Best Credit Card Bonuses and Deals This Week: May 17, 2021
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There’s no shortage of excellent credit card bonuses right now, as issuers continue to launch elevated offers and promotions — along with brand-new cards and reward program updates that are making it easier to earn and redeem points and miles during the pandemic. If you’re planning to open a new credit card, now is a great time to take advantage of an increased bonus.
Here are some of the best credit card offers to consider this week.
Pros
- High sign-up bonus starts you off with lots of points
- Strong travel coverage
Cons
- Doesn’t offer a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Plus earn up to $50 in statement credits towards grocery store purchases within your first year of account opening.
- Earn 2X points on dining including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 for a minimum of one year with DashPass, DoorDash’s subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through 12/31/2021, and get full access to their workout library through the Peloton app, including cardio, running, strength, yoga, and more. Take classes using a phone, tablet, or TV. No fitness equipment is required.
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Transferable credit card points are best if you value flexibility because there are so many ways to redeem them. With programs like American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Capital One Rewards, you’ve got options that include:
Our top picks for this week include one of the best travel rewards cards for beginners — the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — which is offering a welcome bonus 20,000 points higher than the usual offer. If you’re looking for a card with premium travel and shopping benefits, The Platinum Card® from American Express is also an excellent choice.
Capital One miles recently became even more useful with the addition of four new transfer partners and airport lounges coming later this year. You could get at least $1,000 in travel from the 100,000-mile welcome bonus on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card — and potentially even more value if you transfer miles to airline and hotel partners for award travel.
Read more: Amex and Chase points are the two most valuable types of credit card rewards — here are their biggest differences
And don’t overlook our under-the-radar pick — the Citi Premier® Card. Along with a substantial welcome bonus, the card offers excellent earnings in categories that fit well whether you’re sticking close to home or on the road. You’ll earn 3x points on air travel, gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets, and hotels, and 1 point per dollar on everything else.
Regular APR
14.24 – 22.24 Variable
Credit Score
Good to Excellent
Featured Reward
100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within your first 3 months of card membership
Pros
- More travel benefits than you’ll find on any other business credit card
- Generous airport lounge access options, from American Express Centurion Lounges to Priority Pass (enrollment required)
- Complimentary hotel elite status (enrollment required)
- Access to Amex concierge services
Cons
- Very high annual fee
- Limited opportunities to earn bonus points
- Annual statement credits won’t be useful for everyone
- Welcome Offer: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Get 50% more Membership Rewards® points. That’s an extra half point per dollar, on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more. You can get up to 1 million additional points per year.
- 35% Airline Bonus: Use Membership Rewards® Pay with Points for all or part of a flight with your selected qualifying airline, and you can get 35% of the points back, up to 500,000 bonus points per calendar year when you book on amextravel.com.
- Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com.
- Enroll to get up to $200 in statement credits annually by getting up to $100 semi-annually for U.S. purchases with Dell. Terms apply.
- Pay Over Time Option: A flexible payment option to help manage cash flow on purchases of $100 or more.
- Terms Apply.
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If you’re a small-business owner, opening a small-business credit card can offer a lot of benefits. Keeping your business and personal expenses separate makes it easier to keep track of expenses, and many cards offer bonus points, miles, or cash back in popular business spending categories.
Read more: The best small-business credit cards of 2021
You don’t have to own a full-time business or make millions to be eligible to apply — even if you’re a freelancer or have a side gig, you could qualify for a small-business card. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card are both offering 100,000 points after meeting minimum spending requirements, and, depending on how you redeem them, you could get a value of $1,800 or more from these bonuses.
Annual Fee
$95 (waived the first year)
Regular APR
13.99% to 23.99% variable APR
Featured Reward
20% back on Amazon.com purchases (up to $200 back) in your first 6 months of Card Membership, plus $150 back as a statement credit after you spend $3,000 on the Card within the first 6 months
Intro APR
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening
Pros
- Generous bonus rewards, especially at U.S. supermarkets
- One of a small handful of credit cards that offer bonus rewards on select streaming services
- Intro APR offer
Cons
- Unlike many other cash-back cards, it charges an annual fee
- If you spend more than $6,000 at US supermarkets each year, you’ll want to use another card once you reach that cap
- Earn 20% back on Amazon.com purchases on the Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back.
