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Author: Barry Bridges | bbridges@bankrate.com
Bankrate’s guide to credit card sign-up bonuses
If getting a great sign-up bonus from your credit card is the name of your game, our experts at Bankrate are here to help. Here’s what you need to know about the best credit card sign-up bonuses for 2020:
Our picks for top sign-up bonus credit cards
A closer look at the top sign-up bonus credit cards
Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card – Best for hotel spending
What we love: With the Capital One Venture Rewards card, you’ll get 2X miles for every purchase with no limit as to how much you can earn. As a high-tier travel card, you’ll get perks like Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit, flexible redemption at any airline, hotel or rental car service, no foreign transaction fees and more. Plus, there’s a pretty sizeable bonus of 50,000 miles when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months.
What we wish were different: Miles have to be redeemed within 90 days of making a travel purchase.
Bottom line: With a modest annual fee of $95 (waived the first year), this is a flexible, highly rewarding card that can help you earn big at hotels wherever you go.
Read the full review and apply on Capital One’s secure website.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – Best for travelers
What we love: The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best travel cards available with 2X points on travel and dining worldwide and 1X points on everything else, plus no foreign transaction fees. Receive a 60,000-point bonus offer when you spend $4,000 in 3 months, equal to $750 when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
What we wish were different: If you don’t travel often, this may not be the card for you. Cash back and gift card redemption rates are less than stellar.
Bottom line: Frequent travelers will gain significant rewards with the Sapphire Preferred.
Read the full review and apply on Chase’s secure website.
Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card – Best for everyday spenders
What we love: If you don’t enjoy keeping track of rotating bonus categories, you’ll love an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase with the Capital One Quicksilver Card. There’s no annual fee, and you’ll receive a reasonable $150 cash bonus when you spend $500 in your first 3 months of account opening. Those who frequently travel abroad will appreciate the lack of foreign transaction fees.
What we wish were different: If you’re looking to transfer debt, there’s a balance transfer fee equal to 3% of the amount being transferred for balance transfers made within the promotional APR period. For balance transfers completed after the promotional period, there is no balance transfer fee.
Bottom line: For a no annual fee cash back card, the Capital One Quicksilver scores pretty high for everyday simplicity and a nice cash back sign-up bonus.
Read the full review and apply on Capital One’s secure website.
Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card – Best for grocery shoppers
What we love: Get 3% cash back in your category of choice (there are 6 to choose from), 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined 3% and 2% category spending per quarter) and unlimited 1% back on every other purchase. Even more, this is a no annual fee card and you’ll get a $200 cash bonus after spending just $1,000 in your first 90 days.
What we wish were different: A 3% fee (min $10) applies to all balance transfers.
Bottom line: If your dream is to be in control of where you earn your rewards, the Bank of America Cash Rewards card is a great choice.
Read the full review and apply on Bank of America’s secure website.
Chase Freedom Unlimited® – Best for flat-rate cash back
What we love: Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases. Redeeming your rewards is very easy.
What we wish were different: The 3% foreign transaction fee diminishes its usefulness for overseas travel.
Bottom line: The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a strong choice for a no annual fee rewards card, especially if you’re into simplicity.
Read the full review and apply on Chase’s secure website.
Citi Rewards+℠ Card – Best for rewards on small purchases
What we love: The Citi Rewards+ Card offers 2x ThankYou Points at supermarkets and gas stations (up to $6,000 in combined purchases each year) and 1x ThankYou Points on everything else. You won’t be charged an annual fee, and Citi rounds up your rewards to the nearest 10 points on each purchase (making your $2 coffee worth 10 points). Plus, get a 15,000-point sign-up bonus when you spend $1,000 in three months.
What we wish were different: ThankYou Points earned with the Citi Rewards+ Card are considered basic. That means you’ll have less flexibility in terms of point redemption or transferring.
Bottom line: The no annual fee aspect of this card is where its value lies. To get the most out of the card, you could pair it with the Citi Prestige® Card.
Read the full review and apply on Citi’s secure website.
Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business – Best unlimited cash back for business
What we love: You’ll earn an unlimited 2% cash back on all spending with the Capital One Spark Cash for Business. There’s a $500 cash bonus when you spend $4,500 within three months of account opening and you’ll receive perks like free employee cards, auto damage and collision protection, emergency and travel assistance services and more.
What we wish were different: Unlike similar small business cards, the Spark Cash for Business doesn’t offer an introductory APR period.
Bottom line: This is one of the best business rewards cards on the market. Better yet, employee cards will earn the same cash back rate (deposited into the main cardholder’s account).
Read the full review and apply on Capital One’s secure website.
Chase Freedom® – Best for rotating cash back categories
What we love: You’ll earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate, plus a $150 cash back bonus when you spend at least $500 within the first three months of card ownership.
What we wish were different: If you forget to activate your 5% bonus category, you’ll earn 1% cash back for the quarter.
Bottom line: For a no annual fee rewards card, the Chase Freedom is a great pick. There’s a lot of redemption flexibility, too – redeem for cash-back deposit, statement credit or transfer your rewards to an eligible Chase card.
Read the full review and apply on Chase’s secure website.
Learn the basics of the credit card sign-up bonus
What are sign-up bonuses on credit cards?
A sign-up bonus is a one-time credit card rewards bonus earned from hitting a certain spending threshold within an allotted amount of time. Most sign-up bonuses have spending thresholds that need to be met within 3 months of account opening. Then, the bonus is received 2 to 3 billing cycles after the threshold is met.
Here are the three categories that sign-up bonuses typically fall into:
With a sign-up bonus offering points, you’ll usually see a range as low as 10,000 and as high as 100,000 points after meeting the qualifying spend.
