Guru Tips

Credit cards with limited time / recently increased bonus offers for spring 2018

Did you know that there are better times than others to apply for a travel rewards credit card?

Credit card issuers, just like traditional retailers, market their products seasonally. The difference is that traditional retailers offer items on sale in order to attract customers and credit card issuers offer higher-than-normal signup offers (or longer than normal zero-interest period) to bring in new customers. But the end result is the same - a better deal for you!

We do see some higher signup bonuses on travel rewards cards tend to show up in late February or early March ahead of the summer travel season.

To that end, a spate of limited time offers have hit the market recently and they are lucrative and worthy of your time if you're in the market for a new credit card. In several cases, the signup bonuses alone are enough to make a serious dent in your vacation expenses and that's just the start to the rewards you can earn. Here's a summary, and more details are below.

    • Citi ThankYou® Premier Card, 50,000 ThankYou® points (worth up to $625)*, recently increased from 30,000.
    • Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card, in January increased to 10x the rewards per $1 spent on hotels booked through Hotels.com/Venture.
    • Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express - Within the first three months with this card, you get 30,000 bonus miles if you make $1,000 in purchases.
    • Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express - If you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months, you earn 35,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion(R) Qualification Miles (MQMs)

*Terms apply, see below for details.


Still not convinced that timing your credit card application correctly could make a big difference in the rewards you could earn as a signup offer?

Citi ThankYou® Premier Card

The Citi ThankYou® Premier Card, recently announced an increased signup bonus of 50,000 ThankYou® points and those are worth up to $625 if you redeem them for travel or $500 if you redeem them for gift cards. Keep in mind, you'll need to spend $4,000 within the first three months to get those points and the more quickly you hit that threshold, the more quickly you'll see those points show up in your account so you can actually use them.

For comparison, just a couple of weeks ago the signup bonus for ThankYou® Premier was just 30,000 points worth only $375 in travel or $300 in gift cards. In this case, waiting for what could turn out to be a seasonal signup bonus bump nets you up to an extra $250 in travel.

Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card

While it wasn't an upped signup offer, it was an announcement made right on the cusp of people starting to plan their Spring Break and summer trips. In late January, Capital One announced that its Venture® cardholders can now earn 10 times the rewards per $1 spent on hotels booked through Hotels.com/Venture. Not a bad way for one tripís rewards to go a long way toward helping you pay for your next trip. Learn more about this offer here.

Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express

Within the first three months with this card, you get 30,000 bonus miles if you make $1,000 in purchases. Learn more about this offer here.

Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express

If you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months, you earn 35,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion(R) Qualification Miles (MQMs). Learn more about this offer here.

The bottom line is that spontaneous credit card applications are rarely a good idea, and they might actually cost you some signup bonus rewards. Take your time to research the card you want and, if it fits in your plans, consider waiting until the right season to apply. It just might mean a more lucrative bonus for you.

 

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