Credit Card Bonuses Up to $1,750 for New Cardholders

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Amex Platinum: Over $3,500
Earn three night awards
Alaska Airlines: $660 + free ticket
Blue Cash Preferred: $250
Other bonus offers
Rewards cards warning

last updated 6 November 2025

Disclaimer

We may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. We may not cover every available offer. Our relationship with advertisers may impact how an offer is presented on our site but our editorial selection of products is made independently. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. We calculate a typical annual reward for each card, assuming $36,000 spent annually and less any annual fee. Interest rates, fees, rewards and other terms listed in this article are subject to change. Before you apply for a credit card, check its current terms and conditions with the issuer.

Credit card bonuses really can get you a free airline ticket or line your pocket with some extra cash. But as is the case with many rewards credit cards, the devil is in the details. Since you want to keep your credit cards active and avoid having them closed by the issuer, you should only sign up for credit cards that you want for the long term.

Here are the personal cards that will land you the biggest sign-up bonuses as measured by cash back or the value of miles or points (as calculated by Bankrate). Each card offers the top value in the categories of general travel credit cards, hotel cards, airline cards and cash back cards.

Some cards have low annual fees, while others have high fees that we have deemed worth the cost.

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Best general travel card bonus: Up to $1,750 for Amex Platinum

American Express Platinum Card®

Annual fee: $895.

Intro bonus: You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.

Frequent travelers can offset the card’s hefty annual fee by taking advantage of its bountiful perks and valuable points structure. For example, you can get yearly credits of up to $200 for incidental fees with one airline you choose, $600 for select hotel bookings through Amex, $209 for membership with the CLEAR airport security screening program, $200 in Uber Cash. Platinum Card^® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. You can also get $155 for a Walmart+ membership.

Eligible cardmembers enjoy access to airport lounges. With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership.

Cardholders get more value with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.

See Pay Over Time APR: Based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening. Terms Apply. See rates and fees.

For more on this and other general travel cards, read Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards.

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Best free stays: Earn three nights with Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card

Annual fee: $95

Intro bonus: Earn five Free Night Awards after spending $5,000 on eligible purchases within three months. You'll also enjoy a Free Night Award every year after your account anniversary.

Frequent guests of Marriott hotels can get good value from this card from Chase; redeem points for Marriott stays or transfer them to the frequent-flier programs of nearly 40 airlines. You can also transfer Ultimate Rewards points earned on other Chase cards to your Bonvoy account.

You can rack up points quickly on this card. Earn up to a total of 17x bonus points by layering reward categories. Earn six Marriott points per dollar spent at Marriott properties, ten points for being a Marriott Bonvoy member, three points per dollar on up to $6,000 spent yearly at grocery stores, gas stations and dining, and two points per dollar on all other spending.

Interest rate: 19.99% - 28.49% variable APR.

Read the full review: Marriott Bonvoy three nights free offer

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Best airline card bonus: $660 + free ticket from Alaska Air

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card

Annual fee: $95.

Sign-up bonus: For a limited time, new cardholders get a free companion pass and 50,000 Bonus Miles (worth about $550) after spending $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of opening the account. Some consumers will be offered 60,000 points (worth $660); it all depends on how the company's algorithm scores your application.

This card offers three points for every dollar spent on Alaska Airlines travel, two points on gas, cable, streaming and local transit, and one point on all other purchases.

Interest rates: 20.24% to 28.24% variable APR for purchases and balance transfers.

Read our article detailing the Alaska Airlines credit card for more details.

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Best cash back card bonus: $250 from Amex Blue Cash Preferred

Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express

Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.

Intro bonus: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first six months.

Many consumers could benefit from this card's exceptional 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.

The Card has a 2.7% foreign transaction fee, so select another credit card for travel abroad. See rates and fees.

Low Intro APR: 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.49% - 28.49%.

For more on this and other general travel cards, read Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards.

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Rewards cards dos and don'ts

As with any rewards credit card, be sure to weigh these benefits against fees and ensure you understand how to use the card effectively. That said, cardholders who max out a card's reward benefits may offset the annual fee.

In addition, while reward credit cards are great if you use them wisely, always pay them off in full and on time each month to avoid interest, which can dwarf any rewards you earn. Don't change your spending habits to earn extra points. That's a slippery slope that can lead to overspending.

If this is your first foray into credit cards, or you just want a refresher, make sure you know how to choose a credit card. And ensure you are familiar with what counts as a good credit score.

Disclaimer

All information about the Platinum Card from American Express and the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express has been collected independently by Kiplinger. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. As an independent publication dedicated to helping you make the most of your money, the article above is our view of the best deals and is not the opinion of any entity mentioned such as a card issuer, hotel, airline etc. Similarly, the content has not been reviewed or endorsed by any of those entities.

Sean is a veteran personal finance writer, with over 10 years of experience. He's written finance guides on insurance, savings, travel and more for CNET, Bankrate and GOBankingRates.

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