May 13, 2024

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Taste For Business

Best Credit Card Deals and Bonuses This Week: February 21, 2022

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If the bleak winter weather has you dreaming about a vacation, it’s a good time to consider opening a new credit card to earn rewards you can use for flights and hotels this year. Almost every major credit card issuer has recently launched huge offers and even brand-new cards, including some with record-high welcome bonuses of 100,000 points or more — but many are for a limited time.

These include an excellent offer on The Platinum Card® from American Express to earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in your first 6 months of card membership.

Amex raised the annual fee to $695 (See Rates), but also added numerous new benefits that can more than offset the fee bump — including the recent addition of statement credits for Walmart+ membership** and SoulCycle at-home bike purchases. Be sure to check out the new Amex Platinum card designs now available to new and existing cardholders.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express recently got a refresh, too, adding an elevated welcome bonus of 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases with your card within the first 3 months of card membership and new or improved statement credits for wireless, Indeed, Adobe, and Dell purchases.

Read more: Guide to the best current credit card offers

One of the hottest deals so far this year is the promotional Southwest Companion Pass offer on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card are a great deal. The Companion Pass you’ll receive with this offer is valid through February 28, 2023, so if you apply now you can get nearly 2-for-1 travel for up to a year.

Other improved offers available right now include elevated bonuses on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, record-high welcome bonuses on three Hilton credit cards, new offers on the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, and rarely seen welcome bonuses on the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.

With new offers constantly launching, you’ve got an excellent opportunity to take advantage of an increased credit card bonus now, so you’re set up with points you can use for travel when you’re ready to hit the road again.

Here are some of the best credit card offers to consider this week.

Best credit card offers this week

Flexible rewards credit card bonuses


Regular APR


16.99% – 23.99% Variable


Recommended Credit Score


Excellent


Regular APR


16.99% – 23.99% Variable


Recommended Credit Score


Excellent

Pros

  • Excellent welcome bonus and miles earning
  • Premium perks including airport lounge access and statement credits
  • Visa Infinite benefits including travel and shopping protections

Cons

  • High annual fee
  • Annual travel statement credits only apply to Capital One Travel purchases

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  • Earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening, equal to $1,000 in travel
  • Limited-time Offer: Receive up to $200 back in statement credits for vacation rentals charged to your account within your first year
  • Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of options
  • Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
  • Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel, plus unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
  • Escape the airport crowd and recharge before your flight with unlimited access to all-inclusive amenities at the Capital One Lounge and at 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges worldwide
  • Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
  • Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more – you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

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 favorite under-the-radar card is the Citi Premier® Card. It offers excellent earnings in categories that fit well whether you’re sticking close to home or on the road — 3x points on air travel, gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets, and hotels, and 1 point per dollar on everything else. 

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is making waves with its huge welcome bonus and generous benefits. Although it’s a premium card, the annual fee of $395 is reasonable compared to similar cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and you’ll receive perks like airport lounge access and travel statement credits that can offset the cost.  

If that’s still a bit steep for your liking, the card’s less-expensive sibling — the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card — is still one of our favorite cards and one of the best travel rewards cards for beginners.

Another excellent deal is one of the best cards with premium travel and shopping benefits, The Platinum Card® from American Express. You can currently earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in your first 6 months of card membership — here’s our Amex Platinum card review for all the details.

Read more: Amex and Chase points are the two most valuable types of credit card rewards — here are their biggest differences

Small-business credit card bonuses


Regular APR


14.24% – 22.24% Variable


Recommended Credit Score


Good to Excellent


Regular APR


14.24% – 22.24% Variable


Recommended Credit Score


Good to Excellent

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

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  • Welcome Offer: Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
  • Plus, 0% Intro APR for 12 months from the date of the account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time. After that, your APR will be 14.24% to 22.24% based on your credit worthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening.
  • Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
  • Earn 1.5X points on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
  • Unlock over $1,000 in value per year for statement credits on select purchases with your Card, including up to $400 with Dell Technologies, up to $360 with Indeed, up to $150 with Adobe and up to $120 on wireless telephone purchases. Enrollment required.
  • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year toward baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline.
  • $179 CLEAR® Credit: Use your Card and get up to $179 back per year on your CLEAR® membership.
  • The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more lounge location options than any other credit card on the market as of 9/2021.
  • $695 Annual Fee.
  • Terms Apply.


Intro APR


0% Intro APR for 12 months on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time

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: Guide to the best small-business credit cards

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 six-figure bonuses after meeting minimum spending requirements, and, depending on how you redeem them, you could get a value of $1,800 or more from these offers.

If you prefer cash back, be sure to look at the new elevated offer on the Spark 2% Cash Plus — it’s worth up to $3,000, but you’ll need to meet a hefty minimum spending requirement.

