Best Bonus Credit Cards: Apply And Earn

“Don’t go where you are not wanted” is a saying most of us have heard at some point in our lives. Well, the opposite is also true! You should stay where you are really wanted.

We at Turbo Wallet believe that this also applies to your finances and, more specifically, credit cards. More often than not, you will want to stay with providers who show you their appreciation with a welcome gift.

These welcome bonuses are a great way to make the best out of card benefits. No matter if your credit card gives you miles, cash back, or points… These bonuses will always result in additional benefits.

We know that it is difficult to compare the prizes and sign-up bonuses offered by each card, so today we will be doing that task for you. After all, this is all about helping you make the absolute best decision on which card to get!

We will be analyzing seven credit cards today. Get some coffee and get ready to get into the topic!

Citi Premier Credit Card

We will be starting with the Citi Premier credit card. This card used to offer 60,000 points as a welcome bonus. However, now, it’s up to 80,000 points once you spend $4,000 with your card within the first 3 months. These points can be redeemed for online shopping, travel rewards, gift cards, and many more.

The way you earn additional points is very simple. You can earn Thankyou points just for dining at your favorite restaurant, picking up groceries at your closest supermarket, buying gas at your local gas station, or going on air travels and hotels.

A great feature of these points is that they can be used as a cashback method, and each point can be cashed out for one cent per point. After some calculations, we concluded that you could be getting a 20% return on spending with this intro bonus offer!

The only downside is that you will have to pay an annual fee. While this fee is not that high at 95$, it is an investment you want to consider. That being said, you can downgrade the card into a no annual fee credit card in the second year if it’s not a right fit.

Chase British Airways Card

The Chase British Airways Card has a 100,000 points intro bonus offer for a $5,000 minimum spend in the first three months. You used to have to pay a minimum crazy amount of $50,000 dollars to get the points in the past. So right now, $ 5,000 looks pretty reasonable.

You can generally value these points at 1.2 – 1.5 cents per point, so you are looking at about $1,200 – $1,500 in value.

In addition to this, you can receive statement credit in the amounts of $100 for booking economy and premium economy or $200 for booking business and first-class seats using your card. You can take advantage of this offer 3 times per year, and it is limited to $600.

Just like our previous entry, this card also has a $95 dollar annual fee. The difference here is that a downgrade path doesn’t exist yet.

Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card has an intro bonus of 60,000 points if you spend $4,000 on your card in the first 3 months. If you would like to cash out these points as a statement credit, Chase gives you one cent per point, which equals $600.

If you are someone that wants to redeem those points against everyday expenses, the card has got you covered. This is because you can use its “pay yourself back” program and get 1.25 cents per point. So depending on how you are using the points, you are looking for between 25% to 50% return on spending.

This card also presents a 95$ annual fee, which seems to be the standard up until this point. If you don’t like the card or if it’s not a right fit, you can downgrade it in the second year. In this case, you have two options: Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited.

If you want to learn more about these cards, we recommend you go and check them out on the official site:

Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card | Chase.com

Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card | Chase.com

Chase United Quest Card

The Chase United Quest credit card has a 100,000 point intro bonus offer, but it’s broken down into two different levels: Tranche 1 and Tranche 2.

Tranche 1 = 80,000 bonus miles with minimum spending of $5,000 in the first 3 months. At 1.4 cents per point, that’s about $1,120 in value or about 23% return on spend. 

Tranche 2 = An additional 20,000 points after $10,000 total spend within the first 6 months of your account opening. Since this is between the first six months, you have a bit more time than Tranche 1.

This means that for the second level, you are getting about $280 in value for that $5,000 dollar in minimum spent, which represents a 5.6% return on spend.

The annual fee for this card is pretty high at $250. However, for a lot of people, this card ends up paying for itself through the benefits. However, if you don’t like it in the second year, there is an option to downgrade this credit card into a no-annual-fee card.

Chase United Business

Chase United Business credit card has a historic high intro bonus offer of 150,000 points broken down into two different levels (Similar to the Chase United Quest Card).

The first tranche gives you 75,000 points when you spend a minimum of $5,000 within the first three months of your account opening. You will earn 1.4 cents per point, getting $1,050 in value and a 21% return on spending.

The second tranche is a bit more aggressive. You can earn 75,000 more points for spending $20,000 within the first 6 months of your account opening. This equates to an additional $1,050 in value.

We have to say that there is a reasonable $99 fee with this card, which is pretty good for a card with these bonuses. However, there isn’t a downgrade path into a no-annual-fee version of the card. That being said, you can expect the annual fee to be waived during your first year. That’s right; this card also offers a $0 introductory annual fee.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

The Mariott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex bonus is one of the best you can find. With this card, you will receive 75,000 points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months.

You will also be eligible for up to $200 on statement credits for eligible purchases on your new card at U.S restaurants within the first six months. 

It’s important to know that the card earns a minimum of 2 points per dollar on everything and up to 6 points per dollar spent on things such as Mariott Hotel bookings!

After all of this, you will probably end up with an amount of around 85,000 points. Guess what, this is more than enough for one night at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Grand Cayman!

Basically, if you get the bonus plus the spending which gets you up to around 85,000 points, you will be saving $1,000. That’s a great deal if you ask us!

The annual fee for this card is $450. We know it can seem very expensive. However, if you consider the great deals that this card offers, you might stick with this one.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card

The Hilton Honors Amex Surpass card may look like one of the best when we talk about bonuses. You will earn 150,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases with the card within the first three months. You can also earn an additional 50,000 bonus points! This “bonus on the bonus” will be obtained after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first six months.

These Hilton points are worth about half a cent each, but you could still get two nights at the Conrad in the Maldives with this sign-up bonus. That’s pretty incredible, right?

When using this sign-up bonus to go on vacation to this hotel, you would be saving about $600 per night. So why not take advantage of this card to extend your next vacation? It only has a $95 annual fee!

Conclusion

As you can see, welcome bonuses are an incredible way to improve your gains when choosing a new card. The wide variety of cards ensure that you will not be limited to a specific category.

While the annual fees for these cards will be higher than other credit cards, the benefits are also higher. In fact, if you were paying attention, you might have noticed it is pretty easy to generate a profit from using these cards. It is just a matter of doing the math and using them to pay for goods or services you were intending to pay for already!

If you find the annual fees to be too high or there is anything else you don’t like, don’t despair. We have reviewed several credit cards that might be a better fit for your needs. Make sure to check out our credit section if this is your case.