Getting ahead with travel credit cards is all about timing: Opening a card when the welcome bonus is at its highest is what it’s all about. If you’re in the market for a new travel credit card, this is the place to start.
Just as we do every month, we’ve assembled a list of the best currently available credit card offers for December 2024 – and everything you need to know if you are thinking about taking advantage. From new, bigger bonuses on two of the best travel cards to massive bonuses on small business credit cards, there’s something for everyone right now.
But remember: Credit cards are serious business. You should never apply for a credit card if you’re already in debt, and never charge more to a credit card than you can afford to pay off immediately. However many points and miles you can earn, they’re not worth it.
For more information on the best current offers, be sure to head to our Top Credit Cards page.
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Current Offer
The *chase sapphire preferred* is out with a valuable, welcome bonus offer: bonus_miles_full
Annual Fee: $95
Learn more about the *chase sapphire preferred*
Why This Offer Makes the List
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more valuable bonus on a card with such a modest, $95 annual fee. So, what can 60,000 points get you? In two words: A lot.
Those reward points are worth a minimum of $750 toward flights, hotels, and other travel expenses booked through Chase Travel℠. But you might be able to do even better by leveraging Chase’s transfer partners and sending those points to airlines like Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Avios – or even a top-notch hotel partner like Hyatt – instead.
But the value of the Chase Sapphire Preferred goes well beyond it’s initial welcome bonus. When you use the card for purchases, you’ll earn 3x points on dining and online grocery orders, 2x on travel (even more through Chase Travel), and 1x on all other purchases. Add in the card’s annual $50 credit for hotel purchases made through Chase Travel and it’s clear why this card is such a favorite among beginners and experts alike.
Ready to apply? There are some restrictions you’ll need to be aware of first.
For starters, there’s the Chase 5/24 rule: If you have been approved for five or more cards from any bank (not just Chase) in the last 24 months, you will automatically be declined. Additionally, if you have earned a bonus on either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve in the past 48 months (four years), you will not be eligible.
Read more: Are You Eligible For a Chase Sapphire Bonus?
2. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Current Offer
The *capital one venture x* is currently offering 75,000 Venture Miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months. Considering you earn at least 2x miles for every dollar you spend on the Venture X Card, you’ll have at least 83,000 Venture Miles (worth at least $830 towards travel) right off the bat.
Annual Fee: $395
Learn more about the *capital one venture x*
Why This Offer Makes the List
The Venture X is a souped-up version of the ever-popular *capital one venture card* that’s chock full of extra benefits like access to Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and Plaza Premium lounges. It also includes an annual $300 Capital One travel credit, a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, great travel and rental car protections, and more.
Sure, the card’s $395 annual fee may immediately turn off some travelers, but in practice, the card is actually far cheaper. Consider this: You get an automatic $300 credit towards travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal each year – and then, starting in year two, you get a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus (worth a minimum of $100).
Are you the kind of person who plans to spend $400 a year or more on travel? If so, do the math and you’ll see your real out-of-pocket cost isn’t much, if anything, at all. And it’s an even better deal when you add in all the other perks and welcome bonus.
Read More: Capital One Venture X Card Review: Get 75K Miles, Lounge Access & More
3. American Express® Gold Card
Current Offer
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Be sure to check if you’re eligible for a 75,000-point offer via CardMatch!
Annual Fee: $325 (see rates & fees)
Learn more about the *amex gold*
Why This Offer Makes the List
The *amex gold card* is one of our favorite travel rewards cards, period.
Here’s what you need to know: The real value of the Gold card goes far beyond that initial welcome offer – though a 60,000- to 75,000-point bonus sure doesn’t hurt.
That’s because the Gold Card earns 4x points for every dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 annually, then 1x) and 4x points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 annually, then 1x), making it arguably the best card to use for all your food purchases.
You’ll also get up to $120 in dining credits each year to spend at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys, up to $84 in Dunkin’ Credit each year (up to $7 per month), up to $100 in Resy Credit per year (up to $50 semi-annually), and $120 annually in Uber Cash ($10 per month) to use on both Uber and Uber Eats. All of these credits are use-them-or-lose-them benefits, any unused amount won’t rollover from month-to-month.
Maximizing these credits alone will cover all your $325 annual fee and then some. These credits and bonus categories are a big reason why we feel the card is easily worth the $325 annual fee.
Read our full review of the American Express Gold Card.
4. Chase Ink Cash Back Business Cards
Chase Ink Cash Card
Current Offer: With the *chase ink cash*, it’s broken up into two tiers: You can earn $350 (or 35,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 (or 40,000 points) after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening.
Annual Fee: $0
Learn more about the *Ink Cash*.
Chase Ink Unlimited Card
Current Offer: With the *chase ink unlimited* you can earn $750 (or 75,000 points) after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Annual Fee: $0
Learn more about the *chase ink unlimited*.
Why These Offers Make the List
The *Ink Cash* and the *Ink Unlimited* are two no-annual fee cash back business cards that pack a huge punch.