- Plus, earn $150 back after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. You will receive cash back in the form of statement credits.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
- 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
- 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
- Low intro APR: 0% for 12 months on purchases from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 13.99% to 23.99%
- Plan It® gives the option to select purchases of $100 or more to split up into monthly payments with a fixed fee.
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
- Terms Apply.
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Our top pick for the best cash-back credit card overall, the Citi® Double Cash Card, doesn’t currently offer a welcome bonus. And other excellent options, like the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited®, aren’t exclusively cash-back cards (though they’re marketed that way).
Read more: I don’t regret redeeming credit card rewards for cash back during the pandemic — here’s why I’m sticking to this strategy in 2021
Right now, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has an elevated welcome bonus that is particularly good for those who shop at Amazon. You’ll also earn 6% cash back on your first $6,000 in U.S. supermarket spending each year (then 1% back), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services, 3% back on U.S. gas stations and transit, and 1% back on all other eligible purchases (cash back is earned in the form of Rewards Dollars).
Regular APR
16.49% – 23.49% Variable
Credit Score
Good to Excellent
Featured Reward
80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open, plus an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $10,000 in the first 6 months
Pros
- Substantial sign-up bonus of up to 100,000 miles
- A free first and second checked bag can save you and a companion up to $320 round-trip
- Up to $125 in annual credits toward United purchases can offset half the annual fee
- 5,000-mile award flight credit can help you stretch your United miles
Cons
- High $250 annual fee
- Card doesn’t offer United Club lounge access or passes
- Earn 80k bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, an additional 20k bonus miles after you spend $10,000 in the first 6 months
- $250 Annual Fee
- Earn 3X miles on United® purchases, 2X miles at restaurants, on select streaming services & all other travel, 1X on all other purchases
- Earn 3X miles on United Airlines purchases
- Earn 2X miles at restaurants and on select streaming services
- Earn 2X miles on all other travel
- Earn 1X mile on all other purchases
- Each year, receive a $125 credit on United® purchases and two 5k-mile anniversary award flight credits. Terms apply.
If you’re a United Airlines flyer, you’re spoiled for choice right now with a whopping five Chase United credit cards with increased bonuses to pick from. Because United miles don’t expire, it’s a great time to earn more United MileagePlus miles for a trip when you’re ready to travel again.
Read more: The best airline credit cards of 2021
This includes the new New United Quest℠ Card, which is a great option if you check luggage on United flights frequently — it offers two free checked bags for yourself and a companion when you use the card to pay for your ticket (or the taxes and fees on an award ticket).
Regular APR
15.99% – 22.99% Variable
Credit Score
Good to Excellent
Featured Reward
100,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
Pros
- Annual free night reward for hotels that cost up to 35,000 points can be worth more than annual fee
Cons
- The only lucrative bonus category is participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- Upgrading to Gold status requires spending $35,000 on the card in an account year,
- Limited Time Offer! Earn 100,000 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 up to 17X total Bonvoy points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy™.
- 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.
Read Our Review
Several hotel credit cards are offering increased bonuses — including all-time-high points offers on the Hilton Honors American Express Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
Read more: The best hotel credit cards of 2021
There’s also a limited-time 100,000-point offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card to consider. Keep in mind that most hotel chains, including Marriott and Hilton, have temporarily paused points expiration due to the pandemic, so there’s no harm in earning points now for a vacation down the road.
Jasmin Baron is an associate editor at Personal Finance Insider, where she helps readers maximize rewards and find the best credit cards to fit their lifestyles. She has covered credit cards, points and miles, and loyalty programs for over seven years, and she’s a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF).
