The Best Travel Credit Card Welcome Bonus Offers Right Now

There are a number of travel rewards credit cards with boosted welcome bonus offers to have on your radar.

Here’s a look at some of the best travel credit card offers out there right now, based on the value of the welcome bonus offers, which were calculated using NerdWallet's valuations of credit card and loyalty program points.

» Learn more: Should I get more than one travel credit card?

Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome offer: $1,000 or more if transferred to high-value travel partners.

• Why you should get it: The $250 travel credit is rare for this card's offer, and the value of it makes up for the card's annual fee for two years.

• Who should get it: This card is great for people who want just one travel card with a low annual fee. It earns 2x miles on all purchases, making it easy to rack up a lot of miles without keeping track of a lot of bonus categories.

• Who should skip it: People who prefer to use their travel rewards with domestic airlines won't find a lot of options. Capital One just added JetBlue as a transfer partner, but the transfer ratio isn't super favorable to cardholders.

• Learn more: Is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card worth its annual fee?

For a limited time, earn 75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $3,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.

• Annual fee: $99, waived for first 12 months.

• Value of welcome offer: $1,200. NerdWallet values American AAdvantage miles at 1.6 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This is up from the previous offer of 50,000 American miles. It's a good deal for a card with a waived annual fee for the first year.

• Who should get it: Frequent American Airlines or Oneworld airline flyers. American is not a transfer partner of any of the major credit card rewards programs, so getting an American Airlines co-branded card is the only way to earn American miles through credit card spending.

• Who should skip it: People who don't want to be locked into earning miles with just one airline might be better off with a general travel credit card that lets you book multiple airlines through the travel portal or transfer points to multiple airline programs.

• Learn more: Is an American Airlines card worth it?

Earn Companion Pass® plus 30,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

• Annual fee: $69.

• Value of welcome offer: $450 plus the value of the Companion Pass. NerdWallet values Southwest points at 1.5 cents each.

• Why you should get it: The Companion Pass is a highly-coveted perk that lets travelers buy one ticket and get their companion's ticket for only the cost of taxes and fees (usually just $5.60 each way on domestic itineraries). And this doesn't just happen once. The Companion Pass from this offer is valid on all Southwest flights you take until Feb. 28, 2026.

• Who should get it: People who can fly Southwest a few times this year with a designated buddy.

• Who should skip it: If you are more of a solo traveler, you might want to wait until the Southwest cards offer more bonus points (instead of the Companion Pass) as part of the sign-up bonus. Southwest flyers who want even more credit card benefits might also want to check out the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, which has the same Companion Pass offer, but a higher annual fee and more benefits.

• Learn more: Is a Southwest card worth it?

Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 4/2/2025. Terms Apply.

• Annual fee: $650 (see rates and fees).

• Value of welcome offer: $1,200. NerdWallet values Delta miles at 1.2 cents each.

• Why you should get it: Airline card welcome offers rarely top $1,000 in value, so this is a rare opportunity to get a big windfall of Delta SkyMiles, along with other perks like 15 visits to the Delta Sky Club each year and a Companion Certificate upon card renewal each year.

• Who should get it: The most devoted Delta flyers who want to earn miles and access Delta Sky Clubs. There are only 15 complimentary visits per year with this card, but at least if you carry the card, you can pay a $50 entry fee for additional visits.

• Who should skip it: People who have a The Platinum Card® from American Express get 10 Delta Sky Club visits per year, so they can probably skip this premium Delta card. Delta enthusiasts might also consider some of the other Delta cards, all of which have increased welcome offers right now.

• Learn more: Is the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card worth its annual fee?

• Terms apply.

Limited Time Offer: Earn $600 in OneKeyCash™ after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. OneKeyCash is not redeemable for cash and can only be used on Expedia®, Hotels.com® and Vrbo®.

• Annual fee: $99.

• Value of welcome offer: $600.

• Why you should get it: This offer is $200 more than the previous welcome offer, and it's the same spending minimum in order to earn it.

• Who should get it: People who regularly book with Expedia, Hotels.com, or Vrbo. OneKeyCash is also an easy-to-understand system because $1 in OneKeyCash is equal to $1 off a booking, unlike the variable pricing in other airline and hotel programs that make it hard to understand how much your rewards are worth.

• Who should skip it: There are some risks to booking with an online travel agency like Expedia or Hotels.com. You usually won't be able to earn rewards or elite status with other hotel programs, and it can get complicated to get a refund if your plans change.

Earn 60,000 Virgin Points when you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days of opening their account.

• Annual fee: $99.

• Value of welcome offer: $1,080. NerdWallet values Virgin Atlantic points at 1.8 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This offer is 20,000 points more than previous offer.

• Who should get it: People who like flying Virgin Atlantic or their SkyTeam partners, taking Virgin Voyages cruises or booking with any other Virgin brands.

• Who should skip it: Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Red are transfer partners of various credit card programs. If you only travel with Virgin occasionally, you might want to look at a more broad travel card that partners with Virgin.

Earn 170,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

• Annual fee: $99.

• Value of welcome offer: $850. NerdWallet values IHG points at 0.5 cent each.

