Not so long ago, opening a new bank account or credit card came with a small kitchen appliance. These days, new credit cards generally won’t net you a toaster — but they do often come with the chance to earn a big signup bonus.
We’ve put together a list of some of the biggest and best bonuses around. While some signup bonuses come in the form of a lump-sum cash reward, a number of high-value bonuses come in the form of rewards points. In the article that follows, we’ll explore the best cards to earn a $200 to $500+ credit card bonus. With that kind of money, you can buy a toaster for every room.
Since points and miles can have variable values depending on the program, we’ll take a look at values for redemption for cash back and direct travel (through the issuer). We’ll also include some valuations from The Points Guy (TPG), which includes transfer partners in its calculations.
Signup Bonuses Worth: $750+ | $500+ | $200+
Best Credit Cards with $750+ Signup Bonuses
While cash may be king in some arenas, maximizing credit card rewards is rarely one of them. The cards with the highest-value signup bonuses won’t offer flat cash bonuses, but instead typically offer rewards points with variable per-point value.
In the vast majority of credit card rewards programs, the maximum per-point value is obtained through travel redemption, either via the issuer’s shopping portal or by transferring credit card rewards to a partner hotel or airline loyalty program.
Consumer Credit Cards with $750+ Signup Bonuses
As you might suspect, if you’re looking for a consumer credit card with a massive signup bonus, you’re going to be paying a fairly massive annual fee, too — about $450 to $550 worth of massive.
On the bright side, not only does the big signup bonus provide a way to make up for at least that first-year’s fee, but most of these top-tier rewards cards come with purchase rewards and cardholder benefits that can make the annual fee worthwhile.
Although it’s unlikely we’ll again see the six-figure bonus that the Chase Sapphire Reserve® came with at launch, the Ultimate Rewards® points new cardholders can earn are still extremely valuable.
In fact, those points can be worth even more when redeemed through Chase’s travel portal. The extra value is thanks to the 50% redemption bonus you get for being a Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholder.
To really maximize your Ultimate Rewards®, you can transfer your points to one of Chase’s 10+ airline and hotel partners to reach — or even exceed — the TPG average value of 2.1¢ per point, potentially turning that bonus into $1,050 of travel.
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new card to make $6,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points for flights booked directly through airlines or American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.
- $200 annual hotel credit, $200 annual airline fee credit, $25 monthly Equinox credit, $15 monthly Uber cash credit, $50 bi-annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit, and more.
- Platinum Card Members have unlimited complimentary access to all locations of The Global Lounge Collection, including 1,400 airport lounges across 650 cities.
- Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status and Hilton Honors Gold Status. Enrollment required.
- Choose among three card designs
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Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
20.49% - 27.49% Pay Over Time
|
$695
|
Excellent
|
The signup bonus for The Platinum Card® changes fairly regularly. It rarely drops below 60,000 Membership Rewards® points, however, with targeted offers of 75,000 points often popping up, and bonuses of 100,000 points not uncommon.
Per-point value varies considerably depending on how you redeem your Membership Rewards®. Redeeming for a statement credit reportedly only provides 0.6¢ per point, while airfare options through Amex Travel can give you 1¢ per point.
By and large, the highest-value redemption option is to transfer your Membership Rewards® to a hotel or airline partner. Amex has ~20 different airline and hotel transfer partners, giving you a lot of room to find a valuable redemption.
Indeed, the TPG value for Membership Rewards® is 1.9¢ per point, which means you can turn a typical 60,000-point bonus into $1,140 worth of travel if you redeem wisely.
Since The Platinum Card® has been known to offer signup bonuses of up to 100,000 Membership Rewards® points, it may be worthwhile to wait for the larger bonus if possible. You can only earn one signup bonus per Amex credit card per lifetime.
Business Credit Cards with $750+ Signup Bonuses
Business credit cards regularly offer much larger signup bonuses than consumer credit cards, though they also come with appropriately large spending requirements.
You should expect to see spending requirements of at least $5,000 for the largest business credit card signup bonuses — though a requirement of up to $25,000 might be required for some top-tier cards.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns rewards points, which can be redeemed for travel through Chase’s portal or — the more valuable option — transferred to a partner airline or hotel loyalty program.
When redeemed as cash back, you get 1¢ per point, which would turn a 100,000-point bonus into a solid $1,000 statement credit. Redeeming for travel, however, provides much better value, as those points would be worth $1,200 in travel through Chase’s travel portal.
Of course, the best way to maximize the value of the ever-flexible rewards points is to transfer them to an airline or hotel loyalty program, which can unlock the TPG value of 2.1¢ per point.
- Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of card membership
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, 1.5X points on business categories and purchases of $5,000 or more on up to $2 million per calendar year, and 1X point for each dollar you spend on other purchases.
