BGR has partnered with The Points Guy for our coverage of credit card products. BGR and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers.Please note: the offers mentioned below are subject to change at any time and some may no longer be available.If you’re on the hunt for a new credit card to add to your wallet, it can certainly be confusing to try and sort through all of the different rewards and points available out there so you can ultimately get the most bang for your buck. Depending on how involved you want to get, you can rely on a new piece of plastic for everything from the occasional cashback to squeezing every available bonus point you can out of it — such that the points turn into free hotel nights, flight discounts and much more.
As we said, it just depends on how involved you want to get in mapping out a card strategy that’s right for you. And like with most things in life, timing also plays a role, too. Offers are frequently available for a limited time, and you’ve got to grab them when you spot them. Accordingly, we’ve got a lineup of seriously enticing card offers that are definitely worth taking a look at, if for no other reason than the massive welcome bonuses alone.
Each of these cards welcomes you as a new cardmember with a welcome offer of at least 100,000 points. That’s all it takes — you sign up, and six figures’ worth of points post to your account, just waiting for you to take advantage of.
Here’s a rundown of some currently available 100,000-point and higher offers, along with which ones deserve particular consideration.
Hilton Honors Aspire Card From American Express
If the welcome offer is your main target — if it’s the biggest accumulation of points quickly that you’re after right now — this one is the card to consider. We’ve actually got three Hilton-branded cards on this list all touting welcome offers of 100,000 points or more, but the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has the highest bonus of all of them. As long as you spend at least $4,000 in the first three months of card ownership, boom — 150,000 points are yours.While the Aspire does come with a pretty hefty annual fee of $450, the card at least is packed with value to make up for it. Benefits include: You automatically score top-tier Hilton Diamond status, plus one free weekend night when you open your card — and then another each year when you renew. Additionally, cardmembers get a full Priority Pass membership with guesting privileges and a bevy of statement credits to offset the high annual fee. They include a $250 annual airline credit, a $250 Hilton resort credit at participating hotels, and a $100 property credit on eligible stays of two nights or more at Conrad and Waldorf Astoria hotels. Not bad, right? An all-around solid card that will no doubt find a place in many wallets.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
While we think the previous card offer is great if a big welcome offer is your main consideration, suppose you like it but aren’t too thrilled about that big annual fee. You can still drop down to one of two Hilton mid-tier cards, like the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card, and score a nearly-as-sweet 130,000-point welcome offer. For this one, you’d need to spend $4,000 in the first four months to get that bonus, which is even more achievable and potentially an even more attractive offer. Additionally, this card comes with a slew of other benefits, like complimentary Hilton Gold status and the ability to upgrade to Diamond by spending $40,000 in a year, plus a free weekend night certificate good at almost any Hilton property when you spend $15,000 in a year, as well as 10 free Priority Pass visits each year. For any business owners out there reading this, there’s a corresponding Hilton Honors American Express Business Card for you. The welcome bonus is also 130,000 points, but you’ve got to spend just a tad more — $5,000 in the first four months.
British Airways Visa Signature Card
With the British Airways Visa Signature Card, US-based travelers earn more value than you might expect from a foreign airline credit card. This card’s point structure is a little different than the previous three, in that you have access to a tiered sign-up bonus of up to 100,000 Avios points. It works like this: Spend $3,000 in the first three months of card ownership, and you get 50,000 Avios points. Once you spend $20,000 in your first year, you can tack on another 50,000 points. What’s extra nice is that the annual fee is pretty reasonable, at only $95.Now let’s talk about earning with this card. The British Airways Visa Signature offers 3 miles per dollar on British Airways purchases and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. All things considered, that’s a pretty solid offer for a co-branded airline credit card. The card’s most valuable perks include a 10% discount on British Airways flights and a Travel Together Ticket during every calendar year that you make $30,000 in purchases with the card.
Final thoughts
All of the cards listed above certainly have their advantages and benefits that accompany those enticing 100,000-point and higher bonuses, and if you’re looking to boost your rewards balance in a specific hotel loyalty program — well, the decision gets practically made for you. Nevertheless, there’s also one final thing to keep in mind as you take a look at the cards above.Definitely take the opportunity to check the CardMatch tool to see if there are any additional 100,000-point offers available to you. Remember what we said earlier about one of the keys here being timing. If you are lucky enough to have such an offer extended to you, and it’s not uncommon to see targeted offers such as 100,000 points for the personal Platinum Card® from American Express through CardMatch, you’ll definitely want to not wait and take advantage of that now.
