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As the holiday season arrives, bringing with it festive cheer and the annual budget implosion, credit card companies are playing Santa. They’re offering fabulous introductory perks to help soften the blow of holiday spending sprees. Right now, several big-name cards are vying for your wallet’s affection with limited-time welcome bonuses, including one that dangles a jaw-dropping 165,000 points. Who knew overspending could feel so . . . rewarding?
Leading the pack is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which closes out 2024 with the same generous offer maintained throughout the year: a 75,000-mile welcome bonus for new cardholders. This travel reward card is excellent. It has benefits competitive with premium Chase and American Express cards, plus it grants double miles on every purchase. Alternatively, the lower-fee Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card grants fewer travel perks but promises the same 75,000-mile introductory bonus. (Read our full comparison of these cards.)
Making a lot of reservations lately or planning on lots of supermarket trips for your holiday parties? Beyond a slew of statement credits, the American Express® Gold Card also awards a generous four points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants worldwide (subject to certain limits). And finally, until January 8, 2025, the no-fee Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has an elevated welcome offer of 165,000 points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership. That’s impressive.
Here are our five best credit card picks to consider right now and why.
1. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Best for: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is best for those who want an excellent travel credit card that pays for itself through credits, benefits, lounge access, and a rewarding earnings structure—while also offering flexibility in miles redemption.
Why now? Capital One is going all-in on travel for its Venture X cardholders, rolling out its own collection of airport lounges and “landings” for cardholders, its Premier Collection (offering special perks at hundreds of top hotels globally), and its Lifestyle Collection (granting cardholders benefits at boutique hotels worldwide).
Welcome offer: With the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $395
Earn points: Earn 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 5 miles per dollar spent on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel. All other purchases earn 2 miles per dollar spent.
Credits: When booking through Capital One Travel, receive $300 in credits each calendar year. Get a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit once every four years (up to $120). Receive 10,000 bonus miles annually after your account anniversary.
Key perks: Access Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landings, Priority Pass lounges, and Plaza Premium lounges at airports. The card is also smart for those who plan to add cardholders to their accounts. Up to four can be added at no cost. Priority Pass lounge membership and access to Capital One and Plaza Premium airport lounges extend to each of these additional cardholders at no extra cost. Miles transfer to 16 airline and hotel partners.
2. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Best for: The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card is best for those who want extra perks at Hilton properties, plus the chance to quickly earn and burn hotel points (without paying a large annual fee).
Why now? The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card is currently offering the equivalent of its largest bonus ever. The card also has earnings multipliers in select key categories, making it easy to rack up points quickly through spending.
Welcome offer: The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card is offering 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $3,000 in the first six months of card membership (terms apply).
Annual fee: $150 (see rates and fees)
Earn points: Earn 12 points per dollar at properties in the Hilton portfolio, 6 points per dollar at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, 4 points per dollar on U.S. online retail purchases, and 3 points per dollar spent on everything else.
Credits: Earn up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your card (distributed as $50 quarterly in each calendar year).
Key perks: Score Hilton Honors Gold Status automatically with card membership. Benefits of Gold Status include the following at stays within the Hilton umbrella: space-available room upgrades, complimentary Wi-Fi, and daily on-property food and beverage credits. (The amount of that food and beverage credit varies by brand, but for luxury brands like Waldorf Astoria, it runs $50 per room per day, assuming two guests per room.) Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year; it is valid for a standard room at any property, even one that runs an expensive 150,000 points per night.
3. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Best for: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a highlight of the Capital One Venture portfolio. It offers just enough travel perks for the casual traveler and has a low annual fee.
Why now? The card is currently offering a huge bonus for a low-fee card.
Welcome offer: With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 within three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $95
Earn points: Earn five miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel web portal and two miles per dollar spent on everything else.
Credits: Up to $120 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years
Key perks: Access Capital One Lounges and Landings for a discounted rate of $45, plus access to the Lifestyle Collection when booking on Capital One Travel (granting cardholders benefits at boutique hotels worldwide).
4. Hilton Honors American Express Card
Best for: The Hilton Honors American Express Card is best for those who stay overnight in hotels only a few nights per year but want to get some big benefits.
Why now? The Hilton Honors American Express Card is currently giving an incredible amount of bonus points for a no-annual-fee card.
Welcome offer: Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership (terms apply).
Annual fee: $0 (see rates and fees)
Earn points: The card earns seven points per dollar on eligible Hilton purchases, five points per dollar at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, and three points per dollar on other eligible purchases. You’ll earn a minimum of three points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Key perks: Cardholders receive automatic first-rung Hilton Honors Silver status. While all Hilton Honors members can get free Wi-Fi nowadays, Silver status brings such added benefits as a 20 percent points earning bonus on stays, free bottled water, and the ability to participate in Hilton Honor’s “Fifth Night Free” program, in which your fifth night is complimentary when booking four nights with points. Plus, the card comes with no foreign transaction fees when cardholders travel abroad.
Best for: The American Express Gold Card is a smart choice for those who spend a lot at restaurants and supermarkets, thanks to excellent earnings rates on food and travel.
5. American Express® Gold Card
Why now? The American Express Gold Card is one of the brand’s most popular cards.
Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after $6,000 in purchases during the initial six months. Terms apply.
Annual fee: $325 (see rates and fees)
Earn points: Earn four points per dollar spent on restaurants worldwide, plus on takeout and delivery in the United States (up to $50,000 per calendar year, then one point per dollar), and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then one point per dollar). Earn three points per dollar spent on airfare booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, two points per dollar spent on travel (excluding airfare) on amextravel.com, and one point per dollar on everything else.
Credits: Cardholders receive up to $120 Uber Cash annually, automatically added as $10 in monthly credits to their Uber account when linked to the Gold Card. You must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber app, and any AmEx Card must be selected as the payment method. The Amex benefit can only be used in the United States. There’s also a dining credit for up to $120, awarded as $10 in statement credits monthly when paying with the card at Grubhub, the Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. (Enrollment required.) In addition, it’s also possible to earn up to a $100 experience credit if booking a two-night stay or more at the Hotel Collection through American Express Travel.
Key perks: AmEx points are transferable to 17 airline partners (3 domestic and 14 international) and 3 hotel partners. The Gold Card also comes with several implicit travel insurances when you charge your trips to the card, including premium car rental protection (theft or damage plus excess medical costs if you are injured in an accident) and baggage insurance (for lost, stolen, or damaged baggage).
While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time, and may have changed or may no longer be available. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
