Business Insider recommends credit cards based on their overall value and ease of use. Sometimes, we receive a commission through The Points Guy affiliate network if you apply and are approved for a card, but our choices are always independent and objective.
- Signing up for a rewards credit card and earning its welcome bonus is the quickest way to earn a ton of points, miles, or cash back.
- Pay extra attention to limited-time offers if you want to earn as many rewards as possible. While some credit card bonuses stay largely the same, others increase from time to time.
- Plus, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card‘s offer remains a great way to get started with some of the most valuable points around.
- See Business Insider’s list of the best rewards credit cards »
If you want to earn points and miles, the quickest option is signing up for a rewards credit card and earning its intro bonus. This typically requires meeting a minimum spending requirement in the first three months or 90 days, and it’s well worth it — you’ll be rewarded with thousands of points or miles to put toward your next trip, or with a sizeable amount of cash back.
Before you apply for any new cards, make sure you understand how credit card applications affect your credit score. Also make sure you treat your credit cards like debit cards, only spending what you can afford to pay back each month. If you carry a balance to earn rewards, you’ll be putting yourself in a bad financial position — and the interest fees you’ll rack up will easily outweigh any points or miles you earn.
Scroll down to check out some of the best sign-up offers available in February.
Keep in mind that we’re focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It’s important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back.
The best credit card welcome offers available now:
- Delta credit cards: Earn up to 100,000 Delta SkyMiles (Limited-time)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card: Earn up to 100,000 points (Elevated offer)
- United Business Card (Limited-time)
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: 60k Chase points after you spend $4k in the first 3 months
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: 60k Amex points after you spend $5k in the first 3 months
- Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card: 50k Capital One miles after you spend $3k in the first 3 months
- Ink Business Preferred Credit Card: 80k points after you spend $5k in the first 3 months
- American Express® Green Card: 30k Amex points after you spend $2k in the first 3 months
- Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card: 20k bonus points after you spend $1k in the first 3 months
- Brex Corporate Card for Startups and the Brex Corporate Card for Ecommerce: 75k points upon sign-up after you spend $1,000 with Brex (Limited-time)
1. Delta’s revamped credit cards
Delta just updated its lineup of consumer and business credit cards with new benefits and rewards categories, and it’s offering elevated welcome bonuses on all cards until April 1. Here’s how the bonuses break down.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: Earn up to 100,000 miles: 80,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in the first three months, plus another 20,000 miles after your first cardmember anniversary ($250 annual fee for both cards)
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Earn up to 100,000 miles: 80,000 miles and 20,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in the first three months, plus another 20,000 miles after your first cardmember anniversary ($550 annual fee for both cards)
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Cardand the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: Earn up to 70,000 miles: 60,000 miles after you spend $2,000 in the first three months, plus another 10,000 miles after your first cardmember anniversary ($99 annual fee that’s waived the first year for both cards)
- Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: Earn 15,000 miles after you spend $1,000 in the first three months (no annual fee)
2. Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
Welcome offer: 70,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months, another 30,000 points after you spend $25,000 in the first six months
Annual fee: $199
Southwest’s premium business card just launched an elevated bonus, and if you can earn the full 100,000 points, you’ll have plenty of rewards for booking flights — and you’ll earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
The Companion Pass gets you two-for-one travel (your companion only has to pay taxes and fees), and you need to earn 125,000 qualifying points in a year to earn it. You’ll meet that requirement if you earn the full 100,000-point bonus (since you’ll earn at least 1 point per dollar on the $25,000 in required spending), so this offer could potentially be a great deal.
The Southwest Performance Business card offers an application fee credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, plus four upgraded boardings on Southwest per year and in-flight Wi-Fi credits.
This is an elevated sign-up bonus, so it won’t be around forever.
Click here to learn more about the Southwest Performance Business card »
3. United Business Card
Welcome offer: 100,000 United miles after you spend $10,000 in the first three months. This offer is available until April 2.
Annual fee: $99
Another business credit card from an airline is offering an elevated bonus of 100,000 miles. The United Business card has a lower annual fee and a lower spending requirement to earn the bonus, too.
This card was recently launched to replace United’s older Business Explorer card, and it comes with new bonus categories including 2x miles on local transit and commuting. You also get 25% on in-flight purchases, a first bag checked free, and priority boarding on United flights.
Make sure to apply by April 2 to secure the increased welcome offer.
Click here to learn more about the United Business card »
4. Chase Sapphire Preferred
Welcome offer: 60,000 Chase points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months
Annual fee: $95
If you want a rewards credit card with points that can be used with a variety of travel partners, you can’t go wrong with the Sapphire Preferred. It’s one of the best general credit card picks if you’re new to the world of points and miles or if you don’t want to pay the $450 annual fee of the Chase Sapphire Reserve, as the Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee.