Cash-back credit card bonuses


Annual Fee


$0 intro for the first year, then $95


Regular APR


13.99% to 23.99% variable APR


Annual Fee


$0 intro for the first year, then $95


Regular APR


13.99% to 23.99% variable APR

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

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More Information

  • Earn a $300 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
  • $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
  • Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months after account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
  • Low intro APR: 0% for 12 months on purchases from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 13.99% to 23.99%
  • 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.
  • Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
  • Terms Apply.


Intro APR


0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening

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℠, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, and the Citi Custom Cash℠ Card, aren’t exclusively cash-back cards (though they’re marketed that way).

Read more: Guide to the best cash-back credit cards

Right now, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has an elevated welcome bonus that can help you offset some of your holiday expenses. New cardholders can earn a $300 statement credit after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new card within the first 6 months. 

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). 

Airline credit card bonuses


Regular APR


16.49%–23.49% Variable


Recommended Credit Score


Good to Excellent


Regular APR


16.49%–23.49% Variable


Recommended Credit Score


Good to Excellent

Pros

  • Solid travel benefits with United, including a free checked bag and priority boarding
  • $100 annual United travel credit is relatively easy to earn

Cons

  • Beyond the sign-up bonus, it will take a while to earn a lot of miles through everyday spending on this card

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More Information

  • Earn up to 150,000 bonus miles
  • Earn 75,000 miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Earn an additional 75,000 miles after you spend $20,000 total in the first 6 months.
  • Receive a 5,000-mile “better together” bonus each anniversary when you have both the United(SM) Business Card and a personal United credit card.
  • Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United purchases, dining (including eligible delivery services), at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting
  • Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. Plus, employee cards at no additional cost – miles earned from their purchases accrue in your account so you can earn rewards faster.
  • Enjoy a free first checked bag – a savings of up to $140 per roundtrip (terms apply), 2 United Club(SM) one-time passes per year, and priority boarding privileges.
  • Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 for one year with DashPass, DoorDash’s membership service. Activate by 3/20/22.
  • $100 United travel credit after 7 United flight purchases of $100 or more each anniversary year.

Fans of Southwest Airlines who can make use of a promotional Companion Pass through February 28, 2023, should look at the new limited-time offers on three Southwest personal credit cards. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card are offering Companion Pass® through 2/28/23 plus 30,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

When you have the Southwest Companion Pass, a friend or family member can fly with you on paid and award flights for just the cost of taxes and fees — and you can use this benefit as many times as you want while your Companion Pass is valid.

Read more: How to use the Southwest Companion Pass

If you’re looking to stock up on United miles, be sure to look at the record-high offer on the United℠ Business Card. You can earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening and an additional 75,000 miles after spending $20,000 total in the first 6 months, and the annual fee is a reasonable $99.

The new Aeroplan® Credit Card isn’t just for Air Canada flyers — along with a hefty welcome bonus, it comes with great bonus categories, spending bonuses, and will soon offer the unique ability to redeem up to 50,000 Aeroplan points per year at a rate of 1.25 cents apiece toward any travel purchase through Chase Pay Yourself Back.

Read more: Guide to the best airline credit cards

Hotel credit card bonuses


Regular APR


15.99% – 22.99% Variable


Recommended Credit Score


Good to Excellent


Regular APR


15.99% – 22.99% Variable


Recommended Credit Score


Good to Excellent

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,

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More Information

  • For a Limited Time Only! Earn 100,000 Bonus Points
  • New Benefit! Earn 3X Bonvoy points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
  • New Benefit! Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
  • 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® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card.
  • 2X Bonvoy points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year, and path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
  • No foreign transaction fees.

Both the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card are offering elevated welcome bonuses, so it’s a good time to look at boosting your Marriott points balance if you’re planning future travel.

The Hilton cards are back with new increased bonuses — including the Hilton Honors American Express Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, and The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. We’ve never seen such generous offers before, so if you’re looking to stock up on Hilton points and free night certificates, now is a great time to apply.

Read more: I just opened the Hilton Honors American Express Business card, and it will single-handedly give me a luxury $8,000 Maldives resort stay

Even if you’re not an IHG Rewards Club loyalist, the new elevated offer on the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card is worth a look — especially considering the positive changes to the IHG cards coming in March 2022. Along with an excellent welcome bonus, the card comes with a free night certificate worth up to 40,000 points on every card anniversary that can more than make up for the $89 annual fee.

The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card is a brand-new product that’s ideal for small-business owners who like staying with Hyatt. In addition to a hefty welcome bonus, it comes with up to $100 in annual Hyatt credits, automatic elite status (which you can gift to up to five other people), a 10% points rebate on redemptions when you meet a spending requirement, and elite night credits for reaching spending thresholds.

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. Additionally, Hilton permanently extended its points expiration window to 24 months (from 15 months).

Featured credit cards from our partners

Regular APR

15.99%-22.99% Variable

Credit Score

Good to Excellent

Regular APR

15.99% – 22.99% Variable

Credit Score

Good to Excellent

Regular APR

14.99% – 23.74% Variable APR

Credit Score

Good to Excellent