• Why you should get it: This is 30,000 points more than the previous offer, and it automatically gets cardholders the second-highest level of elite status — not bad for a $99 card.

• Who should get it: People who want to earn IHG points through credit card spending to redeem for stays at brands like Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton and Intercontinental.

• Who should skip it: Travelers who don't frequent IHG properties could get more value out of a travel card that earns transferable points or a different hotel card.

Get 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome offer: $910. NerdWallet values Alaska miles at 1.3 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This offer is 10,000 points more than the previous offer. Plus, it gets you a companion pass right off the bat.

• Who should get it: West Coast-based flyers should consider this card if they want to fly Alaska or its partners, especially since Alaska merged with Hawaiian Airlines and recently made it easier to earn elite status on Alaska in 2025.

• Who should skip it: East Coast folks will likely get less use out of this card since the airline primarily serves the West Coast. Business owners may also want to consider the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card, which also has an increased sign-up offer right now.

• Learn more: Is an Alaska card worth it?

Limited time offer! Earn a $150 Statement Credit after you make your first purchase in the first 12 months from account opening, and earn 100,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card!

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome offer: $1,050. NerdWallet values Marriott Bonvoy® points at 0.9 cent each.

• Why you should get it: This card usually offers Free Night Awards as part of the welcome offer, but the bonus points and statement credit are easier to use.

• Who should get it: People who want to dabble in Marriott loyalty with a low-annual-fee card.

• Who should skip it: Marriott fans would likely benefit more from a Marriott card with a higher annual fee and elevated perks, like a higher level of automatic elite status and annual Free Night Awards.

• Learn more: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card worth its annual fee?

Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

• Annual fee: $695 (see rates and fees).

• Value of welcome offer: At least $1,500, or more if you transfer your AmEx Membership Rewards to high-value transfer partners.

• Why you should get it: This welcome offer is 30,000 points more than the previous offer. If you've been thinking about getting a high-end AmEx card, now would be a good time.

• Who should get it: Business owners who can take advantage of the travel perks, like AmEx's impressive lounge collection and the credit for a Clear Plus membership.

• Who should skip: If the annual fee is too high, check out some of the other premium travel cards.

• Terms apply.

Earn up to 65,000 Bonus Points. Earn 35,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome offer: $1,320. NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 2.2 cents each.

• Why you should get it: The bonus points on spending in the first six months makes this offer incredibly valuable for Hyatt enthusiasts.

• Who should get it: Travelers who can make use of the the annual free night award that comes with the card after renewal. Hyatt has some of the lowest-priced award nights, so cardholders will appreciate how quickly the Hyatt points accumulate with spending on this card.

• Who should skip it: People who want to redeem points for Hyatts and other hotels or airlines might want to consider on the Chase Sapphire cards instead, which earn points that can transfer to World of Hyatt.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, earn an additional 10,000 bonus points after your annual fee renewal payment posts and is paid in full.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome bonus: $1,400. NerdWallet values Aeroplan points at 1.4 cents each.

• Why you should get it: This two-part bonus could earn you more than $1,000 in award flights. Air Canada is in the Star Alliance, so the airline's points are an excellent way to save points on partner airlines' flights. You could use Air Canada miles to book United, ANA, Air New Zealand and others.

• Who should get it: People who fly Air Canada or its partners regularly.

• Who should skip it: Travelers who won't be able to use the Air Canada-specific perks like free bags and automatic elite status should opt for a travel credit card with points that transfers to Air Canada instead.

• Learn more: Is the Aeroplan® Credit Card worth its annual fee?

Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome offer: $850. NerdWallet values British Airways Avios at 1 cent each.

• Why you should get it: This sign-up bonus is 10,000 more Avios than the previous offer, but that's not what's important here. It's easy to transfer points to British Airways Avios from other credit card rewards programs, but redeeming those Avios can often come with high fees and surcharges. One of the best benefits of this card is the up to $600 in statement credit toward taxes, fees and charges on award flights.

• Who should get it: People who fly British Airways on their trips to Europe.

• Who should skip it: If you don't fly British Airways or its Oneworld partners often, you can skip this card and transfer points to British Airways only as needed from your credit card with transferable points. If you usually fly Aer Lingus or Iberia instead, you could also opt for those airlines' co-branded credit cards, which also have boosted bonuses right now.

For a limited time, earn 75,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.

• Annual fee: $95.

• Value of welcome offer: $700 - $1,050. Citi ThankYou points can be redeemed for 1 cent each when booking travel directly, but NerdWallet values Citi ThankYou points at 1.5 cents each if you take advantage of transfer partners.

• Why you should get it: The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is one of the few options if you'd like to start collecting Citi ThankYou points.

• Who should get it: Travel rewards enthusiasts who want access to some of the best transfer partners around. Citi is one of the only transferable currencies to partner with Turkish Airlines' Miles&Smiles program, which has some great sweet spots in the U.S. and beyond.

• Who should skip it: If you're more of a travel rewards beginner that'll mostly book travel in the travel portal, you'll get more value out of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which earns points that worth more when booking through the travel portal (about 1.25 cents each). The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns bonus points on more purchases, too, because it has a wider definition of travel.