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This May, several of our favorite credit cards are offering excellent introductory offers, many hitting the 75,000-point mark. For the first time, both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® have each raised their introductory bonus to 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. These are the highest offers we’ve seen on the cards since May 2023 and December 2022, respectively.
Next, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card continues its 2024 reign as a top card, courting new cardholders with a 75,000-mile welcome bonus and providing 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 offers fewer travel perks but the same 75,000 miles introductory bonus.
Making a lot of dining reservations lately? The American Express® Gold Card also awards a whopping four points per dollar spent on restaurants worldwide. Finally, travelers who still can’t fathom paying a credit card annual fee can consider the relaunched, no-fee Chase Freedom Unlimited®, which speaks to those who are seeking cash over points. The card’s revamp brings new—and surprisingly high—cash-back rates as part of its introductory offer: 6.5 percent on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 4.5 percent on dining and drugstores, and 3 percent on all other purchases up to $20,000 in the first year of card membership. There are many excellent and enticing offers at the moment—here are our seven picks to consider right now and why.
1. Chase Sapphire Reserve
Best for: The Chase Sapphire Reserve is for those who want a top travel credit card that earns points quickly and comes with the industry’s leading travel protections.
Why now? An increased 75,000-point welcome offer on the popular travel credit card is the second highest since it debuted in 2016. (Read: This almost never happens!)
Welcome offer: With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on new purchases within the first three months. You can cash those bonus points out for 1.50 cents apiece—a value equal to $1,125—on travel through the Chase Travel portal.
Annual fee: $550
Earn points: Earn 10 points per dollar spent on hotel and car rentals through Chase Travel; 5 points per dollar spent on flights through Chase Travel; 3 points per dollar on dining, including takeout and international restaurants; 3 points per dollar on travel not booked through Chase—including airfare, hotels, trains, rideshares, and more; and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. Points can only be earned after the first $300 is spent annually on purchases in the travel category.
Credits: Earn $300 back each year in statement credits for travel purchases, effectively reducing the annual fee to $250. Also, receive up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA Precheck or Nexus credit every four years.
Key perks: Gain access to Chase Sapphire Lounges, some of the best airport lounges in the world. Also get Priority Pass Select membership, allowing access to more than 1,500 airport lounges around the world in the Priority Pass network. Moreover, Chase points are exceptionally versatile and can be transferred to 11 airlines and 3 hotel partners, including Hyatt, Southwest, United, and Air Canada Aeroplan. This means cardholders can rack up points on everyday spending then convert them into points or miles with the partner program they choose when needed for a specific redemption. Chase points through the Reserve can be redeemed at a rate of 1.50 cents apiece for bookings through the Chase travel portal or with select categories, which change quarterly, under the “Pay Yourself Back” feature.
2. Chase Sapphire Preferred
Best for: The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is best for those who want a solid travel credit card that earns points quickly but has a low annual fee.
Why now? Summer travel is around the corner, and Chase Sapphire Preferred is offering the opportunity to earn lots of points through its limited-time welcome offer.
Welcome offer: With the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on new purchases within the first three months. You can cash those bonus points out for 1.25 cents apiece—a value equal to $900—on travel through the Chase Travel portal.
Annual fee: $95
Earn points: Earn five points per dollar spent on travel through Chase Travel and on Lyft rides; three points per dollar on dining, including takeout, eligible delivery services, and international restaurants; three points per dollar on select streaming services—including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, FuboTV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube TV; three points per dollar on online grocery purchases (except for Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs); two points per dollar on travel not booked through Chase—including airfare, hotels, trains, rideshares, and more; and one point per dollar on other purchases
Credits: Earn $50 back each year in statement credits for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel. Also, cardholders earn bonus points equivalent to 10 percent of the total purchases they made the previous year. For example, if you spend $25,000 during the year, you will earn 2,500 bonus points. Not a lot, but every bit counts!
Key perks: Chase points are very versatile and can be transferred to 11 airlines and 3 hotel partners, including Hyatt, Southwest, United, and Air Canada Aeroplan. This means cardholders can rack up points on everyday spending then convert them into points or miles with the partner program they choose when they need them for a specific redemption. Chase points can also be redeemed at 1.25 cents apiece for bookings through the Chase travel portal or with select categories, which change quarterly, under the “Pay Yourself Back” feature.
3. 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 redeeming miles.
