The best increased card offers to sign up for this December

Credit card sign-up bonuses and welcome offers are the quickest and easiest way to rake in lots of points and miles, so we regularly update the roundup of our favorite current offers in our best credit cards guide.

But to help you keep up with an ever-changing list of bonuses, we’ve also compiled a list here of the best card offers currently available — especially the ones that are worth an extra look right now because they are at all-time highs or may end soon.

This month, we are seeing some incredibly enticing offers for some of the best travel credit cards, including several cobranded airline and hotel credit cards.

For instance, the ever-popular Platinum Card® from American Express is currently offering 80,000 points with $6,000 in spending in the first six months of card membership. That’s an outstanding offer easily worth $1,600 based on TPG valuations. Its business counterpart, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, is offering a TPG-exclusive offer of a whopping 150,000 points after $15,000 in spending on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership.

Since many issuers have restrictions on how often you can earn a bonus on a card, it’s important to time your application for when there’s a good offer. Also, higher bonuses don’t always stick around for long, so if you’re considering one of these offers, you’ll want to hop on it sooner rather than later.

* Welcome offer value is determined using TPG valuations and is not provided by nor reviewed by the issuer.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Often referred to as the king of the premium travel rewards cards, the Amex Platinum offers a slew of benefits — along with a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees). Cardholders enjoy perks such as automatic Gold status with both Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy plus access to a wide range of airport lounges, including Amex Centurion, Priority Pass and Delta Sky Club (on same-day Delta flights). On top of that, you’ll get up to $200 in annual airline fee statement credits, an up-to-$200 hotel statement credit to use toward prepaid Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings (the latter of which requires a minimum two-night stay) via Amex Travel, and an up-to-$189 Clear membership statement credit — along with numerous other perks. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Related: It’s a ‘lifestyle’ card now: A closer look at the Amex Platinum’s 6 new benefits

Non-travel benefits include an up-to-$240 digital entertainment statement credit (split into monthly $20 credits) to use for Audible, The New York Times, SiriusXM, Peacock and services under the Disney umbrella — including Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu.

Cardholders also receive an up-to-$155 Walmart+ credit (Plus Ups are excluded), an up-to-$300 SoulCycle bike credit and an up-to-$300 Equinox statement credit for eligible Equinox memberships (up to $25 in monthly credit). You also receive Uber VIP status and up to $200 in annual Uber Cash (split into monthly $15 credits for U.S. rides plus a $20 bonus in December). Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Finally, cardholders will enjoy enhanced earning rates on many travel purchases:

• 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year).
• 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel.
• 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.

And while the current welcome offer provides solid value, be sure to check the CardMatch Tool to see if you can receive an even higher one (offers are targeted and subject to change at any time).

Read our review of the American Express Platinum Card.

Official application link: The Platinum Card® from American Express with 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

This business card stands out for its travel perks that can easily cover the card’s $695 annual fee (see rates and fees). Cardholders enjoy automatic Gold status in both the Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programs, along with access a wide variety of airport lounges — including Amex Centurion, Priority Pass and Delta Sky Club (when traveling on same-day Delta flights). Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Cardholders also enjoy 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked at American Express Travel along with 1.5 points per dollar on eligible purchases in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year).

Related: Amex refreshes Business Platinum Card with new perks, higher annual fee and a 150,000-point bonus

On top of that, the card comes with up to $200 in annual airline fee statement credits and a 35% points rebate for flights booked through Amex Travel in first or business class on any airline (up to 1 million points back per calendar year), or in any class on the U.S. airline of your choice each year. Non-travel benefits include up to $400 in annual statement credits toward U.S. Dell purchases, up to $360 in credits toward Indeed, up to $150 toward select Adobe purchases and up to $120 toward wireless telephone services. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

And through Dec. 22, this card has a TPG-exclusive welcome offer: New users earn 150,000 points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the card within the first three months of cardmembership.

Read our review of the American Express Business Platinum Card.