The card has been offering a 60,000-point sign-up bonus for the last several months, and you can use those points to book travel directly through Chase, or you can transfer them to partners like British Airways, Hyatt, Singapore Airlines, and United.
Beyond earning some of the most valuable points around, the Sapphire Preferred offers primary car rental insurance and doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.
Click here to learn more about the Sapphire Preferred »
5. The Platinum Card from American Express
Welcome offer: 60,000 Amex points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months
Annual fee: $550
If you travel frequently and can put its many, many benefits to use, the Amex Platinum can be an easy decision even with its $550 annual fee. See how Business Insider’s David Slotnick got more than $2,000 in value from the card in his first year for more info.
Some of the card’s top perks include a 5x earning rate on airfare purchased directly from the airline, up to $200 in airline fee credits each calendar year, up to $200 in Uber credits each cardmember year, and up to $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits each calendar year.
The card also stands out for its airport lounge access benefits. As a card member, you can access Amex Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when you’re flying Delta), Priority Pass lounges, Air Space Lounges, International American Express Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Plaza Premium Lounges.
You can use the Amex Membership Rewards points you’ll earn with this card to book travel with airlines like British Airways, Delta, and Emirates, and with hotel partners including Marriott.
Click here to learn more about the American Express Platinum »
6. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Welcome offer: 50,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in the first three months
Annual fee: $95 (waived the first year)
The Venture Rewards card has consistently added benefits over the last year or so. While previously you could only use miles to erase purchases on your statement, you can now transfer them to a variety of airline programs, including Air Canada, Air France/KLM and Etihad. There are occasionally transfer bonuses that help you stretch your miles further, too.
This card offers a strong lineup of benefits considering the reasonable $95 annual fee (that’s waived the first year). You get an application fee credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and earn 2x miles on all purchases.
Click here to learn more about the Capital One Venture »
7. Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Welcome offer: 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months
Annual fee: $95
The Ink Business Preferred card offers the highest sign-up bonus among Chase cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points. Plus, it has generous bonus categories — you’ll earn 3 points per dollar in the first $150,000 in combined purchases you make on categories including travel, shipping, and advertising (and 1 point per dollar on everything else).
This card has a $95 annual fee, and it offers benefits like primary rental car insurance when you’re renting a car for business purposes.
Click here to learn more about the Ink Business Preferred »
8. American Express Green Card
Welcome offer: 30,000 Amex points after you spend $2,000 in the first three months
Annual fee: $150
Amex just announced a complete makeover of its Green card, and it’s now a very good option for earning Membership Rewards points at a reasonable price point.
The Amex Green card used to be pretty boring and unrewarding, but now it earns 3x points on all eligible travel and at restaurants worldwide. That makes it competitive with other top rewards cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve when it comes to earning points on these two popular spending categories.
The Amex Green card also offers up to $100 in statement credits toward CLEAR membership (it’s an alternative to TSA PreCheck but it also offers expedited security at some stadiums and arenas) and up to $100 in statement credits per year on LoungeBuddy, which lets you book airport lounges. If you can put these perks and credits to use, the Amex Green card could be a great way to improve your travel and boost your Amex points balance.
Click here to learn more about the Amex Green card »
9. Wells Fargo Propel American Express card
Welcome offer: 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in the first three months
Annual fee: $0
If you prefer earning cash back to points and miles, the Wells Fargo Propel is a great choice. It earns 3 points per dollar on dining, on travel, gas stations, rideshares, and on popular streaming services, and 1 point per dollar on everything else. That’s a strong selection of bonus categories, and it’s even better when you consider that this card has no annual fee.
The Propel Card also includes cell phone protection, and there are no foreign transaction fees.
Click here to learn more about the Wells Fargo Propel Amex »
10. 75k points with the Brex corporate card
Welcome offer: 75,000 points upon sign-up after you spend $1,000 with Brex with the Brex Corporate Card for Startups and the Brex Corporate Card for Ecommerce
Annual fee: None
The two versions of the Brex corporate card could be worth a look if you have a small business and are willing to make this your exclusive corporate card. When you do, you can earn up to 7x points on purchases, and you can redeem points with seven airlines, including JetBlue and Singapore Airlines. The Brex Corporate Card for Startups and the Brex Corporate Card for Ecommerce are offering elevated bonuses of 75,000 points to those who sign up by February 28, 2020.
Read more:Brex corporate credit card review
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