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If you want to earn a big chunk of cash rewards or travel points, welcome offers are one of the best ways to do it. These are a credit card perk available to new cardholders.
All you need to do is apply for the card you want, get approved, and complete the requirements for the welcome offer. Those vary depending on the card, but what we see most often is a spend requirement, such as $1,500 in the first three months. You're going to spend money on bills anyway. With a welcome offer, you can take advantage of those expenses to earn bonus rewards.
On the list below, you'll see some of the highest welcome offers our experts have found. While all these cards have lucrative welcome offers, that's not the only reason to get them. They have other useful features, as well. You'll even find some of these cards on our top credit cards page.
When you've found a card you like with a welcome offer you want, don't wait long to apply. Card issuers sometimes lower their most popular welcome offers, so it's best to act quickly.
Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening
Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR
Rewards Earn unlimited 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans. Plus earn 1X points on other purchases.
1X-3X points
Annual Fee N/A
$0
Welcome Offer Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.
20,000 bonus points
This card offers unlimited 3X points on common things like restaurants, gas stations, travel, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Plus, earn 1X points on other purchases. This could be a great pick if you spend a lot in those categories. A solid welcome bonus and cell phone protection are the cherries on top. Read Full Review
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers
Purchases: 0% intro APR, 15 months from account opening
Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers
Regular APR
20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR
Rewards Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
2% cash rewards
Annual Fee N/A
$0
Welcome Offer Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
$200 cash rewards
This card’s unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases is the highest we’ve seen for a flat-rate rewards card with no annual fee. It also has an incredibly easy-to-earn $200 welcome bonus and a generous intro APR offer. We simply haven’t come across this combination of top perks in one card before. Read Full Review
Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 15 months
Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months
Regular APR
18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR
Rewards Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.
1% - 5% Cashback
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer N/A
Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year.
We think this card has among the highest cash back potential for cards with no annual fee. The key is the Unlimited Cashback Match — Discover automatically matches all the cash back new cardholders have earned at the end of the first year. That cash back can seriously add up when you earn 5% cash back on rotating bonus categories (when you activate them, up to the quarterly maximum) and 1% on other purchases. Read Full Review
On Capital One's Secure Website.
On Capital One's Secure Website.
$200 Cash Back after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: 0% intro on purchases for 15 months
Balance Transfers: 0% intro on balance transfers for 15 months (Balance Transfer Fee Applies)
Regular APR
19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
Rewards Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply.
1.5%-5% cash back
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer $200 Cash Back after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
$200 Cash Back
What really stands out is the incredibly easy-to-earn sign-up bonus. You can earn a $200 sign-up bonus after spending only $500 in your first 3 months (that's like earning 40% cash back on that spend!). If a straightforward cash back program & sign-up bonus with a low spending hurdle is most important to you, then this card is a very solid pick. Read Full Review
On Capital One's Secure Website.
On Capital One's Secure Website.
75,000 Miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Excellent (740-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
Rewards Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases.
2X-10X miles
Annual Fee
$395
Welcome Offer 75,000 Miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
75,000 Miles
Our favorite premium travel card. Yes, there’s a premium annual fee here, but you get what you might expect from a luxury card, like up to 10X miles on spending through Capital One Travel, a $300 travel credit, experience credits, and a huge welcome bonus. Read Full Review
On Chase's Secure Website.
On Chase's Secure Website.
Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening!
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR 0% Intro APR on Purchases
Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months
Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months
Regular APR
20.49%-29.24% Variable
Rewards 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.
5% cash back offer
Annual Fee N/A
$0
Welcome Offer Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening!
$200 bonus
This Chase card is one of our favorites, and with good reason. You earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate, alongside other standout perks (and at least 1% on all purchases). Plus, this one comes without an annual fee and with a generous welcome bonus. Read Full Review
On Chase's Secure Website.
On Chase's Secure Website.
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
21.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases
Annual Fee N/A
$95
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
60,000 bonus points
The enormous welcome bonus (worth $750), bonus travel and dining rewards, and $50 annual hotel credit alone make this card well worth the annual fee. This card’s points are valuable and easy to use, as you can redeem them at 25% more value for Chase Travel bookings, giving it less of a learning curve than other travel cards. It also has a strong list of travel protections you don't see often from such an affordable card, including primary rental car insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance. Read Full Review
75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, plus receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first cardholder year – that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
Rewards Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.
2X-5X miles
Annual Fee
$95
Welcome Offer 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, plus receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first cardholder year – that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
75,000 Miles
This is one of our top travel credit cards overall, because of its highly lucrative, yet dead simple rewards program. Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase and use them to get reimbursed for any travel purchase — or to book a trip through Capital One Travel. TSA Pre✓® credit and the opportunity to earn a massive sign-up bonus (worth $1,000 in travel) make this credit card one of the best travel companions. Read Full Review
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
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