Official application link: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express with 150,000 points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the card within the first three months of card membership.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Venture X card is Capital One’s premium rewards card and offers great earning rates and incredible perks.

Aside from a hefty welcome bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months – worth about $1,388 according to our valuations thanks to Capital One’s excellent airline and hotel transfer partners – the card gives members up to $300 back in statement credits annually for bookings made through Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary, starting on their first anniversary (worth $100 toward travel, or $185 by our valuations).

As for earning rates, the Venture X racks up 10 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked via Capital One Travel along with Turo cars, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked via Capital One Travel, and an unlimited 2 miles per dollar on everything else.

Frequent travelers will also enjoy taking advantage of access to Capital One’s developing network of airport lounges as well as the ability to enroll for Priority Pass membership for entry into more than 1,300 lounge locations worldwide. And it has now added the ability to access Plaza Premium lounges worldwide.

Read our review of the Capital One Venture X card.

Official application link: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card with 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Venture Rewards packs a pretty good punch for a mid-tier credit card. It earns a flat 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases worldwide, but you can earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel along with cars reserved with Turo. The miles you earn with this card can be transferred to Capital One’s 17 airline and three hotel partners or redeemed through the Capital One Travel portal.

The card stands out for offering an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years; many other cards that offer this benefit have annual fees of $400 or more. This TSA PreCheck/Global Entry application fee credit alone is worth up to $100. When making everyday purchases, you may also get extended warranty protection. The Venture Rewards doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, so you can use the card overseas without accumulating extra charges.

Read our review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Card.

Official application link: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card with 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Citi Premier® Card

This is the card to get if you’re looking to quickly stock up on Citi ThankYou points. The 80,000-point bonus is much better than the 60,000 points this card previously offered — and is currently the highest publicly available bonus of any ThankYou Rewards-earning card.

What makes these points so valuable is that you can transfer them to over a dozen airline partners, including some less common ones such as Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles.

Other benefits of the card include a $100 hotel savings benefit once per calendar year when you book a hotel stay of $500 or more through thankyou.com and access to Citi Entertainment, which gives you special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events, including presale tickets.

Read our review of the Citi Premier.

Official application link: Citi Premier Card with 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.

Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card

The Ink Business Unlimited just launched its best-ever welcome offer. New cardholders can earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening. However, if you also have a premium Chase card like the Ink Business Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can combine your points in a single account. This effectively converts the cash-back rewards on the Ink Unlimited and Ink Cash into fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points.

On the earning side, it doesn’t get much easier for the Ink Business Unlimited. You’ll earn 1.5% cash back (or 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points) for every dollar you spend — no need to worry about bonus categories or limited-time earning opportunities.

All of this is available with no annual fee.

Read our full review of the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card.

Official application link: Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card with $900 bonus cash back (or 90,000 bonus points) after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with the card within the first three months of account opening.

Ink Business Cash Credit Card

Chase’s other no-annual-fee business card — the Ink Business Cash — launched an identical offer to the Ink Unlimited. And you can also convert those rewards to fully transferable Chase points by carrying a higher-end card as well.

The big difference with the Ink Cash card is on the earning side of things. For the right small businesses, this card can boost your rewards balance significantly, as you’ll earn at the following rates:

• 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services (then 1% back).
• 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year at gas stations and restaurants (then 1%).
• 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Again, this could get you up to 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent by carrying a premium Chase card.

Read our full review of the Ink Business Cash Credit Card.

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Official application link: Ink Business Cash Credit Card with $900 bonus cash back (or 90,000 bonus points) after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with the card within the first three months of account opening.

Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Then there’s the Ink Business Preferred. According to TPG’s valuations, this card’s welcome bonus alone is worth $2,000 since you can take advantage of Chase’s excellent collection of airline and hotel transfer partners. Points redeemed through the Chase travel portal are worth 1.25 cents each, which isn’t bad, either.

