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 credit card offers for July 2024 that are currently available – 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 currently offering a big bonus offer: bonus_miles_full
Annual Fee: $95
Learn more about the *chase sapphire preferred*
Why This Offer Makes the List
While it's not the biggest bonus we've ever seen on this card, earning 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards while only paying a $95 annual fee is still a phenomenal offer – especially if you don't want to pay huge, $550-plus annual fees on premium travel cards. The Sapphire Preferred is one of the best places to get started with points and miles.
Those 60,000 points can be used to book $750 in travel through Chase Travel℠, as every point is worth 1.25 cents apiece. But you can easily get double that value (or more) by using Chase transfer partners like United, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Southwest Airlines, or Hyatt. Not bad for a card with an annual fee of only $95, right?
There are some restrictions you'll need to be aware of before applying. First and foremost, 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 for any new Chase card. 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 the New Chase Sapphire Bonus (Or to Earn it Again)?
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
Capital One first unveiled the card back in November 2021. It's 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 a $300 annual travel credit, a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, great travel and rental car insurance protections, and more.
And all that with a price tag of just $395 a year. It's a great alternative to premium competitors like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or The Platinum Card® from American Express, which cost as much as $695 per year (see rates & fees).
Sure, a $395 annual fee may immediately turn off some travelers, but it's a mirage: In practice, the card is actually far cheaper. Consider the fact that you get an automatic $300 credit a year towards travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal. Then, starting in year two, you get a 10,000-mile bonus every year: These points are worth a minimum of $100.
Are you the kind of person who plans to spend $300 a year or more on travel? If so, do the math and you’ll see that in reality, you’re paying $95 a year for this card – or much less when you add in the other perks and welcome bonus.
Read More: Capital One Venture X Card Review: Get 75K Miles, Lounge Access & More
3. Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Current Offer
bonus_miles_full
Annual Fee: $0 introductory annual fee – then $150 each year after that (See rates & fees)
Learn more about the *delta skymiles gold card*.
Why This Offer Makes the List
Huge Delta fan or not, the Delta Gold Card is one of the best first-year travel rewards credit cards with a $0 introductory annual fee (and then $150 each year after that). And it might just be one of the best co-branded airline credit cards, period.
This card isn't the best earner, but what makes it so worthwhile is the perks you get when flying with Delta. If you want a card that covers the cost of checked bags, gets you a 15% discount on SkyMiles bookings, and provides priority boarding, you simply won't find a better option than the *delta skymiles gold card*.
But even in year two and beyond, you can easily come out ahead on that annual fee if you check a bag on at least three roundtrip flights a year. Since each bag costs $35 each way, that's a total of $210 in savings – more than zeroing out the card's $150 annual fee. If you're flying to Europe, the cost of checking a bag jumps to $60 each way, meaning one round-trip will more than cover the cost.
Not to mention, you also get a $100 Delta Stays credit, 20% off in-flight purchases, and a valuable welcome offer to use on a Delta flash sale.
Read more: A Low Fee and Solid Perks: A Full Review of the Amex Delta SkyMiles Gold Card
4. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Current Offer
The *chase ink preferred* is currently offering 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $8,000 in the first three months of card membership. These points are worth a minimum of $1,250 for future travel – if not much, much more. It's the best offer we have ever seen on this card.
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), you won't find a better welcome bonus at a lower price point right now than the current offer on the Chase Ink Preferred.
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!
5. Ink Business Cash® and Unlimited® Credit Cards
Current Offer
Chase offers two no-annual-fee business cards where you could earn up to 150,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points if you open both cards. Individually, they both have generous welcome bonus offers that could be redeemed through Chase TravelSM or transferred to airlines and hotel programs if you hold a Chase Sapphire card or the *chase ink preferred*.
Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
- Welcome Bonus Offer: Earn 35,000 Ultimate Reward points when you spend $3,000 in the first three months and an additional 40,000 when you spend $6,000 in the first six months after account opening.
- Annual Fee: $0
Learn more about the *chase ink cash*.
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- Welcome Bonus Offer: Earn 75,000 Ultimate Rewards 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 Unlimited* and the *Ink Cash* are two of the best no-annual-fee business credit cards on the market. If you're a small business owner (and trust us, you might be), these cards and their massive bonuses warrant a good hard look for your business.