Small business owners who already have a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points like the *chase ink preferred*, the *chase sapphire preferred*, or even the *chase sapphire reserve* should give these two Ink Business cards a long, hard look. With one of those cards in your wallet, the cash back these cards earn can be turned into Ultimate Rewards points, making the rewards much more valuable – especially if your ultimate goal is travel.
Wondering if you are eligible to open a small business credit card to earn more travel rewards? You might be surprised by the answer. And trust us, it’s less intimidating than you may think.
If you’re unsure which one to pick, Chase doesn’t restrict you from having both, so you might not have to choose. But while they offer some of the same benefits, there are other key differences to be aware of between the two.
Read More: Chase Ink Cash vs Ink Unlimited: Which Offers the Best Return for Your Business?
5. AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
Current Offer
The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® is out with a great offer for new applicants to quickly earn 70,000 AAdvantage miles after making a purchase and paying the $99 annual fee. These aren’t just the easiest miles you’ll ever earn – they’re also some of the cheapest.
American Airlines just expanded its partnership with Citi, meaning this card won’t be available for long. Be sure to take advantage of this big bonus offer before it’s too late!
Annual Fee: $99
All information about the AAdvantage Aviator Red Card has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not be verified by the issuer.
Learn more about the Barclays AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard (For full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).
Why This Offer Makes the List
AAdvantage miles are perhaps some of the most valuable frequent flyer miles you can earn – even if you’re a regular Delta or United flyer.
While most credit cards require you to spend $3,000 or more in the first few months to unlock a big welcome bonus, that’s not the case with the AA Barclay’s card. Make one purchase – whether it’s a pack of gum, a cup of coffee, a flight, or something else – and you can earn a quick and easy 60,000 miles. These are some of the easiest points and miles you will ever earn, although the opportunity may not be around much longer.
Put this together with the current bonus on the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® and bam: You’ve got 120,000 American Airlines miles. That’s an easier (and cheaper) path to pile up more than 135,000 miles than you’ll find with almost any other airline.
Whether you regularly fly with American Airlines or hardly at all, there are lots of great ways to put this big bonus to use, making it worth your attention.
Read More: How to Quickly Earn 135,0000 American Airlines Miles (And Why You Should)
6. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard®
Current Offer
With the current publicly available welcome bonus offer, you can earn 70,000 miles after spending $2,000 in the first 90 days.
Annual Fee: $99
All information about the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not be verified by the issuer.
Learn more about the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link)
Why This Offer Makes the List
Alaska Airlines’ recent merger with Hawaiian Airlines has created a limited-time opportunity to transfer miles between programs at a 1:1 ratio, meaning you can turn Hawaiian miles into Alaska miles right now (and vice versa).
Since Alaska miles are so valuable and this new transfer with Hawaiian opens the door to earning a lot more of them in a hurry, we are giving the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® a hard look for the first time … ever.
That 70,000-mile bonus might not do much with Hawaiian itself, but by sending those miles over to your Alaska account, they’ll go a long way. What’s more, if you know another traveler with a Hawaiian card, you can pool those miles together for free and then transfer them to Alaska.
But act fast. The ability to transfer miles between programs is only temporary, which means you’ve got a limited window to earn a big bonus on the Hawaiian co-branded card, then kick those miles over to Alaska.
Read more: Japan, Fiji, Europe & More: 6 Sweet Spots to Book with Alaska Miles
7. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Current Offer
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Annual Fee: $95
Learn more about the *capital one venture card*
Why This Offer Makes the List
Considering that Capital One miles can be used to cover nearly any travel purchase at a rate of 1 cent per mile, the current 75,000-mile bonus is worth a minimum of $750. If you’re game to transfer points to one of Capital One’s slew of transfer partners, you could probably do even better than that.
While you won’t get all the perks that come with the premium *venture x*, you also won’t be on the hook for a $395 annual fee each year. And you’ll be earning the same unlimited 2x miles on every purchase, just like the Venture X. This means it’ll be easy to keep racking up miles well after you earn the big bonus.
The Venture Card includes a credit of up to $120 every four years to cover the cost of a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership – making it one of the most cost-effective ways to get this benefit from a credit card. For the remainder of this year, it also comes with two complimentary visits to the outstanding Capital One Lounges.
With a huge, limited-time bonus offer like this, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card for someone just getting started with points and miles.
Read More: 75K Venture Miles & More Perks: All About the Capital One Venture Card
8. Capital One Savor Rewards Card
Current Offer
Don’t sleep on cashback cards! With the *Capital One Savor*, earn bonus_miles_full.
Annual Fee: $0
Learn more about the *Capital One Savor*.
Why This Offer Makes the List
This no-annual-fee card earns an impressive 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Target and Walmart), on dining, entertainment, and select streaming services. You’ll also earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, plus 1% cash back on all other purchases.
While the Savor Rewards Card technically earns cash back, if you’ve got the *capital one venture card* or *venture x* in your wallet, you can combine your rewards and turn that cashback into miles to redeem for travel. While the card’s $250 bonus is nothing to scoff at, turning it into 25,000 Capital One miles makes it far more valuable.
Also, the Capital One Savor Rewards Card does not charge an annual fee and you won’t pay any foreign transaction fees on purchases made abroad. This further cements it as a strong one-two-punch for Venture and Venture X cardholders.
Read more: Capital One’s Best Card for Dining & Groceries Has a New Bonus!
9. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Current Offer
The *chase ink preferred* is currently offering 90,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $8,000 in the first three months of card membership. These points are worth a minimum of $1,125 for future travel when redeemed through Chase TravelSM – if not much, much more.
Annual Fee: $95
Learn more about the *chase ink preferred*
Why This Offer Makes the List
If you have a small business (and trust us, you might be eligible for a small business card and not know it), it’s a fantastic offer on a business card with a low annual fee.
Beyond a stellar welcome bonus, the Ink Business Preferred is one of the best business cards out there. It offers a solid ongoing return on spending and strong travel benefits for small business owners.
Best of all, the card has a low annual fee of just $95, making it worth a spot in your wallet for the long run.
Read our review of the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card!
10. Capital One Venture X Business
Current Offer
The *venture x business* allows new card members to earn 150,000 bonus miles when meeting the card’s minimum spending requirement of $30,000 in the first three months of card membership.
Annual Fee: $395
Learn more about the *venture x business*.
Why This Offer Makes the List
Without question, the spending requirement to earn the big welcome offer bonus is bigger than most. But if your business regularly has big expenses, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better business card offer right now.
The bank essentially hit copy and paste on the personal *venture x* that’s chock full of premium travel benefits: Access to Capital One Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium lounges, a $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and more.
Sure, the card’s $395 annual fee may immediately turn off some business owners, but in practice, the card is actually far cheaper. Consider this: You get an automatic $300 credit towards travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal each year – and then, starting in year two, you get a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus (worth a minimum of $100).
Are you the kind of person who plans to spend $400 a year or more on travel? If so, do the math and you’ll see your real out-of-pocket cost isn’t much, if anything, at all. And it’s an even better deal when you add in all the other perks and welcome bonus.
Not to mention, you’ll earn 2x Venture Miles for every dollar your business spends – that can add up in a hurry.
Read our full review of the Venture X Business Card
11. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Current Offer
The *freedom unlimited* comes with the following bonus: Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That’s 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
Annual Fee: $0
Learn more about the *freedom unlimited*.
Why This Offer Makes the List
This is a great offer to earn almost twice the amount of rewards you would typically make on your everyday spending on a card that doesn’t charge an annual fee. And if you hold it alongside a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points like the Sapphire Reserve or Preferred, that cash back can instantly become points.
Typically, you’ll earn the standard 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining (including takeout and eligible delivery service), and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases made with your Freedom Unlimited card.
The additional 1.5% simply makes a great card offer even better.
Read our review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card!
12. The Platinum Card® from American Express
Current Offer
There is currently a targeted welcome offer available through creditcards.com’s CardMatch tool to earn 175,000 points via CardMatch after spending $8,000 in the first six months
Not targeted through CardMatch? You can also try using an incognito window on your browser and apply directly with American Express. Or see if you can get a referral link for 175,000 points from a friend or family member.
At the very least, you’ll earn a welcome offer of 80,000 American Express points after spending $8,000 within the first six months. Just be warned: Amex recently made changes to the terms of the welcome offer, making it more difficult (and costly) for some to earn that big bonus.
Annual Fee: $695 (see rates & fees)
Learn more about *amex platinum*.
Why This Offer Makes the List
*amex platinum* got a big refresh a few years ago, bringing on new benefits and an even bigger annual fee.
And while that big annual fee may be hard to stomach, you can still come out way ahead in your first year thanks in part to the record welcome offer currently available (from Cardmatch or a personal referral link). That takes the cake for the best offer we have ever seen on the Platinum Card … and it’s not even close.
Just know that if you don’t already have an American Express Membership Rewards-earning card, it may be better to start at the bottom and work your way up. With recent changes to application rules, going straight to Amex’s best card could cost you additional new card welcome offers down the road.
Check out some of the best ways to use your bonus from the Amex Platinum card!
13. Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
Current Offer
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is out with a great, new bonus offer: Earn 75,000 ThankYou Points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.
Annual Fee: $95
All information about the Citi Strata Premier Card has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not be verified by the issuer.
Learn more about the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).
Why This Offer Makes the List
For such a low $95 annual fee, this card has nearly 20 different airline and hotel transfer partners. And ThankYou points transfer to all of them on a 1:1 basis (except to Choice Hotels which transfer on an even better 1:2 basis). That means 75,000 ThankYou points can net you 75,000 airline miles or 150,000 Choice points.
This card is also one of the most well-rounded cards when it comes to category bonus spending as it earns 3x points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and at hotels on an unlimited amount of spending.
That big bonus could be enough to score a fantastic Qsuites business class seat for a reasonable 75,000 miles and $100 or so for a one-way flight from the U.S. to the Middle East.
Read More: Citi Strata Premier Card Review: Great Rewards at an Entry-Level Price
Bottom Line
December is yet another big month in terms of elevated credit card offers. While there are plenty of cards and bonuses to choose from, we think these are the best travel rewards card offers currently available.
Be sure to check our Top Credit Cards Page, as offers are always changing.
