17 Best Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses of January 2025

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Credit card welcome bonus offers are an easy way to earn extra rewards when you open an account. While these deals can be lucrative, you should consider your budget before signing up for a card and only take advantage if you can pay off your balance on time and in full. You typically need to meet a minimum spending requirement to earn the most valuable credit card welcome bonuses, and you’ll want to do that without overspending to avoid potential interest charges if you carry a balance.

CNBC Select analyzed hundreds of cards that offer welcome bonuses and rounded up the best deals.

Who’s this for? The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers the best of both worlds, with a generous introductory APR offer and one of the strongest welcome bonuses you can find with a no-annual-fee credit card.

Welcome bonus: Once approved, you can earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months from account opening. That averages only about $167 in spending per month to earn the bonus.

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Pro tip: You can pair this card with a Chase bank account

When you open a Chase Total Checking® account, you can earn a $300 bonus after you make at least $500 in direct deposits within 90 days of opening the account. You can also waive the monthly maintenance fee with qualifying activities.

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Pro tip: You can pair this card with a Discover bank account

If you want to do all your banking in one place, the Discover® Cashback Debit Checking account offers a debit card that earns 1.00% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month. You can also earn a generous return on your cash with a Discover® Online Savings Account.

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Who’s this for? The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is one of the most generous credit cards for earning flexible rewards for flight and hotel reservations.

Welcome bonus: For a limited time, you can earn 75,000 bonus Citi ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. With the Citi Strata Premier, you can transfer your points to all of Citi’s partner travel programs, this includes ThankYou Points you earn with other Citi credit cards.

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Who’s this for? The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers a free night award each card membership year (up to Category 4) and other valuable perks that will appeal to Hyatt enthusiasts.

Welcome bonus: Earn up to 65,000 bonus points. Earn 35,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 bonus points total per $1 spent in the first six months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 bonus point, on up to $15,000 spent. Offer ends 3/6/25.

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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has many helpful benefits, such as a $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, no foreign transaction fees and a 10% points boost every account anniversary.

It also offers exceptional travel and purchase protections, including baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, rental car collision coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty protection.

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$695 (see rates and fees)

Notable perks

The Platinum Card from American Express has a long list of annual statement credits, entertainment benefits, extensive airport lounge access and elite status perks, including:

• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit. Terms Apply.
• Up to $200 annual airline fee credit (enrollment required)
• Up to $300 per calendar year Equinox credit (enrollment required)
• Up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit (enrollment required)
• $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• Up to $240 annual digital entertainment credit (enrollment required)
• Up to $155 annual Walmart+ credit. (Plus Ups are not eligible. Subject to auto renewal. Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee
• Top-tier airport lounge access, which includes complimentary visits to American Express Centurion Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Delta Sky Clubs and Lufthansa Lounges.

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The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has no foreign transaction fees. You can also take advantage of benefits such as travel accident insurance* and extended warranty protection*.

*Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.

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The Chase Freedom Unlimited® provides travel insurance benefits such as rental car collision coverage, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and travel and emergency assistance. It also offers purchase protection and extended warranty protection.

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The Discover it® Cash Back has no foreign transaction fees, making it useful when traveling abroad.

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The Chase Sapphire Reserve® provides access to statement credit offers, which can help to make the card’s annual fee worth it. You can earn up to $300 in annual travel credits and up to $120 in application fee credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS (once every four years).

When you’re flying, you can relax in style with airport lounge access. You are granted unlimited complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge visits, including Sapphire airport lounges. This card has no foreign transaction fees and an incredible amount of insurance protections, including:

• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection
• Return protection
• Primary rental car collision coverage
• Trip delay protection
• Trip interruption/cancellation insurance
• Baggage delay protection
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Travel accident insurance
• Emergency medical and dental insurance
• Emergency evacuation and transportation

You can also enroll to receive 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, 2027.

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• 5X points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
• 3X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases in these categories each account anniversary year: Shipping, advertising with select social media sites and search engines, travel, internet, cable and phone services
• 1X points on all other purchases

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card has no foreign transaction fees and a strong lineup of shopping and travel protections. You can take advantage of cell phone protection, purchase protection, extended warranty protection, roadside dispatch, rental car collision coverage, trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance, and more.

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The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card offers a $100 annual discount on a CitiTravel.com hotel reservation that costs $500+. Eligible transactions are also covered by travel insurance perks that include coverages for trip cancellations and interruptions, trip delays, lost or damaged luggage and rental cars.

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The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card provides automatic IHG Platinum status and rewards big spenders. You can earn Diamond Elite status after spending $40,000 on the card in a calendar year. Along the way to earn Diamond status, you can earn a $100 statement credit and 10,000 IHG points after spending $20,000 on your card in a calendar year. Every year you’ll also receive a free night award that’s valid at IHG hotels costing 40,000 points or less.

If you also travel with United Airlines, you’ll appreciate the up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash you get each year ($25 deposited twice per year). Plus, you can breeze through airport security or customs after signing up for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS and having your application fee reimbursed (up to $120, once every four years).

Your IHG points become more valuable just by having the card because of its fourth-night free benefit. With this feature, if you use points to book a stay of at least four consecutive nights, the fourth night is free.

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• 6X Marriott points at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
• 3X Marriott points on the first $6,000 spent each year on grocery stores, dining and gas stations
• 2X Marriott points on all other purchases

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, every year after the account anniversary, you’ll receive a Free Night Award valid at properties costing up to 35,000 points per night. A useful feature of Marriott’s Free Night Awards is that you can top them off with up to 15,000 points. This allows you to use the annual award night for rooms that cost up to 50,000 points, which gives you more options.

