One of the fastest and easiest ways to earn credit card points to redeem for free travel is through credit card welcome offers! Below is a list of elevated credit card offers and recommended credit cards to help you decide which credit card is best for your travel goals!

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

One of the most popular credit cards for beginners is back with an elevated offer worth AT LEAST $1,000! Highly recommend this one!

Chase Ink Business Preferred

This is one of my go-to cards because it earns flexible Chase points that can be transferred to travel partners for outsized value! You’ll earn 3x points on common business expenses like travel, shipping, ads, and internet/phone (up to $150k per year), plus a solid welcome bonus — all for a $95 annual fee that’s easy to justify!

Don’t think you qualify for a business card? You probably do! -> Read Here to See How!

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is my all-time favorite credit card and a very beginner friendly credit card! It has a $95 annual fee and comes with a $50 hotel credit to use when booking a hotel in Chase Travel. If you want to learn more about this card, check out my Ultimate Guide to the Chase Sapphire Preferred!

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

My take: this is a steep annual fee ($795) but if you can hit the minimum spend, you come out way ahead!

Credit/benefits that come from being a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder: $300 annual travel credit, up to $120 Global Entry, TSA Precheck or Nexus credit every four years, airport lounge access for you + two guests to the Chase Sapphire Lounges by the Club and Priority Pass Lounges, travel protection & benefits, $10/month Lyft credits, DoorDash & DashPass benefits, $500 annual The Edit credit, IHG One Rewards Platinum Status, $300 annual dining credit, complimentary subscription to Apple TV+ and Apple Music, $300 StubHub and viagogo credit, $10/month towards Peloton Membership and MORE!

See a full breakdown of this card, credits and benefits -> HERE.

American Express® Gold Card

The American Express® Gold Card is a favorite if you spend money on food — you earn 4x points on dining and U.S. groceries, which can add up fast! One thing I really love is that Amex lets you see your offer and check if you’re approved before they officially pull your credit, so there’s no impact to your credit score just to check your offer and see if you’re approved. It takes a lot of the stress out of applying and makes it easy to decide if it’s the right card for you.

American Express Platinum Card®

The American Express Platinum Card® is one of the most popular premium cards out there, especially after its recent refresh, thanks to all the travel perks, lounge access, and credits that can easily add up if you use them. Just like the Amex Gold, you can check your offer and see if you’re approved before they officially pull your credit, so there’s no impact to your credit score just to check. One important strategy note: it’s usually best to get the Amex Gold first, because if you open the Platinum before the Gold, you won’t be eligible for the Gold welcome bonus later.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Elevated Offers on Delta Credit Cards

Delta cards aren’t for everyone - and that’s okay. But if you live near a Delta hub, fly Delta regularly, or value free bags, priority boarding and award discounts (15% off Delta award flights for cardholders) keeping at least one Delta card long-term can make a lot of sense!

More info on Delta card benefits and Delta offers -> HERE!
One important thing to know about Delta personal cards: they have an order that matters if you want to earn all the welcome offers. You need to start lowest tiered card to the highest in order to qualify for all of the welcome offers. Gold -> Platinum -> Reserve.

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

This card includes a free anniversary night every year (valid for hotels costing up to 40,000 points, with the option to add points if a stay costs more), making it a great fit if you stay in hotels at least once per year.

IHG points can be redeemed at a wide range of properties, from higher-end brands like InterContinental and boutique stays like Kimpton, to reliable options such as Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn. An extra perk cardholders love: when you book four consecutive nights using points, the fourth night is free, which can stretch your points significantly on longer stays.

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

Great no-annual-fee option and you still get the cardholder perk of getting the 4th night free on an award stay of four consecutive nights!

World Of Hyatt Credit Card

This CAN be a good offer if you have a plan for how you want to use your nights! The limitations are one, you can only redeem them for category 4 properties (The point price of a category 4 property is 15,000 points per night) and two, the free nights expire 12 months after issuance!

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

Some things to know about Marriott free night certificates:

they can be “topped off” with up to 15k more Marriott points. For example, you can use a 50k certificate PLUS points to book a property that costs up to 65k Marriott points per night. If you need a few extra points to top off your 50k point certificate, American Express and Chase both transfer to Marriott.
The 50k certificates expire one year after issuance.
50k Marriott points might not stretch QUITE as far and you think. For example, 50k Hyatt points will almost always stretch MUCH FURTHER. However there are still several great ways to use these certificates!

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

🚨 NO ANNUAL FEE! 🤯

This card is advertised as a cash back credit card, but you actually earn points! You can move your points earned on this card to a transferable card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire for Business Reserve, or the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and then transfer your points to transfer partners like Hyatt, Marriott, Southwest, United and more! I love that with this card you earn a simple 1.5% cash back or 1.5x on all purchases.

You do not need to have a full time business or LLC to qualify for a business credit card! You can get one with just a small side hustle! -> Here’s How!

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

🚨 NO ANNUAL FEE! 🤯

This card is advertised as a cash back credit card, but you actually earn points! You can move your points earned on this card to a transferable card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire for Business Reserve, or the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and then transfer your points to transfer partners like Hyatt, Marriott, Southwest, United and more!

With this card you also earn 5x points for the first $25,000 spent at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services. Plus 2x points for the for the first 25,000 spent at gas stations and restaurants.

You do not need to have a full time business or LLC to qualify for a business credit card! You can get one with just a small side hustle! -> Here’s How!

Elevated Offers on United Credit Cards

I appreciate it SO MUCH when you use my credit card affiliate links to apply for a new card. It supports my content at no cost to you! THANK YOU for your support!

FREE Beginner’s Guide

to Points and Miles

Want to travel for free?! ✈️ Grab a FREE Beginner's Guide to Points and Miles and learn how to redeem FREE TRAVEL this year! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD!

This Month’s Best Credit Card Offers