Another factor in this card’s favor? Its tremendous earning rates. You’ll earn 3 points per dollar across the following categories on up to $150,000 in combined purchases (1 point per dollar thereafter):

• Travel.
• Shipping purchases.
• Internet, cable and phone services.
• Advertising on social media sites and search engines.

Depending on which categories you spend in, you could earn a whopping 450,000 bonus points per year if you maxed out that $150,000 cap.

Among the Ink Business Preferred’s unsung benefits are cellphone protection, primary rental car coverage (when renting for business purposes) and other travel and purchase protections. You can also add employee cards to your account for free.

Read our full review of the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.

Official application link: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card with 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the card within the first three months of account opening.

Marriott credit cards

Marriott recently announced a major overhaul to its cobranded card lineup, including new perks (and a higher annual fee) on the top-tier Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express. However, this also included elevated welcome offers across certain cards. They include:

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: 150,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases in your first three months of card membership. Offer ends Jan. 11, 2023.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy: 125,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases in the first three months of card ownership. Offer ends Jan. 11, 2023.

These offers range in value from $504 to $1,260, per our valuations. They also include an array of perks when staying at Marriott properties — so be sure to check out our best Marriott credit cards page to help decide which is best for your wallet.

Official application link: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant with 150,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases in your first three months of card membership.
Official application link: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy with 125,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases in the first three months of card ownership.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

If you can’t quite justify a high annual fee or you just want a solid card with an appealing set of perks, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is an ideal fit. It earns 5 points per dollar on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards; 3 points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out; 3 points per dollar on select streaming services; 3 points per dollar on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs); 2 points per dollar on all other travel; and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

The points you earn with this card can be transferred to Chase’s airline and hotel partners or redeemed for 1.25 cents each through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. Benefits include a $50 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through Ultimate Rewards, at least 12 months of DashPass membership (when activated by Dec. 31, 2024), primary rental car coverage, up to $500 in trip delay reimbursement if you’re delayed more than 12 hours or overnight, up to $10,000 in trip cancellation and interruption insurance and up to $100 per day for up to five days in baggage delay reimbursement if your bag is delayed more than six hours.

Read our review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Official application link: Chase Sapphire Preferred with 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

This is one of the best premium credit cards available.

It earns a whopping 10 points per dollar on Lyft through March 2025, Chase Dining booked through Ultimate Rewards, and hotel and car rental purchases through the Ultimate Rewards Travel portal. Cardholders also earn 5 points per dollar on airline travel booked through the Ultimate Rewards Travel portal, 3 points per dollar on travel (after using the $300 travel credit) and dining, and 1 point per dollar on everything else.

Chase defines travel and dining quite broadly, including everything from parking fees to Airbnb stays and food delivery orders. Perks of the card include a $300 annual travel credit, Priority Pass membership, $5 monthly DoorDash in-app credit through December 2024, a complimentary DashPass membership and an impressive array of travel protections.

Read our review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Official application link: Chase Sapphire Reserve with 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.

American Express® Gold Card

The Amex Gold card is a favorite of many TPG staffers thanks (in large part) to its terrific earning rates:

• 4 points per dollar on dining at restaurants (including take out and delivery in the U.S.)
• 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year (1 point per dollar after that).
• 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel.
• 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

The card also offers up to $120 in annual credit for Uber rides and Uber Eats purchases and up to $120 in statement credits for select dining purchases (enrollment is required for select benefits) — all for a manageable annual fee of $250 (see rates and fees)

And while it’s not providing a limited-time bonus for new cardmembers, you can often find elevated welcome offers through the CardMatch tool. The card currently features a public welcome offer of 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months. However, some new customers can earn a 75,000-point or even 90,000-point welcome offer via the CardMatch tool after meeting the same minimum spending requirements. Note that these elevated offers are targeted and subject to change at any time.

Read our review of the American Express Gold Card.

Official application link: American Express® Gold Card with 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first six months of card membership.

*Bonus offer value is based on TPG valuations and not provided by issuers.

For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card, click here.

Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox and Eric Rosen.