You’ll receive Marriott Bonvoy Silver status just for having the card and you receive Gold status after spending $35,000 on purchases in a calendar year. Each calendar year, you’ll also receive 15 Elite Night Credits and one Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 you spend on the card.

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The biggest reason to get the United Club℠ Infinite Card is for unlimited United Club airport lounge access. Depending on your elite status level, a United Club℠ membership would normally cost $550 to $650 per year (or 75,000 to 85,000 miles), so it’s cheaper to just get this card. Terms apply.

This card also has many travel perks that make it worthwhile, even after you’ve left the United airport lounge. It comes with:

• First and second checked bags for free on United flights (for you and a companion when you pay for the flight with the card)
• Priority check-in, boarding, baggage handling and security screening
• Up to $120 back for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS
• 25% back on inflight United purchases and premium United Club drink purchases
• Earn up to 10,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) per calendar year (earn 25 PQP for every $500 you spend on the card)
• Save 10% on economy Saver Awards within the continental U.S. or between the continental U.S. and Canada
• IHG One Rewards Platinum status
• Up to $75 in IHG statement credits each year
• Avis President’s Club status (enrollment required)
• Car rental collision coverage
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• Purchase protection
• No foreign transaction fees

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• 4X points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels
• 2X points on airfare purchased directly from an airline
• 2X points on dining
• 2X points on local transit and commuting
• 2X points on fitness and gym club memberships
• 1X points on all other purchases

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

With the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you can earn up to two free-night awards per year. You’ll automatically receive one free night per card member year (valid at Category 1 to 4 hotels) and can earn a second free night (also valid at Category 1 to 4 hotels) after spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.

Stays are more comfortable with automatic Hyatt Discoverist status, which gets you an early check-in, 2 p.m. check-out, a preferred room based on availability and more. You’ll also receive five tier qualifying night credits toward the next status tier automatically each year, with the ability to earn another two elite night credits for every $5,000 you spend on the card in a calendar year.

Other perks include no foreign transaction fees, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, rental car collision coverage and lost luggage reimbursement.

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The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card helps you fast track elite status with automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status for you and up to five employees, plus five elite night credits for every $10,000 you spend on the card in a calendar year.

You’ll also enjoy an up to $100 annual Hyatt Credit. Simply spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property on the card and earn $50 in statement credits, up to two times, each anniversary year. Once you’ve hit $50,000 in spending on the card in a calendar year, you’ll receive a 10% rebate on points redemptions (on up to 200,000 points per year).

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The Prime Visa has no foreign transaction fees and insurance perks that matter, such as:

• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection
• Baggage delay insurance
• Rental car collision coverage
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Roadside dispatch
• Travel accident insurance
• Travel and emergency assistance

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A credit card’s welcome bonus is often the most valuable benefit. However, it’s only a one-time perk, so you’ll want to carefully consider everything else the card offers before applying.

As you’re analyzing intro bonus offers, it’s important to consider two factors: Bonus value and requirements.

Bonus value

For certain types of cards, it’s simple to estimate the bonus value. For example, a cash bonus of $500 is worth $500, but how much are 50,000 points or miles worth?

The answer depends on the type of rewards and how you intend to use them:

• Hotel points or airline miles: Only redeemable within the specific program, limiting your options
• Transferrable points: These can typically be moved to many different airlines or hotels, which could provide you with more choices.

This added flexibility can increase the value of flexible rewards, so 50,000 transferrable points are generally worth more than 50,000 hotel points.

Bonus requirements

If you’re approved for a card, you’ll still need to meet the spending requirement before you’re awarded any bonus points, miles or cash.

To ensure you can hit the spending threshold without overspending, look at your credit card statement for the past few months or the year. This should give you a good idea of how much you can expect to spend on your new card. If you usually spend $1,500 on your credit card(s) each month, then any card with a spending requirement of $4,500 or less within three months should be achievable.

You can also plan your credit card application around bigger, but less frequent expenses. If you’re paying your annual insurance premiums or booking lodging for your yearly vacation, it might make sense to apply for a card beforehand.

However, these are one-time bonuses, and you need to look at a card’s benefits and perks to get the full picture of whether it’s a worthy addition to your wallet. Welcome bonuses also typically have spending requirements that need to be met within a certain timeframe and these requirements aren’t always easy to meet.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best credit card sign-up bonuses.

To determine which cards offer the best value, CNBC Select analyzed over 250 major credit cards issued through FDIC-insured banks and NCUA-insured credit unions that are widely available in the U.S. and offer welcome bonuses.  

We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards (e.g., cash back, points and miles), annual fees, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APR and balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks (e.g., ongoing travel or merchant statement credits), cardholder protections (e.g., purchase protection, $0 liability protection and travel insurance), the application process when available (e.g., is there a credit pull or required credit score) and how easy it is to redeem points (e.g., are rewards are tied to a specific brand; if transferable, to how many/which partners, can you redeem for straight cash back). 
 
We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.  

For the cards that offered a rewards program, we considered consumer spending data forecasts from location intelligence firm Esri to determine where U.S. consumers are spending the most money, like on dining and travel. We used this to help determine what bonus categories are most useful for consumers. Since the value of a point or mile varies based on what they can be redeemed for, we also considered things like transferability and the ability to redeem for cash-back. 

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For rates and fees of the Discover it® Cash Back, click here.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

Information about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

*For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply