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Hi Travel Junkies,
The summer travel season is official here, and along with it, a slew of fantastic credit card offers.
At 10xTravel, we are huge fans of credit card bonuses because there truly is no faster way to earn a large amount of points/miles with so little effort. Many of the bonuses discussed in today’s post are the highest we’ve seen on these cards and worth hundreds of dollars of free travel.
So with that said, here are 7 cards that feature particularly high bonuses.
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card
- 60,000 American AAdvantage miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
- $95 annual fee, waived first year
This card typically offers just 30,000 to 50,000 bonus miles, so the 60,000 bonus miles are particularly enticing. There is also a business version of this card that offers the same 60,000 bonus miles for $3,000 spend.
American Airlines MileSAAver awards cost just 30,000 miles each way to and from Europe, meaning this one card bonus could provide enough miles for a round trip ticket to Europe if you are able to find availability.
American also has some amazing Oneworld partner airlines that can be booked with your American AAdvantage miles including Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qatar Airways. An additional partner that should not be overlooked is Etihad Airways.
Gold Delta SkyMiles Card
- 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 4 months
- $95 annual fee, waived first year
- $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase in your first 4 months
Delta SkyMiles get a bad rap in the points world because they are incredibly unpredictable. Delta doesn’t even publish an award chart so there is no way of knowing exactly what 60,000 miles can get you. However, I have seen a number of 10xTravel readers book round-trip flights to Hawaii for 45,000 to 55,000 SkyMiles just recently.
Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card
- 70,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after spending $4,000 in the first 4 months
- $195 annual fee not waived first year
- $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase in your first 4 months
The 10,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles offered by this card make this card a great grab for frequent Delta flyers who are looking to qualify for the next level of elite status. Oh, the 70,000 SkyMiles sign-up bonus isn’t a bad perk either.
Barclays Aviator
- 50,000 bonus American Airlines miles after first purchase
- $95 annual fee not waived
Because this card has no minimum spending requirement you are effectively “buying” 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles for the $95 annual fee. Personally, I would value 50,000 American Airlines miles ~$650 to $800 so you are coming out way ahead here.
Barclaycard Arrival Plus
- 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days
- Miles erase any travel purchase made with the card at a value of 1 cent per mile (so 50,000 = $500 in travel credits). This works for airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, ride shares, etc.
- $89 annual fee, waived first year
The Barclaycard Arrival Plus is one of my favorite credit cards because of how easy it is to use the points. They work for any travel expenses, so I often find myself using them for cheap cash tickets for flights or boutique hotels.
Another great use for these points is hotel incidentals. Simply bill things like meals and entertainment to your hotel room and they count as “travel expenses” that can be erased with Barclays points.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Cards
There are three versions of this card: Plus, Premier, and Business. The two personal versions offers 60,000 bonus miles after $2,000 spend (Plus and Premier) in the first 3 months while the business version offers the same sign-up bonus after $3,000 spend in the first 3 months.
The have annual fees of $69 (Plus) and $99 (Premier and Business) that are not waived first year.
These cards typically offer either 40,000 and 50,000 bonus points.
If you are able to get approved for 2 of these cards you will earn the coveted Southwest Companion Pass through December 31, 2018. This is one of the most lucrative perks in the points/miles world and a must get for anyone who frequently travels with others.
Check out the 10xTravel Ultimate Guide to the Companion Pass to see how you can really maximize this amazing perk.
United MileagePlus Explorer Card
- 70,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days + 5,000 bonus miles for adding an authorized user (targeted offer)
- 2 United Club day passes each year on your Cardmember anniversary
- $95 annual fee not waived first year
Some readers have been able to find this card with a bonus offer of 70,000 bonus miles by checking their MileagePlus Accounts on United, so definitely check your own account before applying.
However, many won’t be be able to get this offer. Fortunately, the public offer currently offers a sign-up bonus of 50,000 United miles.
You can find United flights to Europe for 30,000 points each way, so like the AA card discussed above this one card bonus could just about cover a round-trip flight to Europe.
The summer is shaping up to be a great time to get a big credit card sign-up bonus!
As always, feel free to email me with any questions you may have.
Happy Travels,
Bryce
New to the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year. , 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.