We’re steadily cruising into 2018 and what a better way to introduce the new year with the best sign-up bonuses publicly offered! There’s no quicker and easier alternative to earn massive amounts of miles than to grab a new credit card! This archive will map out every sign-up bonus that we find worthy to grab coined the “Best Credit Card Bonuses of 2018.” Surely, we’ll keep you updated with a refreshed list if we find newer and bigger credit card bonuses on a bunch of great cards worth signing up for. You can reference to our Ways To Meet Credit Card Minimum Spending Requirements article if such a thing is problematic for you.
| BONUS LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Chase Business Complete Checking® | $300 or $500 Cash | Review |
| Chase Private Client | $3,000 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase College CheckingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
| J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Up To $700 Cash | Review |
| Chase Secure BankingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
The Chase Ink Business PreferredSM Card currently encompasses a sign-up bonus of 80,000 in Ultimate Rewards Points when you make $5,000 within the first three months of account opening. What makes this card increasingly valuable is the option to transfer UR points to a multitude of transfer partners including United, British Airways, Singapore, Korean, Southwest, Virgin Atlantic, Hyatt, etc. One thing worth noting: 80,000 UR points is enough for a round-trip business class award ticket between United States and Europe. The Ink Preferred earns you 3x points per dollar for the first $150,000 spent towards travel, telecommunications, shipping and advertising on social-media and search engines and 1x the points on everything else.
Ink Preferred Business Credit Card Summary:
- Apply Now
- Maximum Bonus: 80,000 bonus points
- Spending Requirement: You must spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Annual Fee: $95
- Bonus Worth: When you redeem the 80K bonus points through Chase Ultimate Rewards, this bonus ends up being worth $1200 toward travel. But if you redeem the 80K bonus points for gift cards or statement credit, the bonus points are worth approximately $800.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card could definitely earn a comfy spot in your wallet if you’re looking for a low annual fee travel credit card. The card earns 50,000 Ultimate Rewards Points after making $4,000 in minimum spending within 90 days of account opening. Again, points can be transferred to United, British Airways, Singapore, Korean, Southwest, Virgin Atlantic, Hyatt, and much more at a 1:1 ratio. The card also earns 2x the points on all travel-related purchases and dining purchases, all at an annual fee of $95, waived for the first year.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Summary:
- Learn More
- Maximum Bonus: 50,000 bonus points + Additional 5,000 points
- Spending Requirement: You must spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, and add an authorized user (no annual fee) within the first 3 months and they make a purchase.
- Annual Fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter)
- Bonus Worth: The 50K points alone is worth $625 towards airfare/hotel.
One suggestion I always make is getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card first and then getting the Chase Sapphire ReserveSM Card later, however, taking into consideration the Reserve’s annual fee and the 5/24 Rule, this may not always be the case. Picking up the Chase Sapphire Reserve can be your priority based on your spending and it makes for an exceptional premium card. For starters, you can reward yourself with an attractive 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Bonus when you make a spend of $4,000 or more within a given first three months of account opening. The card also earns 3x the points on all travel-related purchases and dining purchases, Priority Pass Select perks, $300 in travel credit and much more.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Summary:
- Apply Now
- Maximum Bonus: 50,000 UR Points
- Spending Requirement: You must spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Annual Fee: $450, not waived for the first year
- Bonus Worth: The 50K points alone is worth $750 towards airfare/hotel.
- Expiration Date: No expiration
- Additional Advice: We recommend combining it with another Ultimate Rewards-earning card, such as the no annual fee cash-back card Chase Freedom Card. This way, you can transfer the points you earn on the Chase Freedom to your Chase Sapphire Reserve Card account and redeem them for more than 1 cent per point.
The Chase British Airways Visa Signature is currently offering a 75,000 Avios sign-up bonus. Here’s what you should expect: earn 50,000 Avios after making a spending of $3,000 in a 3 months interval with an additional 25,000 after spending $10,000 total within 12 months. Take advantage of 3 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways, Iberia and OpenSkies purchases, and 1 Avios for every $1 spent on all the rest of life’s little purchases. If you are willing to spend $30,000 annually, you can grab a Travel Together Ticket good for two years which can essentially double the value of your Avios points on a single redemption for two people.
Chase British Airways Visa Signature Card Summary:
- Apply Now
- Maximum Bonus: 50,000 bonus Avios + 25,000 Bonus Avios
- Spending Requirement: $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, $10,000 spending in 12 months
- Annual Fee: $95 annual fee
- Bonus Worth: Most roundtrip flights in the U.S cost at least $300 per ticket. Each round trip would cost your around 25,000 Avios.
- Expiration Date: No Expiration
- Additional Advice: Using Avios on British Airways or partner airlines can cost an arm & a leg for their fuel surcharges. The best use for British Airways Avios with no fuel surcharges are Air Berlin, LAN, and American Airlines domestic flights and flights within Americas.
We can’t just make a Best Credit Card Bonus post and not have the Platinum Card® from American Express on it! I mean, the card typically gets bonuses upwards of 100,000 Membership Rewards, however, it should be said that the current publicly available bonus for this card is set at 60,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points after making a spending of $5,000 within the first 3 months of account opening. Quick valuation: the card earns 5X Points for flights, travel and hotels booked directly on AmexTravel with other key benefits such as a monthly $15 in uber credit, $200 in airlines credit, the standard global entry/TSA PreCheck benefit, access to Amex’s most premium of lounges attached, as well as complimentary Hilton Gold status, SPG Gold Elite status and Marriott Gold Elite Status.
Platinum Card from American Express Summary:
- Apply Now
- Maximum Bonus: 60,000 Bonus Points
- Spending Requirement: Must spend $5,000 within 3 months of account opening.
- Annual Fee: $550
- Bonus Worth: The 60000 Bonus Points is worth about $1,080 depending on how much you value MR points.
The Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard can earn you 60,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles after spending $3,000 within the first three months of account opening. Additionally, you can earn 2 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines and US Airways purchases, which are are items billed by American Airlines or US Airways as merchant of record booked through American Airlines or US Airways channels. You will also get the first eligible bag checked free for you and up to 4 travel companions, 10% of your redeemed AAdvantage miles back — up to 10,000 AAdvantage miles each calendar year, boarding privileges, 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchases, and more! The annual fee is set at $95, waived for the first year.
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard Card Summary:
- Learn More
- Maximum Bonus: 60,000 AAdvantage Bonus Miles
- Spending Requirement: You must spend $3,000 within 3 months of account opening.
- Annual Fee: $95 which is waived for the first year
- Bonus Worth: The 60,000 bonus points is worth about $900 in airfare or $600 in gift cards
- Expiration Date: For a limited amount of time
- Additional Advice: The Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select MasterCard provides great benefits and the 60,000 bonus miles are even more of a reason to get this card. The annual fee is waived for the first year and you can use your bonus miles on rentals, hotel stay, vacations, or other traveling expenses. If you fly on American Airlines frequently, you should definitely check this card out.
The BarclayCard AAdvantage® AviatorTM Red Mastercard® earns you 60,000 Bonus AA Miles when you make your first purchase in the first 90 days and pay the annual fee. You’ll essentially be earning 2x miles for every $1 you spend when you use your card on eligible American Airlines purchases, in addition to free checked bag, preferred boarding, 25% off in-flight purchases, and 10% of your redeemed miles back (up to 10,000 AA miles) perks! The card comes through with a semi-affordable $95 annual fee. Definitely worth looking into if you’re willing to spend $25,000 annually on this card because you can earn $3,000 worth in Elite Qualifying Dollars.
Barclaycard AAvantage Mastercard Summary:
- Learn More
- Maximum Bonus: 60,000 Bonus Miles
- Spending Requirement: Make a purchase in the first 90 days and pay an annual fee
- Annual Fee: $95
- Expiration Date: None
- Additional Advice: There is no cap on bonuses so earn as much as you can!
With the Starwood-Marriott merger, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card just got even more attractive with the ability to transfer Marriott points to Starwood and with a 80,000 bonus points after you spend up to $3,000 in purchases within the first year. You can also receive 7,500 bonus points when you add an authorized user and they complete their first purchase. This card earns 1 Free Night Stay at a Category 1-5 location every year after your account anniversary date. For every $1 spent, earn 5 points at 3,800 Marriott locations, 2 points on airline ticket purchases directly with airlines, at car rental agencies & restaurants and 1 point everywhere else
Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card Summary:
- Learn More
- Maximum Bonus: 80,000 bonus points
- Spending Requirement: Spend at least $3,000 within a year and add an authorized user to earn 7.5K points
- Annual Fee: $85 (but first year is waived)
- Expiration Date: None
- Additional Advice: There’s no limit to the number of points you can earn, so earn as many as you wish!
Conclusion:
We recently did a Best Credit Cards For 2018 post to wrap up 2017 and introduce the New Years. Hopefully, this post didn’t strike any confusion. Essentially, we just listed the best credit card bonuses that are still publicly available through 2018. We’ll keep you updated with a refreshed list if we find newer and bigger credit card bonuses on a bunch of great cards worth signing up for. If there’s any card bonus that we’ve left out that deserve appraisal for, then be sure to hit up our comment sections below! We’d greatly appreciate it. If you’re looking for more credit cards and credit card bonuses, check out our complete list of Credit Card Promotions today!