While these cards technically earn cash back, you can turn that into valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points so long as you hold another Chase card that earns them, including the *chase sapphire preferred*, the *chase sapphire reserve*, or even the *chase ink preferred*. That means those 75,000 points are worth over $900 when redeemed through Chase TravelSM – or potentially much more by using Chase's transfer partners like Hyatt, United, Southwest Airlines, and more.
Read More: Earn a 75K Bonus With the Chase Ink Unlimited & Cash Cards!
6. 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!
7. Southwest Business Cards
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Card
- Welcome Offer: bonus_miles_full
- Annual Fee: The card has an annual fee of $199, which is not waived for the first year of card membership.
Learn more about the *southwest performance biz*.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card
- Welcome Offer: bonus_miles_full
- Annual Fee: The card has an annual fee of $99, which is not waived for the first year of card membership.
Learn more about the *southwest premier biz*.
Why This Offer Makes the List
With these limited-time bonuses, you can earn up to 120,000 Rapid Rewards points and get an easy path to earning a Southwest Companion Pass!
With the Southwest Companion Pass, you get to choose one person to fly free with you every time you buy a flight or redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points. No blackout dates and no questions asked: If the flight is bookable, you can add your companion.
With these tiered bonuses, you can earn up to 120,000 points by spending a total of $15,000 in the first nine months of card membership. If you can meet the minimum spending requirement for the full bonus by the end of 2024, you'll have all the points needed for the Companion Pass … even without stepping foot on a Southwest plane.
Beyond the bonus points and opportunity to get a coveted Companion Pass, these cards come with other benefits like anniversary bonus points, early bird check-ins, upgraded boardings, a discount on in-flight purchases, and a slew of other card perks.
Read More: Earn Up to 120K Points (& a Companion Pass) With New Southwest Business Card Offers!
8. 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, a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and more.
And all that with a price tag of just $395 a year, automatically making this card a compelling alternative to premium competitors which cost as much as $695 per year.
Sure, a $395 annual fee may still immediately turn off many travelers. But it's a mirage: In practice, it's actually far cheaper. Consider the fact that you get an automatic $300 credit a year towards travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal. Then, starting in year two, you get a 10,000-point bonus every year: these points are worth a minimum of $100.
Are you the kind of person who plans to spend $300 a year or more on travel? If so, do the math and you’ll see that in reality, you’re paying $95 a year for this card – or much less when you add in the other perks and welcome bonus.
Not to mention, you'll earn 2x Venture Miles for every dollar your business spends.
Read our full review of the Venture X Business Card
9. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Current Offer
The *capital one venture card* 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 card, you'll earn a total of at least 83,000 Venture Miles right off the bat.
Annual Fee: $95
Learn more about the *capital one venture card*
Why This Offer Makes the List
Capital One recently increased the welcome offer bonus on the standard Venture Card from 60,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months to 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months. That now puts the welcome offer bonus on par with the more expensive Venture X card listed above at a much smaller annual fee.
You won't get all the perks that come with the premium Venture X card, but you won't pay $395 out of pocket each year, either. The card also provides a credit of up to $100 every four years to cover the cost of a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership. It's one of the most cost-effective ways to get this benefit from a credit card.
But if it's just the miles you're after, this could make a compelling alternative to Venture X.
Read More: 75K Venture Miles & More Perks: All About the Capital One Venture Card
10. 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 140,000 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
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. 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.
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.
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 70,000 miles. These are some of the easiest points and miles you will ever earn.
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 120,000 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 120K American Airlines Miles (And Why You Should)
13. American Express® Gold Card
Current Offer
You can currently earn at least 60,000 American Express Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. You'll also get six months to meet that spending requirement, twice as long as card offers from most other banks.
Be sure to check if you're eligible for a 75,000-point offer via CardMatch!
Annual Fee: $250 (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.
Here's what you need to know: The real value of the Gold card goes far beyond that initial bonus – 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 (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.), 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, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations, and up to $120 annually in Uber cash to use at both Uber and Uber Eats. These statement credits are given out in $10 monthly increments and any amount you don't use at the end of the month will be forfeited. Just add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
Maximizing these two credits alone will cover all but $10 of your $250 annual fee. These credits and bonus categories are a big reason why we feel the card is easily worth the $250 annual fee.
Read our full review of the American Express Gold Card.
Bottom Line
July 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.