Credit Cards With Incredible Signing Bonuses

The holidays are a great time to apply for a new credit card to take advantage of the amazing sign-up bonuses being offered. This is the time of year in which most families spend more than they do on average throughout the year, which bodes well for sign-up bonus earnings. For example, most credit card companies offer sign-up bonuses to all cardholders who are able to spend a certain amount of money in a specific time frame. Typically, that time frame is within 90 days opening an account. Each card has a different spending requirement, but it’s easy to reach when you spend wisely – and even easier to reach when you spend during the holidays.

How do you spend the required amount of money on a credit card without going broke and into debt to earn a sign-up bonus? It’s easy; you don’t send checks or pay for things with your debit card all month. Do you usually pay your mortgage payment with a debit card online? Use your credit card. Instead of writing out a check to the mortgage company, you can then write that check to your credit card company instead. It’s a genius way to stay out of debt and still earn as much as possible with your credit card throughout the year. Using your card during the holidays is a surefire way to rack up the bonus points and get through the holidays without going into debt. With that said, you might want to know which cards are the ones with the best sign-up bonuses right now so that you can begin to take advantage of all that your new card has to offer.

What to Know Before you Apply

One thing that we do want to point out is that most of the major credit cards that offer the best sign-up bonuses are cards that also have annual fees. It will do you well to consider how often you plan on using the card so that you can see whether or not the fee is worth it. Some are average around $100 per year, some are less and some are significantly higher. That’s why you want to ensure you know what you’re going to pay and how that will affect the rewards and bonuses you are given.

Something else to consider, and it does seem like common sense but you might be surprised; not all sign-up bonuses are worth it to all cardholders. For example, earning 50,000 free miles with a new card might seem amazing but if you are terrified to fly and never have any intention on flying anywhere, it’s not that good. However, if you fly often and want to use those miles, this is a great card. Cash back cards are much better for the general population, and cards that are branded by your favorite hotels are also good ones.

Pay it off in full every months – this is not something we can stress enough. No credit card, no matter how good the sign-up bonus, is worth having if you cannot pay it off in full every single month. It’s difficult to earn rewards when you are stuck paying off a little at a time and not making any new purchases on your card.

Take the time to look through each card carefully so you can see which one might be best for your financial situation. Some cards come with fewer sign-up bonus points or miles, but they come with a lower annual fee, no annual fee or a smaller minimum spending requirement to earn bonus points. Figure out which card is best for you and apply now so that you can earn your bonus miles while you do your Christmas shopping for the people on your list.

British Airways Visa Signature Card

If you fly on British Airways a lot, you might find that this is a great card for you. The sign-up bonus right now is a good one, too. Earn 50,000 bonus miles when you spend $2,000 in three months. Additionally, you’ll earn 3 points for every dollar you spend with the airline and one for every other dollar you spend. Additional bonus miles are given to cardholders periodically throughout the year when you are able to reach certain spending levels (25,000 additional bonus miles every time you spend $10,000) and you also receive two free first class airline tickets anywhere in the world when you spend $30,000 per year using this credit card. The annual fee is $95

Citi Thank You Premier Card

This is one of the best cards for most every cardholder interested in a great sign-up bonus and wonderful rewards throughout the year. This card offers all new cardholders the chance to earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days your account is open. From there, you’ll also earn three points for every dollar you spend at the gas pump, two points for every dollar you spend at a restaurant or at an entertainment venue and one point for all other purchases. You will pay a $95 annual fee, but it is waived the first year so that you can enjoy this card without any fees for one full year

Barclaycard Arrival Plus

This credit card offers all new cardholders a chance to earn 40,000 miles upon spending $3,000 in the course of three months after opening your account. Additionally, the number of miles you earn with each purchase is two, which is a higher rate of return than most cards. The annual fee is only $59, which is lower than many of the cards on this list. What’s even better is that the annual fee is waived for one full year

Chase Sapphire Preferred

With a lower than typical annual fee of only $59, this card is a good one to have in your wallet. You’ll earn a 40,000 point sign-up bonus with this card when you spend $4,000 in three months time. You will also see that your annual fee is waived the first year, and your points are two for one when you shop with this card. It’s also a great card to use when pairing things like your travel reward and hotel cards to earn more points and better rewards.

BankAmericard Travel Rewards

With this card in your wallet this holiday season, you will earn 1.5 points for every dollar you spend on top of a 20,000 sign-up miles bonus when you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days after opening your account. With more points for every dollar spent, this is a card with a fairly high rate of return, a low spending minimum for points earning and it has no annual fee. It’s reasonable across the board for most all cardholders and potential spenders.

Barclaycard Arrival

This is a card that comes without an annual fee, which is a big deal for many consumers. The sign-up bonus is worth 20,000 points and all you have to spend to earn that is $1,000 in the first 90 days you open your account. Additionally, the rate of return is a little more than other cards at 1.5 points for every dollar spent. You’ll earn more and receive more with this card, and now is the perfect time to sign up to get that bonus.

Capital One Venture Card

We like this card because it has a good sign-up bonus and a low annual fee in comparison to the other cards on this list. This credit card offers a 40,000 bonus miles when you spend $3,000 in less than three months, and the annual fee is only $59. The annual fee is waived for one year, too, so that’s a bonus many people are not going to ignore. All purchases are worth two points no matter where you shop, which means more earnings and more rewards

Capital One VentureOne Card

If you prefer a card without an annual fee at any time, you’ll like this card. The sign-up bonus is 20,000 points when you spend $1,000 in the course of three months after opening your account and you will earn 1.25 points for every dollar you spend on all purchases that you make. The sign-up bonus is not as impressive with this card as it might be with other credit cards on this list, but the rewards balance out thanks to the fact that there is never an annual fee and every dollar spent is worth more than one point

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