back in one transaction, but this is one of them. Aside from the rare 100,000 point bonus, this card offers a 10% discount on all British Airways flights, which means your $95 annual fee card can save hundreds on a single ticket, and much more throughout the year.
Who It Makes Sense For: Transatlantic travelers who value Avios and love saving on tickets. The discount can be applied for multiple passengers, so if you’re a Oneworld flyer, or British Airways loyal, this is an incredible feature. Plus, 100,000 points is great.
Taking things even further, the card offers discounts on the taxes and fees you pay when you redeem points, which makes the value of Avios even better, and the cash you need to pay, lower!
Annual Fee: $95
Offer: 100,000 British Airways Avios with British Airways Visa
American Express Platinum & Business Platinum
Why: The American Express Platinum Card was never for everyone, and with a $695 annual fee, it’s for even fewer than before. But, with a 100,000 point bonus and ways to earn up to $1400 of card value back annually — or more, it’s a card to be reckoned with.
Who It Makes Sense For: This is the card for people who spend money on travel and lifestyle who value customer service. For people who use Uber, like to shop designer and, buy expensive airfare, it’s almost a no brainer. Of course, the Centurion Lounge access is pretty wonderful too.
For people who spend frequently on airfare, the ability to earn 5X points not only via Amex, but whenever you book directly with an airline is a huge points earner. This can make points and miles add up seriously fast.
Annual Fee: $695
Offer: 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards Points with Platinum Card
United ‘Club Infinite’ Visa Card
Why: This is the card that solves travel problems from day one, with not only one, but two checked bags and lounge access. The Club Infinite Card covers the first and second checked bag for all travelers on the reservation, which can save hundreds on each trip, up to $320 per trip.
Who It Makes Sense For: People who fly United, but not frequently enough to enjoy top tier perks. Even if you do get top tier perks, this solves domestic lounge access, and adds to checked bag allowance. This is stress free travel for people in United hubs, or who prefer United over others.
Being able to save up to $320 on bags per trip, many times a year makes this card a real winner for bag heavy travelers who end up on United. If a glass of wine or a place to relax at the airport matters too, this solves that.
Annual Fee: $525
Offer: 100,000 United MileagePlus Miles with Club the United Infinite Card
Which offer is most tempting to you?
gilbert
I assume these offers re for US based cardholders only?
Neil
It would be great to see a post for something similar for UK based cards. Perhaps the lack of such a post indicates there isn’t much special out there.