Top 5 Best Credit Cards to start 2024: Sign-Up Bonus & Travel Points

by PointsGuru | Feb 29, 2024 | 3% Cash Back, 5% Cash Back, American Express, Chase Cards, Citi Cards, Discover, Grocery, Hilton HHonors, Marriott Rewards

Our credit card strategy has changed from travel to earning more points while not traveling during this pandemic. One thing we did while quarantined and ordering online is we collected points and miles in order to save money in the future. Our strategy has changed wanting more benefits with travel and high cash back on Gas.

That space in your wallet or purse is valuable, and you should be the one to get that value. Selected banks are offering strong perks and $500+ value for a single card during the first year to encourage you to apply and try it out. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now, if I didn’t already have most of them. Notable changes:

• IHG Hotels 140k/75k – 140k still highest ever, new 75k traveler offer.
• Chase Freedom Unlimited raised to $200 Bonus plus extra cashback on groceries and gas stations
• AmEx Blue Cash Preferred to Add Streaming, Transit Bonus Categories

If you pay off your balances every month, then you can join me and many others in funding a huge chunk of your annual travel budget with cash credits, points, and miles. You don’t need to be a “I only fly business class” world traveler. I mostly use my rewards points on domestic economy flights, mid-class hotels, and cheap car rentals. If you have credit card debt, you should focus on paying that off first as the interest charges could offset most of the perks.

This is a companion post to my Top 5 Best Business Card Offers. Small business bonuses are on average even higher than those on consumer cards.

HOT!! 90,000 Points to Transfer to most any Hotel or Airline with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card

• NOW 90,000 miles (worth $1,400+ towards travel) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months
• 2x back on ALL purchases.
• 10x Venture miles on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
• 5x Venture miles on flights booked via Capital One Travel
• The card has no foreign transaction fees
• Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee
• Go here for the offer

$300 in statement credits every cardmember year for bookings made through Capital One Travel; this can be applied toward any type of travel booked through Capital One Travel, including flights, hotels, rental cars, etc.
10,000 bonus Venture miles on the account anniversary every year; there’s no spending requirement to unlock this, and it’s worth a minimum of $100 toward a travel purchase, or could get you up to 10,000 airline miles (which I value at $170)

Chase Freedom Unlimited $200 Bonus [Best No Annual Fee GAS & Grocery Card to beat Inflation]

• $200 Bonus when you make a purchase for spending $500 in the first 3 months
• 5% cash back on Lyft rides
• 5% cash back on Amazon, Hotels, & Restaurants starting in April 2024! 5% back on GAS is coming back for another quarter but for now Discover offers 5% back.
• 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers
• No annual fee
• No minimum to redeem for cash back
• Standard offer on both has typically been $150/$500, so this is a small boost. There are occasionally targeted or branch offers of $300 for either of the cards.
• Compare to Chase Freedom Flex
• Go here for the offer

Chase World of Hyatt Card [Best Hotel Credit Card]

• Up to 50,000 Hyatt points. 25,000 Bonus Points after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Plus an additional 25,000 Bonus Points after a total of $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. See link for details and rough valuation of points.
• $95 annual fee, free night award upon card anniversary.
• Go here for the offer

Discover it – $100 + Double Cash Back [Highly Recommended No Annual Fee Card]

• Discover will match ALL of your cash back for an entire year!

• INTRO OFFER: Discover will match ALL the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year, automatically. There’s no signing up. And no limit to how much is matched.
• Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, select rideshares and online shopping, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
• Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
• Redeem cash back any amount, any time. Rewards never expire.
• Use your rewards at Amazon.com checkout.
• Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites.* Activate for free.
• No annual fee.
• Go here for the bonus!

Earn 50,000 points ($700 worth), A-List elite status, Upgraded Boardings with the Southwest Premier credit card

• 3x points on Southwest purchases
• 2x points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
• 2x points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
• 1x points on all other purchases
• Go here to apply for the 50,000 Rapid Rewards points bonus

Grocery & Gas Bonuses to help with inflation

Marriott credit cards from Chase and American Express now earn an elevated 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on eligible grocery purchases amid coronavirus.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless from Chase

• Earn 75,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
• Earn 6X Bonvoy points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy™.
• 6X on Groceries
• 2X Bonvoy points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year. Path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year.
• 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Earn unlimited Marriott Bonvoy points and get Free Night Stays faster
• Apply Here

AMEX Blue Cash Preferred $150 Bonus + 6X Groceries

• Earn a $150 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months.
• 3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%).
• 2% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and at select U.S. department stores, 1% back on other purchases.
• 6% Bonus on groceries until the end of July
• NEW – Earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services. This includes Hulu, Netflix, Spotify and Pandora.
• NEW – Earn 3% cash back on transit. This includes rideshares, tolls, taxis, buses, trains and parking fees.
• Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits.
• Apply here

IHG Rewards Club Premier Card – 140,000 Points Bonus

• 140,000 IHG Rewards club points after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
• Free Night after each account anniversary year (valued up to 40,000 IHG points).
• $89 annual fee.
• Subject to 5/24 rule.
• Want something lower risk? The no-annual fee Traveler version is now offering 75,000 IHG points.
• Go here for the bonus points

Honorable Mentions

Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Mastercard

• 60,000 American Airlines miles after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
• First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
• $0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.

Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard

• 60,000 American Airlines miles after any purchase in the first 90 days and paying the $99 annual fee. See link for details.
• $99 Companion certificate offer. Earn a certificate good for 1 guest at $99 (plus taxes and fees) after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in the first 90 days.
• First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
• $99 annual fee.

Citi Premier Card

• 60,000 points (worth $750 towards travel booked at ThankYou.com) after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
• 3X points for every $1 spent on travel including gas stations.
• Must not have gotten bonus from or closed a Citi Rewards+, ThankYou Preferred, Premier, or Prestige card in the past 24 months.
• $95 annual fee.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Card

• 50,000 points (worth $500 towards travel) after $3,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. See link for details.
• 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• $100 annual Airline Incidental Statement Credit.
• Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
• $95 annual fee.

Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard

• 50,000 Hawaiian miles after $2,000 in purchases within 90 days. See link for details.
• Free first checked bag for primary cardmember when using your card to purchase eligible tickets directly from Hawaiian Airlines.
• Receive a one-time 50% off companion discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and The Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines.
• $99 annual fee.

During this Coronavirus pandemic your credit card rewards can help you pay for groceries, food delivery and essentials. This is by using points, gift cards, or statement credits from existing cards or new ones with bonuses.

Note: Certain Chase cards have a “5/24 rule” which is an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 2 years. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so if you are new, you might want to start with those Chase cards.