- Get up to $400 back per year toward U.S. purchases with Dell Technologies, up to $360 back per year for purchases with Indeed, and $120 back per year for wireless telephone service purchases on the Business Platinum Card, plus additional credits. Enrollment is required for all.
- Access to more than 1,400 lounges across 140 countries and counting with the American Express Global Lounge Collection®
- Use Membership Rewards® Pay with Points for all or part of an eligible fare and get 35% of those points back, up to 1,000,000 points back per calendar year
- $695 Annual Fee
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Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
18.74% - 26.74% Pay Over Time
|
$695
|
Excellent
|
Business Platinum Card® from American Express usually offers at least 75,000 points — and frequently offers a 100,000-point signup bonus — which comes with the same Membership Rewards® points as its consumer counterpart.
Assuming you transfer those rewards to a hotel or airline partner to reach the average TPG value, you’re looking at around $1,900 in value for a 100,000-point bonus.
The signup bonus for Business Platinum Card® from American Express is generally tiered, with half the bonus earned when you reach the first spending requirement, and the second half of the bonus earned by reaching the second spending tier.
As with Amex consumer credit cards, signup bonuses for American Express business credit cards can only be earned once per product per lifetime.
Best Credit Cards with $500+ Signup Bonuses
While the credit cards with the highest signup bonuses certainly have more to recommend them than their bonuses, they also tend to come with big annual fees that simply may not be worthwhile to the average cardholder.
But, just because you wish to avoid big annual fees doesn’t mean you have to deal with a sub-par signup bonus. Many great credit cards come with lower annual fees and still offer respectable signup bonuses valued at $500 or more.
Consumer Credit Cards with $500+ Signup Bonuses
Consumer credit cards with $500+ signup bonuses will generally have moderate spending requirements, with most coming in between $3,000 and $4,000. You should also expect to pay an annual fee around $95, though some may waive the fee the first year.
As with the highest-value signup bonuses, most of the $500+ bonuses will come in the form of points, rather than cash back. Additionally, the best per-point value can be obtained by redeeming your rewards for travel.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the little sibling of the more expensive Chase Sapphire Reserve®, charging a smaller annual fee and offering fewer points per dollar spent.
However, while the Preferred may earn fewer purchase rewards per dollar, it earns a larger signup bonus than its sibling, netting new cardholders who reach the spending requirement some serious Ultimate Rewards® points.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders only receive a 25% travel redemption bonus (compared to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®‘s 50% bonus) when redeemed through the Chase travel portal.
However, those points can still reach the same 2.1¢-per-point TPG valuation through smart transfers, giving you the potential for over $1,000 in value.
- 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
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
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Annual Fee
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Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
|
$95
|
Excellent, Good
|
Additional Disclosure: Citi is a CardRates advertiser.
The signup bonus for the Citi Premier® Card pays in ThankYou® Points that have a range of potential values depending on how you redeem them. Redeemable options include cash back, gift cards, and pay-with-points redemptions. For complete details about redemption rates, please be sure to review your card’s benefits guide for terms and conditions.
If all the talk of transfer partners and maximizing your points makes your head spin — or your eyes roll — you’re not alone. Consumers who are uninterested in the points and miles game can skip the confusion with a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
The miles you earn with a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card can have a single, flat-rate value, offering 1¢ per mile when you redeem for a statement credit to cover travel-related expenses.
So, a typical 60,000-mile signup bonus you can earn for reaching the moderate spending requirement for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card will net you $600 in travel-related value. (You can also redeem miles for cash back, but, well, don’t — you’ll only get 0.5¢ per point.)
Or, if you’d rather have frequent flyer miles, cardholders have the option to transfer miles to a qualifying frequent flyer account. Transfer ratios vary from 2:1.5 to 2:1, depending on the frequent flyer program.
The Discover it® Cash Back has a unique “signup” bonus that doesn’t actually kick in until a year after you open your account. But then it kicks in big — and the more you used your card that year, the bigger it gets.
What’s more, Discover also flaunts friendly introductory terms and some of the best customer service in the industry.
Business Credit Cards with $500+ Signup Bonuses
You’ll have a few options for business credit cards with signup bonuses worth $500 or more, with both cash back and miles cards in the mix. Most will provide straightforward cash back rewards, but some will have methods for boosting the value of the signup bonus, as well.
As a cash back card, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card‘s signup bonus is a straightforward reward that provides cash back as a statement credit when you reach the modest spending requirement.
That being said, if you happen to also own a Chase credit card that earns Ultimate Rewards®, you can squeeze a lot more value out of that bonus. That’s because you’ll unlock the ability to turn that cash back bonus into Ultimate Rewards® points at a rate of one point per 1¢, which can be worth even more when redeemed for travel.
The latest addition to the Chase business credit card family, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card currently comes with the same cash back signup bonus as its sibling, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card.
And, like its sibling, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card can be paired with an Ultimate Rewards® earning card to turn that cash back bonus into significant travel value.
