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.
$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)
$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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is uphending Americans’ lives and changing how we spend our money. As a result of stay-at-home orders and health concerns, consumers have been canceling vacations and avoiding booking future travel. While travel is in decline, grocery sales have been on the rise.
This may make a travel card you have less valuable, but card issuers are adapting their rewards programs in the meantime due to the changing environment.
Marriott is now offering most co-branded credit cards from Chase and American Express an enhanced 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on eligible grocery purchases starting tomorrow, May 1, through July 31, 2020. This is great news if you can’t earn points on hotel travel and don’t have a grocery rewards card.
New Chase Marriott Bonvoy rewards
All Chase Marriott credit card members qualify to earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points on grocery purchases on up to a maximum of $5,000 in eligible purchases. That includes both consumer and business cardholders, as well as cardholders with cards that are no longer open to new applicants.
Here are the eligible Chase cards and the rewards you’d earn on groceries outside of this promotion:
If you do not yet have the card you can go here to apply on our top 5 page. You will also Earn a 3 Free Night Award with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card or 1 Free Night Award with Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card.
Existing cardholders (these cards no longer accept new applicants):
Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Credit Card (previously 1X)
Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Plus Business Credit Card (previously 2X)
Marriott Bonvoy™ Credit Card (previously 1X)
Marriott Bonvoy™ Business Credit Card (previously 1X)
The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card from J.P. Morgan (previously 2X)
Chase classifies eligible grocery purchases as transactions made at supermarkets, merchants that offer a full service grocery line of merchandise, including a deli and bakery, as well as smaller grocery stores.
Exclusions include warehouse clubs, discount stores, smaller merchants and more. Learn more about how Chase classifies bonus category purchases.
New Amex Marriott Bonvoy card rewards
All consumer Amex Marriott credit card members qualify to earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points at U.S. supermarkets on up to a maximum of $7,500 in eligible purchases. This includes new and existing cardholders, plus consumers with cards that are no longer open to new applicants.
Here are the eligible Amex cards and the rewards you’d earn on groceries outside of this promotion:
New and existing cardholders:
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card (previously 2X)
Existing cardholders (since this card no longer accepts new applicants):
Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card (previously 2X)
Take note, Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card holders are excluded from this promotion.
Amex classifies eligible grocery purchases as transactions made at U.S. supermarkets that offer a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies.
Exclusions include superstores, warehouse clubs, convenience stores, specialty stores and more. Learn more about how Amex classifies bonus category purchases.
An easy way to earn Elite Status with Marriott Rewards is through credit cards. Normally speaking, you can obtain your status immediately as you open your credit card, or you can also obtain your status after spending a certain amount of money.
Two kinds of credit cards are launched by Marriott and Chase together:
You get 15 eligible nights every year when you open the Chase Marriott or the Chase Business Marriott. As the requirement of Silver card amounts to 10nights, your card will become Silver card automatically every year. Beyond that, ever $3,000 in spend gets you one qualifying night.
In the first year of the Ritz Carlton card, you get gold status for free. After that, spending $10K/yr will keep Gold status and spending $75k/yr will get you Platinum status. When it comes to the annual fee of 395 dollars, few people may hold the latter for a long period. Remember that the Amex Platinum has a higher fee ($550) but really a $150 net fee after benefits, and this auto grants you Marriott Gold via SPG Gold status.
American Express has your ticket to Gold!
One of the best ways for me was to get the Platinum Card from American Express and get Gold Status automatically. The only bad thing is paying the $550 or $450 annual fee for either the personal or business versions of the card.
Another card is the Starwood Preferred Guest from American Express which may not be around too much longer so it’s best to get it while you still can with a bonus of around 35,000 points. This card gets you into the Starwood lounges and automatic Starwood Gold which translates to Marriott Gold.
In addition, you may find that achieving United Premier status could also win you Marriott elite so you could get one of the United Mileage Plus credit cards from Chase. See here for more fast-track to Marriott elite ideas.
It’s already been an amazing year for savings via American Express offers especially with the Hilton branded hotel chain where we have already saved big money on stays. AMEX Offers has had amazing offers with Hilton’s Embassy Suites and another travel favorites such as Air France and Virgin Atlantic. You can book your travel for the Summer Travel season and not have to worry about blackout dates using these offers.
80,000 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points.
A new Amex Offers promotion just came out where you can get a $60 statement credit with a $300+ purchase at a Hilton Hotel and Resort or Curio Collection hotel. This is a great promotion where you can essentially get up to 20% off your hotel stay! There are also a ton of other Hilton Amex promotions that I wrote about below.
Here’s How to Enroll in the $30 Back From A Marriott Hotel Stay: Click Here to Tweet #AmexMarriott to get $30 back when you Spend $150+ at a Marriott Hotels location in the US, PR, or USVI. Must book directly with Marriott before Halloween. You can always sign-in to your AMEX account online and see if the offer is available if you do not have Twitter under “Amex Offers For You”.
$5 Savings at Five Guys Burgers Click Here to Tweet Five Guys and AMEX to get a $5 statement credit when you spend $20+ before 9/4/2017.
$30 Savings at Best Buy Click Here to Tweet #AmexBestBuy for a $30 statement credit at Best Buy when you spend over $300. Expires 9/10/2017. You could Purchase a Best Buy gift card in-store to use at a future time. Valid online or in-store (not valid for online e-gift cards).
$20 Credit From La Quinta Hotels Click Here to Tweet #AmexLaQuinta for those who stay at La Quinta Hotels and Spend $100+, get a $20 statement credit. Expires 9/10/2017
$10 at CPK Pizza! Click Here to Tweet #AmexCPK to get free money back at California Pizza Kitchen when you Spend $40+, get a $10 statement credit. Expires 9/10/2017. Tip: Purchase a gift card at the restaurant to use at a future time.
Petco.com: Spend $50+, get a $15 statement credit. Expires 9/30/2017 Tweet: #AmexPetco Bobbi Brown: Spend $50+, get a $10 statement credit. Expires 8/17/2017. Tweet: #AmexBobbiBrown Levi’s: Spend $125+, get a $25 statement credit. Expires 9/10/2017 Tweet: #AmexLevis eBags: Spend $75+, get a $15 statement credit. Expires 9/30/2017. Tweet: #AmexeBags Boston Market: Spend $25+, get a $5 statement credit. Expires 9/4/2017. Tip: Purchase a gift card at the restaurant to use at a future time. Hilton UK: Spend $500+, get a $100 statement credit. Expires 10/31/2017. Tip: This is valid for Hilton properties only in the UK. World’s Leading Cruise Line: Spend $500+, get a $100 statement credit. Expires 12/31/2017.
The all-time best Marriott Rewards deal in the past year was to apply for the Ritz Carlton offer that was going around for 100,000 points. That card had a high annual fee so if you are looking for a lesser annual fee this card for 70,000 points may be a better solution. To get the 70,000 bonus point offer you must spend $2,000 in purchases. You may want to act fast on these special card links as they may not last long.
To get one of these bonus offers make sure you have not received a new card member bonus product in the past 24 months for a Marriott branded card from Chase. The Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card version that gives you 70,000 Bonus Points waives its annual fee for the first year making it a much better deal than the Ritz Carlton 100k offer.
You’ll also receive 1 free night stay at a Category 1-4 location after account approval as well as 1 free night stay every year at a Category 1-5 hotel after your account anniversary. I have not seen anything out there to top this deal. You can currently find it here: creditcards.chase.com/a1/marriottpremier/phdmoffer (just cut and paste into browser)
$150 Statement Credit Another great card is the Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card with 40,000 Bonus Points + $150 Statement Credit. This version of the Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card offers 40,000 bonus points when you spend $2,000 within the first 3 months, plus a $150 statement credit after your first purchase, and the annual fee is waived for the first year.
The bonus here is that you will receive 1 free night stay at a Category 1-4 location after account approval as well as 1 free night stay every year at a Category 1-5 hotel after your account anniversary. You can find this card here by going here.
We have also seen 50,000 and a 30,000 Bonus Points card after $1,000 Spend on Chase Bank’s website. These offers are less desirable but the 30,000 offer gets you two e-certificates upon approval of your account.
With the following cards you’ll earn 3 or 5 points per $1 spent at Marriott locations. You’ll earn 2 points per $1 spent on airline tickets purchased directly with the airline as well as at car rental agencies and restaurants. Plus, you’ll earn 1 point per $1 on other purchases with no expiration and no limit on points. You’ll also receive 1 or 2 free night stays after account approval and each year upon account anniversary. One of the best benefits is that card holders achieve Silver Elite status with 15 nights credit toward Elite status. These cards may have a $45 to $85 annual fee after the first year. Marriott Rewards Credit Card – 30,000 Bonus Points
Marriott Rewards offers 8 different hotel categories and it depends mainly on how popular that hotel is I have noticed. Cities such as Austin will be expensive to redeem but may be cheaper in Los Angeles even though its the same type. Marriott Rewards members who apply for credit cards will earn both the 10 points as a program member and the 3-5 points as a credit card member, thus taking the total of up to 15 points per $1 spent at Marriott hotels. If you are seeking free stays at hotels this is one of the best cards to achieve that especially if you are already staying at Courtyard, Residence Inn, Renaissance, or Marriott branded hotels.
