Many credit cards give you money for signing up and then spending a certain amount of money in the first few months. One of the best credit card sign-up bonuses is from the Citi Premier® Card, which offers 60,000 points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.
It's less common for credit cards to give you money just for signing up, but that does happen in a few cases. For example, on the Amazon.com Credit Card, the bonus is a $60 gift card that is automatically loaded to your Amazon account after your application for the card is approved.
Popular Credit Cards With Initial Bonuses
Citi Premier® Card
Initial bonus: 60,000 points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
Annual fee: $95
Ongoing rewards:
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 60,000 ThankYou® Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
Amazon.com Credit Card
Initial bonus: $60 Amazon.com gift card upon approval ($150 for Prime members)
Annual fee: $0
Ongoing rewards:
- A $60 Amazon.com Gift Card ($150 for Prime members) will instantly be loaded into your Amazon.com account upon the approval of your credit card application.
- Earn a total of 3 points everywhere on up to $1,500 in spending for the first 3 months after account opening ($45 value). Prime cardholders receive 5 points on a maximum of $2,500.
- Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases.
- Earn 2 points for every $1 spent at gas stations, restaurants and on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Redeem daily rewards at Amazon.com as soon as the next day. Or redeem at Chase.com for cash back, gift cards, or travel.
- If you have an eligible Prime membership, you can link your Amazon.com Credit Card to earn 5 points for every $1 (equivalent to 5% cash back) on purchases made at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases. Plus, get up to 10% back on rotating Amazon categories and products with a Prime card.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Initial bonus: 3 Free Nights for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Annual fee: $95
Ongoing rewards:
- Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
- Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
- 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
- Earn up to 17X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card.
- 2X points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year, and path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Initial bonus: 75,000 miles for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
Annual fee: $395
Ongoing rewards:
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- 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
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Elevate your stay at luxury hotels and resorts from the Premier Collection with a $100 experience credit, daily breakfast for 2 and complimentary WiFi on every booking, plus other premium benefits like room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout when available
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Initial bonus: 60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
Annual fee: $95
Ongoing rewards:
- 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 Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Initial bonus: 25,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days
Annual fee: $0
Ongoing rewards:
- Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire.
- 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
- Use your card to book your trip how and where you want - you're not limited to specific websites with blackout dates or restrictions.
- Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants including takeout.
- If you're a Preferred Rewards member, you can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase. That means instead of earning an unlimited 1.5 points for every $1, you could earn 1.87-2.62 points for every $1 you spend on purchases.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Initial bonus: $200 cash rewards after spending $500 in the first 3 months
Annual fee: $0
Ongoing rewards:
- Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
- Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
- No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don't expire as long as your account remains open
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
Initial bonus: $200 for spending $500 in the first 3 months
Annual fee: $0
Ongoing rewards:
- Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- Enjoy up to 6 months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024
- 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
- No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus, cash back won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how much you can earn
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
Initial bonus: 50,000 points for spending $4,500 in the first 90 days
Annual fee: $400
Ongoing rewards:
- Earn 50,000 bonus points (worth $750 on travel) by spending $4,500 in the first 90 days.
- Get reimbursed up to $325 Annual Statement Credits for eligible net travel purchases and toward any merchant classified as a restaurant, fast-food restaurant or bar.
- Earn 5 points for every $1 spent on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.
- Earn 3 points for every $1 on eligible net travel purchases and mobile wallet spending and 1 point for every $1 in qualifying Net Purchases.
- Use your mobile device to instantly redeem points for almost any purchase with Real-time Rewards.
- Complimentary 12-month Priority Pass™ Select membership to more than 1,300 VIP lounges worldwide.
- Up to $100 statement credit to reimburse your TSA Pre✓® or Global Entry application fee once every four years.
JetBlue Plus Card
Initial bonus: 60,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days and paying the annual fee
Annual fee: $99
Ongoing rewards:
- Earn 60,000 TrueBlue bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days and payment of annual fee.
- Receive 5,000 bonus points every year after your account anniversary.
- Earn 6 points per $1 spent on JetBlue purchases; 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants and qualifying grocery stores and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Terms apply.
- Redeem for any seat, any time on JetBlue operated flights, along with no blackout dates and points awarded into your account don’t expire.
- Receive 50% savings on eligible inflight purchases including cocktails and food. Plus, get 10% of your points back every time you redeem for and travel on a JetBlue-operated Award Flight.
- Free first checked bag for you and up to 3 companions on the same reservation when you use this card to purchase tickets.
- Enjoy an annual $100 statement credit after purchasing a JetBlue Vacations package of $100 or more with this card.
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Initial bonus: $300 for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
Annual fee: $95
Ongoing rewards:
- Earn a one-time $300 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services, 3% at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- Earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases.
- Earn 10% cash back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats, plus complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024
- No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus cash back won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how much you can earn.
You can learn more about the best credit cards with signup bonuses on WalletHub.