This card is currently not available. Additional Disclosure: Information for this card not reviewed by or provided by Capital One.11. Capital One Spark Cash Plus
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus is the most straightforward rewards card from the straightforward-rewards bank. The card’s cash back signup bonus is tiered based on spending over six months and delivered in the form of a statement credit.
The Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit has the same straightforward cash back redemption for its signup bonus as its sibling card, albeit with a smaller per dollar rewards percentage. This card, however, has no annual fee.
In many ways, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business is essentially the business version of the bank’s consumer travel rewards card, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, though its signup bonus offers tiered earnings that can get much higher than the consumer card.
Best Credit Cards with $200+ Signup Bonuses
While the largest signup bonuses typically come as points or miles and require specific redemptions to reach their peak value, most of the smaller signup bonuses are of a simpler nature, mostly offered in the form of straight cash back.
In addition to being more straightforward to redeem, the smaller signup bonuses also have spending requirements that are significantly easier to attain, with most requiring $1,000 or less to earn a still-respectable bonus.
Consumer Credit Cards with $200+ Signup Bonuses
Most consumer credit cards with signup bonuses in the $200 range are not only cash back cards, but most will even come without an annual fee (but not all). You’ll find a mix of flat-rate unlimited cash back cards, as well as some that offer bonus categories.
- 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
- $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
- 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
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
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Annual Fee
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Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
0% for 15 months
|
0% for 15 months
|
19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
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$0
|
Excellent, Good
|
As is common of many signup bonuses from cash back cards, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card bonus can be simply redeemed for a statement credit for face value, among other options. You’ll also receive 0% introductory terms to help you finance a big purchase and meet your signup bonus spending requirement.
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is the little sibling of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card doesn’t have the annual fee that its big sibling charges, and the card’s signup bonus is easier to obtain with a much lower spending requirement.
Additional Disclosure: Bank of America is a CardRates advertiser.
One of the few points rewards cards with a lower-value bonus, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card offers bonus points for meeting the spending requirement within the first 90 days of account opening.
Those points can be redeemed for a statement credit good toward a range of travel-related expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars, and baggage fees.
- Earn $250 back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year on purchases (then 1%). Also earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- Earn 3% cash back on transit, including U.S. gas stations, taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses, and more. All other purchases earn 1% cash back.
- $120 Equinox Credit - Use your Blue Cash Preferred Card to pay for Equinox+ at equinoxplus.com and receive $10 in monthly statement credits. Enrollment required.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable APR applies
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
0% for 12 months
|
N/A
|
18.49% - 29.49% Variable
|
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95
|
Excellent Credit
|
The signup bonus for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card seems to depend on the specific offer, with most applicants seeing a $200 or $250 cash back rewards signup bonus.
Whichever signup bonus offer you receive, meeting the spending requirement within the first three months can net you enough to cover the card’s annual fee for the first two years. As an Amex card, you’ll only get one signup bonus for this card, ever, so make it count.
Business Credit Cards with $200+ Signup Bonuses
As is the trend with business credit cards, the spending requirements for even these smaller signup bonuses will typically be larger than those required by consumer cards. But, given that the average business spends more in a month than the typical consumer, they’re likely to be of similar attainability.
The Blue Business Cash™ Card provides cash back bonuses twice — once after you meet the spending requirement within the first six months, and again if you spend $10,000 or more in the first year of card membership.
Earn Huge Rewards as a New Cardholder
Whether you’re an experienced credit card churner looking to maximize your rewards or an everyday consumer simply trying to make the most of a new card, there are dozens of solid options available for earning a nice signup bonus regardless of your budget and spending habits.
At the same time, it’s important to understand the potential perils of chasing signup bonuses. For example, you never want to charge more than you can afford to repay just to get a signup bonus; interest fees can add up very quickly when you carry a balance, which can eat into your earnings — or even surpass them.
Furthermore, make sure you go for signup bonuses you can actually redeem for the best value. If you rarely travel, for instance, then some of the biggest signup bonuses may not actually hold more value than smaller cash back bonuses. You should also keep an eye on other potential costs, like annual fees, that can offset your bonus.
Finally, keep in mind that only new purchases will count toward you signup bonus. Other transaction types, such as balance transfers and cash advances, won’t earn purchase rewards or count toward the minimum spending requirements for signup bonuses. (Plus, they often start accruing interest right away and come with extra fees, so do your research before making these types of transactions.)
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Editorial Note: Our site content is not provided or commissioned by any credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed on CardRates.com are the author's alone, not those of any credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by credit card issuers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information; however, all credit card offer details, including information about rewards, signup bonuses, introductory offers, and other terms and conditions, is presented without warranty. Clicking on any offer on CardRates.com will direct you to the issuer's website, where you can review the current terms and conditions of the offer.
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