Sign-up bonuses involving miles usually run between 20,000 and 100,000 miles and may require $5,000 or more in purchases within several months of account opening.
With most cards, you’re able to redeem your miles for cash back, gift cards, merchandise and more, but it is typically more advantageous to use for travel rewards.
Cash back sign-up bonuses tend to vary between $100 and $500, depending on the card, and are great in terms of convenience. In order to receive your cash back bonus, you usually have to spend between $500 and $3,000 within 3 months.
How to choose the best sign-up bonus
In some ways, judging the best sign-up bonus involves the Goldilocks strategy — finding the one that’s just right. To that end, don’t impulsively apply for a credit card based solely on an attractive bonus. Make sure it’s worth your while before deciding.
Here’s a list of steps on how to choose the right card with the right bonus for you.
1. Know your financial goals
Do you use credit cards to earn cash back, travel miles or another kind of reward? Answer that question and choose a sign-up bonus accordingly. If you don’t travel much, it doesn’t make sense to get a travel rewards card that offers extra miles as a sign-up bonus.
2. Stay within your spending habits
Is your normal spending routine in line with what you would have to spend to earn the bonus? Here’s a quick illustration: If you usually spend $500 a month with your card, look for a sign-up bonus with a 3-month spending requirement of $1,500 or less. If you can’t realistically meet the spending requirement without overextending your budget, it’s best to avoid the temptation.
3. Consider your credit score
Credit card applications require a hard credit inquiry, which has a temporary effect on your credit score. If you apply for a card that’s out of your credit score range, you could hurt your credit score while being denied. Each credit card available through Bankrate has a recommended credit score. If you don’t know the exact state of your credit, you can check your score for free by signing up with Bankrate.
4. Check for pre-qualified offers
Make sure to take advantage of any pre-qualification checks a credit card issuer may offer. This preliminary “soft” credit inquiry doesn’t guarantee eligibility, but it doesn’t have the same effect on your credit score as a hard inquiry.
Which credit card has the biggest sign-up bonus?
In comparing credit card sign-up bonuses, a lot depends on how you define “biggest” and “best.” A lot of cards offer lucrative bonuses of different kinds, including travel miles, cash back or multi-purpose rewards points.
When it comes to credit cards from our partners in the best sign-up bonus category, Bankrate’s experts break down the competition as follows:
|
Bonus
|
Spending requirement |
Value
|
TRAVEL
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card |
60,000 bonus points |
Spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
$750 (toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®) |
CASH BACK
Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card |
$200 online cash rewards bonus |
Make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. |
$200 |
BUSINESS CASH BACK
Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business |
Up to $500 in cash bonuses |
Spend $4,500 in the first 3 months to earn $500 cash bonus. |
Up to $500 |
How do you know when you’ve earned the bonus?
Depending on your card issuer, you might receive emails notifying you of your progress. In other cases, the issuer might provide a “tracker” feature with the online customer portal for your account. However, if your issuer doesn’t provide email notifications or trackers, you’ll have to find out for yourself.
Fortunately, the information you need should be available through the customer portal. Your “dashboard” will probably include a running tally of how many rewards points, miles or cash back you’ve earned, plus the dates when they expire.
If all else fails, contact the issuer’s customer service department and ask a representative.
All in all, expect some amount of lag time between earning the bonus and seeing it show up in (or “post to”) your account. It could be as short as a few business days or a matter of weeks, depending on the issuer and the specific bonus offer. Look for those details when you read the terms and conditions before applying.
Which purchases don’t count toward the spending requirement?
Most kinds of everyday purchases should bring you closer to meeting the spending requirement for a sign-up bonus. On the other hand, credit card issuers make exceptions for certain transactions that don’t qualify. Ineligible purchases and payments typically include:
- Cash advances
- Balance transfers
- Lottery tickets
- Wire transfers
- Fees, including annual fees
In many cases, these purchases don’t earn rewards either.
Check the terms and conditions of any credit card you’re interested in to get a better understanding of what counts as an eligible purchase in relation to a sign-up bonus, as well as other important information about using the card.
Should you keep the card after earning the bonus?
Once they’ve snagged the sign-up bonus, some cardholders might question the value of hanging on to the card. Unfortunately, canceling a card out of hand can be problematic.
First, keeping multiple credit accounts open for extended periods of time tends to have a positive effect on your credit score. Canceling a credit card could reduce your credit utilization ratio, the relationship between how much credit you have and how much of it you’re using. Credit bureaus take notice of credit utilization and other factors in calculating your score, and your score carries a lot of weight with lenders.
A Bankrate survey found several reasons why people cancel credit cards, including lack of use and concern about fees. However, if you cancel a card after earning the bonus just to pursue a bonus with a new card, that strategy might not prove to be profitable.
In recent years, credit card issuers have taken steps to prevent cardholders from racking up multiple bonuses over a short period of time. Those who try to start a cycle of apply-bonus-cancel could run into stricter eligibility rules — meanwhile, damaging their credit score with each application.
Think twice before ditching a credit card just because you’ve achieved the goal of the sign-up bonus. The potential damage to your credit score might not be worth the fresh start.
Learn more about credit cards with sign-up bonuses
For more information on the best sign-up bonus credit cards, read our expert reviews for individual cards.
Senior Editor Barry Bridges has been writing about credit cards, personal loans, mortgages and other personal finance products since 2017. Before joining Bankrate, he was an award-winning newspaper journalist in his native North Carolina. Send your questions about credit cards (and fantasy baseball) to bbridges@bankrate.com.
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