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
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
This card is our #1 recommended beginner travel rewards credit card and a personal favorite! Some of my favorite benefits:
3x points on dining
3x points on gas & EV charging
2x points on all other travel purchases
Up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS credit every four years
One complimentary year of Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026
Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠
Starting October 1, 2026, it will be one of only two Chase cards that transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. If you love Hyatt, this is a big deal!
It's a premium business card with a steep annual fee and minimum spend, but between the elevated welcome offer and the generous credits, you can absolutely come out ahead. Read my full breakdown → 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.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Starting October 1, 2026, it will be one of only two Chase cards that transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. If you love Hyatt, this is a big deal! 👀
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 creditevery 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, up to $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.
Chase Freedom Flex®
No annual fee! This card is marketed as a “cash back” credit card but it actually earns Chase points! No foreign transaction fees! The points earned from this card become more valuable when you move your points to a transferable Chase credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
This is the highest I’ve seen! I love that you can check your offer before any impact to your credit! If you have a larger expense coming up, this could be a great opportunity to earn a significant amount of points from a single application! (You can hold the American Express® Business Gold Card at the same time and apply for them in any order!)
American Express® Business Gold Card
This is the highest I’ve seen! I love that you can check your offer before any impact to your credit! (You can hold the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express at the same time and apply for them in any order!)
Limited Time Delta Offers
Limited time offers on all Delta credit cards! See all of the offers → HERE!
I recommend starting with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card!
Limited Time Hilton Offers
The Hilton Honors American Express Card has no annual fee (Rates & Fees) and still includes valuable Hilton Honors perks like a 5th Night Free on reward stays of five or more consecutive nights booked with points (Free Night Rewards do not count).
Strategy: If you and a player 2 open this card, you would each earn a Free Night Reward and have at least 140,000 Hilton points between the two of you. The Free Night Rewards + the 140,000 could easily get you 3 nights at a nice property without paying an annual fee 🤯
Strategy: If you and a player 2 open this card, you would each earn a Free Night Reward and have at least 260,000 Hilton points between the two of you! The Free Night Rewards + the 260,000 Hilton points could easily get you 3-4 free nights at a nice property.
PLUS if you are a high spender, you can earn an additional Free Night Reward when you spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year!
Strategy: If you and a player 2 open this card, you would each earn a Free Night Reward and have at least 300,000 Hilton points between the two of you! The Free Night Rewards + the 300,000 Hilton points could easily get you 3-5 free nights at a nice property.
Popular Airline Cards
I’ve personally used these miles for 4.5k miles one way for domestic flights, 37.5k miles one way to Japan and 27.5k miles one way to Iceland! These miles can be a little harder to earn…So I usually only recommend grabbing these cards when the offers are higher than normal… (which is exactly what’s happening right now!!!!)
👉🏼 Learn How to Apply: Offer 1
👉🏼 Learn How to Apply: Offer 2
👉🏼 Learn How to Apply: Offer 3
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
This card is marketed as a “cash back” credit card but it actually earns Chase points! The points earned from this card become more valuable when you move your points to a transferable Chase credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. With no annual fee and 1.5% cash back on all purchases (same as 1.5x points!), this is a solid credit card to add to your wallet!
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.
Elevated IHG Credit Cards
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
NO ANNUAL FEE! 🤯
This card is also advertised as cash back — but you actually earn Chase points! It earns a simple, flat 1.5% cash back (same as 1.5x points) on every single purchase — no categories to track. Move your points to a transferable Chase card and transfer to partners like Hyatt, Southwest, United, Flying Blue and more!
You do not need a full-time business or LLC to qualify! A side hustle counts! 👉🏼 Here's how to apply, line by line!
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
NO ANNUAL FEE! 🤯
This card is advertised as a cash back credit card, but you actually earn Chase points! You can move your points to a transferable Chase card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠, or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and then transfer your points to partners like Hyatt, Southwest, United, Flying Blue and more!
With this card you also earn 5% cash back (same as 5x points) on the first $25,000 spent per year at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services; 2x points on the first $25,000 spent per year at gas stations and restaurants.
You do not need a full-time business or LLC to qualify! A side hustle counts! 👉🏼 Here's how to apply, line by line!
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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!
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The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card just hit their highest-ever welcome offers — and neither one has an annual fee. Here's everything you need to know, including how to turn that cash back into travel that's worth way more than $1,000.