Why now? Capital One is going all-in on travel for its Venture X cardholders, rolling out its own collection of airport lounges 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 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 $100). Receive 10,000 bonus miles annually after your account anniversary.
Key perks: Access Capital One Lounges, 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 extends to each of these additional cardholders at no extra cost. As far as redemptions go, miles transfer to 16 airline and hotel partners.
4. American Express Gold Card
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.
Why now? The American Express Gold Card is one of the brand’s most popular cards and has maintained the same welcome offer for years. Now’s as good a time as ever to add this card to your credit card portfolio and start racking up points.
Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after $6,000 in purchases during the initial six months.
Annual fee: $250 (see rates and fees)
Earn points: Earn four points per dollar spent on restaurants worldwide, takeout and delivery in the United States, and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). 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. 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, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations. (Enrollment required.) In addition, it’s also possible to achieve 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).
5. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Best for: The midtier card of the Capital One Venture portfolio, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card 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. Cardholders also get two entries annually at Capital One’s growing collection of airport lounges or Plaza Premium lounges, plus access to Capital One’s Lifestyle Collection (granting cardholders benefits at boutique hotels worldwide).
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 and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and two miles per dollar spent on everything else.
Credits: Up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years
Key perks: Get two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges in 2024, plus access to the Lifestyle Collection when booking on Capital One Travel.
6. Chase Freedom Unlimited
Best for: In general, the recently relaunched, no-fee Chase Freedom Unlimited speaks to those who are seeking cash over points. (However, it can also lead to the earning of beaucoup points thanks to a clever workaround.)
Why now? Since relaunching in March 2024, the Chase Freedom Unlimited is courting new cardholders with an enticing welcome offer.
Welcome offer: Beyond the card’s already high earnings rates, you’ll earn an extra 1.5 percent on all purchases up to $20,000 spent in the first year (that’s worth up to $300 cash back).
Annual fee: $0
Earn points: Earn 6.5 percent on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 4.5 percent on dining and drugstores, and 3 percent on all other purchases, up to $20,000 spent in the first year. After hitting $20,000 in your first year or simply reaching year two of membership, the cash-back rates are as follows: 5 percent on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3 percent on dining and drugstores, and 1.5 percent on all other purchases.
Key perks: The card grants a zero percent intro APR for 15 months from account opening on both purchases and balance transfers. (Afterwards, it’s a variable APR of 20.49 percent to 29.24 percent.) In addition, when you have multiple Chase cards, it’s entirely possible to transfer Ultimate Rewards from one account to the next. That means the rewards earned by the Unlimited can be redeemed through the Sapphire cards, namely the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and transferred to other loyalty programs.
7. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Best for: The Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card is best for Delta loyalists and big spenders who want to boost elite status through credit card spending and who want to take advantage of the card’s upscale perks, including the valuable Companion Certificate.
Why now? This premium card comes with the best perks portfolio of all Delta consumer cards. With its recent revamp, the new benefits outweigh a hefty annual fee. In addition, right now you can score the new limited edition Boeing 747 Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card design.
Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first six months.
Annual fee: $650 (see rates and fees)
Earn points: Earn three miles per dollar on purchases made with Delta and one mile per dollar on everything else.
Credits: Receive a Companion Certificate on First Class, Delta Comfort+, or Main Cabin domestic (including Hawai‘i and Alaska), Caribbean, or Central American round-trip flights to select destinations each year upon renewal of your card. Get up to $120 in rideshare statement credits annually (allotted as $10 back monthly after purchases), up to $240 in Resy statement credits annually (allotted as $20 back monthly after purchases), and a $200 Delta Stays statement credit annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. Receive 15 percent off Delta SkyMiles redemptions with the TakeOff 15 benefit. Also, get a credit for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee (worth up to $100) once every four years. Enrollment required for select benefits; terms apply.
Key perks: On Delta flights, expect one free checked bag for the cardholder and up to eight travel companions on the same itinerary plus priority boarding. Cardholders gain access to Delta Sky Clubs at no cost when traveling on a Delta-marketed or -operated flight and access to American Express Centurion Lounges when booking your Delta flight on the card. Cardholders also receive four Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes each year. Effective February 1, 2025, Reserve cardmembers will receive 15 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. Cardholders can earn unlimited Club access after spending $75,000 on their eligible card in a calendar year, valid for the year in which the spending is achieved plus the following calendar year.
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.
